The driver placed a large piece of paper on his windscreen that read: "Jakarta 11-11-2013. This vehicle belongs to the Army's Directorate of Supplies based in Pulogadung [East Jakarta]. To the authorities, thank you for your understanding." The notice was signed by Second Sgt. Mashuri, whose cell phone was also given along with his army personal identification number.

To his dismay, the driver learned the note was ineffective on Tuesday when officers from the Land Transport Agency, the police and the military, who were conducting a joint operation checking trucks and public transport vehicles in East Jakarta, stopped and issued the man a ticket for carrying wooden boxes that exceeded the limit permitted by law.

Budi Sugianto of the East Jakarta Transportation Office said boxes were piled so high on the truck that they posed danger to the public. "The truck belongs to the army but we issued the man a ticket anyway as the vehicle was dangerously overloaded," Budi said.

Budi said he had yet to establish why the driver had placed the note on the windshield.

Police 'train and advise' 28 couples after monas operation

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2013

Bayu Marhaenjati – A two-week operation by police and public-order officials at the National Monument has "trained and advised" 28 couples for reasons unknown, although Monas's head of day-to-day operations responded to the dragnet by asking that the grounds of the building be used for wholesome recreational activities and not "amorous conduct."

"We aim to anticipate crime," Gambir Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Jajang Hasan Basri said on Tuesday. "Couples have always been targeted [by opportunist thieves], and have become the objects of extortion by certain perpetrators."

The police operation took place over the last fortnight. The first week netted 10 couples, while 18 pairs were recovered in the second half of the operation. Police said they would retain the identities of the people they had spoken with, but had decided not to file any charges.

It has not been confirmed by police exactly what the newly trained and advised people were supposed to have done, and the manager of the National Monument was not able to shed any further light on the case. "We don't know that [Monas] is being used as a place for amorous conduct," Mimi Rahmiyati said.

JK bemoans mosques' sound systems, again

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2013

Jakarta – Former vice president Jusuf Kalla said half of the country's mosques were equipped with poor quality sound systems and that such subpar sound meant they caused noise pollution.

"Mosques must have high quality sound systems: This must be fixed," said Kalla, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI).

Kalla said as a result of the bad sound quality worshippers could barely hear the sermons delivered by Muslim preachers.

"However noble the message may be, if the sound system is bad, people will doze off and miss the message," he said as quoted by tribunnews.com. Kalla said that the DMI would initiate a countrywide sound system donation program.

Currently, there are more than 250,000 mosques in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world.

West Papua

West Papuan activists lobbying Pacific leaders

Islands Business - November 2013

While they are keenly awaiting the decision on their membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), West Papua activists are travelling the Pacific lobbying countries to support their bid.

One such activist is exiled investigative journalist Octovanius Mote, who has just returned to his adopted home in Washington D.C in the United States last month, after island hopping the Melanesian states. He is an activist and lobbyist in the world's greatest democracy.

However, like the torrid history of his country under Indonesia and the failures they have suffered at the hands of the United States, United Nations and their closest neighbours Papua New Guinea in securing autonomy, Mote is taking one stride at a time. Mote said after 40 years of Indonesian rule, joining a group like MSG would enhance their endeavours for independence. In 1961, he said 1025 of his kinsmen were selected by the Indonesians when the United Nations gave West Papuans a chance to determine its own destiny in what is known as the 'Act of Free Choice'. However, Mote said their leaders were shown footage of how they (Indonesia) tortured the people.

"The obvious result of that was they voted for Indonesian rule and we became a province of Indonesia," he told Islands Business. "Under these circumstances, we inherited this government and these issues are well documented and not made up. Since then, he and freedom members of the Free Papua Movement have been calling on the international community to give them recognition.

Mote is also recognised for his part in trying to address self- determination. As a former bureau chief of Kompas newspaper in West Papua, he served as a rapporteur for a national dialogue on the issue in 1999 between then Indonesian President Habibie, who had claimed the reformists tag, and West Papuan community leaders.

However, his (Habibie's) participation came on the condition that the issue of independence was not to be discussed. However, the West Papuan leaders presented their petition and Mote and four other organisers of the meeting found themselves blacklisted on charges (allegedly trumped up) of buying arms. Habibie postponed a decision on the autonomy petition. Fortunately, Mote was already on his way out of Indonesia for the United States as part of a United States Information Agency Visitors programme. It was the last he was to see of his homeland.

In exile, Mote continues to cry for the support of his eastern cousins and has seen a change in heart in various Melanesian governments. "I met with support groups in Fiji to basically get updated on what is the progress on our application," he said. He says he is encouraged by the support shown. "So for that we really would like to thank all the Melanesian leaders for being united on this after 50 years of Indonesian rule."

Mote was also enthusiastic about the response from West Papua's closest neighbour Papua New Guinea who in the past tended to side with Indonesia. Former Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, a founding member of the MSG, said West Papua should engage with Melanesian society because culturally they (West Papuans) are Melanesians. "We don't see any MSG leader opposing our right for self determination and our opposition to crimes against humanity in West Papua," Mote said. He said they were also keen to see MSG leaders visiting West Papua after they visit Indonesia – an invitation extended to MSG Foreign Affairs leaders by Jakarta and accepted this year during the MSG summit in Noumea in June.

However, he echoed fears of his kinsmen that once the MSG foreign ministers arrive in Jakarta, Indonesia could stop them from entering West Papua based on security risks.

"If the visit does happen, it will be an historic one because many years ago people were not allowed to visit us particularly journalists, human rights workers and advocates and our people definitely will not harm their wantoks," Mote said. "For journalists who get accreditation to work in West Papua, they would have to apply for special permission and when they do get there, they are assisted by Indonesian security personnel."

Mote said he visited Papua New Guinea in August and met with cabinet members asking them about their position over West Papua's self determination. "They told me they don't oppose our right but since being directly on the border with Indonesia they have to look for a way where they can maintain good relations with Indonesia. "So I don't see them having a formula on how to address our situation. "But I definitely have seen a different attitude from them concerning our struggles."

From PNG, Mote went on to Port Vila where the indigenous West Papuans have the greatest ally. Mote said it was former Vanuatu Prime Minister Father Walter Lini who said if there remained a Melanesian country still colonised, then Vanuatu is not free. The current Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil has not changed that stance and Vanuatu is regarded the most active government in the fight for West Papuan struggle. But Mote is concerned about how the Indonesian Government has started to woo Melanesian leaders individually, particularly Solomon Islands' Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo who visited Indonesia in September.

Papua delegation's visit questioned

Stuff.co.nz - November 15, 2013

Michael Field – A 23-strong delegation of politicians from Indonesia- controlled Papua is heading to New Zealand amidst controversy that they're on a junket with little perceived benefit.

The Jakarta Globe said the delegation had only one appointment in its five-day trip to New Zealand – to visit the son of the delegation leader in Palmerston North.

A strong separatist movement exists in Papua where the mainly Melanesian population want independence from Indonesia. Amidst allegations of extreme human rights abuse and random killings, Indonesia has tightly controlled Papua and seldom lets outsiders in.

The Jakarta Globe said the entire membership of the Papua provincial legislature, including a corruption convict and other officials accused of embezzling social aid funds, had left or was preparing to leave on costly overseas trips with little perceived benefit to the people of one of Indonesia's least-developed regions.

It said 62 individuals from the 56-seat legislature and the provincial administration were scheduled to travel in separate groups this week. A contingent of 18 left for Germany on Sunday and groups of 21 and 23 are expected to this week travel to the Netherlands and New Zealand respectively.

Yunus Wonda, the council deputy speaker and head of the delegation to New Zealand, defended the trips that will leave the legislature deserted.

"We've planned these trips since 2012," Yunus told the Globe. "We want to see firsthand the education of Papuan students who are studying in those countries, how they're doing, as well as how the government is supporting them in terms of scholarships and moral support.

"So it's clear that we're undertaking this programme with a purpose. We're not just going for no reason." There are 18 Papua students in New Zealand.

Questions have also been raised about the decision by the New Zealand-bound delegation to visit only the IPC Tertiary Institute in Palmerston North where Yunus has enrolled his own child, reportedly taking 105 million Indonesian rupiah (NZ$11,000) from the provincial budget to pay for the cost.

Yunus is among several Papua councillors cited in a Supreme Audit Agency report from July for receiving hundreds of millions of rupiah under the guise of social aid from the provincial budget.

The report showed Yunus received a total of Rp 253 million from the 2012 social aid fund, including Rp 148 million to get a medical checkup in Jakarta.

Two other councillors who also received funds from the social aid budget, Boy Markus Dawir and Ruben Magai, are scheduled to go on the trips to the Netherlands and New Zealand, respectively.

Indonesia MP opposes Papua ban for foreign journalists

Radio New Zealand International - November 15, 2013

An Indonesian parliamentarian, Eva Sundari, says there should be no restriction for foreign journalists wanting to go to Papua.

Ms Sundari, who is a member of the Human Rights and Security Committee, says she was surprised to hear that foreign journalists were banned from the easternmost province. She says the chief of the military had assured her that Papua was as free as other regions.

"Why if you have freedom for press for Indonesian journalists, but not for foreign journalists, what is the point here? Is there anything you want to hide from foreigners? I cannot accept this because if we employ a democracy it must be all over Indonesia at the same time, and also if you employ a freedom for press it must also be applied for Papua."

Eva Sundari says from her point of view, the situation for human rights is bad all over Indonesia.

Two West Papua councillors tried for Rp 22 billion graft

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2013

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Two members of the West Papua Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) and the director of a provincial business appeared at the Jayapura Corruption Court on Wednesday as their trials began concerning a Rp 22 billion (US$1.89 million) graft case.

The case implicates all 44 members of the West Papua DPRD, but Wednesday's trial hearing focused on deputy speakers Robert Melianus Nauw and Jimmy Demianus Idjie, along with the director of PT Papua Doberai Mandiri (PDM), Mamad Suhadi.

The trial was presided over by judge Khairul Fuad, while Gde Made Pasek led the prosecution. The three defendants have been charged under the 2001 Corruption Law. If found guilty, they face up to 20 years' imprisonment.

DPRD Speaker Yosef Yohan Auri and former provincial secretary Marthen Luther Ruimadas were indicted last week.

The indictment revealed that the Rp 22 billion was part of PDM's capital that had been allocated by the provincial administration as part of a program to improve people's welfare. The money was intended for natural resource management, development, trade and industry, and services.

PDM was established on May 18, 2009, with basic capital of Rp 100 billion paid by the provincial administration.

The 44 councilors allegedly borrowed Rp 22 billion from PDM in September 2010 to meet their personal expenses, such as their houses and cars, as well as to cover costs in relation to their constituents, with Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year's Day all imminent.

The loans from PDM were disbursed after a discussion between defendants Auri, Nauw, Ruimadas and Mamad, who approved the loans. The loans were disbursed in two payments of Rp 15 billion and Rp 7 billion.

Prosecutors said that based on Government Regulation No. 24/2004, speakers and members of regional legislatures received various perks and allowances. By using PDM's capital for loans to the DPRD members, the aim of generating income or improving public services were not met.

Entire Papua council jets off on expensive junkets

Jakarta Globe - November 13, 2013

Banjir Ambarita & Robert Isidorus, Jayapura – The entire membership of the Papua provincial legislature, including a corruption convict and other officials accused of embezzling social aid funds, has left or is preparing to leave on costly overseas trips with little perceived benefit to the people of one of Indonesia's least developed regions.

A total of 62 individuals from the 56-seat legislature and the provincial administration are scheduled to travel in separate groups this week. A contingent of 18 already left for Germany on Sunday, and groups of 21 and 23 are expected to travel later this week to the Netherlands and New Zealand respectively.

Yunus Wonda, the council deputy speaker and head of the delegation to New Zealand, has defended the trips that will leave the legislature deserted.

He also brushed off criticism that the purpose and cost of the trips were unjustified, amid reports of each participant receiving Rp 100 million ($8,600) in spending money for the four or five days they were expected to spend abroad, and the lack of clarity on their agenda during the visits.

"We've planned these trips since 2012," Yunus said. "We want to see firsthand the education of Papuan students who are studying in those countries, how they're doing, as well as how the government is supporting them in terms of scholarships and moral support. So it's clear that we're undertaking this program with a purpose. We're not just going for no reason."

Yunus claimed the combined cost of the trips was Rp 4 billion, adding that it would be paid for out of the provincial budget and had already been approved by the central government.

The legislature says there are 60 Papuans studying in universities in Germany, seven in the Netherlands and 18 in New Zealand.

Critics of the visit argue that the billions being spent checking on the tertiary education of fewer than a hundred individuals could be put to far better use addressing the education woes inside the province, including reducing its illiteracy rate of 34 percent – the highest in the country last year, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) – and an education enrollment rate of less than 14 percent among the university-aged population.

Questions have also been raised about the decision by the New Zealand-bound delegation to visit only the IPC Tertiary Institute there – where Yunus has enrolled his own child, reportedly taking Rp 105 million from the provincial budget to pay for the cost.

Yunus is among several Papua councilors cited in a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) report from July for receiving hundreds of millions of rupiah under the guise of social aid from the provincial budget.

The report showed Yunus received a total of Rp 253 million from the 2012 social aid fund, including Rp 148 million to get a medical checkup in Jakarta.

Two other councilors who also received funds from the social aid budget, Boy Markus Dawir and Ruben Magai, are scheduled to go on the trips to the Netherlands and New Zealand, respectively.

Also bound for the Netherlands is John Ibo, who was stripped of his post as the council speaker in August after the Jayapura Anti-Corruption Court handed him a 22-month prison sentence and fined him Rp 50 million for embezzling Rp 5.2 billion from the provincial budget. He remains on the council, and out of jail, pending an appeal filed before the Supreme Court.

Papua remains the most impoverished province in the country, with a poverty rate of more than 30 percent, or three times the national average.

News of some of the councilors having already left only emerged on Monday when the Indonesia Ombudsman for Papua, Iwangi Sabar Olip, visited the legislature to confirm the speculation.

"I received information that a number of council members will be going abroad. Word is that some have already gone, and others will be leaving soon. I have come to check the truth. I wanted to meet with the council secretary, but she wasn't present," Iwangi said.

The secretary, Juliana Waromi, was one of those scheduled to go to Germany. Two weeks earlier, she had denied that there were plans for the councilors to go on the overseas trips.

Iwangi said council staff had given him various accounts of where Juliana was, with one saying she was on a trip elsewhere in the country, while another said she was with a group traveling abroad.

A councilor, who asked not to have their name or the delegation they were part of made known, said that in addition to checking on the Papuan students, councilors going to the Netherlands would be "conducting legal studies" in the country. No explanation was offered for the other agendas in the Germany trip.

The councilor also refuted Yunus's claim that the visits had been planned since 2012, saying they were only arranged on short notice. "All I know is that the departures were very sudden."

The councilor pegged the cost of the trips at "tens of billions [of rupiah] from the annual regional budget."

"What I know is that every councilor gets Rp 100 million in spending money, and that excludes the airfare and the accommodation costs," the councilor added.

Iwangi said the legislature should have been transparent in planning the trip. "They should have provided clear information about the funding, where it comes from and how it's being used," he said. "They also need to be able to show results from the trip once they return. That has to be clear and open to the public.

"We shouldn't cling to the old paradigm where nothing is disclosed. Lack of transparency can lead to greater corruption."

Students stage rally to protest Papua autonomy plus draft

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2013

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Dozens of Cendrawasih University students staged a mass rally to protest the Papua autonomy plus draft currently being considered by the provincial administration. The students argued that the draft didn't take into account the interests of the people.

"The draft accommodates only the interests of the elite. The people have been left out of the deliberations, therefore we demand they be halted," rally coordinator Alfa Rohromana said on Tuesday.

Commenting on the draft, Rev. Benny Giay from the Kingmi Kemah Injili Church, who was also on site, said none of the government's initiatives on Papua had sought to include the public in the dialogue process.

"The government is busy forming this and that but none of the commissions hold a proper dialogue with the Papuan people," he said.

The Papua Province administration is currently considering the Papua autonomy plus draft in an attempt to improve the Papua Autonomy Law No. 21/2001. The administration claimed that the autonomy plus draft would allow the local administrations to receive bigger incentives from resources management.(dic)

Labour & migrant workers

Bali unions demand higher minimum wage

Jakarta Post - November 16, 2013

Ni Komang Erviani, Denpasar – The Bali Wage Council's decision to set the 2014 minimum wage for the province at Rp 1.3 million (US$111) per month triggered protests from unions that say the minimum wage is too low to cover workers' needs.

