The Catholic UCA news service reports Father Anselmus Amo saying the forest in Papua's Muting area, about 200 kilometres from Merauke, is being snatched from tribal people who depend on it for their survival.

Tribal leaders say they are being intimidated by the military to hand their land over to the palm company – PT Agroprima Cipta Persada.

The priest who heads the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission said he had petitioned the president because he was the last hope for the people. He said petitions sent to the local government, military, and police have been ignored.

Father Amo told the website that the issue has caused widespread anxiety and tension between people, the company, local government and law enforcers. He said he has also approached the National Commission on Human Rights.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/312248/papuan-plea-to-widodo-to-save-forests

President's help sought to halt Papua palm plantation

UCA News - August 30, 2016

Eman Riberu, Merauke, Indonesia – A priest in Merauke Archdiocese in Papua has appealed to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, urging him to halt the destruction of pristine forests by a palm plantation corporation.

The forest in Papua's Muting area, about 200 kilometers from district capital Merauke, is being snatched from tribal people who depend on it for their very survival, Father Anselmus Amo of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus congregation, told ucanews.com.

Leaders of the of Mahuze Besar tribe say they are being intimidated by the military to hand their land over to palm company – PT Agroprima Cipta Persada.

The priest who heads the diocesan justice and peace commission said he has petitioned the president because he is the last hope for the tribal people.

Petitions sent to the local government, military, and police, were ignored, Father Amo said. "The issue has caused widespread anxiety and tension between people, the company, local government and law enforcers," said Father Amo.

Father Amo said he has also petitioned the National Commission on Human Rights. "We hope the commission can address the issue at national level," he said.

Klemens Mahuze, a local tribal person said people are opposed to palm corporations because for them the forest is a sacred place and a source of livelihood.

"We don't want people destroying the forest, or excavating sacred places," he told ucanews.com. "We don't want [greedy] people touching our forest," he said.

Sulaeman Hamzah, a parliamentarian and a member of Indonesia's agriculture commission, said he would take up the case because the government has limited the availability of land for the palm industry in the area. "We will see the impact, and the validity of the company's license," he said.

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/presidents-help-sought-to-halt-papua-palm-plantation/76978

Papua police office targeted after child killed in altercation

Jakarta Globe - August 28, 2016

Jakarta – A police office in the Sugapa subdistrict in Intan Jaya, Papua, was burned down late Saturday (27/08) in a riot following the killing of 15-year-old Etinus Sondegau in an incident involving police earlier in the day.

The incident occurred after 10 police officers chased three individuals into a local market in Sugapa after receiving reports the three had threatened members of the public and were intoxicated. Police fired shots during the chase but refused to divulge if those shots killed Etinus.

A mob formed and arrived at the Sugapa Police office in Intan Jaya district, carrying the body of Etinus, and raized the office before closing down the local airport and a mobile phone tower.

"People shut down the cell phone tower so we have no access on information to Intan Jaya district," Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw said on Saturday night. "The situation is beginning to return to normal," Papua Police spokesman Comr. Patriage Renwarin told BeritaSatu.com.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/papua-police-office-targeted-child-killed-altercation/

Officer shoots dead boy in Sugapa, residents torch police station

Tabloid JUBI - August 28, 2016

Jayapura, Jubi – A teenager died after being shot allegedly by a Mobile Brigade officer in Sugapa. Angry residents set fire to the Sugaba Police Station in response to the news.

A local resident contacted by Jubi said the shooting occurred on Saturday (27/8/2016) at around 10:25 Papua time and followed a previous shooting on Thursday (25/8/2016).

"On Thursday, Nope Sani and Nole Sondegau offered the firewood but rejected by the Company Tigi Jaya that paved the Papua Trans road. Don't know why the company then called the Mobile Brigade whose officer came and shot the two boys three times but missed," said Sugapa resident on Saturday evening.

Then on Saturday, he futher said, Noperianus Belau, Luter Iapugau, Hans Belau and Otinus Sondegau who were drunk blocked a taxibike driver on the street. He couldn't accept this and called the Mobile Brigade.

"The officers came right away and pursued these boys who are junior high schools students. Because they run away, the officers run to catch them. They shot Otinus in front of his house; one shot hit his hand and another hit his chess. He died instantly," he said.

Not accepting this action, his parent burnt Sugapa Police Station. "They also took their son's body that were settled in the Regent's house to their home," said Jubi's informant.

Papua Police Spokesperson Senior Police Commissionaire Patridge Renwarin confirmed about the incident. According to him the incident was occurred at around 11:15 Papua time after the blockage at three-way junction near Sugapa Market by three drunken boys. They head off those who crossed the street.

"A Mobile Brigade officer came and hit one of them, while two run away and chased by two officers," Renwarin told report on Saturday evening through the short message.

Besides chasing the boys, the officers opened fire and warned by Sugapa police officers. Shortly after, a boy came to Sugapa Police Station reporting his friend was shot dead and Sugapa's women took his body to the police station.

According to Renwarin, currently the Police coordinated with the Intan Jaya Regent who's currently outside of Papua. The Police also coordinated with the Chairman of Intan Jaya Legislative Council.

"We also coordinate with the priest to calm down the people and entrust the handling of this case to the Indonesian Police," said Renwarin. (*/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/officer-shoots-dead-boy-in-sugapa-residents-torch-police-station/

Bishops want West Papuans to join inter-governmental body

UCA News - August 26, 2016

Federation of Catholic Bishops' Catholic bishops from the Pacific region have voiced their support for the West Papuan people's desire to participate in the inter-governmental Melanesian Spearhead Group.

"[The West Papuans] seek what every family and culture seeks: respect of personal and communal dignity, free expression of one's aspirations and good neighborly relations," said the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania in a statement.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) is made up of Melanesian states of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front of New Caledonia.

Indonesia was recognized as an associate member of the MSG last year but West Papua's independence movement has not been allowed to join the group. They have been granted observer status.

"Political boundaries can never contain or control ethnic relationships and so we urge governments to support the West Papuan people's desire to participate fully in the Melanesian Spearhead Group," said the bishops.

"Blocked participation in MSG is a wound in the side of all Melanesians. For West Papuans, the MSG is a natural place of collaboration and a potential source of deeper regional understanding," they said.

Dignity for West Papuans was a focus issue for the executive committee of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands at meeting in Port Moresby this week meeting. Conferences of Oceania say West Papuans should be a part of the Melanesian Spearhead Group

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/bishops-want-west-papuans-to-join-inter-governmental-body/76955

Pacific women call for investigation of women's rights in West Papua

Radio New Zealand International - August 25, 2016

Pacific women are calling for an independent mission to investigate violence against women in Indonesia's Papua region.

The call comes from the Pacific Women's Network Against Violence Against Women which represents policy makers and front line workers from 13 Pacific countries.

Representatives of women from West Papua attended the networks 7th meeting in Fiji last week and raised some critical issues and gaps in service delivery for victims of gender violence in West Papua.

The director of Tonga's Women and Children Crisis Centre, Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki said the network stands in solidarity with women from West Papua.

"Members of the network in the outcomes resolution are calling for a fact-finding mission to be undertaken in West Papua to look into the status of women and girls and the impact of the conflict and political tensions on women and girls as a result," said Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/311827/pacific-women-call-for-investigation-of-women's-rights-in-west-papua

Maori students in NZ march for West Papua

Radio New Zealand International - August 25, 2016

Hundreds of Maori students marched to New Zealand's parliament today calling for freedom for West Papua.

The march was met at the steps of parliament by MPs from various political parties, who spoke of their concern about Indonesian state oppression in the Papua region.

The students gathered in the capital for the annual conference Te Huinga Tauira o Te Mana Akonga, this year hosted by Ngai Tauira, the Maori Students' Association at Victoria University of Wellington.

A co-president of Ngai Tauira, Raimona Tapiata, said the hundreds gathered felt strongly about the plight of West Papuans, from which they drew many parallels with how Maori experienced colonialism.

He said for instance Maori can relate to the marginalisation of West Papuans' indgenous language under Indonesian rule.

"Especially having come from similar backgrounds, similar cultural beliefs, similar values and what our culture is all about, all those types of connections between all Pacific nations is another element that comes into play," he said.

Addressing the crowd, the MP Marama Davidson said West Papuans' struggle was their struggle.

"We are standing up for up for the people of West Papua, we are standing their mana whenua. We are standing up for their tino rangatiratanga," she said.

"But we're also standing up for all of us and the better world we are trying to create by supporting each other, because the oppression, the colonisation, the abuse of human rights, it all breathes the same oxygen."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/311832/maori-students-in-nz-march-for-west-papua

Bishops in Pacific region declare support for West Papua

Catholic Leader - August 24, 2016

Catholic bishops from across the Pacific region have declared support for West Papua to have a greater international voice.

"They (West Papuans) seek what every family and culture seeks: respect of personal and communal dignity, free expression of one's aspirations, and good neighbourly relations," the Catholic bishops said in a statement.

"Political boundaries can never contain or control ethnic relationships and so we urge governments to support the West Papuan people's desire to participate fully in the Melanesian Spearhead Group."

The Melanesian Spearhead Group is an inter-governmental organisation composed of the four Melanesian states of Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front of New Caledonia.

Last year, Indonesia was recognised as an associate member, however West Papua's independence movement has so far failed to be admitted to the group.

"... Blocked participation in MSG is a wound in the side of all Melanesians," the bishops said. "For West Papuans, the MSG is a natural place of collaboration and a potential source of deeper regional understanding."

The bishops have also spoken out about the treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. "Callousness can never be the proper response to human tragedy," the bishops said.

"We applaud PNG's Supreme Court's decision that the Manus Island detention centre is unconstitutional and illegal and we trust the Australian and other authorities will act swiftly in implementing a humane plan of rehabilitation for the detainees."

Source: http://catholicleader.com.au/news/bishops-in-pacific-region-declare-support-for-west-papua

Human rights & justice

Government employs former 'Tim Mawar' members

Jakarta Post - August 31, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – A month after the controversial appointment of retired general Wiranto as coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister, the government has again shocked rights advocates and victims by promoting former members of the Army's "Tim Mawar" (Rose Team).

The former Tim Mawar members, who were implicated in notorious cases of forced disappearances during the 1998 riots, have been given new positions in the government.

Four former members of the elite special force – Fausani Syahrial Multhazar, Nugroho Sulistyo Budi, Yulius Selvanus and Dadang Hendra Yuda – were recently promoted to roles in the Defense Ministry, State Intelligence Agency (BNI) and National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohamad Sabrar Fadhilah confirmed the promotions. However, aware of potential criticism due to the sensitivity of the issue, Fadhilah defended the decision, saying it was made in line with proper mechanisms.

"They have served their punishment," Fadhilah told The Jakarta Post. "From now on, their fate will be determined by their performance."

The decision was a lightning strike for those who fell victim to the notorious 1998 events that led to the fall of former president Soeharto.

For those who survived the cases, such as Mugiyanto Sipin, the move was inexplicable, especially as the news reached him on Tuesday's International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Mugiyanto said he no longer expected much from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in resolving past violations, despite the President's campaign promises, after he recruited Wiranto for the Cabinet.

However, Mugiyanto did not anticipate more people deemed responsible for the disappearance of activists during the riots to take on governmental positions.

"If Jokowi cannot fulfill his promises now, the least the President can do is not endorse the perpetrators by allowing them to gain positions in state institutions," Mugiyanto said.

"Jokowi is supporting further violations by condoning," the Indonesian Association of Families of Missing Persons (Ikohi) chairman added.

Mugiyanto was one of around 23 activists kidnapped for protesting the New Order's regime. Nine of them were later released while the whereabouts of the rest remains unknown until today.

Cases of forced disappearances did not only take place during the 1998 riots but also during several other incidents in the country's dark past, including the 1965 communist purge.

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) has recorded 163 cases of past enforced disappearances. The government's lack of commitment in settling the matter, including searching for missing activists, is said to have protected a culture of impunity.

The gloomy signals from Jokowi's administration in settling cases of kidnapping as well as other past rights abuses have discouraged victims and rights campaigners from hoping for solutions.

Those who fell victim to the 1965 purge have also expressed low expectations, particularly after several victims met with Presidential Advisory Board member Sidarto Danusubroto, only to be told that settling cases of past human rights abuses was not on the government's agenda for now.

The government is instead focused on improving the economy. Sidarto did not respond to the Post's queries for clarification.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/31/govt-employs-former-tim-mawar-members.html

Sexual & domestic violence

House postpones passage of chemical castration law

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The House of Representatives postponed the passage of regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) No. 1/2006 on Child Protection into law during a plenary meeting on Tuesday, citing the unclear details of the chemical castration sanction as the main reason of the cancellation.

Seven among ten political factions on House Commission VIII overseeing religious and social affairs had agreed with the Perppu, yet three factions namely the National Mandate Party (PAN), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and Gerindra Party, refused to pass the Perppu into law.

Rahayu Saraswati of the Gerindra Party said even though she agreed with most rulings within the Perppu, she slammed the lack of details regarding the implementation of chemical castration against convicted child molesters, including the details of who executes the punishment, the budget, the use of injection or pills, as well as the timing of the sanction.

"The regulations in this Perppu still leaves room for errors, including misdirection of targets. It's better for us to further improve and deliberate the Perppu to make it more comprehensive," Rahayu said during the meeting.

She further asserted that the Perppu, created in the wake of a national emergency after several cases of sexual violence against children in the country, still focused only on the punishment against perpetrators yet did not give much attention to the rehabilitation of victims.

House deputy speaker Taufik Kurniawan said the House would give the government a chance to complete the Perppu with recommendation from lawmakers, before passing it into law. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/house-postpones-passage-of-chemical-castration-law.html

Labour & migrant workers

Migrant workers from Sumbawa abused, unpaid

Jakarta Post - August 27, 2016

Panca Nugraha, Mataram – They left their families for jobs and higher wages in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, but many of the migrant workers from Sumbawa regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), have become the victims of abuse in their workplaces.

The Center for Legal Aid for Migrant Workers (PPHBM) in NTB records that at least 18 female migrant workers from the regency were abused over the past two months.

PPHBM coordinator Mohammed Saleh told The Jakarta Post on Friday some of the women were abused physically while others were forced to work overtime for which they received no payment.

"We handled 18 cases in the last two months. They left the country after 2012 when the government decided to stop sending workers to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries," Saleh said.

Saleh added that despite the moratorium on migrant workers, people's desire to migrate to other countries to work remained very high due to a lack of job opportunities in the province.

They are also attracted to the high wages for domestic helpers in Middle Eastern countries. Therefore, they decided to leave for the Middle East by going through illegal procedures.

"They go to those countries using various ways. We've handled cases in which some of them went to Saudi Arabia by pretending to go on the umrah (minor pilgrimage). Some others went via Singapore and Malaysia and others became victims of human trafficking," he said.

Even though the migrant workers used illegal procedures, Saleh said his office continued to provide them with legal assistance because they were citizens who had a right to be protected in other countries.

"We have reported some of the cases to the Manpower Ministry and the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers [BNP2TKI], so that they get attention from the central government," he said.

PPHBM estimates that between 2,000 and 3,000 residents from Sumbawa are currently working in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries.

According to Saleh, in order to curb the number of Indonesian migrant workers in the Middle East, PPHBM and non-governmental groups concerned with migrant worker issues in NTB have carried out economic counseling sessions with former migrant workers. They are taught about small and medium-sized enterprises.

"The goal is to help them become economically independent in their own area so that they no longer wish to become migrant workers," he said.

BNP2TKI acknowledged that the moratorium, especially for domestic maids in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries since 2010, had not been successful in suppressing the number of Indonesian migrant workers.

"Based on data gathered from the airport and the police, between 3,000 and 4,000 Indonesian citizens still leave for Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries to get a job every month," said BNP2TKI head Nusron Wahid on Wednesday in a coordinated meeting on the management of migrant workers at the NTB gubernatorial office.

Nusron added that those leaving for the Middle East used various methods such as going on the umrah, working in the formal sector in shops and restaurants and visiting relatives. "They then work there and don't return home to Indonesia," said Nusron.

He added that the BNP2TKI had asked President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to review the moratorium. "NTB is a province that still has many of its residents working in the Middle East despite the moratorium. This also happens in West Java," he added.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/27/migrant-workers-sumbawa-abused-unpaid.html

Freedom of speech & expression

LGBT advocates give moving speeches at award event

Jakarta Post - August 27, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong & Liza Yosephine, Jakarta – A group of LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning) advocates was bestowed with the Suardi Tasrif Award, given to those fighting for freedom of expression, during a ceremony in Jakarta on Friday.

The group, Forum LGBTIQ Indonesia, is an alliance of more than 20 LGBTIQ NGOs throughout Indonesia.

The award was ceremonially accepted by two representatives from the alliance, Abhipraya Ardiansyah Muchtar, who is a transman, and Kanza Vina, a transwoman. The ceremony was also attended by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who delivered a keynote speech.

"This award is good news during times when the LGBTIQ community is bombarded with information, propaganda and suspicion in social media and mainstream media, which is filled with ignorance about the sexuality of individuals like me," Abhipraya, who realized that he was born in the wrong body when he was still little.

The award, organized by the Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI), came as several Islamist professors are petitioning the Constitutional Court to criminalize consensual sex among unmarried heterosexual and homosexual people, something which could severely limit people's privacy and further fuel discrimination against LGBTIQ people.

"During the 71 years of Indonesian independence, LGBTIQ people have never been protected nor helped in Indonesia. But we were not criminalized either," said Abhipraya. He then pleaded with the government to help the LGBTIQ community through this hard time.

"Now there is an attempt to criminalize LGBTIQ people through the Constitutional Court. I hope the government, including Pak Minister, will see our difficult situation and support public education so that the public can understand and want to stop discrimination against us," Abhipraya said.

"Sexuality is something deep. It requires more than a binary approach: man and woman. It also requires more than a 'disorder' label. We ourselves do not want to be in the position where we have to ask a lot of questions," he said in his speech.

Abhipraya also conveyed his thanks to the AJI, which celebrated its 22nd anniversary on Aug. 19.

"We are happy to receive this award, from this organization of journalists. It gives up hope – and at the same time is a challenge for journalists – of an improvement in the quality of journalism and news on sexual minorities in Indonesia," he said in his speech.

"This Suardi Tasrif Award is not simply an appreciation of our work in Forum LGBTIQ, but also of our goals, the future of Indonesia, which will be better, in which we all work together to nurture freedom and diversity," Abhipraya said.

Kanza opened her speech with a story about her hardship growing up as a "feminine" boy in Bengkulu. She said her seniors in junior high school forced her to give her oral sex and later she became a sex worker when she moved out from home at 15 years old. "The LGBTIQ movement is the youngest democracy movement in Indonesia. We learn a lot from other movements, from religious freedom to women's rights," Kanza said. "Our road is long and bumpy but we believe we shall overcome some day," she said. (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/27/lgbt-advocates-give-moving-speeches-at-award-event.html

LGBTIQ Forum and IPT 65 receive Suardi Tasrif Award

Jakarta Post - August 27, 2016

Jakarta – The jury for the Suardi Tasrif Award for freedom of expression on Friday night bestowed the prize on two groups that have fought stigma and the legacy of a dark past.

They had been "courageously voicing violence and discrimination against them to uphold freedom of opinion and expression in Indonesia", it said.

The jurors – Press Council member and Jakarta Post Digital chief editor Nezar Patria; Ignatius Haryanto from the Press and Development Study Institute (LSPP); and Luviana, journalist and Suardi Tasrif Award laureate in 2013 – gave the award to the LGBTIQ Forum and the International People's Tribunal 1965 (IPT 65) group.

The forum for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning (LGBTIQ) individuals consists of more than 20 organizations concerning the minority groups' rights while the IPT 65 consists of victims of the 1965 communist purge, researchers, advocates, lawyers and organizations concerned with justice for victims.

"We hope the award for these two groups can lead to greater respect for the message they want to send to us, and also as an attempt toward national reconciliation. We hope this award will give both groups the spirit to continue their fight for equal rights and to get complete information of what happened in the past, and moreover for our growth as a sovereign and civilized nation like our founding fathers wanted," the jury wrote.

The award is given annually by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), coinciding with its anniversary on Aug. 19. This year's awards, granted on Aug. 26, marked the AJI's 22nd anniversary.

Last year, the award was won by Joshua Oppenheimer and his codirector Anonymous, who made the Academy Award nominated documentaries on the 1965 mass killings The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence. (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/lgbtiq-forum-and-ipt-65-receive-suardi-tasrif-award.html

Political parties & elections

West Papua, Aceh, Banten most vulnerable

Jakarta Post - August 30, 2016

Jakarta – The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has released an election vulnerability index identifying regions prone to electoral fraud and conflicts, with West Papua province topping the list.

The list has been published ahead of concurrent regional elections slated for next year.

Bawaslu spokesperson Daniel Zuchron said the criteria for the index comprised organizer professionalism, candidate contestation and level of public participation. The scale grades from 0 to 5, with 0 to 1.0 being "very safe" and 4.1 to 5.0 being "very prone" to conflict.

The list reveals that West Papua (3.381), Aceh (3.327) and Banten (3.147) top the vulnerability index for the elections being held in 101 regions in seven provinces and 94 regencies or cities.

"The elections in these three provinces require intensive attention and oversight. We have to take anticipatory measures to minimize possible problems," Daniel said as quoted by kompas.com.

Daniel said the main reason for West Papua, the easternmost province in the archipelago, coming first was the lack of professionalism among election organizers.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/30/national-scene-west-papua-aceh-banten-most-vulnerable.html

In weak political party setup, support flows to open-voting system

Jakarta Post - August 30, 2016

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – As the government is mulling over the electoral system that will be implemented in the 2019 elections, it is encouraged to keep the current open-list system that allows voters to directly choose candidates instead of political parties.

The system, which was implemented in 2009 and 2014 legislative elections, was recently challenged by major political parties such as the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Golkar Party, which, in order to regain control over candidates that represent them in the legislature, has called on the return of the closed-list system.

The closed system was used during the 1999 and 2004 elections.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) said it was up to the government to decide its preferred system, but the open system requires stronger political party organization.

KPU commissioner Hasyim Asy'ari said the country had to improve the candidate recruitment mechanism of political parties, for instance, by introducing what he called as a preliminary selection of candidates that involves public participation.

"In a sense that a recruitment process must not only cede to parties' internal regulations, but the laws should also regulate the details of such democratic and transparent recruitment," he said on Monday after being inaugurated as a new KPU member to replace Husni Kamil Manik, who had passed away last month.

Election experts like Veri Junaidi and Titi Anggraini called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo not to second doubt the existing open-list system since the closed-list system encouraged oligarchy within political parties.

"What is important is to ensure improvements are done regularly and that can be done if the [open-list] system is maintained," Veri said.

The current open-list system is not without criticisms. The general lack of political awareness and the lack of respected figures from political parties have been reported to trigger transactional or "money politics", which legislative candidates had to disburse ahead of elections.

The system has also given the chance for celebrities and entertainment figures to register as candidates, with some probability of winning because of their established popularity among voters.

The voting system in legislative elections undergoes protracted debate in the country each time the government and the House of Representatives are about to revise elections laws.

The government, which is expected to send the draft bills for revision to the House this month, has yet to decide which system it will support.

There is also an option to introduce a combination of the two systems, as part of the three policy options that have been proposed by Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo who leads the drafting of the amendments.

Tjahjo said the decision over the election system was in the hands of a limited Cabinet meeting to be led by the President in the near future, before the government brought the bills for deliberation to the House.

"The only remaining [undecided issue] is the closed or open-list electoral system," he said. "[But], everything is on track with our target of September [for submitting the proposed revisions to the House]."

KPU chairman Juri Ardiantoro said the KPU would respect any decision the government and the House made, as he refrained from commenting on which system would be better for the country.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/30/in-weak-political-party-setup-support-flows-open-voting-system.html

Environment & natural disasters

Korean palm oil firm accused of illegal forest burning in Indonesia

The Guardian (Australia) - September 1, 2016

Arthur Neslen – A Korean palm oil company has been dropped by buyers after footage emerged that allegedly shows the illegal burning of vast tracts of tropical forest on lands it holds concessions for in Indonesia.

Some of the world's biggest palm oil trading producers including Wilmar, Musim Mas and IOI have stopped using palm oil sourced from Korindo, much of which is destined to meet European demand.

Korindo's alleged deforestation of pristine woodland in Papua province also threatens to destroy the last sanctuary of several birds of paradise and the tree kangaroo, according to a report by a new environmental alliance called Mighty.

The group has collected evidence from drones, remote sensors, GPS satellites, and videographers and photographers on the ground, which it says proves that Korindo has flouted Indonesia's no-burning laws and violated responsible sourcing requirements.

Bustar Maitar, Mighty's campaign director in Papua, told the Guardian: "Korindo is clear-cutting forests and then starting fires to clear the land of remaining biomass. That is forbidden by Indonesia's regulations but during last year's forest fires, most of the blazes in the Papua region happened in Korindo's concessions."

"There are a lot of animal species and flora here that haven't even been discovered yet," Maitar added. "If these kinds of land clearing activities continue, they may never be."

But Koh Gyeong Min, Korindo's head of sustainability, denied that the firm had been responsible for any illegal forest burning. "It is not true actually," he said. "We followed all of the Indonesian regulations and acquired all the proper licences from the government for all areas of operation within our group."

"I also would like to ask: do the local NGOs or residents have any evidence about our company that they have brought to the Indonesian government or the local courts? As far as I know there have been no cases of that."

The allegations come as south-east Asia's 2016 burning season is just beginning. On 30 August, the Indonesian government warned that haze from fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan could reach Malaysia and Singapore in the days ahead.

More than 3,000 hotspots have been detected in the Indonesian archipelago in the last month, with maps released by Greenpeace of Riau and West Kalimantan showing that many are occurring on industrial plantation concessions in the same areas that burned last year.

Yuyun Indradi, Greenpeace Indonesia's forest campaigner said: "Companies that refuse to take steps to prevent fires have not just ash, but blood on their hands."

Wildfires in Indonesia's tropical forests last year are thought likely to have contributed to the premature deaths of more than 100,000 people, and to have emitted more CO2 than the whole of the UK that year.

Korindo is active in Indonesia's north Malaku region as well as Papua, holding around 620 square miles of forest concessions in total. The company, whose promotional video calls on viewers to "make the Earth green", has already cleared around 193 square miles of forest.

Maitar said that Korindo had not responded to letters sent by the new alliance, and that the new report was aimed at putting pressure on the Indonesian government. Several major buyers of Korindo's palm oil acted to cut the firm out of their supply chains after hearing of the allegations.

A spokeswoman for Musim Mas told the Guardian that it wanted to see Korindo engage with civil society groups and adopt a "No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation" (NDPE) policy. "During this period we will continue to stop buying the palm oil temporarily and monitor Korindo's progress," she said.

NDPEs have become a palm oil industry standard in south-east Asia but the Mighty campaign argues that they are not working. Glenn Hurowitz, Mighty's US campaign director, said that Korindo had been able to deforest 113 square miles of land since 2013, despite clearly visible satellite evidence of 894 hotspots in that period.

"This investigation shows the true face of the palm oil industry in Indonesia even after No Deforestation policies," Hurowitz said. "The current, mostly confidential company-by-company system is inadequate. We urgently need a transparent, systematic approach, as well as further action by government and prosecutors."

One of Malaysia's largest palm oil companies, IOI – which was itself suspended from a sustainability scheme for not doing enough to prevent deforestation – said that its third party suppliers had also "decided to temporarily stop sourcing from Korindo" after hearing the allegations.

The palm oil giant Wilmar told the Guardian that it too had contacted Korindo after a heads up about the new evidence. "Due to a lack of progress from the supplier, and in view of the serious allegations, Wilmar has ceased procuring from Korindo with effect from June 2016," a spokeswoman said.

None of the companies would reveal how much money they spent on ensuring that third-party palm oil suppliers did not cause environmental damage.

Gyeong Min said that after a demand from Wilmar earlier this year, Korindo began a "high-carbon stock assessment" which would be published later this month. "We also announced a temporary moratorium for our remaining plantation area," he said.

Last month, a Korindo subsidiary called PT Tunas Sawa Erma declared a three-month suspension of new forest clearings across 25,000 hectares of territory, while it developed a NDPE policy.

But Mighty says that the moratorium did not extend to all Korindo operations. "A couple of months ago we visited their concessions and the land clearing was still happening," Maitar said. "In our experience with other companies, all activities involving the cutting down of forests should be stopped, while they are doing these sorts of assessments."

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/01/korean-palm-oil-firm-accused-of-illegal-forest-burning-in-indonesia

Deforestation blamed for worsening water supply in Sumatra

Jakarta Globe - August 31, 2016

Jakarta – Sumatra's watersheds – ridges of land that separate waters flowing to different rivers and keep those waters pristine – have lost the largest amount of forest cover in the world over the course of 15 years, drastically reducing the quality of its water supply, World Research Institute's Global Forest Watch Water revealed on Tuesday (30/08).

More than 22 percent of Sumatra's forest cover, or 8 million hectares – an area almost as large as the entire province of North Sumatra – was destroyed from 2000 to 2014.

"Research shows that agricultural expansion, logging and infrastructure extension as a result of expanding global markets for pulp, timber and oil palm are among the major causes of this massive loss in forest cover," Yiyuan Qin, a research analyst for the WRI's Natural Infrastructure for Water project, wrote.

According to Qin, the massive loss of forest cover has made the land more vulnerable to both flooding and drought, and contaminated its water supply, as the land lost its natural ability to regulate the water flow and filter it.

Sumatra has suffered from more floods, landslides, forest and peat fires and water pollution thanks to uncontrollable forest clearing activities.

What happens in Sumatra reflects what has been happening around the globe. Forest degradation has threatened water security everywhere as natural infrastructures – such as upstream forests and wetlands – are stripped and the soil can no longer filter water naturally.

"The world's watersheds lost 6 percent of their tree cover on average from 2000-2014, putting citizens at risk of losing their water supplies," Qin said, adding that watersheds face the most danger from forest cover loss, fires and erosion.

Establishing conservation zones, engaging in agroforestry and other sustainable forestry practices are some approaches Qin and her team suggested to mitigate watershed damage.

In the watershed of Krishna, India, only 3 percent of its trees remain, leaving the area more prone to frequent droughts and floods, with high levels of water pollution – thanks to urbanization and cropland expansion.

Meanwhile in the Philippines, erosion caused by expansive agriculture is the main threat for the Southern Leyte watershed, making the area more susceptible to landslides.

In Angola, not only are fires there killing off trees, they have also contaminated the water supply and interrupted its flow to many communities.

To improve water security at risk from forest cover loss, fires and unsustainable land use, WRI launched the Global Forest Watch Water to educate the public about the importance of protecting water supplies.

The platform also provides data sets, statistics and risk scores of 230 watersheds around the world.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/deforestation-blamed-worsening-water-supply-sumatra/

Students stay at home as haze thickens

Jakarta Post - August 30, 2016

Rizal Harahap and Jon Afrizal, Pekanbaru/Jambi/Jakarta – As haze caused by forest and land fires thickens in Riau, a local administration has given holidays to school students.

According to the Riau forest fire emergency unit, the air pollution standard index (ISPU) reached 364 as of Monday morning, far above the 200 level that is already considered "very unhealthy".

In the province capital, Pekanbaru, haze has deteriorated air quality to 162. In other cities such as Kampar, Dumai and Rokan Hilir, the air quality reached 144, 166 and 184, respectively, reducing vision to only 500 meters.

"Actually all students attended class this morning, but then there was an instruction from the Bengkalis Education Agency urging us all to go home," the principal of Mandau state high school SMAN 7, Masrida, in Bengkalis regency, Riau, told reporters on Monday.