"We question the minimum wage set by the council. Do you think that Rp 1.3 million is a decent amount for Bali? How could [the council] propose that amount to the Bali governor?" Independent Workers Union Federation (FSPM) Bali chapter chairman Anak Agung Sagung Ratmudiani said in a meeting at the Bali Legislative Council on Friday.

The meeting was also attended by scores of union members, several members of the Bali Legislative Council, the head of the provincial Manpower and Transmigration Agency, the chairman of Bali Wage Council and other related parties.

The minimum wage must be paid to any worker in the province. It is issued by the governor, based on the recommendations of the Bali Wage Committee, which is tripartite, consisting of government, unions and business associations.

Before submitting the recommendation to the governor, the wage council must consider market surveys, factoring in inflation, economic growth and companies' average financial capabilities. In October, the board set the 2014 minimum wage for the province at Rp 1.3 million and is now awaiting approval from the governor.

FSPM demanded the Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika review the Bali Wage Council's proposal on the minimum wage.

"We demand Governor Pastika reject the recommendation from the Bali Wage Council. The minimum wage should stand for worker's welfare and not for a few people [investors] that only take profits from Bali but never give welfare to workers," Ratmudiani said.

FSPM proposed the minimum wage for Bali should be around Rp 1.7 to Rp 2.1 million. FSPM secretary Ida Idewa Made Rai Budi Darsana explained the amount proposed was based on a survey conducted by the union on the standard cost of living (KHL) for a single worker.

"We conducted a survey on workers' standard cost of living every month. The survey included 60 needs of workers, including food, clothing and others. We found the standard cost of living for workers was around Rp 1.7 to Rp 2.1 million," Darsana said.

The Bali Wage Council assured the decision was made based on surveys of the standard cost of living, while FSPM also assured its survey was more valid than the one made by the government.

"The standard cost of living arranged by the government is allegedly made by order from the employers. It does not reflect real worker needs at all," Darsana added.

The union also demanded that the Bali Legislative Council convey its aspirations to the Bali governor. "The governor can ignore the recommendation from the Bali Wage Council for the sake of workers welfare here on the island," he said.

Yogya minimum wage to increase by 10%

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2013

Bambang Muryanto and Jon Afrizal, Yogyakarta/Jambi – Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwo X said that the minimum wage in the province (UMP) 2014 would be increased by around 10 percent compared to last year.

Speaking after a meeting with the mayor and regents at the gubernatorial office compound in Kepatihan on Wednesday, Sultan said that the new minimum wage of the province's four regencies and municipality were based on the proposals filed by the remuneration board.

The board comprises representatives of the local administration, the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) and the Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI).

According to Sultan, the minimum wage for Yogyakarta city was increased from Rp 1,065,247 (US$93) to Rp 1,173,300; Sleman's from Rp 1,026,181 to Rp 1,127,000; Bantul's from Rp 993,484 to Rp 1,125,500; Kulonprogo's from Rp 954,339 to Rp 1,069,000 and Gunungkidul's from Rp 947,114 to Rp 988,500.

Sultan also said that the approval was based on many considerations including an increase in the prices of goods as well as challenges encountered by employers such as the increase in the dollar value that caused increase in the prices of imported raw materials.

Sleman Regent Sri Purnomo said that his office would establish a post for companies that objected to the decision.

Meanwhile, Regional secretary of the Independent Workers Union Federation (FSPM), Ambhara Ika Inang Kartika, said that the increase in the wage in Yogyakarta was not yet ideal

"We expect Yogyakarta to follow Jakarta by applying sectoral minimum wage that every sector also has its own standard," Ambhara said.

Separately in Jambi, Governor Hasan Basri Agus told the Indonesian Prosperous Workers Union (SBSI) that the minimum wage for the region could not be increased because the governor decree on the matter had already been issued.

"I told SBSI that it was impossible to increase the wage because the decree has been issued. It's a matter of credibility of the governor decree," Hasan said after receiving SBSI representatives for a hearing to ask the governor to increase the Jambi UMP into Rp 1.6 million a month. "I am asking for an understanding. The wage was based on the proposal made by the wage council," she told SBSI representatives at a hearing on Wednesday.

A number of agreements were made during the hearing including on the establishment of regency/municipality remuneration board across the province. The governor also agreed to hold a hearing with head of state- owned insurance company Jamsostek to discuss about the insurance payment for workers.

More labor protests may hit industrial sector next year

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2013

Jakarta – Labor intensive industries are predicting a gloomier business outlook next year, with an increase in minimum wages and growing labor rallies hurting business.

The Indonesian Textile Association (API) predicts an escalation in labor protests in 2014 as political parties use the labor issue to attract support from voters in the general and presidential elections.

API chairman Ade Sudrajat feared certain parties may force workers to join political rallies during the elections, further hurting businesses that had already been severely affected by the rise in the minimum wage.

Indonesians will hold elections in April and July, next year, to choose their representatives in the legislative and the new president.

According to him, overseas demand for the country's textile related products would remain strong, especially in the US and Japan, but textile producers would not be able to benefit from the momentum, as the escalation of labor rallies could disrupt their production activities.

With such unfavorable conditions, he estimated the textile industry would grow between 3 and 4 percent next year, despite stable demand from overseas buyers.

The API estimates textile exports will increase to US$13 billion this year from about $12.65 billion in 2012, less than 3 percent compared to $12.6 billion last year.

The government recently increased the minimum wage by between 10 and 15 percent in major industrial centers such as Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java and East Java, but workers opposed the wage increase, saying the rise was not enough to cover their basic needs. They vowed to further carry out street protests until the government fulfilled their demand to raise the wage by up to 50 percent, which is regarded as unrealistic.

Footwear Manufacturers Association (Aprisindo) chairman Eddy Widjanarko predicted stagnant growth for the footwear industry in 2014 due to difficulties in settling minimum wage issues with workers.

The association estimated that overseas demand would begin to increase next year thanks to recovery in the world economy. But local shoe producers would not be able to take advantage of the rising demand due to growing labor protests next year.

Eddy estimated the footwear industry would grow by about 11 percent next year from about 10 percent this year, with the figure reflecting stagnant growth. During the January to August period this year, footwear exports rose by 11 percent to $3.9 billion from $3.5 billion in the same period last year.

Toy Manufacturers Association vice chairman for marketing Sudarman Wijaya echoed Eddy's sentiments, predicting the toy industry would see stagnant growth in 2014. He said the toy exports would only grow by 7 percent next year, the same level as growth estimated for 2013.

"I'm pessimistic our growth will be higher next year. Some protesters have disrupted productivity by conducting sweeps and factory lock-outs to force workers to join their rallies," he told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview on Friday.

Association of Indonesian Furniture and Handicraft Exporters chairman Ambar Tjahjono predicted the furniture industry would face a growth decline in 2014.

He predicted furniture exports would decline to around 2 or 3 percent in 2014 due to decreased output caused by workers' rallies. He said workers' rallies would seriously disrupt production activities. This year, the furniture industry expects 7 percent growth, with exports rising only to $2 billion from $1.8 billion in 2012.

"If the workers stage protests for three days, we won't be able to produce anything for three days. We can't just hire some workers to replace the ones who are rallying. It takes specific skills to produce furniture or textile products," he said.

He believed most workers preferred working to rallying. He said, however, that members of labor unions often went to factories to force workers to join the rallies. He added the protesters were often intimidating when they swept through the factories.

"They break factories' gates down, blocking people's way to the factory and intimidate couriers carrying raw materials to the factory. Some couriers even cancel their plan to carry raw materials to the factory because the protesters threaten to burn the material," he said.

He said overall productivity and efficiency had declined as a result of the protests. "The protests have also caused a delay in delivering our products to importing countries. How can we deliver the products on time when we can't get to Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta because our way out of the factories has been blocked by rallying workers?" he said. (ogi)

Workers demand minimum wage revision

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2013

Indah Setiawati, Jakarta – The Jakarta Labor Forum has demanded a revision to the 2014 minimum wage, which was set on Nov. 1 by the Jakarta administration at Rp 2.44 million (US$211) per month.

In a desperate move, representatives from the forum arrived at the Jakarta Legislative Council on Monday to meet with legislators from the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), whom they asked to lobby Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to revise his decision and raise the minimum wage to Rp 3 million.

"The decision needs to be amended. We have come here because we don't know where else to turn to with our problem," said Dedi Hartono, a member of both the forum and the Indonesia Labor Union Association (Aspek).

Jokowi's predecessors, Fauzi Bowo and Sutiyoso, both revised the minimum wage during their tenures. The labor forum representatives were met by three of the PDI-P's 11 legislators: Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, Bimo Hastoro and Dwi Rio Sambodo.

Prasetyo said they would convey the forum's request to Jokowi and try to facilitate communication between the forum and the governor, although he questioned the absence of the workers' representatives during a tripartite meeting on Oct. 31 to determine the minimum wage level.

"Why did none of you join the meeting at that time? Pak Jokowi waited for you, but you weren't interested in attending the meeting. Instead, some of your members yelled at him," he said.

Roni, another of the forum's members, said the workers had not met with Jokowi because they felt they had no authority to do so, as their leaders were attending an internal meeting at the Mega Proklamasi Hotel in Central Jakarta.

"The purpose of our protest in front of City Hall was to halt the meeting of the Jakarta Remuneration Council. The meeting aimed to set the minimum wage, but we did not agree with the basic cost of living [KHL] figure," he said.

The forum had demanded the city adopt the workers' KHL of Rp 2.7 million per month rather than the national figure of Rp 2.4 million. Initially, the workers had demanded a raise to Rp 3.7 million.

The city's monthly minimum wage was raised earlier this year to Rp 2.2 million from Rp 1.5 million.

Indonesia strike round-up

Red Flag Newspaper - November 12, 2013

James Balowski -- Tens of thousands of Indonesian workers held a national strike on 31 October and 1 November. Police reported that protests were held in 50 towns and cities in 15 provinces.

Max Lane previously provided analysis of, and background to, the strike. Here James Balowski sifts through in more detail the particular actions that took place across the archipelago.

Aceh and Sumatra

Hundreds of workers from the Aceh Labour Alliance rallied at the Regional House of Representatives in Indonesia's northern-most province on 28 October, calling on the Aceh government to increase the regional minimum wage (UMP) from 1.7 million rupiah a month to 2.3 million (around US$200).

They also called for labour representatives to be involved in the deliberation on a draft by-law on labour, for the abolition of outsourcing in state-owned enterprises and for the government to act against companies refusing to pay the minimum wage. "Their labour is used when needed, but when they're not needed any more, they get sacked straight away, without severance pay. This is what we are referring to as unjust", one of the worker representatives told Serambi Indonesia.

The Jakarta Post reported that around 1,000 foreign investment companies across 26 industrial estates in Batam, Riau Islands, shut down almost all their operations on 31 October. Several industrial estates deployed members of the paramilitary youth organisation Pemuda Pancasila (PP) in front of factories to prevent protesters from forcing management to allow other workers to join the strike.

At the Executive Park industrial complex, dozens of workers tried to demolish the entry gate. An attempt by protesters to blockade Batam's international airport and several ports failed due to a huge police presence.

In the central Sumatran province of Jambi, workers from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions Â protested against a decree by the governor setting the province's minimum wage at 1.5 million rupiah. "A minimum wage of 1.6 million rupiah must be introduced because our KHL (reasonable cost of living index) is set at Rp1.6 million", the confederation's Jambi regional coordinator, Roida Pane, told the Post on 31 October.

In Lampung province, hundreds of workers descended on government offices demanding the UMP be raised to Rp3.7 million. "The cost of living right now is very high, it is reasonable to ask for 3.7 million rupiah", said local worker Robin. "The government should pay attention to workers, not just its civil servants", he added, referring to the huge government expenditure on the Indonesia's bloated bureaucracy.

"A wage of 1.1 million is not enough to meet daily needs in a month, let alone those that have families", People's Movement coordinator Deni Kurniawan was quoted by Antara News.

In the North Sumatran capital of Medan, workers rallied to oppose the provincial government's decision to raise the 2014 minimum wage by just 10 percent. "The prices of staple foods and other goods have increased by at least 30 percent. Therefore, we demand a 50 percent increase and reject anything below that figure", trade union leader Minggu Saragih told the Associated Press.

Saragih said workers would launch massive strikes that would cripple the province's economy and called on 1.6 million union members to stop paying motorcycle tax until the governor revised the decision.

West Java

The 31 October Jakarta Post reported that more than 50,000 workers rallied in the West Java cities of Bogor and Depok, demanding that the minimum wage be increased to Rp3.7 million and that outsourcing be eliminated. Three major retailers - Giant, Carrefour and Tip Top - were closed due to the strike.

In Bogor, workers protested the Bogor regent's proposed UMP of Rp1.7 million, saying that it was far from enough to meet daily needs. In Depok, workers blocked the city's main thoroughfare for around an hour. All Indonesia Workers Union Depok chairperson Sugino said fuel price increases had forced workers to demand the salary adjustment. "This year alone we have experienced fuel and electricity price hikes. We are only just surviving", he told the Post.

In Bekasi, around 5,000 workers blockaded the main road in front of the mayor's office, demanding wage rises. Nanang, one of the workers' representatives, said that that they were demanding a 50 percent increase in the UMP or 2.1 million for Bekasi City, based on the basic cost of living following recent fuel price hikes. "A minimum increase of 40 percent, we could agree to", she was quoted as saying by news outlet Tempo, adding that although workers were aware that the blockade disrupted traffic, it was the only effective means to get employers to agree to their demands.

Jakarta

Workers in Jakarta launched a two day strike on 31 October as the Jakarta wage council - which is made up of labour, employer and city administration representatives - met to set the regional minimum wage for 2014. Workers refused to attend the meeting, saying the deliberations were based on a KHL that was out of date.

Â "Our protests are concentrated in industrial areas", Konfederasi Serikat Pekerja Indonesia (KSPI - Indonesian Trade Union Confederation) chairperson Said Iqbal told the Jakarta Globe. Iqbal said that 2 million workers in 20 provinces joined the strike including 250,000 workers in the Jakarta industrial areas of Pulogadung and Cakung and 300,000 in the Jakarta satellite city of Bekasi.

In South Cikarang several workers were seriously injured when they were attacked by paid thugs from the PP. "This morning, at 8.15am, there was a clash between workers and [Pemuda Pancasila], who did not like the rally", Jakarta police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Rikwanto told the Jakarta Globe on 31 October.

Rikwanto said the clash involved 15,000 workers and 500 members of PP, who claimed that the strike would affect their livelihoods and the investment climate in Indonesia. "Eight persons were injured, hit by stones or stabbed. Four workers and four security guards [were hurt]", he said. The PP was established by the army in 1959 and used to carry out the Suharto dictatorship's dirty work. The organisation still has close ties with the military and police and has been linked to racketeering and extortion.

Speaking at a press conference later in the day, Iqbal said that in addition to the PP, the Sons of Bekasi Association and the Bekasi Association of Waste Companies were also involved in the attack. He also noted that the media had tried to portray the incident as a clash between strikers and local residents and paint the workers' actions in a negative light.

"[They were] thugs who were paid, slashing and stabbing with machetes, samurai [swords]. This is clearly what was caught on television", he told Viva News.

Workers are calling on police to question the leaders of the organisations and for the Bekasi police chief to be sacked for allowing people to carry weapons. If the police fail to act, said Iqbal, then workers would take up the fight. "We will go up against them in the context of defending [ourselves] not attack. What kind of country is this where black employers work with criminals", he said.

Following a gubernatorial decree endorsing the wage council's decision to raise the minimum wage by just 11 percent, on 2 November thousands of workers descended on the Jakarta city hall, saying the meagre increase constituted an economic injustice. The protesters, coming mostly from industrial estates in Cilincing, Pulogadung and Cakung, forced their way onto city hall grounds and threatened not to leave until the governor annulled the decree.

Jakarta Labour Forum secretary general Muhammad Toha said they were disappointed with Governor Joko Widodo for signing off on a UMP of Rp2.4 million. "We will keep fighting, we will stay overnight to protest here until the governor changes the decree", he told the Jakarta Post.

Central and East Java

In Demak regency, Central Java, around 3,000 workers from the Demak Labour Movement (Gebrak) rallied in front of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), demanding wage rises. "We don't agree with the UMP proposed by the Demak regional government of 1.28 million. We are demanding a minimum wage of 1.515 million", PT Etercon Farma Sayung worker Supriadi was quoted as saying by Tribune News.

"We have tried lobbying four times, but there was no result. It's as if the regional government and the DPRD don't care", said Gebrak chairperson Jangkar Puspito.

Detik News reported that hundreds of workers from the Federasi Serikat Pekerja Metal Indonesia (Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers) in the provincial capital of Semarang blockaded the Java north coast road on 30 October, demanding that the governor agree to a 3 million rupiah minimum wage. Action coordinator Somad said they plan to hold even bigger actions in front of the Semarang city hall, which will be followed by a rally at the governor's office, where workers from several different parts of Central Java will gather and demonstrate.

Scores of students from the Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (Pembebasan) - which is affiliated with the People's Liberation Party - held an action in solidarity with the national strike in the city of Yogyakarta on 1 November.

The rally, which was held in front of the Yogyakarta Presidential Palace, was marked with the lighting of 1,000 candles. "Almost all workers in the country are taking action. Moreover, workers in Jabotabek [Greater Jakarta] are standing firm to fight for their rights. We are here to support the actions by the workers", action coordinator Ajwar told Tribune News.

The students condemned the PP's attack on striking workers in Bekasi: "It is very regrettable that in a democratic country there are still efforts to muzzle the people's wishes by acts of thuggery. We condemn this brutal action", Ajwar said.

A rally was also held by hundreds of workers from the Yogyakarta Labour Alliance (ABY), who blockaded the main road running through the Malioboro shopping district. They then moved on to the DPRD, but after discovering that all the lawmakers were away on "working visits", they rallied at the Yogyakarta governor's office. ABY secretary general Kirnadi said that the Yogyakarta minimum wage is still far from reasonable. "If workers' wages in Yogya are not raised, then it is reasonable for us to question Yogyakarta's special status. Yogya would be special if workers were prosperous", said Kirnadi in a speech.

Protesting workers in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya threatened to occupy the governor's office if their demands for a UMP of 3 million rupiah were not met. KSPI Deputy Secretary Jamaludin said, "We will occupy the governor's office until the demand for 3 million is met", as around 10,000 workers from Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Gresik, Pasuruan and Mojokerto demonstrated and gave speeches on the road in front of the governor's office.

The workers also called for the annulment of Presidential Instruction 9/2013 (which limits wage increases), an end to contract labour and outsourcing and revisions to the KHL.

Kalimantan and Sulawesi

In the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar, a coalition of students, workers and urban poor organisations from Social Solidarity Action for the Indonesian People rallied in front of the Makassar Industrial Zone, blockading the main road to the city centre.

National Trade Union Confederation chairperson Salim Samsur said the action was held to condemn the South Sulawesi governor. "Today around 300 workers closed off the road. If our demands are not met, in coming days 3,000 workers will close the road", he told Tribune News on 31 October.

Around 100 workers in the East Kalimantan city of Samarinda rallied at the governor's office on 28 October, demanding a 50 percent wage increase. "In addition to demanding an increase in the UMP to a minimum of 2.8 million rupiah a month, we are also demanding that the government immediately abolish contract labour systems and outsourcing", one of the action coordinators, Yuno, was quoted as saying by Antara News.

The workers also criticised the recent presidential instruction, which by placing a cap on minimum wage increases is nothing but manipulation on the part of the political elite to maintain low wages.

Administration's legal division to appeal in labor wage dispute

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2013

Rangga D. Fadillah, Jakarta – The Jakarta city administration will be appealing to the Supreme Court to annul the verdict of the State Administrative Court, which annulled gubernatorial decrees to allow eight labor intensive companies in the Cakung industrial estate to postpone the 2013 minimum wage hike.

"We'll appeal as soon as possible," said Bayu Mahendra, an official from the administration's legal division, as quoted by kompas.com.

The eight companies employing hundreds of workers are PT Kaho Indah Citra Garmen (garment), PT Misung Indonesia (garment), PT Myungsung Indonesia (wig), PT Kyeungseng Trading Indonesia (garment), PT Star Camtex (garment), PT Good Guys Indonesia (garment), PT Yeon Heung Mega Sari (garment) and PT Hansoll Indonesia (garment).

Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issued gubernatorial decrees for the companies to allow them to pay workers below the provincial minimum wage temporarily. With the court ruling the decrees had to be canceled, the companies had to pay at least Rp 2.2 million (US$192.67) per month as it was set as new minimum wage in the city in 2013.

While thousands of workers in the city had received salaries based on the minimum wage at the least since January, workers from the eight companies had been paid no more than Rp 1.9 million per month, which was the rate of the standard cost of living (KHL).

The workers, who joined the National Workers Union (SPN) and the Inter- Factory Labor Federation (FBLP), have attempted to sue the city administration since April.

The court eventually appeased the workers' demand as the companies could not prove they were eligible to be exempted from paying their workers according to the minimum wage hike.

Head of industrial relations at the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Jakarta chapter, Bambang Adam, said the association fully supported the city administration in filing an appeal against the decision of the court.

"The decision will only harm both the companies and the workers themselves," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday. Bambang said the eight companies were small companies that had suffered losses in the past two years. If they had to immediately pay the margins they had not paid since January, their workers would lose their jobs because the companies could go bankrupt, he added.

However, a lawyer with the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Jakarta chapter representing the workers in the court, Maruli Rajagukguk, said the city administration should not file an appeal but should support the decision.

"It's obvious the companies could not prove that they had suffered losses in the last two years. They should have no privilege to pay lower than the provincial minimum wage," he said.

He added that the city administration should know around 17,000 people working for the eight companies had been so far underpaid. "The governor should perhaps think about the fate of those workers, instead of the fate of those rich businesspeople that run the companies," he went on. (koi)

Political parties & elections

PPP seeks new Islamic coalition for next year's presidential election

Jakarta Globe - November 13, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The United Development Party (PPP) on Tuesday said it would actively approach other major Islamic parties to form a coalition to support a presidential candidate ahead of Indonesia's 2014 election.

PPP deputy secretary general Arwani Thomafi said that his party would approach other Islamic parties in the House of Representatives: the National Mandate Party (PAN), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), along with the Crescent Star Party (PBB), which occupied legislative seats during the 2004-2009 period but was ousted from the House in the 2009 elections.

"An axis made up of Islamic political parties will have strategic power and offer an alternative, especially when facing a coalition made up of the PDI-P [the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle], the Golkar Party or the Democratic Party," Arwani said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The PPP was optimistic that an Islamic party coalition could be formed, according to Arwani. "We've established good communications with one another," he said

PPP deputy chairman Dimyati Natakusumah, meanwhile, said that during the pre-reformasi era, all Islamic parties had been unified under the PPP as a result of former President Suharto's three-party policy, under which only three political parties were allowed to compete in legislative elections.

Dimyati said the history should mean a new Islamic coalition, dubbed Chapter Two of the Central Axis by many, was possible.

The Central Axis was the name of a similar coalition formed by Islamic parties in 1999 just after the collapse of the New Order regime in support of the presidency of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, leader of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the founder of the PKB.

Gus Dur was elected the fourth president of Indonesia through a legislative election with the backing of the Islamic party coalition.

The PKB and PKS, however, have shown indifference with the PPP's plan. "This is not a new thing. This is an old discourse and it is hard to realize," PKB deputy chairman Marwan Jafar told Indonesian news portal liputan6.com.

He said it was particularly hard for the Islamic parties to form a coalition because each of them already had their own presidential candidate in mind. "We'll see after the legislative elections; because we only decide on presidential and vice president candidates after legislative elections," Marwan added.

PKS chief patron Hidayat Nur Wahid similarly said it was too early to combine power to support a certain candidate for the presidential post, as results of legislative elections that will proceed presidential elections next year would surely affect parties' policies concerning their presidential candidates.

If any coalition were to be be formed, Hidayat said, "The first agenda shouldn't be the presidential election." "It should be about uniting the ummah [Muslims in Indonesia] so that they trust there remain [people] who fight for them," Hidayat added, according to kontan.co.id.

The four Islamic parties at the House – PPP, PKS, PKB and PAN – won a combined 24 percent of the vote during the 2009 legislative elections, after which they joined the Democrat-led coalition.

Political pact 'could boost voter engagement, hold officials accountable'

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2013

SP/Novianti Setuningsih – The number of eligible voters who are not exercising their voting rights continues to rise, with many analysts believing the number will increase in next year's legislative and presidential elections.

M. Fadillah, a member of the Jakarta office of the General Elections Committee (KPU), said the number of people voting in the capital had been falling for a number of years now.

"It's true that participation levels in general elections continue to drop. In the 1999 elections [the first after Suharto stepped down, ushering in the democratic era], 92 percent of the electorate voted. That number fell to 84 percent in 2004 [when incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was first elected] and by 2009 it was down to 72 percent," he said at a discussion in Jakarta on Sunday.

"But the turnout was much worse during the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election, when just two-thirds of eligible voters cast a vote."

M. Taufiqurrahman, a legislator from the Democratic Party, told the discussion that he feared voter turnout in next year's elections would decline even further because people were jaded with the politicians and parties they had previously voted into office. He said many legislators had failed to deliver on promises made during their campaigns.

In the discussion, hosted by the Proklamasi Institute, Taufiqurrahman gave tips on how to be a smart voter.

"There are two ways for the people to become politically smart. First, if a legislative candidate comes and gives you something, just take what is offered but don't feel obliged to vote for that candidate. Second, choose a candidate who is already known and who brings a written political contract," he said.

He added that prospective politicians tended to turn very generous ahead of elections, in the hope that they could curry favor with voters.

He warned that if people weren't smart enough in choosing their representatives, they could end up with legislators who would say that they had already handed out food and money to the people for their votes and thus had no more obligations to them.

With a political contract, voters could have strong grounds to constantly remind their legislators to deliver on their promises, Taufiqurrahman said.

"A political contract makes the relationship between the person who was voted and the voters clear. It also guarantees the electorate and the elected are equal. So once the person is elected, people can easily demand they make good on the promises they made in the political contract."

Surveys & opinion polls

Public blames Yudhoyono for rising religious intolerance

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2013

Jakarta – A public opinion poll conducted by the Indonesian Voters Institute (LPI) has found that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is considered the most lenient government official when it came to dealing with vigilante groups in Indonesia.

The Jakarta-based pollster found that in public perceptions about which officials stood up for pluralism, Yudhoyono came in last, with a score of 2.57 out of 10.

Joining Yudhoyono at the bottom of the list were Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi with 2.60 points, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto with 2.75 points and Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa with 2.83 points.

The pollster even found that among the public Yudhoyono was considered a weaker advocate for pluralism than controversial Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali who got 3.72 percent points.

"Yudhoyono has failed to prosecute intolerant groups that violate the rights of religious minorities in the name of majority beliefs," LPI director Boni Hargens said during a press briefing on Sunday in Jakarta.

Boni said that Yudhoyono's reluctance to crack down of vigilante organizations had emboldened the groups to carry out more attacks against religious minorities, which had intensified during Yudhoyono's second term.

In the survey, the LPI categorized Yudhoyono as part of the political establishment, constituted of those who had been in politics for at least 10 years. Yudhoyono was first elected President in 2004 and was reelected in 2009 with 60 percent of the vote.

The Wahid Institute, which promotes pluralism and the peaceful practice of Islam, stated in its 2012 report that religious intolerance in the country had grown steadily in the last four years. The report showed that the number of religious intolerance cases in 2012 stood at 274, up from 267 in 2011. In 2010, the institute recorded 184 cases and 121 cases in 2009.

Major cases of religious intolerance include the banning of church congregations from worshipping at the Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) in Bogor and the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) Filadelfia in Bekasi; the ban on Ahmadiyah teachings; and the demolition of a mosque in the predominantly Christian city of Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

On Sunday, members of the GKI Yasmin and the HKBP Filadelfia congregations staged their weekly protest in front of the State Palace on Sunday to continue demanding their church be reopened.

The congregations also lambasted Yudhoyono for declaring success in protecting religious freedom in the country, a claim he made during the Bali Democracy Forum last week. "If what the President said in Bali was true, not total nonsense, then we wouldn't be having our weekly services on the roadside, but in our own churches," the congregations said in a press release on Sunday.

Earlier this year, Yudhoyono's decision to accept the World Statesman Award in New York stirred controversy, especially since it came amid a string of attacks against religious minorities, which included the forced relocation of the Sampang Shia community on the island of Madura.

In his speech prior to receiving the award, Yudhoyono admitted that Indonesia still faced problems including "intolerance, communal conflict and radicalism". Yudhoyono then vowed to maintain harmony in society and address incidents of religious intolerance.

In its other findings from the survey, the LPI reported that popular Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was considered as the most pluralist public figure, scoring 5.12 points.

Other figures who were deemed by the public to support pluralism were People's Conscience Party (Hanura) vice presidential candidate Harry Tanoe with 5.07 points and Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad with 4.44 points.

"A political figure should be a pluralist figure, given that he or she will lead a country that is very rich in terms of ethnicity and religion," Boni said.

Fewer teenagers value virginity

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – The latest government survey has found that the number of Indonesian teenagers who think virginity is important is declining.

According to the 2012 Indonesian Health and Demography Survey (SDKI), which was released in September, only 77 percent of female respondents and 66 percent of male respondents said it was important to keep their virginity before marriage.

The figures are much lower compared to those in the 2007 survey where 99 percent of female and 98 percent of male teenagers interviewed said they valued virginity.

The National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) said the findings were alarming, highlighting the fact that most Indonesian teens had limited knowledge of sex and reproductive health.

The 2012 survey on reproductive health among youth was jointly conducted by the BKKBN, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and the Health Ministry. It involved 8,902 female and 10,980 male teenagers aged between 15 and 24.

It found that female teenagers (38 percent) who had sexual intercourse did not know why they did it, saying "it just happened". Meanwhile, most of the male respondents (57 percent) said they were driven by curiosity.

"The youngsters' knowledge on puberty and reproductive health is inadequate. This is shown by the fact that more than 38 percent of teenage girls in the survey stated the reason why they had sexual intercourse was that 'it just happened'," BKKBN deputy for prosperous families and family empowerment Sudibyo Alimoeso told reporters on Thursday.

"The rising fertility rate among teens was most probably caused by a lack of knowledge on reproductive health, which of course affects the rising maternal mortality rate as well," he added.

Flourisa Juliaan, BKKBN's head of research and development, said it was necessary to provide teenagers with adequate sex education.

"Not only because teen's biological conditions aren't ready for child birth, but also because having a child at a very young age affects their futures, especially teen girls," she said.

The SDKI survey also found the number of mothers aged between 15 to 19 years had risen to 48 per 1,000 women in 2012, from 35 per 1,000 in 2007.

"It's very shameful to see the data as most teens have not received the right information on reproductive health from their mothers. Moreover, the era of free information can easily shift teens' views on puberty and reproduction," she went on.

According to the data, 61 percent female respondents said they received information on reproductive health from their teachers, 29 percent from their friends, and only 18 percent from their mothers. Male respondents said they mostly received such information from their peers (48 percent), followed by teachers with 46 percent.

"This shows how information on reproductive health within the family is still considered taboo, when in fact parents hold the key to guiding their children to tell them the right information on the issue," she said.

Sudibyo said for four years the agency had initiated a program that provided reproductive health counseling centers for high school students in 12 provinces, including Jakarta, Central Java, West Java, East Java, Banten, North Sumatra and West Nusa Tenggara.

Environment & natural disasters

Court protesters allegedly paid by palm oil firm

Jakarta Globe - November 16, 2013

A large demonstration allegedly initiated by palm oil company Kallista Alam, which is accused of illegally destroying some of the world's most important remaining orangutan habitat on the west coast of Sumatra, disrupted a trial at the Meulaboh District Court on Friday where the Environment Ministry is suing the company for environmental damages.

The allegations of paying protestors came from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program.

Judges were forced to adjourn the trial after around 150 people, believed to be paid by the company, arrived by bus and held a noisy demonstration demanding the judges rule in favor of the company.

The State Administrative Court revoked one of the company's palm oil concessions in September last year after it found that the company obtained the concession illegally and froze its assets.

"Kallista Alam is one of several palm oil companies that is involved in the slashing and burning of the Leuser Ecosystem during the past few years," said Ian Singleton, the director of the SOCP. "We praise the Indonesian Ministry of Environment on its action against PT Kallista Alam," Ian said.

He added that it was important to remind people that a potentially devastating new spatial plan proposed by the provincial administration still threatens huge swaths of Aceh's forests and their incredibly unique biodiversity, as well as Aceh's people and their economic livelihoods.

"If approved, this new plan is likely to lead to an upsurge of new legal cases due to the massive increase in environmental damage it will cause," Ian said.

Kamaruddin, an Acehnese lawyer who represented the local communities in their fight against Kallista Alam, said the Leuser ecosystem was in a state of emergency.

The Leuser Ecosystem is a national strategic area protected for its environmental function. It is currently illegal for any district, provincial or national leader to issue permits for palm oil, mining companies or any other activities that would degrade the environmental function of the Leuser Ecosystem.

"But powerful business lobbies are currently trying to undo this, not to support the community, but to line their pockets with the assets of Aceh," said Kamaruddin, adding that Friday's show of intimidation by Kallista Alam was just one example of many companies attempting to intimidate the legal and political processes of Aceh.