Masrida said the decision was made for the time being and would be evaluated in the next few days.

"If the weather gets better and the haze starts to disappear, we will restart our classes next Wednesday. Otherwise, we may prolong the closure to avoid health problems."

Bengkalis Education Agency acting head Heri Indra Putra said the decision was taken following instruction given by Regent Amril Mukminin.

"[School] closures will vary in each area, depending on the haze," Heri said, adding that teachers would still require students to do homework.

In Dumai, the level of air quality hit 369 on Sunday, a highly dangerous level. However, related authorities had yet to issue a circular to free students from school.

"We are still waiting for instruction from the Dumai Environment and Forestry Ministry office," Dumai Education Agency spokesperson Misdiono said.

Riau Education Agency head Kamsol urged affected areas to take quick action in preventing illness from inhaling the dangerous haze.

"The provincial government cannot fully monitor air pollution in every area," he said, demanding better coordination between the regions.

The week-long haze covering Bengkalis has sparked fear as more than a hundred residents have begun suffering acute respiratory infections (ARIs).

To prevent escalating numbers of people suffering respiratory problems, the Riau Health Agency has distributed 10,000 face masks to affected areas. "We will also intensify our campaign [to inform people] of the dangers of the haze," Jon said.

He said that according to reports from related institutions in Bengkalis, 149 people had been affected by haze-related health problems, with 132 of them suffering ARIs.

He added that four people were suffering asthma, one person an eye irritation, while 12 other people were diagnosed with pneumonia.

According to data published by the Riau Health Agency last year, 100,234 people suffered from the haze, with 84,203 of them diagnosed with ARIs, 1,321 suffered pneumonia and 3,872 contracted asthma. Those who suffered eye and skin irritations numbered 4,771 and 6,067, respectively.

Meanwhile, according to the Batanghari Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in Jambi, there were eight hotspots found in the region since January, with blazing fires to 12.8 hectares of forest.

National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho claimed on Monday that this year's haze would not be worse than last year when 32,734 hotspots were recorded, saying that in the same period this year, the agency detected only 12,884 hotspots. (fac)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/30/students-stay-at-home-as-haze-thickens.html

Singapore hit again by haze

Jakarta Post - August 27, 2016

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – It is happening again: Indonesia's inability to control forest fires has left the residents of its northern neighbor covered in smoke, an annual occurrence that has often tested relations between the two nations.

Haze from forest and land fires from Riau province blew into Singapore on Friday, triggering a wave of complaints on social media from the city-state's residents.

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) recorded that at 6 p.m. local time the pollutant standards index (PSI) had reached 127, down from 215 at 2 p.m. local time. A PSI above 100 is considered "unhealthy" while anything above 200 is categorized as "very unhealthy", especially for young children, the elderly and people with heart and lung diseases.

On Friday, the NEA registered its concerns with its Indonesian counterpart over "additional episodes of deterioration in air quality in Singapore should the fires continue".

"The NEA urged Indonesia to continue taking the necessary actions to prevent and mitigate the fires during this dry season and asked for an update on the situation in Sumatra and Kalimantan," the agency said in a statement on Friday.

The air pollution comes from rampant illegal land clearing using fire, which ravages thousands of hectares of forest and quickly spreads a thick smoky haze over the region.

Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said in a statement that forest and land fires had worsened in Riau and that smoke from 67 hot spots in the province had reached Singapore.

In response to this, the government said it had declared states of emergency in six provinces: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.

The emergency status was needed to allow easier access for the BNPB and to allow each regional disaster mitigation agency (BPBD) to mobilize resources.

The BNPB said it had deployed 7,200 air and ground task force personnel to tackle forest fires and land burning. It is also using three water bombing helicopters, two fixed-wing water bombers and one CASA aircraft to induce artificial rain.

The CASA aircraft, loaded with 40 tons of salt, has been used to intensify cloud-seeding in a bid to help stimulate rainfall in Riau. Thousands of canals, water reserves and reservoirs have also been prepared.

"About 21.7 million liters of water has been poured from the sky to extinguish the fires," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Based on data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), 67 hot spots in the form of forest and land fires were detected in Riau on Friday morning. Riau Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Edward Sanger said the number of hot spots had reduced to 47 by Friday evening.

Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis are the two regencies with the thickest haze. "The land there is dominated by peat, which burns easily, especially during the dry season," Edward said.

"The forest fires in Riau come and go. It happened recently because rain has not poured down on the city for 15 days," said Raffles Panjaitan, the Environment and Forestry Ministry's fire mitigation director.

On Thursday, the National Police announced they had arrested more than 450 suspects in connection with land and forest fires to discourage recalcitrant companies and farmers from clearing land illegally.

National Police chief Tito Karnavian said Indonesia had deployed a very effective strategy to reduce the number of hot spots this year. On Aug. 16 the number of hot spots nationwide was 482, which was down from 14,451 last year.

In 2013, smoky haze from forest fires in Indonesia spread to Singapore, causing Singaporeans to suffer from their worst pollution in 16 years. The three-hour PSI in the country reached a record high of 401 in June that year, surpassing the country's previously highest level of 226 recorded in 1997.

In 2014, Indonesia agreed to ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) in order to expedite the process of preventing and monitoring cross-border smoke pollution. The agreement was also meant to facilitate cooperation with other ASEAN members, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei Darussalam.

In 2015, Vice President Jusuf Kalla criticized Singapore for complaining about haze and asked the city-state's citizens to instead be grateful for the clean air they enjoyed during the rest of the year. He argued that Indonesia had repeatedly apologized for the forest fires that lead to haze problems in Singapore and Malaysia. (win).

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/27/singapore-hit-again-by-haze.html

Smoke from Indonesian fires hits 'unhealthy' levels in Singapore as authorities

Reuters - August 26, 2016

Air pollution in Singapore has risen to the "unhealthy" level as acrid smoke drifted over the island from fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island, the city-state's National Environment Agency (NEA) said, in a repeat of an annual crisis.

Every dry season, smoke from fires set to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations in Indonesia clouds the skies over much of the region, raising concern about public health and worrying tourist operators and airlines.

The 24-hour Pollution Standards Index (PSI), which the NEA uses as a benchmark, rose as high as 105 in the afternoon – a level above 100 is considered "unhealthy".

The NEA said it planned a "daily haze advisory" as "a burning smell and slight haze were experienced over many areas" in Singapore.

Indonesia repeatedly vows to stop the fires but each year they return. This year, Indonesia has arrested 454 people in connection with the smoke pollution.

When heavy, the choking smog closes airports and schools and prompts warnings to residents to stay indoors. Pollution levels in neighbouring Malaysia were normal on Friday.

Singapore has pushed Indonesia for information on companies suspected of causing pollution, some of which are listed on Singapore's stock exchange.

A forest campaigner for the environmental group Greenpeace Indonesia, Yuyun Indradi, said the Government was struggling to enforce laws to prevent the drainage of peatland for plantations and the setting of fires to clear land.

"It has become a challenge for the Government to enforce accountability among concession holders, to enforce its directives on blocking canals, and push companies to take part in efforts to restore peatland and prevent fires," Mr Indradi said.

"Now is the time for the Government to answer this challenge. It is in the law." Greenpeace said, according to its satellite information, there were 138 fires across Indonesia on Friday.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-08-26/smoke-from-indonesian-fires-hits-unhealthy-levels-in-singapore-as-authorities-push-to-hunt-offenders/1612012

Residents' health at risk as haze lingers in W. Kalimantan

Jakarta Post - August 25, 2016

Severianus Endi, Pontianak – Haze is causing concern for people in West Kalimantan where fires have razed land and forests for the past two weeks.

Residents are enduring the effects of smoke that usually appears each morning and evening, disrupting activities at airports and endangering people's health.

Pontianak Health Agency head Sidiq Handanu told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that over recent days the air quality had worsened at certain times of the day.

"Various logistics have been prepared at every community health center, such as drugs and masks, and medical workers have been asked to be on alert," said Sidiq, adding that air quality deteriorates from 7 a.m. until 12 p.m., then gradually improves in the afternoon.

Air quality can be monitored on the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG) website at bmkg.go.id to determine the content of air particulates in real time.

At Pontianak's Supadio Airport, haze in the morning interrupted flights and caused delays of 30 to 45 minutes. State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II's Supadio Airport head, Bayuh Iswantoro, said the earliest flight schedule for 6:15 a.m. was affected by haze that left visibility at only 500 meters. Takeoffs and landings could only be carried out after 7 a.m. when visibility improved to 1,000 meters.

"Flights will be interrupted at a visibility of only 500 meters, but only briefly. Without haze, normal visibility is around 5,000 meters," said Bayuh, adding that visibility below 800 meters was categorized as disrupting takeoffs and landings.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency's (BNPB) data, information and public relations head, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, mentioned in a press release that the highest number of hot spots in Sumatra and Kalimantan would be defected from August to October, with its peak in September.

Six provinces have enacted emergency status for forest and land fires: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.

The West Kalimantan provincial administration, which previously declared emergency status from June 1 to Sept. 1, reported that the status would be extended until November.

The status will ease access for the BNPB and each regional disaster mitigation agency (BPBD) to mobilize resources, including deploying eight helicopters and two planes for water bombing, as well as two aircraft to induce artificial rain.

"The BNPB is preparing to send a helicopter for water bombing and an aircraft to make artificial rain in West Kalimantan," said Sutopo.

The West Kalimantan BPBD's logistics and emergency response head, Bosman D. Hutahaean, said that eight of the 14 regencies and cities in the province had declared land and forest fire emergency status, while Ketapang, North Kayong and Sambas regencies and Singkawang and Pontianak cities were in the process of doing so.

He cited 135 villages prone to land and forest fires, located in the regencies of Kubu Raya (18 villages), Mempawah (five), Landak (three), Sintang (34), Sanggau (three), Bengkayang (10), Sambas (10), Ketapang (45) and North Kayong (seven).

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/25/residents-health-risk-haze-lingers-w-kalimantan.html

Health & education

Indonesia ranks second-last in reading interest: Study

Jakarta Post - August 29, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia ranks 60th out of 61 countries in terms of reading interest, a study by Central Connecticut State University in the US has revealed.

The study, dubbed World's Most Literate Nation, puts Indonesia below Thailand in 59th and above Botswana in 61st position, even though in terms of infrastructure to support reading, the archipelago ranks above some European countries.

"Based on infrastructure components, the assessment put Indonesia at 34th position, above Germany, Portugal, New Zealand and South Korea," said former culture and education minister Anies Baswedan during the final stage of the Gramedia Reading Community Competition 2016 in Jakarta on Saturday, as quoted by kompas.com.

This shows that the country's utilization of the available infrastructure is very low, added Anies. "So the number of libraries, books and mobile libraries does not always indicate a growing interest in reading."

Furthermore, the initiator of Gerakan Indonesia Mengajar, a movement that sends out educated youth to teach in remote areas across Indonesia, said several steps were needed to make reading a cultural habit. These included teaching children to read and making reading a habit for them until it becomes part of their character.

In addition to creating programs, a more effective way to encourage and increase literacy was to create a movement. "A movement that spreads will become unstoppable, since it isn't based on orders, funds or programs, but because it's contagious," he said.

The Gramedia Reading Community Competition is a reading contest dedicated to reading communities or parks across the country. Participants are required to submit an essay with photos or videos that describes their activities. Prior to the final stage for Jakarta, West Java, Banten and Lampung, final rounds in the competition were held in Sumatra, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Banjarmasin and East Indonesia. Winners from each region will receive books and funds from Gramedia. (tif/kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2016/08/29/indonesia-ranks-second-last-in-reading-interest-study.html

Health-care scheme in tatters

Jakarta Post - August 27, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Almost three years after it was first implemented in January 2014, hailed by many at the time as a landmark in Indonesian history, the government's universal health-care scheme is in tatters, with one problem after another plaguing its operation.

The latest problem has to do with a scarcity of drugs. According to the University of Indonesia's (UI) public health department, almost 50 percent of national health insurance (JKN) patients have had to buy drugs with their own money outside of hospitals.

The findings were revealed a day after the same department released a study saying it had found indications of hospital fraud in the JKN program. For example, hospitals have at times discharged patients early so that the hospitals could charge them twice.

"Last year, there were more than 70 million outpatients, so there was a huge number of patients paying for drugs with their own money," UI public health department head Hasbullah Thabrany said. "The drug prices range from Rp 50,000 [US$3.75] to more than Rp 100,000. That's a lot for the lower class."

Moreover, almost 30 percent of inpatients and 20 percent of outpatients have had to buy drugs from hospitals, even though the JKN program was supposed to cover all medications. The figures are based on data from 2015.

The scarcity stems from many things, especially weaknesses in the procurement system, Hasbullah said.

Since 2014, drug procurement in public health-care facilities has been done through an e-catalogue. The government set up the e-catalogue based on national drug demand and estimated drug prices. The government would then conduct a tender to determine which pharmaceutical companies would cater to the demand.

Unfortunately, the tender system discriminates against producers of branded drugs, a practice that has been ongoing since 2010 when the Health Ministry issued a regulation requiring public health-care facilities to prioritize the use of generic drugs in order to ease the burden on patients.

"Why is it that things applied in the past are still being applied today when things are different?" International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group executive director Parulian Simanjuntak said.

The tender system, which favors generic drugs with the lowest prices, has resulted in a lack of drug availability for JKN patients as sometimes the drug manufacturers cannot produce the needed drugs in time.

A recent study by the UI public health department, published in the July 2016 edition of the Indonesian Journal of Health Economics, found that often there was not enough time for a tender winner to prepare a particular drug in an amount corresponding to the commitment.

Furthermore, the current tender system only allows one winner for each province, severely limiting the availability of drugs.

For instance, Djauhari Thalib, director of the Handayani Hospital in Lampung, said he had trouble meeting the demand for a type of IV fluid because the tender winner in Lampung ran out of stock. Therefore, the hospital had to buy the IV fluid from outside the e-catalogue at higher prices. "Before the fasting month, I ordered 10,000 bottles of the IV fluid directly from the producer. However, until this day, they haven't come. So, we were forced to buy from outside the system," he said.

Besides that, the tender system discourages many pharmaceutical companies from producing new drugs because they see no incentive in doing so, according to Parulian.

"If multinational pharmaceutical companies cease to exist in the future because they are blocked [by the tender system], then from where will Indonesia get new drugs? This is important because generic drugs can only exist if there are new and innovative drugs being produced by multinationals," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/27/health-care-scheme-tatters.html

Education minister should avoid controversy: Activists

Jakarta Post - August 26, 2016

Jakarta – Instead of impulsively throwing ideas with no backup research into the public arena, the culture and education minister needs to focus on resolving fundamental problems in the country's education system, activists have said.

In the two months since he took office, Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy has repeatedly sparked public uproar with his ideas, including allowing teachers to impose physical punishment on students, reviewing free-school programs and extending school hours.

Members of the Civil Society Coalition for Education Transformation (KMSTP) said the minister's approach would make stakeholders in the education sector lose track.

"Education policies have to be based on research and supported by data, not based on the minister's feelings or his friend's experience," said Eka Simanjuntak, a researcher with the coalition.

One of the minister's controversial ideas was allowing teachers to use physical punishment to discipline students. Soon after his statement was reported in the media, the National Commission for Child Protection met with the minister to voice its opposition to the idea.

Eka, who also works as a consultant for the Institute of Good Governance and Regional Development, said the minister should have known that based on the Child Protection Law, violence against children cannot be tolerated in any form.

The minister's statements indicate that he is not up to date with the development of education systems in Indonesia and overseas, which have moved toward enforcing a positive environment in schools.

"UNICEF conducts a campaign on positive discipline aiming to eliminate any form of negative punishments at schools," Eka said. By fostering a positive environment in schools, he said, students could learn to be responsible individuals, which would help them to obey the rules.

Muhadjir also said recently that he wanted to review the policy providing nine years of free and compulsory education, saying it had hindered public participation in managing and building educational institutions.

In fact, the program provides the opportunity for low-income families to access an education, Ahmad Taufiq, program manager for an education monitoring network, and also a KMSTP member, said in Jakarta.