Using satellite information and a data analysis, Graham Usher, a landscape protection specialist with SOCP, highlighted the extreme sensitivity of Aceh's environment.

"Much of Aceh's remaining forests are on steeply sloping terrain that should be off limits to development under existing spatial planning regulations. "Clearing forests and building roads in such areas is simply not safe, and potentially disastrous," he said.

Map shows deforestation in Indonesia is world's fastest

Jakarta Post - November 16, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – Indonesia has the fastest rate of deforestation in the past 12 years, according to a new global map on deforestation.

A team of researchers from 15 universities – led by the University of Maryland and assisted by Google and NASA – has created the first high- resolution global map on Google Earth that maps forest cover.

In a study that was published in the journal Science on Thursday, the researchers reported a global loss of 2.3 million square kilometers of forest between 2000 and 2012 and a gain of 800,000 square kilometers of new forest, with an increase of 2,101 square kilometers of forest loss each year.

Indonesia, according to the study, has experienced the highest rate of deforestation between 2000 and 2012, from around 10,000 square kilometers per year between 2000 and 2003 to around 20,000 square kilometers of deforestation per year between 2011 and 2012.

During the latest period, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono actually initiated the forest clearance moratorium to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions and rate of deforestation.

The country has lost 15.8 million hectares in total between 2000 and 2012, ranking fifth behind Russia, Brazil, the United States and Canada in terms of forest loss, the study reports.

It finds that Brazil is doing well compared to the other most densely forested countries. It managed to cut its deforestation rate from around 40,000 square kilometers per year to around 20,000 square kilometers per year. But Brazil's success is, however, offset by the increasing deforestation in Indonesia, Malaysia, Paraguay, Bolivia and Zambia

"This is the first map of forest change that is globally consistent and locally relevant," University of Maryland professor of Geographical Sciences Matthew Hansen, team leader and corresponding author on the Science paper said in a statement.

"Losses or gains in forest cover shape many important aspects of an ecosystem including, climate regulation, carbon storage, biodiversity and water supplies, but until now there has not been a way to get detailed, accurate, satellite-based and readily available data on forest cover change from local to global scales," he said. The government was quick to deny the results of the study.

Forestry Ministry secretary-general Hadi Daryanto said that researchers had miscalculated the loss of forest cover, because, according to the data from the ministry, Indonesia only lost around 450,000 hectares of forest every year.

"The scientists only look at satellite images of areas where logging activities are taking place, without putting the country's temporary deforestation into consideration," Hadi said on Friday.

"Temporary deforestation is, for example, logging activities within the HTI [Industrial Forest Permit] areas, which will be restored after the timber harvesting period concludes. The country harvests only 200,000 hectares of HTI area per year," he said. "They should not classify timber harvesting as forest loss," he continued.

Hadi said that the Forestry Ministry had succeeded in reducing the country's rate of deforestation from 3.5 million hectares per year between 1996 to 2003 to only 450,000 hectares, since the log exports ban was enacted in 2001 and the forest clearance moratorium was introduced, which prohibits the issuance of new licenses for the conversion of primary forests and peatlands in both protected forests and productive forests.

"We also did not issue HTI permits as much as we used to during the forest clearance moratorium. Between 2011 and 2012 the government only issued 250,000 hectares of HTI," Hadi said. "Therefore, I don't think this study is stating the truth," he said.

Hadi said that the government under the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) would launch the forest clearance moratorium evaluation report in January next year.

As previously reported, Yudhoyono had signed Presidential Instruction No. 6/2013 to continue the forest moratorium for two years in May this year, that was initially introduced in 2011 after Indonesia and Norway signed a US$1 billion deal for Indonesia to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and rate of deforestation.

The fierce urgency of saving Asia's endangered rhinos

Jakarta Globe - November 15, 2013

Diana Parker – The one-horned Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus), which once ranged through South and Southeast Asia, is now extinct in all but one rare lowland forest in western Java, specifically the Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten.

With only around 50 individuals left in the wild – and none in captivity – the Javan rhino is one of the world's most endangered large animals.

And the furry, two-horned Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) – the world's smallest rhino species but still weighing in at an impressive 600- 950 kilograms – is not doing much better.

There may be just 100 Sumatran rhinos left worldwide, a figure announced at the Sumatran Rhino Crisis Summit, an emergency meeting held in Singapore from March 31-April 4. At the summit, rhino experts and conservationists convened with government officials to discuss the dire situation facing the Sumatran rhino and the steps needed to protect it from extinction.

The governments of Malaysia and Indonesia, the only two countries that can still boast Sumatran rhino populations, vowed at the summit to work together to protect the species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global conservation network that organized the summit, called the agreement "groundbreaking" in a media release in April. However, conservationists warned, governments still needed to take concrete action to save the species.

"Serious steps must be taken to roll back the tide of extinction of the Sumatran rhino," Widodo Ramono, director of the Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI), said in the IUCN release.

"We need to act together urgently, hand in hand, replicating some of the inspirational successes of other conservation efforts and aim to stop any failures that might impede progress."

Fast forward nearly six months and Widodo was in Way Kambas National Park in Lampung, attending a workshop together with local and international conservationists and rangers from across Indonesia who are working to protect rhinos on the ground.

The goal of the workshop was to take one simple but critical step toward protecting Sumatran rhinos – figuring out exactly how many rhinos are left in the wild and where.

"We are looking for something that can't be seen. It's invisible. So we must search for a method to use to study what can't be seen directly," Widodo said in Way Kambas on Sept. 27.

Keeping track

Sumatran rhinos are notoriously shy. Even for rangers who spend years tracking and protecting the animal, actual sightings of the rhino are rare. So how does one count and keep safe an animal that can't been seen?

One answer: set a trap – a camera trap. According to Sunarto, a species specialist at WWF Indonesia, the first camera trap used in Indonesia was nothing more than a traditional film camera hooked up to a pressure pad. When a large animal like a rhino would walk across the pad, it would trigger the camera to snap a photo, "capturing" the animal on film.

Today's camera traps are much more sophisticated, and scientists all over the world use these specially made digital cameras to take still photos and videos of rare animals. At the workshop, rangers from various rhino habitat sites in Indonesia trekked through the forest for a demonstration on how to install and use the traps.

Although some sites are already using camera traps to track and study Sumatran and Javan rhinos, conservationists hope that more widespread, systematic use of the traps will help them get a more complete picture of just how many are left.

Another answer that is perhaps even more surprising is DNA sampling. Each individual rhino's DNA is unique, so testing DNA can help scientists learn how many rhinos are living in a particular area – for which rangers turn to poop.

During treks through rhino territory they search for droppings, and if they are lucky enough to find fresh feces, they collect a small sample. These samples are brought back to a lab, the DNA is analyzed, and scientists can then determine which specific rhino the feces sample came from.

"We hope that with this kind of survey [using camera traps and DNA sampling], later on, we will find that we can actually approach [in our estimates] the actual number of rhinos," Widodo said. "And then, after that, we will be able to count what the increase may be."

While the Crisis Summit estimated there may be fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos left in the world, other figures put that number closer to 200, scattered throughout Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan national parks in Lampung and the Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh and North Sumatra, as well as a small community in Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo.

On Oct. 2, WWF Indonesia released camera trap photos and video of what may be a lone Sumatran rhino in the jungles of East Kalimantan, a surprising find since rhinos had long been considered extinct in Indonesian Borneo. But while work still needs to be done to count the exact number left, workshop participants agreed that without better protection, Sumatran rhinos were at serious risk of becoming extinct.

In the past 20 years alone, WWF Indonesia estimates Sumatran rhino numbers have declined by 82 percent, with rhinos going extinct at eight habitat sites. Habitat fragmentation and encroachment are two of the major threats facing the species, both unsurprising given the high deforestation rates in Sumatra over past two decades.

But according to many conference participants, poaching is currently the most serious threat facing the remaining wild rhinos.

Although other endangered animals such as elephants and orangutans are sometimes killed in Indonesia because they are perceived as a threat to farms or plantations, rhinos are killed almost exclusively for their horns, which can fetch huge sums on the black market.

Although there is no scientific evidence that rhino horns have any medical properties (the horns are made mostly of keratin, like human fingernails), it remains a sought-after ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, and demand for the horns in countries like China and Vietnam has led to thousands of rhinos being killed across Africa and Asia in recent years.

The threat is so serious that even the announcement that at least one rhino still exists in Kalimantan was criticized by some researchers, who fear publicizing the existence of the rhino will draw the attention of poachers.

"What WWF should have done is keep quiet, lobby in the background for the protection of the forest and the establishment of effective conservation management," Erik Meijaard, a researcher who has worked in Indonesia for more than 20 years, told conservation news website Mongabay.com in an Oct. 9 article, after WWF released the photos and video footage of the rhino.

Possibilities

WWF Indonesia and the local government of East Kalimantan's West Kutai district have already set up a joint monitoring team that has been conducting regular patrols in the area to help protect the rhino from poachers.

But according to Meijaard, the measure isn't enough. "The problem is that no one in Indonesia, apart possibly from the Ujung Kulon people, have been able to stop rhino poaching," he said.

In Way Kambas, workshop participants, including experts from WWF, also stressed the need for more and better patrols to protect Sumatran rhinos.

"The most urgent [step] will be protection of the places where we definitely know there are rhinos. Because there are many places that do not have adequate protection," Sunarto told the Jakarta Globe during the workshop.

"You have to have the almost 24-hour presence of a good team. A team that can prevent, to begin with, the poachers from coming in. And if they detect one, they should be able to handle it and prevent [the poacher] from killing the rhinos."

Sunarto said it was not difficult to get people in Indonesia to support rhino conservation, including among communities living near rhino habitats, arguably some of the most critical supporters of conservation efforts.

"But the thing is, with rhino conservation, even if you have a village where 99 percent of the people support [it], if you have one person, with one gun, that can wipe out the rhino," Sunarto said.

But there have been success stories for rhinos in Asia. In Nepal and India, greater one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) populations have been able to bounce back with serious anti-poaching efforts.

Indonesia also has its own rhino success story. While the Javan rhino is still critically endangered, 40 years ago it would have been hard to predict that even 50 would survive in Ujung Kulon. In the 1960s and 1970s, the species was holding on by a thread with only around 25 individuals left in the wild.

But after serious protection measures were put in place, including patrols by special privately funded forest ranger teams know as Rhino Protection Units (RPUs), the Javan rhinos began to make a comeback. Now, the population appears to have stabilized at around 40 or 50 individuals.

There have been some indications that the Indonesian government is starting to get serious about Sumatran rhino conservation. On Oct. 2-3, Indonesia convened the first ever Asian Rhino Range States Meeting in Bandar Lampung.

At the ministerial-level meeting, representatives from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal agreed that just maintaining the populations would not be enough. Steps need to be taken to help rhinos recover.

In a press release, WWF Indonesia applauded the meeting, but said it would take more than words to make this a reality. Proven techniques from places like Ujung Kulon must be implemented throughout the region. "The rhino, it is a magnificent animal," Sunarto said. "And we still manage to have two species, which is so special.

"Our effort has to be successful. Everyone will watch us. Everyone will hope for us. The rhino conservation is in our hands now. We don't want to lose in this battle."

Forest misuse costs Indonesia $7 billion in revenue, report says

Bloomberg - November 10, 2013

Berni Moestafa – Illegal logging and mismanagement of Indonesia's forestry industry may have prevented more than $7 billion flowing to state coffers from 2007 to 2011, costing the government more than its health budget, Human Rights Watch said.

In contrast, the Indonesian government's 2011 revenue from timber royalties and reforestation fees was $300 million, said Emily Harwell, the lead author of a report released by Human Rights Watch.

"This is a very conservative estimate," Harwell, a partner at Natural Capital Advisors, said at a briefing in Jakarta on Nov. 8 of lost revenue. "The calculation doesn't include any wood that's smuggled."

The report indicates weak governance is chipping away at revenues in the world's fourth-most populous nation, as budget and current-account deficits this year hurt the rupiah. In 2011, revenue missed from forestry totaled more than $2 billion, exceeding the government's health spending for that year, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in the report.

The report calculated how much wood was used by industries such as pulp, furniture and saw mills, and compared it with the available legal supply of timber, Harwell said. The supply of legal timber was "considerably smaller than what you need to produce that amount of products," Harwell said, adding that from the missing supply she was able to calculate the lost fees.

Indonesia ranked 118 among 176 countries on Transparency International's 2012 corruption perceptions index, undermining the investment appeal of Southeast Asia's largest economy. Facing slowing growth, the government is trying to narrow budget and trade gaps by curbing state spending and easing restrictions on investment in some industries.

Most corrupt

Out of 20 central government institutions, the Ministry of Forestry was the only one scoring below the minimum standard for integrity in providing public services, according to a 2012 survey by the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK. Johan Budi, a spokesman at the anti-graft agency, couldn't be reached when called on his mobile phone, and two calls to his office weren't answered.

"We do have an illegal logging problem," Sumarto Suharno, a spokesman at the Ministry of Forestry, said by telephone on Nov. 8. "The case with the policeman in Papua is being investigated and we're looking whether anyone in the forestry ministry is involved."

A Papua-based policeman allegedly made almost $1 million in transfers to senior police officials to protect illegal logging and fuel smuggling businesses, an investigation by a Jakarta-based non-government organization Indonesia Police Watch found. The policeman has been named a suspect, according to a statement on the website of the Attorney General's office. The police force is perceived as the most corrupt institution in Indonesia, according to Transparency International.

Plantation pressure

State losses from illegal logging have narrowed to less than 1 trillion rupiah ($87.6 million) a year, from about 30.7 trillion rupiah in 2002, because of certification requirements for timber sold, Suharno said. He declined to comment on the Human Rights Watch report, saying he has yet to see it.

Expansion of oil palm and pulp plantations to support economic growth is occurring in existing natural forests and on land claimed by local communities, Human Rights Watch said. Indonesia has become the world's largest producer of palm oil, used to make cooking oil, biscuits and other processed foods.

Palm oil output may increase to 26.7 million tons to 27 million tons this year from 25.7 million tons in 2012, according to Indonesia's Palm Oil Board. The paper industry plans to nearly double its current mill capacity by 2015, Human Rights Watch said, citing a report by the Center for International Forestry Research.

Forest dependence

"The impacts of this demand-led plantation expansion on communities and forests are profound and long lasting," Human Rights Watch said, pointing to significant impact on local economies, subsistence patterns and forest biodiversity.

In 2010 more than 9,000 villages were located within state forests, with 71 percent depending on them for their livelihood, it said, citing government statistics. Twelve percent of people in Indonesia live in poverty, according to data compiled by the World Bank.

Human Rights Watch called for greater assessment of government and corporate compliance with laws protecting local land rights and compensation agreements. Forest and plantation businesses, including their supply chains, should engage with local non-government organizations to build transparent grievance procedures, it said in the report.

NGO finds rights violations on RSPO plantations

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2013

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – After a two-month-long investigation, environmental NGO the Hutan Rakyat Institute, says it has found that a "colonial labor system" that violates workers' rights is being practiced on oil palm estates certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

The investigation, disclosed in a 39-page report released on Thursday, revealed across-the-board neglect of RSPO principles and criteria on three sanctioned RSPO oil palm estates in North Sumatra.

Founder Saurlin Siagian said the three plantations – identified as B in Asahan regency, and L and LN in Langkat regency – were monitored from September to October. Saurlin said the investigation had uncovered several violations of workers rights on the plantations.

These included missing work engagement documentation between workers and plantation companies, inadequate protection for female workers, child labor, wages that do not meet decent living standards and unsafe working conditions.

"These violations prove that those RSPO members failed to implement the principles of sustainability, but rather continue to use colonial labor practices," Saurlin said in a press conference on Thursday.

He said the investigation had not sought to attack RSPO members, but rather to prove whether or not they had been fulfilling their obligations on labor rights.

"We are concerned that some RSPO members don't care about workers' rights, even though many parties consider the RSPO to be an advanced mechanism for building principles and criteria that protect workers," he said.

Agustinus Karlo Lumbanraja, from Sawit Watch, said there were 35 complaints regarding oil palm plantation activities that residents had lodged with the RSPO, including on environmental degradation, orangutan killings and land seizures. Karlo said that some of these complaints involved PT London Sumatra (Lonsum), state plantation firm PTPN III and PT Sinar Mas.

"So far, the RSPO has resolved four of the 35 issues," he said after the launch of the book The Palm Oil Sector at the Crossroads on Thursday. Former RSPO member Norman Jiwan, who currently serves as Indonesia Transformation for Justice executive director, confirmed that many public complaints had been lodged with the RSPO regarding violations committed by some of its members.