"The government only provides nine years of compulsory education free of charge. We are pressing them to provide 12-year compulsory education," he said. He added that the government seemed hesitant about providing 12 years of education, although it had previously planned to do so.

Muhadjir's recent plan to add extra school hours for elementary and junior high school students has become a target of public criticism.

Eka said before trying to build students' characters at school, the government needed to resolve the unequal distribution of good-quality teachers. "Teacher absenteeism rates are still high and many teachers don't have the competency to teach students; some teach with little preparation," he said.

Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Febri Hendri, who is also a member of the KMSTP, advised the minister to encourage public participation in policymaking, like former minister Anies Baswedan.

Eka echoed Febri's statement, saying Anies had often involved members of the public who understood the matter at hand when creating polices. "Pak Anies asked us to help in the course of revising the ministerial regulation on fees and donations for education," he said. (win).

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/education-minister-should-avoid-controversy-activists.html

Hospitals suspected of abusing JKN program

Jakarta Post - August 26, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Hospitals are suspected of abusing the national health insurance (JKN) program to gain profits, including by encouraging pregnant women to deliver their babies via C-section, according to a study by the University of Indonesia's (UI) public health department.

The department's researcher, Budi Hidayat, came to the conclusion after analyzing data of hospital claims from the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) between January 2014, when the JKN program started, and July 2015.

He found that the number of babies delivered via C-section under the JKN program was abnormally high. From 1.5 million babies, 54 percent of them were delivered via C-section.

"I think this is irrational because according to medical terminology, the C-section percentage normally less than 10 percent [of all deliveries]," Budi told The Jakarta Post.

More alarmingly, the number of deliveries by C-section has increased, from 47 percent at the start of the JKN program in January 2014, he added. "The trend is increasing. That's my concern. This might be on purpose to earn more money," Budi said.

According to the hospital fees set by the government for the JKN program, a C-section costs between Rp 5 million (US$377) and Rp 11 million depending on the class and difficulties of the procedure. Meanwhile, a normal childbirth costs between Rp 2 million and Rp 5 million.

During the period of the study, hospitals claimed Rp 5.51 trillion in childbirth services to BPJS Kesehatan. Seventy percent of them, or Rp 3.8 trillion, were C-sections.

BPJS Kesehatan research and development head Togar Siallagan is aware of the trend. "Therefore, we will warn [hospitals] and implement procedures [to make sure all C-section are truly necessary]. That's also why we're trying to develop childbirth through midwives," he said.

Besides indications of unnecessary C-sections, Budi also found indication of other types of fraud. Hospital readmission is when a patient who has been discharged from a hospital is admitted again within a specified time interval.

According to Budi, there were 47.5 million hospital visits during the period of the study and 75.8 percent of those were readmission. "But not all of those readmission were dangerous. Only 43.5 percent of them needed to be investigated further," he said.

The 43.5 percent, or 20.6 million hospital visits, are problematic because it is suspected that the hospitals purposefully make patients pay multiple visits even though it is unnecessary to do so. Furthermore, the visits cost BPJS Kesehatan Rp 6.9 trillion.

Besides readmission, there is also indication of hospitals practicing "bloody discharge". A bloody discharge is when a hospital discharges a patient when treatment is not yet complete.

According to the study, there were 8.8 million hospital admissions between 2014 and 2015, of which 4.4 percent were bloody discharge cases, costing BPJS Kesehatan Rp 1.86 trillion. "To charge the patients more than once, the patients are discharged before treatment is complete," Budi said.

Another type of fraud is upcode, which is when a patient is diagnosed with an illness that is attached to higher fees. Dumping, meanwhile, is when hospitals reject JKN members because treating their illnesses would cost them, as the fees set by the government are too low, according to Budi.

"So, a lot of patients are referred to other hospitals not because the hospital in question could not handle the patient but because the fee is too low. Sometimes, other hospitals won't accept that patient either. That's the reality," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/hospitals-suspected-abusing-jkn-program.html

1,500 children exposed to fake vaccines, minister says

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Health Minister Nila Moeloek revealed on Wednesday that at least 1,500 children in Banten, Jakarta and West Java had been exposed to fake vaccines.

She said the data was from investigations conducted by a fake vaccine investigation task force, which also included officers from the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim).

The investigations were conducted in 14 hospitals and six clinics reported for having received fake vaccines since 2014, she said. Of the total, Nila said, 915 children were exposed to fake vaccines in health facilities in Jakarta, followed by 374 children in West Java and 211 in Banten.

"After we obtained the data from Bareskrim, we carried out a verification process in those health facilities based on the medical records and data they provided to us," Nila told journalists after a meeting with the House of Representatives' Commission IX overseeing health affairs.

The minister said 975 of the children who received fake vaccines had been re-vaccinated, while parents of 303 children had refused re-vaccination. The rest were not re-vaccinated for various reasons, such as their failure to respond to re-vaccination calls or invitations. Some of them failed to show up during vaccination schedules while others refused to have their children re-vaccinated, saying there were no problems with their health.

Nila said parents should not worry about the authenticity of vaccines their children had received. She said the government would provide vaccines to children free of charge. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/1500-children-exposed-to-fake-vaccines-minister-says.html

Marriage & polygamy

More women opt for divorce despite risks

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Jakarta – A growing number of Indonesian Muslim women are opting for divorce rather than staying in an abusive marriage, even though the country's legislation does not guarantee their rights after they split up.

Divorce has become more common since the Muslim-majority country enacted the 1974 Law on marriage, which allows Muslim women to file for divorce.

The Directorate General of Religious Court System Bodies (Badilag) recorded 351,395 divorce cases last year, up from 345,174 cases in the previous year. The Badilag data show that 71.8 percent of all divorce applications last year were filed by women, up from 69.7 percent in the previous year.

The main reason for women to end their marriages, according to the Badilag data, is an "inharmonious relationship" with their spouses, which some women's rights activists say is another way of saying they are victims of domestic violence.

"Many women have been abused in their marriage, but are reluctant to tell the truth and choose to simply say they have an 'inharmonious relationship'," National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) commissioner Indraswari told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Wulan Julia, a 42-year-old now-single mother of two children, said she had filed for a divorce in 2007, after seven years in what she alleged was an abusive marriage with her husband.

When she made that decision, she said she was fully aware she was not ready financially. However, she said she had opted to move on and live a life free from physical violence.

"It was considered a taboo for a woman to file for divorce at the time, especially since my former husband was an Indonesian Military officer. But I realized that I had to move on with life," she said.

While divorces in many places have their pitfalls, a post-divorce life in Indonesia can be more challenging.

For some Indonesian women, life after splitting up from their husbands is hard, as they have to find a new source of income after losing their male breadwinners, Dina Afrianty, an associate of the Center for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society from the University of Melbourne, said on Tuesday.

The Marriage Law stipulates that men who divorce their wives are responsible for providing financial support to their former wife and their children. But, as of today, there is no legal mechanism to ensure they fulfill their obligations.

"In many court rulings, judges don't include the responsibility of the husband to provide financial support during the iddah [waiting period] and to pay for mut'ah [consolation gifts]," Dina said.

But even court rulings made little difference, because men often ignored them, Dina said, adding there was no legal avenue for women to sue their former husbands for failing to abide by the rulings.

Unlike in Indonesia, Singapore has clear mechanisms to ensure the wellbeing of women and children after a divorce. The country's legal system clearly states that a divorce has to be accompanied by a maintenance order, which states the amount to pay, when to pay for it and the method of payment.

Similarly, in Malaysia, a divorced wife has the right to obtain support from her ex-husband. The court can penalize the husband for failure to do so.

It does not help that most women in Indonesia decide to stay at home after being married, making it more difficult for them to get a decent job after years of being a housewife.

"Some women might face economically challenging lives, but they still opt for divorce, because they can't stand living in an abusive household for a long time," said Sri Wiyanti Eddyono, a lecturer at Gadjah Mada University who previously worked as a lawyer with the Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK). (win)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/more-women-opt-divorce-despite-risks.html

Graft & corruption

Fate of KPK's remission authority in hands of President

Jakarta Post - August 31, 2016

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The Law and Human Rights Ministry has finalized a revision on a regulation which, if approved by the President, will strip the country's antigraft body of the authority to grant remission and parole to graft, terrorism and drug prisoners.

The ministry is set to send the proposal on the revision of Government Regulation (PP) No. 99/2012 on remissions to the State Palace for approval by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo despite mounting criticism from antigraft campaigners who consider the move as detrimental to the country's efforts to eradicate rampant corruption.

The current Remission Law was enacted in 2012 during the tenure of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono under the spirit of tightening measures for convicts of extraordinary crimes by requiring them to become a justice collaborator as perquisite to receive parole and remission.

The law requires the ministry to first consult with the National Police, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to get their recommendation on whether convicts whose cases they investigated could be granted parole and remission.

With the recommendation letter, law enforcers would confirm whether convicts had acquired justice collaborator status during the investigation. If approved, the ministry could move to grant parole and remission to graft convicts.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said he wanted the government to revoke the stipulations in the Remission Law requiring the ministry to consult with law enforcement institutions before making any decisions on parole and remission.

The KPK had strongly rejected the revision plan, a move it said would undermine its ongoing and intensive efforts to seek heavier punishment for graft suspects.

"We agree with the KPK that graft offenders must be harshly punished, but such a process should only take place during the investigation and trial process, not during the time served in prison," Yasonna said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The ministry said Indonesia applied an integrated criminal justice system in which justice collaborator status was granted by a panel of judges in court before convicts served their time in prison.

Thus, it was unnecessary to seek confirmation on justice collaborator status for convicts of extraordinary crimes from the National Police, the AGO and the KPK before granting them remission and parole, as such information was already available in their guilty verdicts.

Yasonna made the statement despite the fact that the 2012 Remission Law required his office to get recommendation from law enforcers in the first place in order to provide the checks-and-balance system and transparency over the exercise of its power to grant remission and parole to convicts.

"The KPK has no right to be involved in the remission process because it no longer has any authority over convicts who have become prisoners," Yasonna went on.

KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said that the antigraft body had sent an official letter to Jokowi in order to reject Yasonna's revision plan and urged Jokowi to comply with public calls on the matter. "Now the ball is in the President's court," Agus said recently.

Agus also lambasted Yasonna for making a public statement in which the ministry moved to ease the process of remission for prisoners in order to overcome the country's prison over capacity problems. "If prisons are full then build new ones," Agus added.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/31/fate-KPK-s-remission-authority-hands-president.html

Terrorism & religious extremism

Medan church attacker inspired by France attack: Police

Jakarta Post - August 29, 2016

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A man who attacked St. Yosep Catholic Church in Medan, North Sumatra, took inspiration from an act of terror against a pastor at a church in France, a police official said on Monday.

Suspect Ivan Armadi Hasugian was allegedly inspired by an attack on a church in Rouen, Normandy, last month where a priest was killed and a parishioner wounded by Islamic State (IS) militants, Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Mardiaz Kusin Dwihananto said. In the attack, the priest was killed with a knife.

"After watching the terror act in France through the internet, the suspect tried to do the same thing here," Mardiaz told journalists at the Medan Police headquarters.

Police suspect 18-year-old Ivan of being an IS supporter following the discovery of the terrorist group's symbols in his wallet. Ivan was named a suspect after churchgoers foiled his attempts to detonate a bomb and attack Rev. Albertus Pandiangan during Sunday Mass. Ivan allegedly attempted to kill Albertus, 60, with a knife and an axe but only managed to wound the priest's left arm as churchgoers immediately restrained him.

Not much information had been gleaned from Ivan, Mardiaz said, adding that the suspect was still in shock and had difficulty speaking as he had suffered wounds to his face in the attack.

The police also questioned six witnesses in the ongoing investigation including the suspect's family members and church officials. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/29/medan-church-attacker-inspired-by-france-attack-police.html

Medan Catholic church bomber a 'puppet,' says anti-terror agency chief

Jakarta Globe - August 28, 2016

Medan – The young failed suicide bomber in Sunday's (28/08) Medan terror attack is believed to have met an identified man on the street prior to the event, preliminary investigations have found.

"We are still interrogating the suspect. He said someone he met on the street asked him to launched the attack," Medan Police Chief Comr. Mardiaz Khusin Dwihananto said.

Medan police is currently questioning the suspect, 17-year-old Ivan Armadi Hasugian, to investigate the link. "[Ivan] confessed he did not knew anything about the man's identity," Mardiaz said.

National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius told Beritasatu the suspect is only a "puppet," as he is too young to have planned the attack by his own. "Considering his young age, there has to be someone else who supports him. We are currently digging to seek his identity," Suhardi said.

The failed attack occurred while Father Albert S. Pandingan led the Sunday service at Medan's St. Yoseph church when the suspect ran towards to pulpit and attempted to kill the priest.

The bomb hidden in the suspect's vest failed to detonate, only creating sparks which injured the would-be attacker. The priest sustained only minor scratches to his arm and has been transferred to a hospital nearby the church.

Members of the church congregation seized the suspect, who was carrying a knife, an axe and a pipe bomb in his backpack, before police arrived to clear and secure the venue. There are no major casualties in the incident.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/medan-catholic-church-bomber-puppet-says-anti-terror-agency-chief/

Hard-line & vigilante groups

FPI breaks up religious discussion in West Java

Jakarta Post - August 29, 2016

Arya Dipa, Bandung – At least 15 members of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI) dispersed a religious discussion in Bandung, West Java, on Sunday, as they objected to the presence of an Ahmadiyah follower as one of the speakers at the event.

Risdo Mangunsong of the Interreligious Network said the FPI members broke up the event entitled "Discussions on Miriam in the Bible and Al Quran: An Alternative Bridge in Christian-Islam Dialogues", as it was about to start on Sunday morning.

"[...] They had objections because one of the speakers in the discussion was an Ahmadiyah follower," said Risdo, referring to Taufik Khalid Ahmad, one of three speakers scheduled to present at the event, which was to be held in the auditorium of the Karya Pastoral building. The two other speakers were Risdo and Catholic priest Heredi Suhartono.

Risdo said he was earlier contacted by someone identifying himself as Deni who claimed to be a Bandung Police intelligence unit member. According to Risdo, Deni said he was contacted on Saturday by an FPI member who objected to the plan to feature an Ahmadiyah follower at the discussion.

"Shortly before the discussion started on Sunday morning, I was phoned by the intelligence officer [Deni] who asked the discussion's organizing committee to cancel the event. He said it was the FPI that had asked for the cancellation," said Risdo.

He added that several FPI members later arrived at the venue. "They shouted, asking anyone they encountered to show [the way to] the discussion room." The angry group dispersed after the organizer signed a statement, agreeing to cancel the event. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/29/fpi-breaks-up-religious-discussion-in-w-java.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Religious leaders downplay sectarian element in attack

Jakarta Post - August 31, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang and Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta/Medan – Despite media reports that the church attack in Medan, North Sumatra, was carried out by someone with alleged ties to the Islamic State (IS) movement, religious leaders believe the attack was not religiously motivated but was simply a criminal act by an individual.

North Sumatra's Indonesian Catholic Society Forum (FMKI) chairman Parlindungan Purba said a number of religious leaders had held a meeting with the Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB), resulting in a shared agreement that Sunday's attack on St. Yosep Church lacked the elements of religious or racial intolerance.

Parlindungan, who is also a North Sumatra Regional Representatives Council (DPD) member, added that the attack, was an individual action that was not associated with any particular religion.

"It's purely the work of an individual and is not associated with any particular religion or related to ethnic or sectarian conflicts," Parlindungan told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

North Sumatra FKUB head Maratua Simanjuntak concurred, saying the attack on the church had nothing to do with religion.

Maratua emphasized the incident was purely a criminal act because the perpetrator was not motivated by a religious belief and had not acted on behalf of a particular religion. "We believe it was just a crime committed against a priest," said Maratua.

Maratua asked the police to immediately investigate the crime so the issue could become clearer.