Lonsum and PTPN III denied such allegations, dismissing them as baseless rumors. Lonsum head of public relations Anggoro Santoso said such claims had become common but that it was impossible for the company to violate RSPO standard criteria after having been certified in 2007.

"If we were violating RSPO standard criteria, how could we acquire the RSPO certification? It is not easy to get the certification because we have to fulfill all the requirements set by the RSPO," he said. "We are also being audited by independent agencies."

PTPN III public relations chief Irwadi Lubis said the company had received its certification in 2010 after meeting various requirements, such as obtaining the necessary licenses and permits, being free of conflicts with the community and upholding the rights of workers, such as paying them the minimum wage.

He also denied allegations that the state plantation company was still implementing a labor system from the colonial era or that there were child workers on its plantations.

"If there are children working at PTPN III's plantations, they are working under the orders of their own parents, not under the company," he said. PT Sinar Mas refused to respond to the allegations when The Jakarta Post contacted the company at its office in Medan.

Health & education

Cigarette ad makes mockery of National Health Day

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – Copies of a national newspaper featuring a half-page tobacco advertisement on its front page was given away at an event held by the Health Ministry to commemorate National Health Day, which falls every Nov. 12.

The incident comes at a time when the ministry is pushing the Trade Ministry, the Industry Ministry and the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry to agree to ratify the global treaty on tobacco control, which requires a total ban on cigarette advertisements.

Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi voiced her surprise that paper bearing a half-page cigarette ad was received by almost all of the ceremony attendees along with a snack box.

"We should not be giving away newspapers with a cigarette ad on its front page on National Health Day. Where is the event's committee?" Nafsiah asked her staff after being questioned by reporters about the incident.

"Let's just focus on the positive side. Look at the health warning stated on the bottom of the ad. This is what will happen if you smoke," she told reporters, pointing at the warning stating: "Smoking can cause cancer, heart attacks, impotence and is harmful to pregnancy and fetal development."

Nafsiah said the ministry did not intend to promote smoking by giving away newspapers with the ad. "This shows how aggressive cigarette companies can be, as they will avail of any opportunity to promote their products," she said.

According to Article 28 of Government Regulation No. 109/2012 on tobacco control, no newspaper is allowed to carry tobacco ads on its front page.

Health Ministry spokesperson Murti Utami said there had been no cooperation between the ministry and the newspaper, and the distribution was not endorsed by the ministry.

"We did cooperate with another newspaper, but I don't recall any cooperation with this newspaper. We have no intention of supporting such advertisements on National Health Day," Murti said. "We did not realize this newspaper was given away."

As previously reported, Nafsiah has been continuously promoting the urgency to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), as Indonesia is the only Asian country that has not ratified the treaty.

The treaty aims at promoting public health by monitoring tobacco use, protecting people from tobacco smoke, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising and raising taxes on tobacco products.

Nafsiah also previously said that she was considering making smokers ineligible for universal health coverage, saying that smoking should be considered a form of self-harm.

During the 49th National Health Day, themed Toward Healthy Indonesia and Quality Universal Health Coverage, Nafsiah said the ministry and all stakeholders, including health agencies in 33 provinces, were set to implement universal health coverage in stages from January.

By 2019, the healthcare program will cover all citizens, including around 63 percent of the 240 million population, who, according to Health Ministry data, already receive aid from various social protection programs.

Separately, the Indonesian Children's Lantern, an NGO focusing on defending children's rights, is calling on legislators to include a clause on a total ban on cigarette ads in the revision to the 2002 Broadcasting Law.

"The clause should explicitly state that any form of cigarette promotion strategies that display products, logos, brands or company names be categorized as cigarette ads. Even displaying colors associated with a particular cigarette brand should be prohibited," Hery Chairansyah, the executive director of the Indonesian Children's Lantern, said in a discussion held at the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java, on Tuesday.

Nearly 500,000 teens give birth in Indonesia annually

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2013

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – As many as 1.7 million local girls and women under the age of 24 give birth annually, with nearly a half a million of them being teenagers, a representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Indonesia has said.

"Young people account for 37 percent of all births annually in Indonesia," UNFPA Indonesia chief representative Jose Ferraris said during the launch of the 2013 World Population Situation Report.

Citing research by Iwu Utomo of the Australian National University, Ferraris said Indonesian teenagers who fell pregnant mostly lived in rural areas, had a low level of education and came from low-income families.

He said that UNFPA's approach to addressing adolescent pregnancy focused more on upholding the rights of every girl and empowering her to exercise her rights.

"We also seek to eliminate conditions that contribute to adolescent pregnancy, such as societal and community conditions, norms, values and structural forces that result in gender inequality, poverty, child marriage and negative attitudes towards sexual and reproductive health and rights," he said.

Of all the measures, according to Ferraris, education was the most effective in helping to prevent pregnancy among teenagers.

He also expressed concern about the Marriage Law, which allows 16-year-old females and 19-year-old males to marry.

"This is at odds with the development agenda of ICPD and MDGs and Indonesia's commitment to the human rights framework of CEDAW [Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women] and the Convention of the Rights of the Child," he said.

Separately, National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) head of population control Wendy Hartanto acknowledged that the government had been urged by many parties to amend the Marriage Law. Yet, he said, amendment of the law would not automatically guarantee that underage marriages would not happen.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI) executive director Inang Winarso said that no comprehensive solution had ever been found to deal with problems related those aged between 15 and 24 years, including premarital sex.

He blamed the condition on a lack of attention by the state to this particular age group. "Is there any fund allocation or policy specially for teenagers? The answer is no," he said.

As a result, teenagers are modeled by companies that make them their market target. "Indonesian teenagers become consumeristic and individualistic," Inang said.

A local teenager, Ichsan Masyhuri, said that casual sex was common among his peers. "They would be surprised to find a teenager who had never had sex," said Ichsan, who is also an activist of Jari Mulia, an organization that deals with issues on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.

In the 2013 World Population Situation Report entitled "Motherhood in Childhood, Facing the Challenge of Adolescent Pregnancy", the UNFPA also noted that some 7.3 million girls under the age of 18 in developing countries had given birth.

Refugees & asylum seekers

Jakarta hits back at Canberra over asylum seekers

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The government rebuffed on Tuesday Australia's claim that Indonesia was responsible for the fate of a group of asylum seekers at the center of a maritime standoff between the two neighboring countries as they were rescued in Indonesia's search-and-rescue zone.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto told reporters at the State Palace on Tuesday that they were Australia's responsibility because they were rescued by an Australian vessel.

"They sent the distress call [to Australia] because they wanted to get help from Australia, not from us," the minister said. "If the distress call was sent to us, we would have taken them back to Indonesia."

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald earlier on Tuesday that Indonesia must respect international law and should have taken the asylum seekers, who were taken to Australia's Christmas Island following a standoff.

"These people were in a search-and-rescue situation in the Indonesian search-and-rescue zone," Abbott said. "Now, the normal international law is that if you are rescued in a country's search-and-rescue zone that country has an obligation to take you."

The fresh row over the asylum seekers between Jakarta and Canberra deepens with officials from both countries issuing conflicting statements about the issue.

Djoko hit out at Australian Immigration and Border Protection Minister Scott Morrison who said that Indonesia's stance on the boat people was confusing, citing the fact that Indonesia accepted two boatloads of asylum seekers before rejecting the two others.

Djoko insisted that Jakarta's stance on the boat people has never changed. "It is strange for them to say that there is a change because there is no change," he said.

A spokesman for Djoko's ministry, Agus Barnas, said that the government's decision to accept the previous boats did not reflect inconsistency. "It simply depends on the position of the boats. We cannot ignore them if they are closer to our land than to Australia. "We are not being inconsistent. We have our stance and will stand our ground," he added.

While Morrison claimed there were two out of four requests rejected by Jakarta, Agus claimed that Indonesia rejected three out of six requests from Australia.

On Monday, presidential spokesman for foreign affairs Teuku Faizasyah said the government only responded to distress calls for humanitarian reasons. "It means we help those ships in trouble but only as far as we can help," he said. "Indonesia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention; we only help those involved in accidents."

On Tuesday, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, the deputy for political affairs to the vice president who is currently on tour in Australia and is scheduled to meet with Abbott on Wednesday, said that the two governments were negotiating "people swap" deals. Under the agreement, Jakarta would take asylum-seekers from Australia if Canberra took equal numbers of refugees living in Indonesia. However, neither Morrison nor Djoko claimed to be aware of the plan.

As of October, there have been more than 2,300 refugees and over 7,600 asylum-seekers recorded in Indonesia, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In the last five years, the UNHCR has seen the number of refugees and asylum-seekers in Indonesia seeking UNHCR assistance increase 18-fold – from 385 in 2008 to 7,218 last year. The UNHCR said some arrivals mistakenly saw Indonesia as an easy departure point to Australia and risked their lives on overcrowded boats that would often sink along the way.

Djoko urged Australia to stick with the Jakarta Declaration, which was signed by Indonesia and Australia, along with 11 other countries that are the most affected by irregular movement of persons in the Asia-Pacific, in August. "Australia should not only bring this matter to Indonesia, but they must also involve the country of origin of these asylum seekers," he said.

Indonesia rejects Australian dictated solutions on people smuggling

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2013

Fadli, Batam – The Maritime Security Coordinating Board (Bakorkamla) says it rejects being dictated to by Australia in deciding the way it handles boat people wanting to enter the country.

It said the 13 marine authorities tasked with handling people smuggling would refer to Indonesian laws, not to those preferred by Australia. Bakorkamla executive director Vice Adm. Bambang Suwarto said the 13 authorities should not comply with Australia's wishes, that boat people be stopped in any way possible.

"The handling of people smuggling by the Indonesian government should be in line with prevailing laws. We want a win-win solution, not one dictated by Australia," said Bambang. He said people smuggling was one of the three main maritime security threats faced by Indonesia.

Bakorkamla, he said, had asked the 13 stakeholders, including the Indonesian Navy, the Water Police, the Customs and Excise Office, the Immigration Office, the Transportation Ministry and the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, to place their conceptual framework on the prevention of people smuggling on a par.

"We cannot prohibit people from going to Australia. If they arrive in Indonesia with proper immigration papers, we cannot do anything but let them in," said Bambang. "But if they don't have proper papers, we will handover them over to the Immigration Office for processing," he went on.

According to Bakorkamla data, the number of people smuggling cases has increased drastically. "Sometimes, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) gets caught in a difficult situation when it helps boat people who have an accident at sea," said Bambang. (ebf)

Asylum seeker boat: Australia backs down in standoff with Indonesia

Australian Associated Press - November 9, 2013

A boatload of asylum seekers at the centre of a standoff between Australia and Indonesia will be taken to Christmas Island.

While Indonesian authorities "review" Australia's request that the passengers – believed to total more than 50 – be taken to Indonesia, immigration minister Scott Morrison ended the stalemate on Saturday.

"In the best interests of the safety of the passengers and crew... earlier this morning I requested transfer [of] the persons rescued to Christmas Island for rapid onward transfer to Manus Island or Nauru," Morrison said in a statement.

Australian authorities responded to a distress call from the wooden boat on Thursday, finding it about 43 nautical miles south of Java. But requests to take the passengers to Indonesia were refused by local authorities, sparking a standoff that lasted more than 24 hours.

"On two recent occasions, Indonesia has agreed to these requests and facilitated an on-water transfer," Morrison said. "The Indonesian government has advised Australian officials overnight that they are reviewing the request put forward by Australia."

A spokesman for Djoko Suyanto, the Indonesian co-ordinating minister for legal, political and security Affairs, said Jakarta was reluctant to accept them because the boat had been in working order when first approached by the Australian navy vessel HMAS Ballarat.

"From what I've been told, the boat was fine and they were not in danger. If that's the case, then we reject it," Agus Barnas told AAP on Friday.

"We don't want Indonesia to be a dumping ground, but we don't want Australia to accuse us of not doing anything. We want to respect Australia. At least for the time being we will not accept them."

Morrison said Australia would continue to liaise with Indonesia on a case- by-case basis and that the request was made on this occasion because the boat was so close to the Indonesian coast.

The immigration minister was quick to confirm that the suspected asylum seekers would not be resettled in Australia.

Freedom of religion & worship

Religious conflict is normal, religious affairs minister says

Jakarta Globe - November 16, 2013

Carlos Paath, Bandung – Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said on Friday that religious tolerance in Indonesia is among the best in the world, despite some issues he said still needed to be addressed.

"Conflict is normal, as long as it's not [provoked]," he said at a gathering of religious leaders in Bandung, West Java on Friday evening. "Why? As long as God created humans with anger, then the potential of conflict arising is still there."

"But remember," he said, "God gives us anger, but God also guides our anger. In Islam, patient people are loved by God."

In addition to theologizing, he called on Indonesian religious leaders to be mindful of the possibility of being provoked by irresponsible parties who wished to harm the country's religious harmony.

"We have to be cautious about this," he said. "Why do we have to be harmonious? Because we are [made up of] various ethnicities, cultures and religions. Selfishness sometimes does arise. Do not let pluralism become a weakness."

Earlier this week, Shiite Muslims in West Java were forced to move a ceremony to commemorate the Ashura holiday from Kana Palace in Bandung to a small school building, causing the loss of thousand of dollars and forcing the group to deny thousands of worshipers entry to the event.

The local government, led by the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party's (PKS) Ahmad Heryawan, has been accused of systematically siding with intolerant groups against religious minorities.

West Java Police initially claimed that the group did not provide sufficient documents to get a permit for the event. Permit disputes had frequently come up in past instanced of religious minorities being barred from worship in the province.

Suryadharma is currently embroiled in a highly-public Rp 1.05 trillion ($90 million) libel lawsuit against a celebrity tabloid that accused him of concealing a third marriage to model and House of Representatives member Okky Asokawati.

In September, he came under widespread criticism after accepting an honorary degree from Thailand's Princess of Naradhiwas University for his efforts to promote tolerance.

"I cannot believe the Thai government would allow one of its universities to honor him for religious tolerance in Indonesia when we know as a minister instead of promoting religious tolerance he has often made counterproductive statements that have triggered religious violence," Haris Azhar, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) told the Jakarta Globe at the time.

Calls for action on International Day of Tolerance

Jakarta Post - November 16, 2013

Jakarta – Champions of pluralism urged the government to heed their call to counter the rise of religious intolerance.

Wahid Institute's Yenny Wahid – icon of pluralism, Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's daughter – said that the government needed to ensure its citizen's rights to practice their religion.

"What is the use of the government if not to enforce the law and prevent conflict?" she said on the sidelines of an event to commemorate International Day for Tolerance, which falls every Nov. 16.

Religious intolerance still besets Indonesia even though an advocacy group says it recorded fewer incidents this year.

The Setara Institute, an NGO advocating religious freedom and pluralism, recorded 243 cases of religious violence as of November this year. Last year, the group said it recorded a total of 264 cases.

The Wahid Institute, which strives to preserve Gus Dur's legacy, stated in its 2012 report that religious intolerance had grown steadily in the last four years. The report showed that the number of religious-intolerance cases in 2012 stood at 274, up from 267 in 2011. In 2010, the institute recorded 184 cases and 121 cases in 2009.

Certain religious minorities have suffered persecution for years. Currently, there are 232 displaced Shiites in Sidoarjo regency, East Java. They were evicted from their homes in Sampang, Madura, East Java, after the Sampang Sunni-Shiite conflict peaked on Aug. 27, 2012, when dozens of homes belonging to Shiites were set on fire and destroyed by an angry mob. The incident claimed two lives.

Both conflicting parties agreed to sign a peace agreement in September, but the local government have not yet allowed the Shiite minority to return homes.

On Thursday, members of the West Java chapter of the Indonesia Ahlul Bait Congregation Society (Ijabi), which represents minority Shiites, had to cancel its Ashura Day celebrations after the Bandung City Police revoked a permit previously issued by the Buah Batu Police.

Responding to the Sunni Shia conflict, Ulil Abshar Abdalla of the Liberal Islamic Network (JIL) said he was concerned that the Sunni-Shiite conflict would erupt if no firm action to prevent the conflict from growing was taken. "A number of anti-shia movements are popping up in Indonesia, each with their own media outlets," he said.

Other than the Shia, the Ahmadiyah has also often been victimized by hardliners who claimed to represent the majority of Indonesian Muslims.

On April 6, the Bekasi Administration in West Java, sealed the Ahmadiyah Al Misbah Mosque, just a few weeks after it demolished the unfinished Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) in Taman Sari, Setu district, Bekasi due to objections from the predominantly Muslim neighborhood.

Indonesian Communion of Churches secretary-general Gomar Gultom said that differences are the reality of human nature, which should not be the cause of conflict.

"Jesus said that we should not fight cruelty with cruelty," he said, adding that moral decadence in society was alarming. "That's why we need a leader who has morals, integrity and character."

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been severely criticized for failing to address the problem. Last week, a public opinion poll conducted by the Indonesian Voters Institute (LPI) named him the most lenient government official when dealing with vigilante groups.

"Yudhoyono has failed to prosecute groups that violate the rights of religious minorities in the name of majority beliefs," LPI director Boni Hargens said recently.

West Java Shia prepare for afternoon Ashura observance as FPI rumors swirl

Jakarta Globe - November 14, 2013

Farouk Arnaz & Camelia Pasandaran – Police in the predominately Sunni province of West Java have refused an application by Shiite Muslims in Bandung to mark the religious day of Ashura on Thursday afternoon.

"There's a mechanism [to get the permit]," West Java Police spokesman Ins. Gen. Suhardi Alius told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday. "Have they got the complete documents to get the permit, such as the recommendations from the local religious affairs agency and the Indonesia Ulema Council?"

The Association of Jemaah Ahlul Bait Indonesia (Ijabi) – the Shia group applying to hold the event – said that it had all the necessary "recommendations" to mark Ashura, which is commemorated by Shiite Muslims as a day of mourning in remembrance of the martyrdom of Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet, at the Battle of Karbala.

The issue appeared to be at an impasse on Thursday after the police said they would allow the event to take place only if Ijabi were able to produce the required documents.

Suhardi also said that the issue had been politicized as another manifestation of rising religious intolerance in West Java. Religious minorities have become a target in West Java as increasingly powerful hard-line groups, like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), rose to wield considerable influence over local politics.

In the past year, hard-liners have vandalized numerous mosques belonging to minority Muslim groups and, with the help of the local government, successfully shuttered several Christian churches. The local government, led by the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party's (PKS) Ahmad Heryawan, have been accused of systematically siding with intolerant groups' protests against religious minorities – including those protected under Indonesia's constitution – in an ongoing campaign of discrimination.

Emilia Renita Az, secretary of Ijabi, told the Jakarta Globe that the group had jumped through every bureaucratic hoop required by the government and the police to secure the rights to mark the holiday.

"Police did not tell us the reason why they rejected the permit," Renita said on Thursday. "This is not the first event – it's been an annual event since 2000."

Renita said that the denial of the permit was part of a broader issue. "There's growing tensions between Shia and the [Sunni]," Renita said. "And instead of police protecting human rights, they're siding with the other group."

Renita said that around 6,000 Shiite Muslims would mark the event in Bandung regardless of the police stance. "We will keep doing it even though police threatened to arrest the committee," she said. "Our crime is only one: exercising religious freedom, which is guaranteed by the Constitution."

Suhardi said the police would have to be present in some capacity to ensure that the event did not turn into a major confrontation. Rumors on Thursday indicated that the FPI were planning a demonstration during the event.

"We'll see, clearly there's no permit for the event," Suhardi said, adding that the Ashura event was expected to be significantly larger than in previous years. "So don't blame the police."

Ashura, more than most Muslim holidays, brings out the differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. For the vast majority of Shia, it is primarily a day to mourn the death of Husayn bin Ali – he was beheaded by soldiers loyal to Yazid, the third Umayyad Caliph.

While many Sunni Muslims also regard the death of the Prophet's grandson as an occasion of remorse, Ashura is more of a celebratory occasion for most Sunnis – who are less focused on the battle in what is now Iraq, and more devoted to narrations by the Prophet that it was the day on which the Israelites and Moses were saved from Pharoah by the divine.

Local government dismisses claims of forcibly relocating Shia refugees

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2013

Amir Tejo, Surabaya – The East Java administration has denied claims that it tried to relocate a group of Shia refugees by force from a housing block in Sidoarjo district to the much more cramped Sukolilo hajj dormitory in Surabaya.

Edi Purwinarto, an assistant to the East Java provincial secretary, said on Monday that the police officers and a bus sent last Friday by the administration to the Jemundo apartment complex, where the Shia community had been living since being driven from Madura Island earlier this year, were intended as assistance for several Shiites who wanted to go back to their hometown in Madura's Sampang district.

"We were only helping them to get home as soon as possible," Edi said. He added that a meeting had been held last Thursday attended by the Shia refugees, representatives from the Religious Affairs Ministry, the East Java administration and the rector of Sunan Ampel Surabaya Islamic University.

According to Edi, during the meeting, the 64 Shia families conveyed their hopes of returning to their hometown in Sampang and that the administration had taken down the details of those who wanted to return the following day. "On November 10, we prepared a bus for them. So they weren't forced to move, but they were in fact the ones who wanted it," Edi insisted.

He acknowledged that the Shia were not meant to be taken straight to Sampang, but instead moved "temporarily" to the Sukolilo hajj dormitory because Sunni clerics in Madura, responsible for driving them out in the first place, had demanded that they give a statement promising to "live harmoniously" with their new neighbors.

"We planned to put them at the hajj dormitory because we wanted to make sure they could live harmoniously. We also wanted to ensure that the conditions in Sampang were safe," Edi said.

The relocation plan failed on Sunday as the refugees refused to be relocated from Sidoarjo to Surabaya. The East Java administration said it could not force them to agree on the terms of for returning to Sampang.

"There was no effort to force or to secretly relocate them. If they were forced, that means we could be accused of transporting or dragging the refugees one by one into the bus. If they refused, then it's no problem," Edi said.

Iklil Al Milal, the head of the Shia group, denied that only some of them wanted to go back to Sampang. He said they all wanted to return but had asked to leave together and not in several groups.

He also said that, upon their return, the refugees wanted to be accompanied by the Shia organization Ahlul Bait Indonesia and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), which have been advocating on behalf of the group.

The Shia group was forcibly relocated to Sidoarjo in June from a sports hall in Sampang where it had languished after being driven from its home village in the district in August last year.

In both instances, the mob violence against the group was instigated by hard-line Sunni clerics, who have since demanded that the Shia members publicly renounce their faith. Local officials have largely sided with the demand.

Land & agrarian conflicts

Fishermen demand an end to land reclamation project

Jakarta Post - November 16, 2013

Syamsul Huda M.Suhari, Manado – Fishermen in Manado, North Sulawesi, have called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to immediately stop land reclamation to develop a commercial district saying it will threaten their livelihoods.

The protest came in the form of 32 handwritten letters sent by the wives and children of traditional fishermen in Manado's Malalayang II and Sario Tumpaan beach areas. The letters were addressed to Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono.

In one of the letters, for instance a fisherman's wife named Femmi Nikolas urged Ani to observe firsthand the condition of her home in Malalayang II Beach, which is just 5 meters from the sea. Her husband's access to the sea is also restricted.

The North Sulawesi Traditional Fishermen Association (ANTRA) head Rignolda Djamaluddin said the 32 letters, written in Indonesian and the local dialect, sent in late October, were part of a lack of support from the Manado city and North Sulawesi provincial administrations on the sustainable living of the local coastal communities.

The conflict between traditional fishermen, developers and the city administration started when land reclamation to develop Manado Town Square (Mantos) business and shopping center started in 2009.

Fishermen affiliated with ANTRA put up a legal fight demanding open spaces that are free from reclamation as permanent access to the sea.

An agreement, facilitated by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), was reached on Sept. 4, 2010, between the fishermen, companies holding land reclamation rights – PT Gerbang Nusa Perkasa and PT Kembang Utara – and the city administration.

Both companies are owned and managed by businessman Hengky Wijaya and son Jefry Putra Wijaya.

Fishermen have access to the sea through an open area tucked in the reclamation area. There are also fishermen transit shelters, locally called Daseng, in the open area.

Rignolda emphasized that in the agreement between the three parties, the 40-meter stretch of open space could not be touched by the developers. However, Mantos developers kept demarcating the open space, sparking a dispute due to the lack of a clear borderline.

Land reclamation at Sario Tumpaan Beach is being carried out daily and guarded by the Manguni Brigade, a private militia hired by the company.

A clash between fishermen and Mantos security guards broke out on Oct. 19, triggered by land reclamation carried out by the developers which the fishermen deemed had trespassed the agreed open space.

The Manado city administration has also been dragged into the dispute, currently being mediated by Manado City Council's Commission A, which has promised to conduct a field observation to verify whether the fishermen's area has been seized by the developers.

"At this moment, we cannot conclude who is wrong or right. We will conduct a field study beforehand," said Commission A secretary Marco Tampi. The Manado municipality has not confirmed the matter. When reached by phone, Deputy Mayor Harley Mangindaan declined to comment.

Separately, Hengky said there actually was no conflict with any party, and claimed what his company was doing was in line with the proper procedures. "We cannot break the law. If we were wrong, we would have been reprimanded by the government," he said via text message.

Parliament & legislation

Calls to end corrupt politicians' pensions

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The House of Representatives has been urged to take concrete action to revise a regulation that allows legislators to receive a pension even after they have been convicted for a crime.

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) said that without taking concrete steps, the law, which regulates the salary and pension fund system for public officials, would run against efforts to fight corruption.

Fitra's Uchok Sky Khadafi called on legislators to stop making suggestions they did not plan on implementing. Instead, he urged them to start taking real action, saying that any pretense would only make the public sick.

Uchok said that many public office holders and politicians actually supported the idea to revise the law. "So let's not just throw ideas around in order to build an image," Uchok said in Jakarta on Friday.

He said that pensions for convicted legislators had to be revoked. Legislators convicted of corruption have been proven guilty in court of committing a crime, and pensions are meant to be an award from the state to officials for their dedication, Uchok argued.

"But if they commit graft, that's no longer dedication but an effort to seek personal benefits, amassing wealth at the expense of the country and robbing the people of their rights," he said.

Previously, the House Ethics Council revealed that several graft convicts such as Muhammad Nazaruddin and Wa Ode Nurhayati were still receiving their pensions as retired legislators. House Speaker Marzuki Alie said there was something wrong with the mechanism in the House that enabled graft convicts to receive pensions from the state.

"They [graft convicts] tendered their resignation due to public pressure before the House took action," Marzuki said in Jakarta on Thursday.

"They did it while the cases were still being processed and before the court had issued a legally binding decision. And based on that, the government decided to discharge them with honor, making them entitled to a pension fund."

He added the House could only discharge them without honor once they no longer had recourse to an appeal. In those cases, the convicts would not be entitled to a pension. "There should be a solution for it, for instance the House Ethics Council should launch an investigation and if they are proven guilty of violating the code of ethics, that should be enough to dismiss them without honor."

People's Conscience Party (Hanura) legislator Syarifuddin Sudding also voiced his disapproval, saying that corruption convicts did not deserve pensions because they had robbed the public.

Jakarta & urban life

SBY and Joko remain in gridlock as rain begins and car sales soar

Jakarta Globe - November 15, 2013

Novy Lumanauw – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sought on Thursday to reinforce the merit of his administration's policy to boost sales of low- cost green cars in Indonesia in response to criticism that the boom in cheap vehicles would hasten the capital's road to gridlock, and worsen traffic in other urbanized parts of the archipelago.

"From what I heard outside, there has been bias and distortion of what I said in the past," the president said prior to a cabinet meeting at his office. "The cheap-car policy was meant for village transportation... It is expected to be environmentally friendly because of electrical or hybrid [cars]."

The president's remarks came after 99 percent of the members of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) signed a letter calling on the head of state to explain further his reasoning behind a policy that many, including the Jakarta governor, have said will bring the capital to a standstill.

"The policy is contrary to the Jakarta administration's efforts to accelerate the management of traffic congestion in the city," Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo said in a letter to Vice President Boediono in September. "We are currently speeding up the preparation of the facilities and infrastructure to reduce the traffic and then suddenly there is this cheap car policy."

A recent World Bank report indicated that Jakarta could face total gridlock as early as 2014. Progress on mass-transit systems has been delayed for decades as funding impasses and protectionist legislation scared away or forced out foreign consortia. Ground has officially broken on a monorail and MRT for Jakarta, but neither will be operational before 2016 – and few Jakartans would be surprised if both projects overshot their respective deadlines of 2016 and 2017.

Car manufacturers have responded to the demands of the market in Indonesia by releasing new models that can be rolled off production lines at very little cost. Models such as the upcoming Suzuki Karimun Wagon, for example, can be bought for as little as Rp 77 million ($6,600).

Joko on Thursday said that there were 1.2 million new vehicles registered in Jakarta so far in 2013 – 944,000 motorcycles and 273,000 new cars. The 1.2 million new vehicles does not include new cars and motorcycles in Jakarta's satellite cities – Bekasi, Bogor, Depok and Tangerang – many of which will be used to commute into and out of the center of town.

Nationwide car sales in the first 10 months of the year stood at 1,020,389 units, new data from the Indonesian Association of Motorized Vehicles (Gaikindo) showed on Friday. In October alone, 112,038 units were sold – slightly down on the 115,975 units sold in September.

Toyota Astra Motor topped the list of sales in October with 39,246 cars, followed by Astra Daihatsu Motor with 20,445 units and Mitsubishi with 15,216.

Joko has said that he plans to propose a more robust progressive car tax to the Jakarta Legislative Council to impede new vehicle sales. Currently, second cars are taxed at 2 percent of the value of the sale, but the governor plans to increase this to 4 percent, up to a maximum of 8 percent for the fourth car a person owns.

The political standoff between City Hall and the State Palace is instructive of the distinct challenges to raising living standards in urban and rural areas of Indonesia.

The Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that there were 31,234 road deaths in Indonesia in 2010, although the organization conceded that the margin for error meant the real figure could be as high as 47,673.

Motorcycle deaths accounted for 36 percent of deaths on the road, while car drivers and passengers made up 6 percent of the total.

The increased safety and comfort of upgrading to a car from a motorcycle, combined with an environment of easy credit, means that observers expect that any drive to reduce emissions by incentivizing consumers to switch to low-cost green cars will be drowned out by people upgrading from motorcycles. The government says it has a responsibility to protect road users in the vast swathes of the country where development, not traffic, carries the sense of urgency.

"The transportation ministry expects people to shift from cars with higher engine capacity to cars with lower engine capacity," Indonesia Transport Society (MTI) chairman Danang Parikesit said in September. "But our estimates show that it is the motorcycle owners who will purchase these cheaper cars."

The president, by contrast, has traveled to India to study the effectiveness of rural transportation using electric cars and has by all accounts remained convinced that emissions can be lowered and living standards raised by creating a framework where people can buy cars for less.

The difference of opinion between Joko and Yudhoyono has its roots in Indonesia's highly decentralized political system, and the president has pointed to individual governors' responsibilities to manage the issue of traffic in their respective constituencies while the executive branch works to improve the lot of the Indonesian people as a whole.

"I don't enjoy being asked for a solution [to traffic] in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and other places," the president said earlier this month. "It is the governors and mayors that are in charge of providing an explanation."

Joko, however, feels that his hands have been tied by the State Palace – and that there is no easy solution in sight. "We were asked to manage the transportation, ease the traffic and build infrastructure," Joko said as quoted by Tempo.co. on Thursday. "But we're being attacked by cheap cars, so we want to question this."

Jakarta unveils latest measure to curb illegal parking

Jakarta Globe - November 13, 2013

Hotman Siregar – The Jakarta Transportation Agency's ongoing war on illegal parking accelerated on Wednesday as parking officers announced the latest weapon aimed at punishing parking scofflaws: confiscating license plates.

The agency has struggled to curb illegal parking on the capital's congested streets, prompting transportation agent to rely on increasingly unusual measures. Transportation officers began deflating the tires of illegally parked cars in September in the hopes that disabling the vehicle would teach the driver a lesson. The practice, instead, inspired a new cottage industry in Jakarta. Portable tire pumps are now a common fixture in many cars, agency head M. Akbar said on Wednesday.

"They bring their own pump and valve," Akbar said. "That is what drives us to keep on innovating to curb illegal parking."

The city responded by raising the stakes. Unrepentant motorists will now have their vehicle's license plates confiscated. The plates will be returned after the driver pays a fine, Akbar said.

The transportation agency has removed 206 plates since Tuesday, focusing on illegally parked vehicles in highly congested areas like Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, and Cideng, West Jakarta.

Drivers must visit the nearest police station to pay a fine and then head to the Jakarta Transportation Agency's office to reclaim the license plates – a daunting task on the city's congested streets and without a licensed vehicle. The fines can reach Rp 500,000 ($43), Akbar said.

Jakarta mulls gridlock in 2014

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2013

Hotman Siregar & Deti Mega Purnamasari – With hordes of cheap, new cars and motorcycles continuing to hit the city's streets, and the two rail- based public transit networks not expected to be ready until at least 2016, experts have warned that Jakarta faces imminent gridlock next year.