The suspect in the attack on the church located on Jl. Dr. Mansur, Ivan Armadi Hasugian, 17 (not 18 as previously reported), is alleged to have tried unsuccessfully to detonate an explosive device he was carrying in a backpack.

The perpetrator then attacked the priest, Albertus Pandiangan, who was delivering a sermon, with an axe and a knife. Albertus suffered an injury to his left arm but his assailant was restrained by members of the congregation, a home-made IS symbol was later found in Ivan's possession.

Albertus said he was the target of the attack. "He ran toward me at the pulpit. I kept thinking he was carrying a bomb so I tried to avoid him," said Albertus, whose injury required stitches. He added that he had forgiven the perpetrator. "I don't have any grudge against him and have forgiven him," he said.

However, Albertus emphasized that the legal process must continue so that such an incident could serve as a lesson in the future and no longer occur in other houses of worship.

"The legal process must continue and be investigated thoroughly so that the incident can serve as a lesson and never happen again in the future," said Albertus.

Besides forgiving him, Albertus expressed the hope that the perpetrator would repent and take the right path. "Hopefully, he will immediately repent," he said.

Activities at the church returned to normal on Tuesday after police completed investigating the crime scene.

St. Yosep Catholic Church pastoral council head Benar Ginting said shortly after police had completed their investigation and reopened the building that the church would urge its members not to be afraid to worship at the church.

"We will talk to our congregation and tell them not to be afraid to come to church to perform devotional activities as usual," said Benar. He added that after the attack, the church had requested the Medan Police to provide personnel to assist with security at the church.

Meanwhile, National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said on Tuesday that the police would refer to the 2012 Law on the juvenile justice system in processing the case. Ivan turns 18 in October this year. According to Agus, the police's counter-terrorism squad Densus 88 has named Ivan a suspect and he is now being detained and questioned by them.

Agus explained that although Ivan was facing terrorist charges, the police would comply with the juvenile justice system in order to respect the perpetrator's rights as a minor.

"We are hunting the mastermind who ordered him [Ivan] to carry out the terrorist attack," said Agus. "We have questioned his parents and will question more people to get further details."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/31/religious-leaders-downplay-sectarian-element-attack.html

Chinese-Indonesian youth refuses to back down

Jakarta Post - August 31, 2016

Agnes Anya, Jakarta – Defying his parents' admonition that he should simply accept his position as a member of a minority community, a young Chinese-Indonesian man has bravely reported to the police a group of men who reportedly assaulted him because of his ethnicity last Friday evening.

Andrew Budikusuma, 24, needed five days to recover from his injuries and to obtain evidence such as CCTV footage. One day after the attack he recounted the incident on his Facebook account, which immediately attracted public attention.

"My parents actually asked me not to file a police report but rather resolve the problem through dialogue, but I decided to proceed with legal action because I think that they have to be held responsible for what they have done," Andrew told reporters at the police headquarters on Tuesday.

Andrew was on a TransJakarta bus en route from Kuningan, South Jakarta, to his home in Pluit, North Jakarta, when the incident occured.

The employee of a startup company said he boarded the bus at the West Kuningan stop at 8:30 p.m. His attackers got on the bus at 9 p.m. and immediately glared at him, shouting "You're Ahok, aren't you?" referring to Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is also of Chinese ethnicity.

When the bus reached the JCC bus stop in Senayan, several of the gang attacked him and tried to drag him off the bus. Andrew hit one of his assailants with a glass bottle that was within reach, which apparently deterred the others from continuing the assault.

"Probably they had just been fired by their Chinese boss. It was their last salary day. They might have been furious and then vented their anger on me," Andrew suggested, when asked to guess the motive for the attack.

People of Chinese origin were denied their full rights as citizens of Indonesia until after the fall of Soeharto in 1998. In the past they were often treated differently from their compatriots. Although they constitute a small minority in the country there is a long-held perception that they dominate the national economy.

Andrew's actions have gained the support of other Chinese-Indonesians who claim they feel emboldened to take the same action should they suffer similar abuse.

Shanty Jayanti Putri, 25, said that she felt encouraged to pursue equal rights. "Of course I would report it to the police. I am an Indonesian citizen; I have the right to receive protection from the country," she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Andris Juliawan, 30, said that the incident could have happened to him as he frequently felt negatively prejudged on account of his ethnicity. "I don't care about their race, religion or background. If someone assaults me, I will report it to the police," the entrepreneur said.

The chairman of Human Rights watchdog Setara Institute, Hendardi, praised Andrew's courage in filing a police report. It reflected the rising awareness of fighting for equal rights among citizens, he said. "He could become a pioneer for other Chinese. This should be a good opportunity," said Hendardi.

"We have seen improvements, such as how many Chinese-Indonesians have become engaged in politics in the country. Although there is still some racial discrimination, the situation is getting better now as compared to the past," he said. (win/fac)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/31/chinese-indonesian-youth-refuses-to-back-down.html

Experts propose interreligious studies to strengthen tolerance

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Ahmad Junaidi, Ambon, Maluku – Suhadi Cholil of Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University of Yogyakarta said students currently only study their own religions and learn very little about other faiths.

"A few private high schools, such as in Bogor and in Yogyakarta, provide their students with multi-religious studies. It would be better if the government also offers multi-religious studies [in public schools]," Suhadi said on the first day of the International Conference on Inclusive Religious Education in the Netherlands and Indonesia held in Ambon, Maluku, on Wednesday.

He said the government should change the curriculum of religious teaching and train teachers if it wanted to offer interreligious studies and create religious tolerance in schools.

Recent surveys in Indonesia, including one by the Wahid Institute, showed growing religious intolerance among students and teachers in state-run senior high schools.

Frans Wijsen of Radbout University of the Netherlands said the shift from the study of single religions to interreligious studies had been on the educational agenda in his country since the rise of secularism.

He said the in the Netherlands, which enforced a separation of state and church, religious studies have begun to move from objective to engaged.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/experts-propose-interreligious-studies-to-strengthen-tolerance.html

Religion & morality

People's sex lives none of your business, Komnas Perempuan tells court

Jakarta Post - August 31, 2016

Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has expressed its opposition to a judicial review filed by a civil organization that would criminalize extramarital sex, saying that such matters were private and did not require the permission of the state.

Casual sex is not a crime as long as it is consensual and does not result in one party becoming a victim, Komnas Peremuan chairwoman Azriana said at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

"It's people's choice to have sexual intercourse outside of marriage. Let it be a private matter between them and their God," she said during the latest hearing of the judicial review of the Criminal Code, which if approved would outlaw extramarital and homosexual sex.

Extramarital sex is a moral issue, argued Azriana, adding that it would not be appropriate for law enforcement institutions to manage people's sex lives.

Azriana also expressed fear that if the justices granted the petition, it would criminalize couples whose marriage had not been registered with the state. To support its argument Komnas Perempuan will present couples who hold traditional beliefs and are unaffiliated with any specific religion at the next hearing.

The judicial review was submitted by The Family Love Alliance (AILA), a group of academics, who are requesting the redefinition of adultery, rape and sodomy in the Criminal Code. They filed the petition seeking to outlaw any sexual relationships outside of marriage, including same-sex relationships.

Azriana slammed the plaintiffs, saying that their request had no legal standing. Moreover, she said that if the plaintiffs were concerned about sexual violence, it would be better for them to make suggestions to the lawmakers currently discussing the revision of the Criminal Code. (wnd/rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/31/peoples-sex-lives-none-of-your-business-komnas-perempuan-tells-court.html

Justice insists adultery root of society's ills

Jakarta Post - August 31, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – In the latest hearing pertaining to a judicial review petition to outlaw sex outside of marriage at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, a heated debate ensued between one of the justices and a women's rights activist over one question: Does extramarital sex harm women?

Justice Patrialis Akbar said he believed sex outside of marriage was a crime, even it was practiced by an unmarried couple, as such practices disadvantaged women.

In Tuesday's hearing, where human rights activists were presented for the first time to give their opinion on the case, Patrialis asked the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) whether all types of extramarital sex should be outlawed to protect Indonesian women.

"If zina happens, let's say it's consensual, and then the woman gets pregnant and the man runs away, who's the victim and who should be protected?" he asked, referring to the term used in the Quran to describe extramarital sex. In the Criminal Code (KUHP), zina is limited to adultery.

Azriana responded by explaining to the justice that zina is not the same as sexual violence. "When a woman has sex with a man and then he leaves her, it's called sexual exploitation and that is one of nine forms of sexual violence," she said.

But the act of consensual sex itself should not be criminalized because it is a private matter and each person should answer for their own actions to their own God, she added.

Apparently Azriana's explanation failed to satisfy Patrialis, who insisted that extramarital sex was the root of many problems in society.

"The exploitation of women is often caused by consensual sex and tremendous flirting and thousands of promises [made by men]. We often see that it ends with murder. Lots of women fall victim because the regulation allows zina," he argued, adding that casual sex harmed women as they were often treated as nothing but sex objects.

"I am very concerned. Komnas Perempuan is supposed to fight violence against women. This article [on adultery] is actually destroying women," he said.

In response to his accusation, Azriana told Patrialis that consensual sex itself did not harm anyone as there were no victims in the practice. "Casual sex turns into a problem only when violence is involved."

Patrialis has again shown indication that he is in favor of widening the definition of adultery in the KUHP, as requested by the petitioners of the judicial review, who are grouped under an organization called the Family Love Alliance (AILA). The group wants the court to change the definition of rape and sodomy as well in a bid to criminalize same-sex relationships.

Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) researcher Erasmus AT Napitupulu said criminalizing casual sex would lead to over criminalization. "It will lead to a high number of criminals and a change in the priorities of law enforcement in Indonesia, from corruption, terrorism and drugs," he said.

But that explanation is still not good enough for Patrialis. "Is there any religion in Indonesia that condones casual sex?" he asked.

Erasmus answered by throwing another question at Patrialis. "Is there any religion in Indonesia that allows a child to fight his or her parents? But could you imagine if there was an article that said anyone who fought their parents could be sentenced to five years' imprisonment?" he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/31/justice-insists-adultery-root-of-societys-ills.html

Rights activists to present their case at MK hearings

Jakarta Post - August 25, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – With conservative academics dominating the hearings of a judicial review request to outlaw extra-marital sex at the Constitutional Court (MK), where they lashed out at what they called "liberal values", human rights defenders have come forward, asking to be given a say in the matter.

The court is reviewing four articles in the Criminal Code. A group calling itself the Family Love Alliance says the articles are antithetical to the Constitution because they do not clearly state that sexual relations outside marriage, including same-sex relationships, are illegal. The group has petitioned the court to scrap or change the wording of the articles.

In the last six hearings at the court, a number of university professors from the nation's top universities presented by the petitioners argued that free sex was against existing norms and that the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community had no place in Muslim-majority Indonesia. A number of justices, such as Patrialis Akbar and Aswanto, expressed their agreement with this argument.

Responding to the developments at the MK, at least four activists said they planned to ask the court to be given an opportunity to refute the arguments of the petitioners. They are prominent gay rights activist Dede Oetomo, Human Rights Watch (HRW) Indonesia executive director Andreas Harsono, Islamic Anti-discrimination Network coordinator Aan Anshori and Yap Thiam Hien award winner Handoko Wibowo.

The practice of offering testimony from someone who is not a party to a case is known as "amicus curiae", or "friends of the court" in English. The Institute of Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) will help the activists file the amicus curiae with the court. Andreas said he planned to disclose the findings of the HRW should he be given the opportunity to testify before the court.

"More or less, my testimony will be the same with our research, which says that while there has been no attempt [from the government] to protect them [LGBT Indonesians] for three decades, there's also been no attempt to criminalize them," Andreas told The Jakarta Post.

Aceh, a special autonomous province in Indonesia and the only one to impose sharia on all its citizens, is the only province that criminalizes same-sex relationships. "The bylaw was passed by the provincial administration in 2014 and the bylaw came into effect in October 2015. After that, things have snowballed," Andreas said.

"The impact [of an amendment to the Criminal Code] will even be greater. People could take matters into their own hands. And we're not just talking about homosexuals, but also heterosexuals. I can't imagine the impact," said Andreas.

Dede, who founded GAYa Nusantara, Indonesia's oldest LGBT rights group, said he wanted to testify to straighten out the false notion that homosexuality could spread like a disease and that the LGBT community wanted to promote homosexuality.

"This is a result of not having sex education in our schools, so much so that the Constitutional Court justices know nothing [about sexuality]," he told the Post.

This false notion is exacerbated by the absence of a research culture in the country, so that people do not bother to learn more about homosexuality, according to Dede.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/25/rights-activists-present-their-case-mk-hearings.html

MK justices want casual sex outlawed

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Any sexual relations outside marriage could soon be outlawed in this country, with some Constitutional Court (MK) justices signaling their support for the idea, which is currently under consideration at the court.

In the latest hearing of a judicial review of the Criminal Code, which is aimed at outlawing casual sex, justice Patrialis Akbar concurred with three expert witnesses presented by the plaintiffs, who argued that Indonesia's legal system was "too liberal".

"Our freedom is limited by moralistic values as well as religious values. This is what the declaration of human rights doesn't have. It's totally different [from our concept of human rights] because we're not a secular country, this country acknowledges religion," he said.

Patrialis, a former National Mandate Party (PAN) politician, asked the experts whether or not all laws in Indonesia should accommodate religious norms.

"If the principles that have been comprehensively explained [by the expert witnesses] are not enforced in the existing law in this country, would this country be a secular country where religion no longer needed to be respected?"

After asking the question, Patrialis pointed out that the Constitutional Court was an institution that was "guided by the light of God".

Another judge, Aswanto, asked whether it was about time that casual sex should not only be punished by social norms but also by the law.

"I was a bit annoyed with what the government said, [that we should] let people commit zinah [adultery or casual sex] and not regard them as criminals. It's a little bit annoying. I believe casual sex is a crime," he said.

Aswanto was responding to a representative from the Law and Human Rights Ministry, who told the court that if the panel of justices accepted the plaintiff's demand, then hundreds of thousands of people could be criminalized.

The justices' statements seem to support perceptions that the Constitutional Court is leaning toward conservatism, raising concerns that it will eventually accept the petition filed by the Family Love Alliance, which consists of academics from the nation's top universities.

During Tuesday's hearings, the expert witnesses focused on attacking the concept of universal human rights, saying that it was not applicable in Indonesia because the country was built on religious norms.

"The application of universal human rights has to consider the special situation in a country," Padjadjaran University law professor Atip Latipulhayat said. Therefore, the concept of universal human rights would be dangerous if it was applied without considering religious norms, he added.

Atip told the court that the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community did not have the rights of other Indonesian citizens.

"For Indonesia, LGBT is not [a human] right. The right of the LGBT people is to be humanized with Indonesian values because our law clearly stipulates that a marriage is between a man and a woman," he said.

University of Indonesia (UI) constitutional law expert Hamid Chalid, who also testified as an expert witness, said the current Criminal Code was too liberal as it was drafted by the Dutch.

"Our country has silently legalized sex outside marriage, rape of men and sex between same-sex couples. Our law has been so liberal because we have allowed it to be like that for too long. Is that what we want?" he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/mk-justices-want-casual-sex-outlawed.html

Sexual activity outside marriage 'should be regulated'

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Jakarta – Expert witnesses from a group of scholars and activists that requested the revision of three articles (284, 285, and 292) in the Criminal Code (KUHP) on adultery and sodomy defended their standpoints at the Constitutional Court, saying the activities should be categorized as crimes to deter people from doing them.

The group, the Family Love Alliance, claiming to protect the country's morality, wishes to criminalize all kinds of sexual intercourse between unmarried people and between homosexuals.

The proposed revisions stipulate punishments for married people engaged in sexual activity with partners who are not their spouses and for adults committing sodomy on minors.

"The revision of the articles will prevent people from having sexual activity outside marriage. Also, if such thing happens in society, members of the public will not act as vigilantes but take it to legal procedures," Hamid Chalid, constitutional law expert from University of Indonesia, said Tuesday.