Azas Tigor Nainggolan, chairman of the city-funded Jakarta Transportation Council, said on Monday that he was concerned about the lack of effort to curb the number of private vehicles from clogging the city's streets, particularly in the chronically congested downtown area, and the slow pace of improvement in public transportation.

"Experts have predicted that Jakarta will come to a total gridlock by 2014 and that option is looking increasingly likely," Azas said. "This is the consequence that Jakarta residents have to accept due to the absence of any significant policy action to improve the traffic situation."

He added that, "This was supposed to be the year when the Jakarta administration took concrete action to reduce the traffic jams in the capital. But nothing has been done to date."

Azas said the city administration had touted several plans to regulate the number of private vehicles on the streets, including by imposing an electronic road pricing scheme for certain streets; restricting car use on alternate days based on whether the number plate ended in an even or odd number; and by adding 1,000 new buses to the city's public transportation fleet.

He said the congestion had only gotten worse with the start of construction of the mass rapid transit rail line, with the work exacerbating traffic jams in areas already suffering from high traffic volume.

He added that work on another rail line, the monorail, would also create more traffic congestion, particularly in the Kuningan business district. The monorail is not expected to be completed until at least 2016, and the MRT in 2017.

Yoga Adiwinarto, director of the nongovernmental Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, agreed that traffic was getting worse because there was no incentive for people to switch from using private vehicles to taking public transportation alternatives.

"The Jakarta administration must immediately improve the quality of both the TransJakarta and non-TransJakarta bus networks as a short-term measure," he said on Monday.

He called on the city administration to reduce the number of private vehicles by limiting the number of parking spaces and by imposing higher parking fees.

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo previously warned of worsening congestion as a result of the central government's "low-cost green car" policy, which waives the tax on cars with a small engine capacity and has fed a boom in sales of eligible models from Toyota, Daihatsu and Honda.

City renames Grogol TransJakarta shelter to honor slain student activists

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2013

SP/Deti Mega Purnamasari & SP/Daurina L. Sinurat – Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama on Sunday formalized a name change for a TransJakarta bus shelter in Grogol, West Jakarta, to commemorate the student uprising that led to the resignation of then President Soeharto in 1998.

The shelter – previously known as the Grogol TransJakarta shelter and renamed to Grogol May 12 Reformation TransJakarta shelter – is located in front of the Trisakti University where six students were killed by officials while trying to stop a protest march.

"This [name change] is so people will remember that there once were people who were destined to be martyrs for the reformation on this land," Basuki said during the event on Sunday, adding that the government had deliberately chosen to formalize the change on Sunday, to coincide with National Heroes Day.

"We wanted to take this momentum. National Heroes Day is only held every Nov. 10. The six martyrs have never been recognized as reformation heroes. That is the problem," he said.

Jakarta Transportation Office chief Udar Pristono added during the event that the name change had been based on requests from students of the university in a bid to commemorate their seniors who had fought to topple Soeharto's New Order regime.

"The renaming of the shelter had been in line with requests. It is from the students from Trisakti to commemorate the service of the Trisakti heroes by making a park and a bus shelter," Udar said during the event on Sunday.

He added that the students from Trisakti had also proposed the installation of a display system at the park, which will show the history of the nation's reformation era.

"There will be an LED [light emitting diode] display at the shelter," he said. "This is very good to help the government maintain public facilities. The funds are from them."

Aside from renaming the bus shelter, students from the university also initiated the construction of a park in the surrounding areas, which is set to be named the Grogol May 12 Reformation Park.

"This is a result of a PKS [partnership deal] between Trisakti University and the Jakarta city administration. Because there are so many objects in Jakarta to be maintained. Now some of it will be taken care of by Trisakti. This is very good, so this is part of the public's concern," Udar said.

"This is very good, all of this are assets belonging to the city administration but they are taking care of it."

The six students who died during the uprising were Elang Mulia Lesmana, Alan Mulyadi, Heri Heriyanto, Hendriawan, Vero and Hafidi Alfidin.

The long path to success for Jakarta's sidewalks

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2013

Lenny Tristia Tambun – The past few months have seen the Jakarta administration widen some footpaths in the city's business district, and install a number of park benches beside the road, but plenty of work remains to be done to convince citizens to venture about the capital on foot.

Data from advocacy group the Jakarta Pedestrian Coalition shows that of the 7,000 kilometers of main roads in the capital, only 20 percent were equipped with anything resembling footpaths.

Meanwhile, of those 1,400 kilometers of city sidewalks, only 280 kilometers are accessible to pedestrians, with the rest hijacked for vehicle parking, street vending and ad-hoc structures such as security posts.

Those who do venture out on foot risk life and limb, with many an unwary pedestrian swallowed up thanks to missing drain covers or holes left after underground utility excavations.

"If anyone were to make a survey of cities with the worst sidewalks, Jakarta would definitely be in it. Jakarta's sidewalks have never received enough attention from the government," said Ahmad Syarifudin, an activist from the pedestrian organization.

Earlier last month, the city administration began revamping footpaths along some of the capital's busiest roads, mainly in the business district, such as Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta, which saw their sidewalks paved, and in some places widened and graced with the occasional park bench.

Although many have appreciated the easily noticeable improvements, others have emphasized that it takes more than pretty paving for one to truly enjoy walking in the city.

Tuti, 35, who walks on a daily basis between the Le Meridien Hotel on Jalan Sudirman to the Setiabudi TransJakarta bus shelter, said she had initially been excited about the new sidewalks and benches, but that Jakarta's hellish vehicular traffic had taken the edge off her enthusiasm.

"I like walking on the footpath along Jalan Sudirman. But sometimes I just can't handle it because there is so much air pollution from public transportation, private cars and motorbikes. In addition to that, there is also all the noise, because drivers constantly honk their horns. That makes me not want to walk," she said.

Olin, a resident of Setiabudi, South Jakarta, said the city's sidewalks are still far from ideal, as they do not offer a sense of security and comfort for pedestrians. According to Olin, many footpaths are less than 2 meters wide and either used by street vendors or vehicle owners, or they are damaged.

"Walking in Jakarta makes me anxious. Because at any time, there could be motorbikes honking at you as they mount the sidewalk. I was once nearly hit by a motorbike who insisted on driving down the sidewalk," she said.

Being aware of the lack of safety and comfort for pedestrians, the Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency, which also oversees the management of footpaths in the city, said the government would continuously carry out work to improve pedestrian facilities as well as to plant more trees alongside roads.

Agency chief Jonathan Pasodung emphasized that sidewalks are meant to be used solely by pedestrians, and should be comfortable and safe, free from motorbikes and obstruction by street vendors.

Plans to optimize footpaths have been in the works since last year, Jonathan said, saying city order officers had been ordered to take strict action against anyone misusing footpaths.

Raids had been carried out along several roads including Jalan Sudirman, Jalan Thamrin, Jalan Kebon Sirih, Jalan Wahid Hasyim, Jalan Sabang and Jalan Cokroaminoto, Jonathan said.

Additionally, he said the agency had also moved to reorganize sidewalks along other roads such as Jalan Cikini, Jalan Gajah Mada, Jalan Kebon Sirih and Jalan Sabang.

Jonathan said the government had spent Rp 18.75 billion ($1.6 million) to build new sidewalks in 2012. The construction saw footpaths built higher, and more trees planted alongside roads.

To anticipate anyone trying to turn sidewalks into spaces for street vendors and motorbike parking, Jonathan said the office moved to ensure footpaths were raised at least 25 centimeters above road surfaces, so as to discourage motorbikes or food carts from encroaching onto pedestrian spaces.

In addition to building higher sidewalks, Jonathan said bollards will also be installed to further prevent motorbikes from transgressing.

"We want to make footpaths that are humane and make pedestrians feel comfortable and safe when they walk," he said. For 2013, Jonathan said the agency has allocated up to Rp 23.61 billion for development, planning and monitoring of sidewalk refinement programs across several areas in Jakarta.

Telecommunication companies, the government's electricity company, and gas and water utilities heavily rely on the underground space below sidewalks to ensure their services are distributed to various areas across the city.

However, to be able to dig up footpaths as part of maintenance work, companies are now obliged to pay a certain sum before earning their working license and the approval of the Jakarta Public Works Agency and the Jakarta Spatial Planning Agency. In 2012, underground cable work for state-run electricity company PLN cost up to Rp 312 million for a 1-kilometer stretch of sidewalk.

Ahmad pointed that the current system was prone to abuse by officials in the several different government agencies responsible, to earn personal financial benefits from projects instead of putting excavation license funds back into restoring sidewalks for pedestrians. This may explain the large number of excavations that are left unpaved after underground utility pipes are laid, he said.

Earlier in September, as the city government started rolling out a program of drainage works under the city's sidewalks, Governor Joko Widodo said he aimed to integrate maintenance conduits for all sorts of cables and pipes running under the city's sidewalks.

"Everything has to be integrated. Today, there is continuous excavation for every broken electrical cable or any sort of damaged pipe. There seem to be no end to the works done [on the sidewalks]," he said.

The governor also added that he was aiming for every stretch of sidewalk in the city to be revamped by next year. "Next year, every footpath in the city will be widened up to at least 8 meters. Those along Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin will also be included," he said.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama in October also vowed that in revamping the city's sidewalks, the government would ensure the facilities were accessible for individuals who are vision-impaired and others with disabilities.

Armed forces & defense

TNI urged to review defense equipment

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani and Nurni Sulaiman, Jakarta/Balikpapan – Calls have mounted for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to review its primary weapons and other defense equipment in the wake of the deadly crash of an Army Mi-17 helicopter in Malinau regency, North Kalimantan, on Saturday, which claimed 13 lives.

Al Araf, a defense analyst from the human rights organization Imparsial, said the crash should serve as a wake up call for the Defense Ministry, the House of Representatives and the TNI to improve transparency in weapons procurement.

"Once the cause of the incident is found, there should be an evaluation of the TNI's weapons defense systems. There are problems in the procurement and maintenance of military equipment," he said on Sunday.

Al Araf said that military equipment procurements were, at times, inconsistent with the Defense White Book, which guides the country's defense strategy.

"The Defense Ministry proposed the procurement of Leopard tanks although it was not stipulated in the country's defense plan. There is also an indication that the procurement of Sukhoi fighter jets was rife with corruption," he said. Al Araf, however, said that the decision to procure Mi-17 helicopters had been a good one.

"The helicopters help the Army reach remote areas with difficult terrain. Considering Indonesia's geography, the helicopters are urgently needed. But we should scrutinize the procurement and maintenance of the Russian-made helicopters, and whether our army personnel have the capability to fly and maintain the helicopters," he said.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, deputy chairman of the House Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs and intelligence, expressed similar concerns. "The crash has raised so many questions because there has been an indication the crash was caused by an engine problem," Tubagus said on Sunday.

Tubagus suspected that the crash could be linked to poor maintenance. "If [the TNI] does not pay attention to the availability of the fleet's spare parts and its maintenance, the fleet will become useless in our national defense and will put more of our soldiers in danger," he said.

Contacted separately, Military spokesman Rear Adm. Iskandar Sitompul said that the TNI had ordered a full maintenance check on the remaining Mi-17 helicopters following the crash.

"After the crash, we currently have 11 fully functioning Mi-17 helicopters in Kalimantan and Papua. We will inspect their engines and communication devices," he said on Sunday.

Iskandar said that all the 12 Mi-17 helicopters, including the one that crashed in North Kalimantan, were purchased between 2008 and 2010. "Prior to the crash in North Kalimantan, two Mi-17 helicopters had experienced minor incidents caused by bad weather and human error," he said.

He said an investigation into the North Kalimantan crash was underway and that its result would be announced in two weeks. "Our investigation team has started its inspection of the crash site," he said.

Meanwhile, in North Kalimantan, a joint rescue team completed the evacuation of crash victims on Sunday afternoon. The crash killed five Army personnel and eight civilians. The six survivors comprised two Army personnel and four civilians.

East Kalimantan Police spokesman Fajar Setiawan said that the remains of the deceased victims had been taken to a hospital in Tarakan, North Kalimantan, for autopsy.

Aircraft accidents

Oct. 11, 2013: Bad weather forces an Army helicopter, a Russian-made MI-17, to land around 600 meters from the runway in Okbibab District, Pegunungan Bintang regency. Minor damage to the helicopter but no casualties.

Aug. 24, 2013: The Indonesian Military (TNI) says a door from one of its training helicopters, a Russian-made MI-17, falls into a residential area in Penjaringan, North Jakarta. No one harmed but the door damages a house and car.

Jan. 6, 2012: A training aircraft, T-34 Charlie, crashes at Kedungsari in Magelang, Central Java. One dead.

June 21, 2012: A Fokker 27 A2708 plane belonging to the Indonesian Air Force crashes at a housing complex in Rajawali near Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, East Jakarta. Ten die: seven passengers and three residents.

April 28, 2011: An Air Force unpowered glider crashes at a sugarcane plantation in Brebah, Sleman, Yogyakarta – Flight instructor First Sgt. Ninang Siwiyono and cadet Sgt Habibut Rohman die.

Judicial & legal system

Chief justice's response to Constitutional Court riot flouts law

Jakarta Globe - November 15, 2013

Bayu Marheanjati, Ezra Sihite & Farouk Arnaz – A week to the day after directly contradicting the law on general elections, the new chief of the Constitutional Court has said he plans to ban visitors from the court room – in breach of the law, which requires that hearings must be open to the public.

"Starting from next week, I want no more of such things," chief justice Hamdan Zoelva said in a statement. "I've coordinated with the National Police chief [to prevent those]."

The announcement came after a verdict reading on a disputed Maluku election turned into a riot on Thursday, derailing proceedings and sending a panel of justices fleeing.

Hamdan wants visitors to have to register before attending hearings at the Constitutional Court. Only plaintiffs, witnesses, defendants and their attorneys will be allowed in the court room.

"We are preparing an X-ray system at the court's entrance, and from now on, trial visitors will no longer be allowed in the court room," the statement said. "We want future trials in the Constitutional Court to be sterilized."

However, the 2003 law establishing the court prescribes that "Constitutional Court hearings are open to the public, except during judicial conferences," and that "Decisions must be announced in hearings open to the public" – and that any decisions reached without being open to the public are not legally binding.

Last Friday, chief justice Hamdan stunned legal experts by claiming voting by proxy was not only legitimate in the Bali gubernatorial election, but also in other areas such as Papua, a position completely at odds with clearly worded Indonesian electoral law.

Fifteen people, including a deputy governor candidate, were arrested following the courtroom melee after a mob tore through the Constitutional Court, smashing windows and hurling microphones in a show of violence observers called a sign of wavering respect for the graft-tainted court.

The Jakarta Police named two suspects on Friday, adding that additional charges may be filed as the investigation continued.

"Investigators are arresting all people who allegedly attacked the facilities, be they agent provocateurs, the instigators, people who destroyed stuff or those who tainted and insulted the trial," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said. "But only after further questioning can we decide whether any of those questioned will be named suspects."

The suspects, identified as "K.S." and "M.T.," were charged with destruction of property during a riot, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison if convicted. Police are scanning security camera footage for additional suspects.

On Thursday a panel of eight judges was reading out the verdict of a disputed election in Maluku. Four losing pairs, Abdullah Tuasikal-Hendrik Lewerissa, Jacobus-F. Puttilehalat, William B. Noya-Adam Latuconsina and Herman Adrian Koedoeboe-Daud Sangadji, were in attendance during the reading.

As the verdict was read, a crowd standing outside the courtroom began to riot, throwing chairs and smashing windows. The chaos eventually spilled into the court session as men rampaged around the room, throwing objects and yelling. The entire ordeal was caught on camera by news crews in attendance.

Some 30 officers with the National Police were on-guard outside the courthouse on Thursday, spokesman Insp. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie said. Police quickly swept in and detained those involved.

Ronny denied allegations that police had failed to properly secure the area. Officers regularly wait outside the courthouse until they are requested by judges, he said.

"That is part of the procedures to secure court rooms; police officers should be outside not inside the rooms," Ronny said on Friday. "We only enter if justices request or order us to."

Marwan Jafar, chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) central executive board said the brawl had stemmed from waning public trust in the Constitutional Court following the arrest of its former chief justice Akil Mochtar last month for corruption.

"The Constitutional Court now has its dignity at stake," Marwan said on Friday. "The public's trust towards the court needs to be restored starting from scratch, including by reorganizing its internal [procedures]," he said.

New Constitutional Court Chief Hamdan stuns with voting claim

Jakarta Globe - November 14, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Just weeks into his new job, Constitutional Court chief Hamdan Zoelva has come under fire for supporting a position completely at odds with both Indonesian electoral law and international practice.