Echoing Hamid, Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, chairman of Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), said such revisions were needed as sexual intercourse outside marriage caused unwanted pregnancy and would affect the child who would be humiliated or insulted by society.

"The revision will be a correction to the Criminal Code, which was passed [in 1946]," Atip Latifulhayat, a law expert at Padjadjaran University, said, adding that the law of each country was different concerning such things because of the social norms of a state. (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/sexual-activity-outside-marriage-should-be-regulated.html

Governance & administration

Small details stymie govt's tech vision

Jakarta Post - August 26, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang and Agnes Anya, Jakarta – While President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is dreaming of national connectivity and an advanced Indonesia, the government is still struggling to put in place the most basic administrative system, in the form of electronic identification cards (e-ID), for all citizens.

In his state address ahead of Independence Day this month, Jokowi said that to realize an "advanced Indonesia", the government is committed to providing infrastructure, including telecommunications, in all regions to strengthen national connectivity.

But the commitment seems to have stumbled over the technical details of his digital vision. A lack of supplies and tech-illiterate officials have hampered the migration from a manual recording of names in the civil registry to the nationwide centralized online system that began to be used in 2012.

Even in Jakarta, the country's capital that has been equipped with the most sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure, there are still 17,000 people, about 3 percent of total residents, who do not yet possess the cards, also locally known as e-KTP.

"We several times faced delivery delay of e-KTP forms from the Home Ministry. However, we have urged the ministry to send the forms as soon as possible," said Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency head Edison Sianturi on Thursday.

The situation is worse outside of the capital. While some regions share the logistics shortage problem that Jakarta is facing, some are also struggling with poor technological tools they must use to record citizens' data.

In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, for example, only two out of six e-KTP recording machines are working. Four of the machines have been broken since last year, forcing citizens from other parts of the area to go to the Oebobo and Alak regencies, where machines still work, in order to have their e-KTP recorded.

The limited tools available, as well as a lack of e-KTP forms, have hampered officials from local administrative offices from satisfying the huge enthusiasm from the public to get e-KTPs. Local administrative offices can only issue on average 130 e-KTPs every day, although more than 200 residents show up daily to receive theirs.

Similar problems were also found in other cities, such as Surakarta, Makassar and Pontianak.

"I flew back to Pematang Siantar from Jakarta a few days ago specifically for creating an e-KTP. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get one yet because they ran out of blangko," said Dennis Ng, 58, a resident of Pematangsiantar who currently resides in Jakarta. Blangko are blank cards that consist of seven layers and chips, used to create e-KTPs.

Dennis said that when he arrived at the district, the officers only recorded his fingerprints and retinal eye scans. The officer asked him to wait an undetermined time for his e-KTP. Thus, he decided to come back to Jakarta.

The Home Ministry said that almost 162 million people have already registered for e-KTPs. The remaining 20 million people who have not received theirs come from West Java, East Java, Central Java, Sumatra and Lampung. The government recently set the end of September as the deadline for everyone to have an e-ID.

The government has threatened that if citizens fail to obtain theirs, they were not able to use many public services, such as receiving driver's licenses, opening bank accounts and obtaining health insurance through the Social Security Management Agency (BPJS).

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo admitted that besides logistics problems, the lack of tech-literate officials makes the problems even more daunting. "We do apologize for lacking things here and there," Tjahjo said.

[Andi Hajramurni from Makassar, Djemi Amnifu from Kupang, Severinus Endi from Pontianak and Ganug Nugroho Adi from Surakarta contributed to the report.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/small-details-stymie-govt-s-tech-vision.html

Parliament & legislation

DPD pushes for more legislative powers

Jakarta Post - August 26, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – A plan to expand the power of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), a branch of the country's legislature representing the country's provinces, has been met with skepticism because Indonesia's legislature has a history of corruption. Many of its legislators have been imprisoned for graft.

In the ongoing campaign for a fifth amendment to the Constitution, the council, which holds 132 seats on the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), has demanded an equal right to the House of Representatives, another branch of the legislature representing political parties, in formulating legislation, budgets and supervising the government.

Constitutional law expert Feri Amsari from Center of Constitutional Studies at Andalas University in West Sumatra predicted that if the House and the DPD had equal power, corrupt practices, presently centered at the House, would spread to the DPD. "Deals under the table to pass bills will happen, not only among legislators, but also among councilors," Feri said.

He argued that councilors could still fight for regional aspirations with their current authority. It is just a matter of properly expressing themselves. "All this time we don't hear their voices. In fact, if they loudly proclaim their recommendations, the public will notice, and they can press the House to follow," Feri added.

Although the DPD and the House make up the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the DPD is far weaker than the House and critics have called for the dismissal of the council.

Established as part of the implementation of regional autonomy after the fall of Soeharto, the DPD only has limited access to the legislation process and only supervises the implementation of laws related to regions.

Like members of the House, DPD members are elected during legislative elections for a five-year term, with the former representing political parties and the latter representing regions, but the Constitution only grants lawmaking and budgeting authority to the House.

DPD Deputy Speaker Farouk Muhammad said the people in the regions seemed to have no representatives, because the House tended to ignore the regional aspirations expressed by DPD members.

Article 22 of the Constitution stipulates that the DPD has the authority to only consider and recommend things in the lawmaking process. This is not enough for the councilors.

"Most of the time, the House refuses to consider our recommendations. We know we can't overcome their power, but at least we can make it balanced. Let us have binding powers to make regulations for the sake of the prosperity of the regions," Farouk said.

Once granted the power, the councilors would be equal with the House in the legislative process, bringing the country closer to a bicameral system, in which both branches of the legislature check and balance the government.

Law experts in Indonesia tend to agree that a strong bicameral legislature is the most ideal concept to pursue, but whether the country is ready for such a system is another debate.

Asep Warlan Yusuf, a constitutional law expert from the Bandung-based Parahyangan Catholic University (Unpar), said the country was not suited to a strong bicameral legislature because the House and the DPD would have overlapping authorities, which could lead to an ineffective legislative agenda.

"Both of them have different positions and interests. One bows to the interests of political parties, another one follows regional interests. They will collide with each other," Asep said.

The process to adopt a bicameral representative system may not run smoothly as political parties are reluctant to share power with the DPD in lawmaking, budgeting and supervision, arguing that the DPD could not even adequately handle its current powers.

"The DPD has the authority to propose bills related to regional interests, but they never prepare the bills and academic transcripts well. They don't even work on their functions optimally," legislator Arsul Sani of the United Development Party (PPP) said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/dpd-pushes-more-legislative-powers.html

MPR plan comes under fire

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Fourteen years after the last amendment, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has started the process of amending the 1945 Constitution, setting the stage for a battle among political parties that could end up transforming the country's political system.

The MPR, which under the New Order regime served as the highest law-making institution in the country, could regain its power in the drafting of the state policy guidelines (GBHN), the guidance for long-term development plans that the president must implement.

According to a proposal drafted by the MPR assessment agency, a team jointly established by the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and four political party factions at the House of Representatives, two options are available to allow for the change: amending the constitution to grant the MPR the authority to issue the guidelines through an MPR decree, or inserting the concept of GBHN-like guidelines into an article of the 1945 Constitution.

The two largest political factions at the House, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Golkar Party, back the first proposal.

"Amending the Constitution to grant the MPR more authority will make it a stronger legal instrument," PDI-P deputy secretary-general Achmad Basarah said.

With the authority to draft GBHN, the MPR would have a greater mandate than that of the president and could sanction the latter for failing to implement the guidelines.

Between 1999 and 2002, soon after the fall of president Soeharto, the MPR amended the Constitution four times in an attempt to limit the power and authority of the president. The amendment also allowed for greater checks and balances among state bodies by redistributing power among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government.

By reinstating the GBHN, the MPR plans to elevate itself again as the highest law-making institution in the country, above the president and able even to impose control over the government, a system very different to the current presidential system. Constitutional law expert Feri Amsari, a researcher at the Center of Constitutional Studies at Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, said that the plan, if endorsed, could mean the introduction of a parliamentary system, which he claimed would be unsuitable.

"Our political tradition is not ready to bring back the parliamentary system because the executive branch of the government would be prone to instability. The presidential system brings more stability because it regulates a fixed tenure for the executive body," Feri said.

Political expert Ramlan Surbakti from Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java, said there was no need to amend the Constitution or grant more power to the MPR, as the country's political system centers on the executive.

Ramlan recommended that the GBHN be inserted into the Constitution. "Amending the 1945 Constitution will consequently bring back power to the MPR as the highest branch of government. We still have no idea what consequences this will have. Who will oversee the MPR in the future?" he asked.

The proposal for bringing back the GBHN was first aired by PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of president Sukarno, who first came up with the idea of guiding principles for the country's government. But it was Sukarno's successor, Soeharto, who made the plan reality in 1969, soon after he took the reins of power from the country's founding president.

In the post-Soeharto era, the MPR could threaten to use the GBHN to impeach a president who did not effectively implement development policy; transitional president BJ Habibie decided not to seek another term after his accountability report was rejected by the MPR in 1999.

A constitutional amendment in 2001 removed the MPR's status as the highest state institution and axed the GBHN altogether.

Under the current presidential system, a move against the president in the form of an impeachment proceeding can only occur if the House launches an inquiry, requesting detailed examination of a policy, and only when the policy in question meets the criteria for violations that could be subject to an impeachment trial can the process start.

Currently, of the 10 factions at the House, only the Democratic Party opposes the GBHN plan.

"The president and vice president are directly elected by the people. They present their vision and mission to the people. So why should they have to follow the guidelines made by the MPR?" party deputy chairman Syarifuddin Hasan asked.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/mpr-plan-comes-under-fire.html

Jakarta & urban life

New policy, flooding lead to traffic chaos

Jakarta Post - August 31, 2016

Jakarta – The Jakarta administration may need to buckle down once more to find traffic congestion solutions as severe bottlenecks were seen on Tuesday along several recommended alternative routes for streets where the odd-even policy is now in effect.

The Jakarta Post observed that two recommended alternative routes, Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio and Jl. HR Rasuna Said, both in the Setiabudi district, were packed from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with odd license-plated private cars avoiding the regulated roads.

Traffic jams worsened as rain unceasingly pelted the city until the afternoon, inundating roads, including Jl. HR Rasuna Said. According to data from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency, water 10 to 30 centimeters deep inundated some sections of Jl. HR Rasuna Said.

Similar gridlock was seen along Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio. A motorcycle driver Achmad Murtadho, 28, said he even had to stop in front of the Lotte Shopping Avenue shopping mall to stretch his muscles as the traffic was almost motionless. "Maybe cars with odd license plates are avoiding [streets implementing] the policy," he said.

A private car driver, Soegiyanto, said he took Jl. Prof Dr. Satrio to avoid the odd-even policy. "Well, this [traffic jam] is the consequence," he told the Post over the phone.

Soegiyanto said Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio was always congested during rush hours, but the traffic on Tuesday was much worse due to the implementation of the new policy.

The policy is in effect along several of the city's main thoroughfares, namely Jl. Sudirman, Jl. MH Thamrin, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Jl. Sisingamangaraja and a section of Jl. Gatot Subroto.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency has recommended both Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio and Jl. HR Rasuna Said as alternative routes for motorists avoiding streets implementing the odd-even policy, which came into effect on Tuesday. Violators of the new regulation face a maximum fine of Rp 500,000 (US$37.63).

In addition to the above two roads, the agency also recommends that motorists from Pancoran heading to West Jakarta take Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Jl. Dr. Satrio, Jl. Mas Mansyur, Jl. Pejompongan, Jl. Penjernihan, Jl. Gatot Subroto or Jl. S. Parman.

The agency also recommends motorists from Blok M heading to North Jakarta take Jl. Panglima Polim, Jl. Bulungan, Jl. Patiunus II, Jl Hamengkubuwono X, Jl. Hang Lekir, Jl. Asia Afrika II, Jl. Penjernihan, Jl. KH Mas Mansyur, Jl. Cideng Barat or Jl. Cideng Timur and Jl. Abdul Muis or Jl. Majapahit.

However, the Jakarta Transportation Agency might need to evaluate its advice given the results of the first day of the policy.

Agency head Andri Yansyah said the agency would coordinate with the Jakarta Police to evaluate alternative routes. "We will also improve road separators along Transjakarta bus corridors," he said.

On the other hand, public transportation services using the regulated thoroughfares might benefit from the policy, as the number of PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta) passengers reportedly experienced a boost on Tuesday.

A customer service officer at Dukuh Atas Transjakarta bus stop in Central Jakarta said the number of passengers had nearly doubled between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. – the morning hours in which the policy is in effect – on Tuesday. "Some passengers even came earlier, maybe because they expected that it would be more crowded," said a male passenger who requested anonymity.

During the policy's trial period from July 27 to Aug. 26, the police recorded a significant increase in the number of Transjakarta passengers during rush hours.

According to reports, there was a 32.6 percent increase to 70,850 passengers along corridor I (Blok M-Kota), a 27.2 percent increase to 28,636 along corridor VI (Ragunan-Dukuh Atas) and a 30.6 percent increase to 42,170 along corridor IV (Pinang Ranti-Pluit). (adt)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/31/new-policy-flooding-lead-traffic-chaos.html

Jakarta suspects developers cause floods in upscale areas

Jakarta Post - August 30, 2016

Agnes Anya, Jakarta – The Jakarta administration plans to investigate developers in upscale areas, including Kemang in South Jakarta, for allegedly contributing to worsening flooding there.

The environmental investigation follows suspicion that developers in the areas have violated construction permits and, hence, caused river constrictions.

Suspicion arose after plans were made to widen Krukut River, which flows along South Jakarta, to 5 meters due to dense housing and commercial area development.

"[Before widening the river,] we want to carry out an environmental audit to determine the causes of the flooding. It is not easy [to determine the causes]," said assistant to the governor for spatial planning and environment, Oswar Muadzin Mungkasa, on Monday.

For the inspection, the administration will cooperate with the Ciliwung-Cisadane Flood Control Office (BBWSCC) of the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry overseeing river-related issues in the capital.

Echoing Oswar, BBWSCC head Teuku Iskandar said his team and the city administration would widen Krukut River in a bid to restore the river's functions.

He said the teams planned to install concrete piles along the river "to restore productivity of the river."

He went on to say that river constriction had been a long-time concern of the ministry. However, it had yet to tackle the issue on account of dense development, which was unanticipated by the administration.

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama reiterated on Tuesday that his administration had faced hurdles in land procurement, as most building owners along the riverbank held ownership certificates.

Nonetheless, he added, the teams would not be able to implement the measures if land on the riverbank had yet to be procured.

Moreover, most of them refuse to sell their land to the administration, Ahok said. "As they refuse, we will use a consignment system," Ahok added.

Under the consignment system, the procurement payments will be handled by the courts. The courts also have the authority to decide on the amount.

During the same occasion, Ahok said the administration had been forced to install sheet piles to mitigate flooding in the capital.

His statement, however, has been refuted by several environment and urban experts, including Nirwono Joga and Fatchy Muhammad. They said concrete walls would allow rainwater to run directly to the upstream area.

They suggest the administration focus more on constructing infiltration wells, water catchments and biopore holes to absorb water, which would be beneficial for residents in the dry season.

The widening of the river will take time, while heavy rains are expected to continue to pound the city. Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Denny Wahyu said on Monday that from August to early September, rains mostly poured in South Jakarta and East Jakarta.

According to a report from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the capital has been facing the La Nina cooling phenomenon since June, which causes high rainfall during the dry season.

"So, this wet dry season is expected to continue until the beginning of the rainy season. According to the BMKG, rainfall is expected to be higher than usual in the dry season, from August to October," Denny explained

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/30/jakarta-suspects-developers-cause-floods-upscale-areas.html

Commuters return to cars as trains deteriorate

Jakarta Post - August 25, 2016

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – Once hailed as an urban traffic panacea, the train system in Greater Jakarta has become less popular among commuters amid worsening services.

A victim of its own fame, the train system accommodates about a million passengers every day, many of whom suffer through rush hour. Aliah, a 51-year-old resident of Depok, quit taking the train after growing tired of jostling with other train passengers on her way to work.

"During rush hour, I was always crushed by the crowd inside the train car and at one point I just had enough. So since 2014 my husband has been driving me to my office in Central Jakarta," said Aliah, who had been a regular train commuter for nine years.

A 23-year-old Tangerang resident, Bramaseta Janottama, said he had given up taking the train primarily because of frequent delays that caused him to be late to work in South Jakarta.

"Now I always leave earlier with my car or Go-Jek. Even though I incur higher expenses, at least I get to the office on time," said Bramaseta, a research executive.

Bramaseta and Aliah are two of many daily commuters from Greater Jakarta who have stopped taking with train and opted the more convenient transportation, their private vehicles.

A rapid growth of passengers and frequent train delays to and from Greater Jakarta are two main problems that have yet to be handled by PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (PT KCJ), the train operator that manages passengers from Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.

According to KCJ data, the company currently transports an average of 885,642 passengers every day, a 40 percent hike from 2015 when it disembarked approximately 705,556 passengers every day.

KCJ's total passengers in a year grew from 121 million in 2011 to 257.5 million in 2015, an extraordinary increase of 112 percent in a course of only four years.

The ceaseless growth of KCJ passengers exemplifies an increase of suburbanites working in Jakarta. The increase, however, may overwhelm the company as the trains provided seem inadequate to transport the passengers.

KCJ's assistant communication manager, Adli Hakim Nasution, told The Jakarta Post that the problems derived from a lack of KCJ-dedicated railways, which hindered the company from adding more embarkations to its schedule.

"Many railways are used by more than one operator, so we have to compromise with them," he said on Wednesday, citing the Manggarai-Bekasi line as among those problematic.

KCJ is making new schedules that may be implemented as soon as December, Adli said. Adli continued that at present, the best the company could do was add more train cars to accommodate more passengers.

KCJ currently operates about 764 train cars on a daily basis. KCJ imported last month 30 secondhand train cars from Japan, with another 30 to follow next October. Those train cars will undergo feasibility studies by the Transportation Ministry before commencing operation.

However, the addition of the train cars may still not accommodate KCJ's current figure of daily passengers. "That is the best we can do for now, while hoping the city administration eases regulations," Adli said.

The Jakarta administration has been working to handle the city's severe traffic congestion in recent years, such as by encouraging residents to opt for public transportation instead of private vehicles.

The administration has also issued supporting regulations, including the soon-to-be implemented electronic road pricing system and odd-even policy, which has been on a trial run on the city's main roads since July 27. (adt/sha)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/25/commuters-return-to-cars-as-trains-deteriorate.html

Literature & the arts

'Bunga Penutup Abad' brings to life Pramoedya's classic

Jakarta Post - August 26, 2016

Teressa Warianto – Indonesia's most celebrated author, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, might have died 10 years ago, but his work continues to inspire people.

Pramoedya Ananta Toer's legacy is brought to life in a play titled Bunga Penutup Abad (The Flower That Ends a Century), which is based on two of his classic novels.

Pram received international acclaim for his Buru Quartet – Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), Anak Semua Bangsa (Child of All Nations), Jejak Langkah (Steps) and Rumah Kaca (Glass House) – which he wrote while imprisoned on Buru Island by Soeharto's New Order regime for his alleged affiliation with leftist and communist movements.

The theater's adaptation provides a fresh take on the story, thanks to director and scriptwriter Wawan Sofwan's choice to combine This Earth of Mankind and Child of All Nations.

"Many people have tried to adapt Pram's novel This Earth of Mankind into a script and it has proven to be very difficult. So after some consideration, I decided to combine the first two novels of Pram's Buru Quartet into one whole script," Wawan said.

Presented by the Titimangsa Foundation together with Yayasan Titian Penerus Bangsa, the intriguing story of the play and the cast of promising actors have led to sold-out performances.

Tickets for the two-day event on Thursday and Friday sold out in less than 24 hours after sales opened, leading the production team to add an extra performance date on Saturday.

The public's highly enthusiastic response no doubt placed pressure on the performers to deliver, and they did not disappoint during a rehearsal on Wednesday.

The story picks up right at the end of This Earth of Mankind. Annelies Melemma (Chelsea Islan) has just left for Amsterdam, leaving her husband Minke (Reza Rahadian), and her mother, Nyai Ontosoroh (Happy Salma), to mourn and remember her life.

Nyai Ontosoroh is worried about the wellbeing of her daughter and has sent her trusted employee, Panji Darman, to keep them posted about her condition through letters. Each of Panji's letters sparks memories in Minke and Nyai Ontosoroh, taking them back to their most cherished moments with Annelies.

This is where the flashbacks start, and the actors on stage seamlessly transition between the present and the past in the story. While it may initially be confusing for audiences, the actors' ability to transform their emotions on stage helps audiences figure out which timeline they are currently in.

The flashbacks include a number of the most important scenes from This Earth of Mankind, starting with the day Minke meets and falls in love with Annelies, becomes a part of Nyai Ontosoroh's family, up until the Dutch courts decide that Annelies should be taken to the Netherlands because her mother, being Javanese, cannot be her legal guardian.

The story comes full circle when Minke and Nyai Ontosoroh receive the last letter chronicling Annelies' death in Amsterdam and they reminisce for the last time about Annelies' short life. As Minke plans to leave for Batavia for good, he brings the portrait of his wife painted by his good friend Jan Marais (Lukman Sardi), and names it "Bunga Penutup Abad."

The life of the play comes from the lengthy monologues that each of the four main characters has throughout the show. This, after all, is Pram's work, the author most known for the eloquence of his words.

What should be one of the strengths of the play, however, faces a challenge in some scenes where the performers' voices are drowned out by the accompanying orchestra.

Despite the orchestra being smartly hidden behind the set, the acoustics of the building reflect the instruments more intensely than the actors' voices, and this made it difficult for people toward the back to fully grasp every single word being said.

Reza and Happy are the standout performances of the show and their impressive dedication to the play can be felt from their presence on stage. Both are on stage for the entire 2.5 hours of the show, never once breaking character – a testament to their endurance and devotion.

Reza, an exceptional actor on the big screen, proves that he is just as capable of expressing his talent in front of a live audience.

He manages to evoke emotion in every single line he says, easily transitioning from evoking the pain of losing the love of his life to portraying an awkward Javanese local boy in love, not only with an Indo (mixed Dutch-Indonesian) girl, but with her family as well.

Chelsea offers her own interpretation of Annelies' childishness. She plays as Indo girl who has been so sheltered by her mother all her life that she is unable to cope with reality when her life comes crashing down.

Lukman Sardi, though appearing in fewer scenes than his fellow actors, brilliantly portrays the one-legged painter Jan Marais, even though his French-accented speech is difficult to understand at times.

Meanwhile, Happy is arguably the life and soul of the play. As a producer, she worked on bringing Pramoedya's work to life for years and her passion and dedication for this project is reflected in her acting on stage. Her monologue during the second half of the act, as she screams out, "My daughter will not be sold to any man, for any amount of money," is the climax of the show.

Happy's Nyai Ontosoroh was, after all, Pramoedya's embodiment of the struggle for independence, not only for the country, but also for the individual; a young woman sold to a European man who tried all her life to stop her daughter from suffering the same fate.

There are so many rich characters in Pram's books and yet, with just four performers on stage, Reza, Happy, Chelsea and Lukman may have achieved the impossible by bringing Pram's poetic literature to life.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/bunga-penutup-abad-brings-life-pramoedya-s-classic.html

Armed forces & defense

Bandung's street library opens despite Army's raid

Jakarta Post - August 29, 2016

Arya Dipa, Bandung – In defiance of last week's violent raid by troops of the Siliwangi Military Command, the Street Library continued its service in Cikapayang Park in Bandung, West Java, over the weekend.

On Saturday night more people than usual visited the library, with about 50 young book lovers and democracy activists coming to show support for the community, accused by the Siliwangi Military Commander Brig. Gen. Wuryanto of being a biker gang posing as bibliophiles.

The community also received a flower arrangement in sympathy for the violent raid the previous weekend. "This is to show support and solidarity after what happened last week," Edi Sulaeman, 24, a member of the Anti-Fascist Forum, told The Jakarta Post.

Besides the flowers, the activists also displayed banners protesting against "military repression" and "military involvement in civic life."

Wildan Ardi, 25, a community member, said they opened their street library at about 6 p.m. "For us, this is our public space and it has been like this for a long time. Of course, we are afraid of the military, and we are confused about Bandung administration's curfew regulations," he said.

The library stayed open until 11:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Street Library, which started in 2010, now has about 200 books on various topics donated by local people. (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/28/bandungs-street-library-opens-despite-armys-raid.html

Human rights activists oppose revival of 'draconian' National Security Bill

Jakarta Globe - August 27, 2016

Jakarta – Human rights activists have rejected a House of Representatives plan to reinstate deliberation on a government-proposed national security bill, which has been on the backburner for years over concerns that it may pose a threat to the rule of law.

House Speaker Ade Komarudin, who is a member of the Golkar Party, earlier this month proposed that the bill should be included in the institution's priority list, shortly after a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Defense.

"The most fundamental thing under the bill is the definition of national security. It must not lead to multiple interpretations," National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Roichatul Aswidah said on Thursday (25/08). "National security is indeed a clause that could be used to limit human rights. But how to limit them should then be thoroughly reviewed."

Calling the bill "draconian," Al Araf of the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial) said: "What is perilous in the bill is that the description of what constitutes a threat is extremely broad. This could seriously limit freedoms."

The bill also includes provisions on the authority of the government to declare martial law in response to civil unrest, if it is considered a threat to national security.

Warning against jeopardizing the country's hard-won democracy, Al Araf said: "That authority is the easiest way for the government to suppress dissent."

The proposal has drawn mixed reaction from lawmakers. Considering the bill involves the interests of a wide range of elements within the government, Golkar has called for greater consultation on the matter to avoid jealousy between state institutions.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and United Development Party (PPP) have meanwhile called on state institutions to reach agreement on the requirements first and for the government to complete the draft bill before submitting it to the House for further deliberation.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/human-rights-activists-oppose-revival-draconian-national-security-bill/

Government to keep civilian drill

Jakarta Post - August 26, 2016

Jakarta – The government is set to continue with its controversial State Defense program, a paramilitary training program for civilians, despite concerns that the program will exacerbate thuggery.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said he hoped the program would eradicate three major concerns highlighted by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, namely thuggery, radicalism and drug abuse.

The minister explained that the program would vary, depending on regional needs. He also said the program was not a form of military conscription. The training will include, among other things, staying at camp to learn about nationalism and discipline and physical training.

It is alleged by some that a training program with the ninth regional military command (Kodam IX) Udayana, held in Bali in June, involved gangsters and mass organization and reportedly included lessons on how to use firearms.

Ryamizard said the program would help curb problems and would transform thugs into productive nationalists.

"I am confident we can achieve our target of 100 million cadres by 2019. We are not preparing them for war, but rather to face separatism, transnational crime and disasters," he said, claiming that around 60 million citizens had already taken part in the program.

The ministry will develop a map to determine the focus of the program for each area. The program will vary depending on the particular problems relevant to each part of the country. For example, the program will work to tame the growth in radical thinking in Poso, Central Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara.

The principles underpinning the program were well received by others attending the meeting. Intan Ahmad, the director general for learning and student affairs with the Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry, said he planned to apply the program in universities to ensure that its reach was comprehensive.

"There are 4,400 universities across the archipelago with more than seven million students. It will be dangerous if they fall into radicalism. Lecturers have to find time to provide these additional values," he said.

Institute for Defense and Security Studies (IDSS) executive director Mufti Makarim told The Jakarta Post that if the program was not backed up with comprehensive targets, it could lead to political, social and economic problems.

"The aim of the program is not clear. If it's part of the President's ambition for a mental revolution, a militaristic approach is not the answer," he said.

Thugs or others trained in the program might misuse the power to intimidate other citizens, he said. "I am also not sure who will be held liable if those people create social unrest in their respective areas," he said.

The military has been in the national spotlight of late following the excessive involvement of their personnel in the public square.

In Tabanan, Bali, for example, a music concert featuring well-known band Superman Is Dead was guarded by armed military personnel. Those attending the concert wearing shirts expressing their opposition to reclamation projects on the island were reportedly forced to take off their clothes. (fac)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/govt-keep-civilian-drill.html

Military in spotlight for meddling in civilian affairs

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Haeril Halim, Arya Dipa and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta/Bandung – Concerns over the growing role of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in civilian affairs have emerged after a group of young people in Bandung, West Java, claimed they were assaulted by military personnel while running a makeshift library at night in the city's downtown.

The attack on the young people happened amid the city administration's extensive campaign to improve literacy through reading.

The violence came only days after punk rock band Superman Is Dead complained that TNI members were seen guarding their concert at a high school in Tabanan, Bali, and telling the students and other concert-goers not to display any signs opposed to a controversial reclamation project on the island.

The library incident was not the first as a similar crackdown by military personnel on the Perpustakaan Jalanan street library community occurred several weeks ago in the city.

"Such an authoritarian act threatens the civil life [in Bandung], not to mention that the Indonesian Military does not have any authority to launch crackdowns on civil activities," Perpustakaan Jalanan activist Indra Saputra said.

It is alleged that three library activists were attacked by military personnel during a sweep on Saturday in Cikapayang Park, Bandung at 11 p.m. Prior to the attack, the community had held its activities every weekend at the park since 2010.

"They brought firearms and rattan canes. As soon as they arrived they dispersed the crowd at the park while shouting rudely 'disperse, disperse'," Indra said, adding that during the raid, without reason, a plain-clothed TNI member had hit the three activists.

Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil lashed out at the military personnel for conducting the sweep and attacking the activists.

"We deeply regret the incident involving Perpustakaan Jalanan amid our efforts to increase literacy among local people," Ridwan posted on his official twitter @ridwankamil on Tuesday.

Ridwan encouraged city residents not to be afraid to go out reading in public places following the incident and he expected that there would be no more crackdowns on civil activities in the future.

Lt. Col. Desi Ariyanto, a spokesman for the Siliwangi Military Command III in West Java, defended the raid, saying it was part of regular operations the military conducted to curb motorcycle gangs in West Java and Banten provinces

However, he said the community could file a report with the military police office in Bandung if they believed TNI members attacked activists during the incident.

Desi was confident that no such violence took place. Desi further questioned the decision of Perpustakaan Jalanan to carry out activities at night in the badly lit park. "Do we know the credibility of the books displayed? Are the books allowed or do they contain topics that are prohibited?," Desi added.

Earlier this year, the TNI conducted a number of raids across the country to confiscate items related to communism.

Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy said the Bandung incident should be the opportunity for the government and the House of Representatives to push for revision of the TNI Law, especially the provisions on military courts, so that military members who committed general crimes could be tried at civil courts.

The legal process in military courts is neither transparent nor accountable, according to Setara, because it is not accessible to members of the public.

"TNI members committing general crimes frequently go unpunished because the law allows them privileges that make them untouchable by civil courts," Setara deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos said.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Tatang Sulaiman said the TNI headquarters in Jakarta had yet to hear about the assault case in Bandung. (fac)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/military-spotlight-meddling-civilian-affairs.html

Criminal justice & legal system

Lawmakers doubt quality of supreme court justices, judge candidates

Jakarta Post - August 30, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction toward most candidates for supreme court justices and ad hoc judge for the corruption court that have recently undergone fit-and-proper tests at the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs.

Commission III member Masinton Pasaribu said four candidates who had gone through the fit-and-proper test last Thursday, were not of outstanding quality in terms of their professionalism and knowledge as leading judges.

The background CV of three more candidates who went through the fit-and-proper test on Monday were also mediocre, Masinton said, adding that they did not have the competences the House expected of them.

"There are now some issues at the Supreme Court and what we want is to have chief justices who can regain the public's trust. Yet if the candidates are [unsatisfying] we can only be pessimistic," Masinton said on Monday.