Hamdan said he supported his predecessor Akil Mochtar's ruling in the dispute surrounding Bali's gubernatorial election in May this year, that it was legal for an individual to be represented by another person in casting his or her vote in general elections.

The practice is in fact not supported by electoral law as it can lead to vote buying, intimidation and electoral fraud by multiple voting.

Nevertheless, and without citing any legal basis whatsoever, the chief guardian of the Constitution last week stunned legal experts by claiming voting by proxy was not only legitimate in the Bali gubernatorial election, but also in other areas such as Papua.

"In the Constitutional Court's ruling, such a thing is possible. One example is the noken [woven bag] system in Papua. In the noken system, individuals can be represented in casting their votes and it is not a direct system as in other regions. In many cases the court recognizes such a scheme, not just in Bali," Hamdan said on Friday, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.

The deputy secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Hasto Kristiyanto, challenged Hamdan's statements. "Hamdan said that in Jakarta, noken is not recognized. But that it is in Bali. So how are Jakarta and Bali different?" Hasto said.

The chief justice's position could be a major threat to the orderly and fair conduct of the upcoming 2014 legislative and presidential elections, Hasto said. In the wake of the previous chief justice's naming as a corruption suspect, the question has arisen whether Akil acted alone in allegedly fixing cases.

"When the Constitutional Court's rulings have obviously been based on their own made-up policies, the question is, why had they decided on such a ruling? Whose interests were they trying to side with?" Hasto said.

PDI-P filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court after the Bali gubernatorial election in May, alleging the vote count was manipulated at the subdistrict, district and provincial levels, after the PDI-P's candidate pair lost by fewer than 1,000 votes.

"Let us all together review every ruling made by the Constitutional court, [check] which ones were being honorably done, and which ones were being disgraced by practices of [promoting personal] interests," Hasto said.

New court needed for election disputes

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2013

Jakarta – A survey published by the Setara Institute, a democracy watchdog, has found that the public wants the creation of a separate court to handle local election disputes and remove authority from the Constitutional Court.

Ismail Hasani, a researcher at the institute, said that based on the survey, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) should handle local election disputes by establishing an ad hoc court specifically for the disputes.

Respondents also suggested that the establishment of the ad hoc court should be incorporated into the Local Elections Law, which is currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives. "The time is right to seriously consider some breakthrough policies," Ismail said.

The Setara Institute published its survey on the 10-year performance of the court on Monday. The survey aggregated opinions from 200 respondents from various backgrounds, including experts, activists and plaintiffs in local election disputes who filed a judicial review with the court. The survey is part of a major study on the court and its 281 rulings.

Respondents of the survey are of the opinion that the government must consider a number of breakthrough policies, including creating a special court dedicated to processing local election disputes, as well as reforming the court's recruitment process.

The survey found that the quality of the court's rulings has deteriorated over the years due to the heavy burden placed on the court to settle large numbers of election disputes.

The survey also found that over the years, the approval ratings for the Constitutional Court chief justice had also deteriorated. Jimly Asshiddiqie, the court's first chief justice got an approval rating of 94.9 percent, while his predecessor Mahfud MD got 89.7 percent. While Akil Mochtar, who was dismissed following a bribery allegation received an 80 percent approval rating.

Respondents also thought that in spite of the current slump, the court will eventually be able to regain the public's trust. The survey found that 71.8 percent of the respondents agreed that there should be an oversight body on the court.

According to the survey, respondents suggested that the court must regulate the recruitment process for not only its justices but also for its technical staff, who have an impact on the quality of its rulings.

The respondents of the survey also suggested that court justices must release wealth reports of their families more frequently in an effort to regain the public's trust.

Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said that the court needs to be more consistent in its rulings. Hendardi said that the court could make better use of its resources by not handling similar cases of election disputes.

"Considering the courts limited resources, it has to prioritize which cases it handles," Hendardi said. He said the President, the House and the AGO was also to blame for the problems that were affecting the court. (asw)

Survey: Akil Mochtar failed as chief justice

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2013

Erwin Sihombing – None of the rulings passed in cases overseen by Akil Mochtar, the disgraced former chief justice of the Constitutional Court, passed muster, according to a survey of 200 experts looking back at the now corruption suspect's record on the bench.

"There was not a single satisfactory score for the quality of verdicts made under Akil Mochtar's leadership," Hendardi, the chairman of the Setara Institute, a think tank that carried out the survey, said on Monday in Jakarta.

He said Setara polled 200 state administrative experts about the performance of the Constitutional Court over its 10 years of existence and under its three different chief justices.

Ninety-four percent of respondents said that under Jimly Asshiddiqie, the inaugural chief justice, the verdicts issued by the court were of an academic nature, while 89.7 percent deemed the verdicts "argumentative."

Under the leadership of Mahfud M.D., however, 89.7 percent of respondents said the rulings by the court had been more progressive, while 79.5 percent said they were at the same time argumentative.

"Meanwhile, under Akil's leadership, [80 percent of respondents thought] the quality of the verdicts were more political in nature," Hendardi said.

Akil, who was only appointed the chief justice in August this year, was replaced by Hamdan Zoelva.

The polling for Setara's "Perception Index Report" was conducted from Oct. 7-15, less than a week after Akil was arrested on Oct. 2 while allegedly transacting a bribe.

Respondents in the survey, conducted online, said Akil's arrest had not completely tarnished the Constitutional Court's reputation, with 82.1 percent saying they were confident that the court could bounce back and repair its reputation.

"Although [Akil's case] was highly regrettable, the respondents were sure that the Constitutional Court would be able to regain the public's trust," Hendardi said.

The Constitutional Court's decision earlier this month to dismiss Akil for ethical violations was deemed a positive step toward reviving trust in the institution, the survey showed.

Hendardi also said that the Constitutional Court had exercised its authority well in conducting judicial reviews of contentious laws and regulations. Some 79.5 percent of the state management experts polled said they considered the court had performed positively with regard to its various decisions on upholding or striking down laws and articles brought before it.

However, the respondents said the court's performance in handling regional election disputes had affected the institution's integrity, with 69.2 percent recommending the establishment of another court tasked solely with that duty.

Akil was arrested and charged for taking bribes from individuals with a stake in at least two election disputes being heard by the court. Among the others arrested by the KPK was Hambit Bintih, the head of Gunung Mas district in Central Kalimantan, whose re-election victory was being disputed at the Constitutional Court.

Police & law enforcement

Police drop plan to form antigraft unit

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Sutarman has withdrawn his support for the establishment of a special antigraft squad – a proposal that was suggested by lawmakers during his confirmation hearing for his current position.

"We don't need to set up [a special antigraft unit]. What we need to do now is improve the ability of existing units," Sutarman said on Tuesday in South Jakarta. Sutarman was referring to the corruption investigation divisions within the National Police and regional police forces.

"We should strengthen the professionalism of the detectives and support them with better technology and increased funding for investigations," he continued. The proposal for a special antigraft unit was first mentioned during the confirmation hearing early in October.

Some members of the House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal affairs said a special unit was urgently needed to step up the police's fight against corruption. At the time, Sutarman – then National Police criminal investigations chief – said he fully supported the idea.

Several politicians and antigraft campaigners had speculated as to the motive behind the special unit's establishment, and how it would improve the police's performance.

Some argued that the unit was aimed at weakening the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). In 2012, Sutarman openly opposed the KPK investigation into Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo on graft allegations for his role in the Rp 144 billion (US$12.4 million) worth procurement of driving simulators within the force.

In late October, Sutarman denied such speculation, saying that the special unit, if formed, would work hand-in-hand with the KPK.

National Police corruption investigation chief Brig. Gen. Idham Aziz said the police would recruit more investigators, enabling them to handle a greater number of corruption cases.

"We have 103 investigators at National Police headquarters and 500 investigators stationed at regional police precincts. The National Police chief said we would be getting new investigators in 2014," he said.

To boost the investigators' performance, Idham said he would reward high- performance investigators with scholarships and promotions.

The police are entitled to spend up to Rp 208 million to investigate one corruption case, seven times higher than last year's allocation of Rp 30 million per case.

Last year, the National Police completed charge files on 657 corruption cases, exceeding their target of 604 cases. The cases amounted to a total of Rp 1.57 trillion in state losses, of which Rp 261 billion has been restored. This year, the National Police aim to investigate 916 corruption cases.

Members of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) have criticized the police for handling only minor corruption cases, unlike the KPK, which has uncovered a slew of major corruption cases implicating senior government officials.

Economy & investment

Businesses urge government to cut logistics costs

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2013

Jakarta – Businesses are urging the Indonesian government to take measures to reduce logistics costs in a bid to increase the country's competitiveness ahead of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.

Indonesian Logistics Association (ALI) executive board member Nofrisel said the government needed to reduce Indonesia's logistics costs to around 19 to 22 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014, from the current figure of around 24 to 27 percent.

The high logistics costs, he said, resulted mainly from value-added tax logistics firms paying for fuel and loading and unloading services.

"Our logistics costs are among the highest in Asia. We have to be on par with other Asian countries' average logistics costs that stand at around 19 to 22 percent," he told reporters on Monday.

He added that although European countries offered a better benchmark for logistics costs with an average of 9 to 14 percent of GDP of the respective countries, Indonesia was not ready to match this level.

"Indonesia will make a great achievement if it is able to equalize its logistics costs with its Asian peers," he said. When that happened, he said, Indonesia would become more competitive in the AEC and have a level playing field.

Nofrisel also said poor infrastructure at ports, for example, had caused lengthy dwelling times and thus affected logistics firms financially.

He said the government could refer to Presidential Decree No. 26/2012 on the blueprint of national logistics system development to help improve its logistics industry, especially in terms of infrastructure and human resources. "However, the decree won't do any good if it is not implemented properly," he said.

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) logistics committee head M. Akbar Djohan said high logistics costs increased the prices of Indonesian products, thereby lowering the country's competitiveness in the regional market.

"Aside from that, if we can reduce our logistics costs, we can allocate more budget to improving product manufacturing, which then will result in higher output quantity and quality and will also improve our competitiveness in the regional market," he said.

Kadin treasurer and deputy chairman for logistics Carmelita Hartoto said Indonesia still faced various hurdles to reducing logistics costs.

"For example, the government imposes value-added tax on fuel for domestic shipping firms and unloading services through Government Regulation No. 26/2001. The tax will add to logistics costs," she said, adding that other Asian countries did not have a similar policy.

She said she had asked the government to revise the government regulation and provide tax incentives for the logistics sector to reduce costs during a recent meeting between Kadin representatives and government officials. (ogi)

Analysis & opinion

Indonesia and the school of the Americas

Jakarta Post - November 15, 2013

Andrew de Sousa, Bangkok – This Nov. 22-24, thousands of people from across the United States and Latin America will converge upon Fort Benning in Georgia, USA, to demand the closure of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas (SOA).

In what has become an annual ritual for more than 20 years, activists will employ civil disobedience in attempts to enter the SOA, facing arrest rather than accept the continued injustices embodied by the institute.

The activists have good reason to protest. The military institute is notorious for training over 64,000 foreign soldiers in subjects such as counterinsurgency, military intelligence, interrogations and psychological warfare. Many of the military officials responsible for some of the worst atrocities committed in Latin America were trained there, and some have even served as guest instructors.

Since 2004, six Latin American countries have now pulled out of the school, and each year opponents come closer to finally closing the school down. Over the years, the US has provided similar training to Indonesia. The US government was a chief backer of the New Order regime and supplied the Indonesian military with the intelligence, equipment and training used for some of the worst human rights atrocities of the last century.

Indonesian military officers among the graduates of Fort Benning are Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, who was allegedly behind atrocities in Timor Leste and the kidnapping of democracy activists in 1998. Other Indonesians trained in the US include Lt. Gen. (ret) Sjafrie Sjamsuddin and Lt. Gen. (ret) Johny Lumintang, both reportedly linked to the violence around the 1999 referendum in Timor Leste.

Following the Nov. 12, 1991 Santa Cruz Massacre in East Timor, citizens pushed the US Congress to restrict military training and other assistance to the Indonesian military. While Congress banned IMET, the main program that brought Indonesian officers to the US for training, the Pentagon quietly continued to train soldiers in surveillance, psychological operations and other tactics to be used against civilian populations under other programs.

Grassroots pressure forced the US to take very minor steps towards addressing the atrocities of the Pentagon's Indonesian students: Prabowo is currently barred from travel to the US and Lumintang was found liable of gross human rights violations and ordered to pay US$66 million to Timorese victims by a US District Court (the verdict was later overturned on a technicality).

Inside Indonesia impunity continues to reign supreme: despite some modest gains in reforming the military over the past decade, regular human rights violations continue in Papua and elsewhere, and the US-created Detachment 88 reportedly kills suspected terrorists at will.

Past crimes continue to go unpunished, with those believed to be responsible enjoying prominent positions: Prabowo has formed his own political party and is a leading contender for president, Sjafrie is a deputy minister at the Defense Ministry and Lumintang is set to be the next ambassador to the Philippines. Gen. Wiranto, indicted in Timor for his role as military commander in 1999, is also planning a presidential run.

It is clear that the Pentagon has also failed to absorb the lessons of the past. With the State Department as a willing ally, human rights conditions on US military training and other assistance to Indonesian security forces have been systematically dismantled.

Despite its rights rhetoric, the Obama administration, like its predecessors, has made engagement with Indonesia's security forces a priority. This is what makes actions like the annual mobilization against the SOA so important.

[The writer is with the NGO Focus on the Global South.]

Another policy solution for Papua?

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2013

Neles Tebay, Jayapura, Papua – The central government and the provincial government of Papua have taken the initiative to produce another new policy for Papua under the name of "special autonomy plus".

The initiative was announced by Papua Governor Lukas Enembe after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on April 29. According to the governor, "special autonomy plus" will translate into a new law on the governance of Papua. The governor expects the bill to be debated at the House of Representatives and enacted by the President in December 2013.

The new development has raised questions. Why has the government changed its mind from consistently implementing the 2001 Papuan Special Autonomy Law and what has gone wrong with the existing Autonomy Law?

Although the special autonomy policy has not resulted in a dialogue or negotiation, it has been accepted as a realistic solution to the Papua conflict. The policy has been nationally and internationally supported and it is expected that effective and consistent implementation of the Autonomy Law will enable Papuans to enjoy a better and brighter future within Indonesia.

In a nutshell, the law is believed to be able to address the grievances of indigenous Papuans. Does the new policy mean that the Autonomy Law is no longer a solution to the Papuan issue?

After having been implemented for 12 years, the reality on the ground shows that the autonomy policy has yet to improve Papuans' prosperity and quality of education and healthcare. Many fundamental problems triggering Papuans' demands for independence remain unsettled.

A human rights court has not been established to address the rights abuses committed against the Papuans under Indonesian rule, as stipulated in the Special Autonomy Law. There is no willingness on the part of the central government to form a truth and reconciliation commission to deal with the historical question of how Papua was incorporated into Indonesia.

If all these fundamental problems have not been resolved through the implementation of the Autonomy Law, what is the importance and relevance of producing a new policy for Papua? What are the push factors behind the government's bid to complete a new law on Papua this year? Will the new law be able to kill calls for independence in Papua?

Looking at how the bill on the governance of Papua is being processed, it is clear that only a team comprising professors at the state University of Cenderawasih and some government officials at the governor's office are fully involved in drafting the bill. Meanwhile, the majority of Papuans are excluded from the process.

The provincial government has excluded representatives of religious, tribal, women and youth groups from contributing to the process despite their prominent roles in the eyes of indigenous Papuans.

The government also seems reluctant to involve the Free Papua Movement (OPM), which has been waging a guerilla war in the province for 50 years. OPM members, who never deem themselves Indonesians, are scattered in the towns and villages of Papua and West Papua provinces, in the jungle and in exile in Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands and Australia.

The multi-dimensional conflict in Papua has economic, political, cultural, legal, security and international impacts. But the policymakers either do not know or just ignore the fact that only several of the aspects are accommodated in the law.

If the bill maintains the content of the existing Papua Autonomy Law, what are the new items that will be added into it? Who will decide what new items will be included in the bill?

It is important for the government to learn from past experiences – the autonomy policy was strongly rejected first and foremost because the people were not adequately consulted.

Excluding the OPM in the consultation of the bill will intensify the demand for a referendum, an independent state in Papua and incidences of people hoisting the outlawed Morning Star flag. In short, the fire of the Papua conflict will continue to burn.

If the government is truly committed to a comprehensive solution to the Papua conflict through a new law on Papua's governance, the OPM rebels should be included in the drafting of the law.

It is high time for President Yudhoyono to realize his promise in 2010 for constructive communication with the Papuan people. A new bill on Papua governance that is the result of dialogue will receive strong popular support and legitimacy.