Meanwhile, Commission III chairman Bambang Soesatyo said from the test process, the commission had found several candidates who were good enough, but he said there were many who did not fulfill the lawmakers' expectations.

"There are three [good] candidates, one candidate for the ad hoc judge position for the corruption court and two candidates for chief justice positions," Bambang said, adding that the commission would conclude the process on Tuesday. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/30/lawmakers-doubt-quality-of-chief-justice-judge-candidates.html

Indonesia unprepared for war on drugs

Jakarta Post - August 29, 2016

Jakarta – Since President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo declared a "drug state of emergency" and all-out war on illicit substances last year, little has been done on the front line, except for the controversial executions of drug offenders.

Government officials and law enforcers have quietly admitted that the war on drugs has a long way to go before it achieves the desired results, that is, a significant drop in narcotic-related crimes and a more effective rehabilitation program.

Budi Waseso, the head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the state institution touted as the backbone in the war on drugs, puts daily drug-related deaths at 50 and the number of abusers at about 5 million – a figure that has not changed for many, many years. Last week, it warned that the figure may shoot up in coming years unless the problem is properly addressed.

He told visiting members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) at his office in March that the agency, which is answerable to the President, had identified 60 active illicit drug networks in the country. The lucrative illegal business is estimated to cause Rp 63 trillion (US$4.8 billion) in state losses every year, mostly in the form of rehabilitation and medical treatment costs.

Law enforcers have blamed the slow progress in the war on drugs on inadequate human resources in law enforcement agencies. The BNN claims it has only 4,600 personnel, far below the ideal of 74,000. The agency is struggling with a shortage not only in staff but also in technology, rehabilitation facilities and funding while new types of drugs keep pouring into the country.

This is not to mention the chronically poor coordination among relevant state institutions, from the Social Affairs Ministry, the BNN and the National Police to the judiciary. The lack of standard procedures at the 578 rehab centers, 18 of which are state-run, is also another headache the government is trying to address.

Last year, the government missed its target of rehabilitating 100,000 drug abusers. Due to various constraints, it could accommodate only 42,000 people with various degrees of success. Interestingly, Jokowi has asked the BNN to raise the target to 200,000 this year.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/29/indonesia-unprepared-for-war-on-drugs.html

Police to probe ex-prison head on drugs convict's testimony

Jakarta Post - August 26, 2016

Jakarta – A police investigative team is interested in speaking with Liberty Sitinjak, the former head of Batu prison on Nusakambangan Island in Cilacap, Central Java, in connection with a testimony made by Freddy Budiman, a drugs convict, before his execution

"On Aug. 29, the team will go to East Nusa Tenggara to question Pak Sitinjak. I have sent a letter and Pak Sitinjak had agreed," said team head Corm. Gen. Dwi Priyatno in Jakarta on Friday as reported by tribunnews.com. Batu prison is one of the seven prisons on the island.

The investigation is related to Freddy's testimony that he had used billions of rupiah to bribe officials in law enforcement institutions to allow him to distribute drugs.

The results of the investigation would be crosschecked with John Kei, a murder convict, who was now being imprisoned on the island, said Dwi.

He added that Sitinjak would be questioned on a meeting between coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Haris Azhar with Freddy that took place in 2014 at the prison.

Haris previously revealed Freddy's testimony claimed the involvement of the National Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) in his illegal businesses. According to the statement, Freddy said he managed to operate an international drug network with the help of top officials, but did not reveal any names.

The three institutions previously filed a report against Haris with the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), but later, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo ordered law enforcers to investigate Freddy's testimony. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/police-to-probe-ex-prison-head-on-drugs-convicts-testimony.html

Corruption so rampant at MA that clerk can hold sway

Jakarta Post - August 26, 2016

Haeril Halim and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Although low-ranking Supreme Court (MA) official Andri Tristianto had little authority in the institution, he wielded enough clout to influence whether a convict went to jail.

His modus operandi was simple: He asked for cash payments from convicts and had copies of their verdicts withheld so that they did not go to jail immediately, if at all.

In February this year, Andri asked for Rp 400 million from Ichsan Suadi, a graft convict from Mataram who was sentenced to five years in prison by the court in 2015. In return, Andri planned to delay the delivery of the cassation verdict to the Mataram District Court.

Earlier this year, Andri also accepted Rp 500 million from a lawyer in Pekanbaru, Riau, identified as Asep Ruhiat, as a fee for his pledge to "guard" some of the cases he handled at the Supreme Court.

Andri's luck ran out when Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators arrested him in February this year. He was apprehended after a conversation with another court official, Kosidah, a witness in his bribery case whose phone was bugged by KPK investigators.

Soon after the arrest, Andri and Kosidah were dismissed and the KPK took them to the Jakarta Corruption Court for a trial in June. On Thursday, the court sentenced Andri to nine years in prison, less than the 13 years demanded by KPK prosecutors, for accepting bribes from Ichsan and Asep.

In the course of the two-month trial, it was also revealed that Andri was the right-hand man of Supreme Court secretary Nurhadi, who recently resigned from his position amid a graft investigation launched by the KPK.

The trial also shed light on corruption that allowed people like Andri and Kosidah to influence the selection of justices to handle cases.

In an online conversation with Kosidah that was recorded by KPK investigators, he told her to avoid selecting justice Artidjo Alkostar, who is known for his penchant for increasing the sentences of graft convicts, and recommended other justices such as Timur Manurung or Syarifuddin.

"The defendant was found guilty of corruption together with other parties in the case," presiding judge Jhon Halasan Butarbutar said.

Andri's connection to Nurhadi was further revealed during the trial after KPK prosecutors found that Nurhadi's in-law, identified as Taufik, asked Andri to keep an eye on an appeal filed by senior Golkar Party politicians who were competing for party leadership.

Taufik also ordered Andri to monitor cases filed by individuals from Semarang in Central Java, Kediri in East Java, Banjar Baru in South Kalimantan and another case filed by CIMB Bank.

Following Andri's arrest, the KPK vowed to step up its effort to prosecute corrupt officials at the court. Not long after the promise, the KPK in April arrested Central Jakarta District Court clerk Edy Nasution in a bribery case that later implicated Nurhadi.

Soon after, the KPK slapped a travel ban on Nurhadi following the discovery of Rp 1.7 billion in cash stashed at his official residence in South Jakarta, allegedly related to the handling of a plea filed by subsidiaries of the Lippo Group.

Instead of giving up his position following the raid, Nurhadi appointed himself chairman of a team tasked with starting reform efforts at the Supreme Court. The move was a response to antigraft activists' calls for his resignation and reform at the judicial institution.

The KPK has so far failed to name Nurhadi a suspect after the National Police declined to give access to four of their personnel, who were adjutants to Nurhadi and were key witnesses in the Lippo case.

The KPK issued multiple summons for the four officers but to no avail, as in May the National Police sent them to join Operation Tinombala to catch wanted terrorist Santoso in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

The KPK failed in its attempt to implicate Nurhadi after Edy's trial began last month. The KPK then launched a new preliminary investigation on Nurhadi in the Lippo case in July. Nurhadi tendered his resignation days after the fresh probe began.

Now, efforts to name Nurhadi a suspect will be more difficult because in a preliminary investigation, the KPK has no authority to bring in suspects by force.

KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said the KPK would continue to probe the four police personnel in the preliminary investigation and urged the police to voluntarily hand them over.

"The problem with preliminary investigations is that the process is secret and it has a high level of difficulty because [witnesses] cannot be forced to give testimony. We are still trying to summon them and we hope that they will be cooperative," Priharsa told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar was noncommittal when asked if the police would help the KPK in its probe on the four personnel. "We will liaise again with the KPK to see what we can do to help with the additional investigation," Boy said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/26/corruption-so-rampant-ma-clerk-can-hold-sway.html

Teams struggle to make progress on Freddy's claims

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang and Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The government's insistence on capital punishment is once more in the spotlight as state institutions struggle to unravel claims made by executed drug lord Freddy Budiman that state security personnel were involved in the narcotics trade.

Separate investigations conducted by the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the National Police are not even close to identifying the alleged roles of their respective officials in facilitating Freddy's business, as the latter told human rights activist Haris Azhar in 2014.

A fact-finding team set up by National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian two weeks ago has found that a meeting between Freddy and Haris at a secluded prison on Nusakambangan in Central Java did indeed take place after questioning several witnesses in situ last week, including John Kei, an inmate who also attended the meeting, priest Andreas, who helped Haris secure access to the prison, and an unidentified prison guard.

The team is still reaching out to several other witnesses, some of whom are considered key eyewitness, such as the former head of Batu Prison, where Freddy was detained before his execution, and two other spiritual leaders said to have attended the meeting.

"I have played a part in many fact-finding teams in the past but none have been as challenging as this," team member Hendardi told The Jakarta Post.

The chairman of Jakarta-based human rights watchdog Setara Institute noted that the absence of Freddy, as the key figure in the case, hampered the police's task of working quickly to gather disparate evidence.

"We rely on the very brief and vague information given by Haris in his post," said Hendardi. "Again we're seeing that the death penalty is problematic because it deprives us of key people in criminal cases."

In addition to Hendardi, the police's team of 18 members also includes two other outsiders – former human rights lawyer Poengky Indarti, who is now serving as a commissioner with the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), and communication expert Effendi Ghazali of the University of Indonesia.

Headed by National Police general supervision inspector Comr. Gen. Dwi Prayitno, the police's team is assigned with investigating the destination of Rp 90 billion (US$6.8 million) Freddy allegedly transferred to top officials at the National Police over the years.

Haris also reported that Freddy claimed to have paid up to Rp 450 billion to BNN personnel.

The BNN has set up its own team to trace the alleged transfer of money from Freddy to officials serving at the institution. The state narcotics body has summoned several witnesses, including former Batu Prison head Liberti Sitinjak, but has made little progress so far.

Meanwhile, TNI commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo insisted his institution was serious about looking into personnel involved in Freddy's drugs business, as mentioned in Haris' post. Gatot told reporters on Monday that an investigation by an internal team was still ongoing, though he declined to elaborate.

"There is no progress so far. Our team is still carrying out the job. We are also working with the PPATK [Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center]," he said, noting the PPATK's role in identifying transactions between Freddy and TNI personnel.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/teams-struggle-make-progress-freddy-s-claims.html

Free trade & neoliberalism

TPP will only benefit US-based ICT firms, says activist

Jakarta Post - August 29, 2016

Jakarta – The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement will only benefit US-based information and communication technology (ICT) firms, rather than other companies, an activist has said.

ICT Watch executive director Donny Budhi Utoyo argued that a number of firms such as IBM, Microsoft and Oracle would enjoy a spike in sales, as the agreement obligates member countries to allow cross-border transfers of information.

Joining the pact, he said, would make Indonesian ICT companies a sales target for US firms' products. "Because they [US-based ICT firms] lead the world market," he said in a discussion on Sunday in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ) spokeswoman Rachmi Hertanti said the TPP agreement would equalize opportunities and rules for foreign and domestic investors to do business and eventually squash local companies in their effort to compete against global corporations.

The agreement also encourages members to remove trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas. "The TPP tends to take the side of foreign corporations instead of national interests," Rachmi said at the discussion.

The TPP is a trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the US and Vietnam. They represent 37 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) of US$27.8 trillion.

The agreement was signed on Feb. 4 in Auckland, New Zealand, and must be ratified by all members before it comes into force. (rez/ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/29/tpp-will-only-benefit-us-based-ict-firms-says-activist.html

Fishing & maritime affairs

Jokowi issues decree to boost fisheries industry

Jakarta Post - August 27, 2016

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has issued a presidential decree that is expected to boost the fisheries industry, a minister said on Friday.

The decree, signed by the President on Aug. 22, instructs 25 ministries and government agencies to speed up the development of the fisheries industry. The ministries must make integrated efforts to boost the industry and help local fisherfolk, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said on Friday.

Jokowi also instructed the ministry to evaluate regulations that hampered the development of fishery and local salt producing companies, the domestic market and the exportation of maritime products. Susi said her ministry would make a fisheries development road map and a master plan on commercial fishery zones.

Separately, Indonesian Traditional Fishermen's Association (KNTI) legal division head, Martin Hadiwinata, welcomed the decree, saying it would help improve fisherfolk's welfare. It could also help with the development of downstream businesses, such as fish processing plants, as the ministry tended to focus on upstream management by tackling illegal fishing, he said. (rez/rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/27/jokowi-issues-decree-to-boost-fisheries-industry.html

Economy & investment

Government beefs up 'industrialization' measures

Jakarta Post - August 30, 2016

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – In his latest effort to push industrialization in the country, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution has called on related ministries to identify problems in each sector and prepare for a better-shaped regulation to address the issues.

The government, Darmin highlighted, must act as the problem solver to the persistent issues that have been hampering the development of industries in Indonesia, specifically the manufacturing, health, mining and agriculture industries.

"Each ministry will identify industrial problems in their sectors and we will find deeper solutions to spur growth in the industry. We already have the development concept, but we need to be more precise in preparing the operational plan," he said in Jakarta on Monday.

Health Minister Nina Moeloek added that the ministry would boost the pharmaceutical industry, in which more than 90 percent of its raw materials were imported. "Health equipment industry has improved, and now we want to push the pharmaceutical industry," she said.

According to the Investment Coordinating Board's (BKPM) latest data, domestic investment in the industry sector reached Rp 50.7 trillion in the second quarter of 2016. It expanded by 47.87 percent from the same period last year at Rp 43.01 trillion, equaling 49.44 percent of total domestic investment at Rp 102.54 trillion.

Meanwhile, foreign direct investment (FDI) in industry rose slightly higher than domestic investment in the second quarter, with an increase to US$8.01 billion, and contributed 56.97 percent of total FDI at US$14.07 billion. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/30/govt-beefs-up-industrialization-measures.html

Govt to curb illegal stockpiling, maintain stable prices

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – The Trade Ministry will implement specific measures to prevent illegal stockpiling aimed at manipulating the price of goods in the market.

The existing Presidential Regulation No. 71/2015, that allows stockpiling for three months, has led to the rising prices of several public goods. Unable to revoke the rule, the ministry will set additional regulatory criteria to combat price manipulation.

"Some commodities like sugar, shallots, and beef have a HET [ceiling price] and HPP [floor price]. We can use that as the criteria," Minister Enggartiasto Lukita told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He acknowledged that price manipulation had become a persistent problem for the nation, such as what was discovered after an inspection of a production center in Brebes, Central Java. In Brebes, farmers sold shallots for Rp 16,000 (US$1.21) per kilogram, but skyrocketed to Rp 26,000 when they got to Tangerang, Banten.

Even in Indramayu, West Java, which is geographically closer to Brebes, the price tripled to Rp 40,000 per kg. "They passed two chain links in Tangerang with a total margin of Rp 10,000 per kg. However, a Rp 24,000 margin per kg in Indramayu is too much," Enggar said.

Through a joint program with the Agricultural Ministry, the Trade Ministry will absorb farmers' stock through the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to reduce stockpiling and cut the supply chain. The Bulog will then open a semi-wholesale bazaar in traditional markets to control prices. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/govt-to-curb-illegal-stockpiling-maintain-stable-prices.html

Economic growth prospects still bleak in 2016

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Prima Wirayani and Grace D. Amianti, Jakarta – The euphoria following the release of the second quarter's economic growth data did not last long as experts and business players have voiced their concerns over the lagging development.

Achieving 5.2 percent full-year growth is going to be an uphill battle, even though the second-quarter data beat many estimates at 5.18 percent. As the euphoria subsided, various economic statistics show that slowdown is still happening in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Sluggish global demands of Indonesian products and the government's own austerity measure are two among several factors that influence the lagging activities.

Bank Indonesia (BI) has even slashed its full-year growth projection to around 4.9 percent to 5.3 percent this year from previous range of 5 percent to 5.4 percent.

BI Governor Agus Martowardojo said financial and agriculture sectors would provide support to the economy for the remainder of the year. However, the financial sector itself is facing additional challenge with slow disbursements and rising bad debts.

Bank loans only grew 8.9 percent on an annual basis throughout the first half, according to data from both Bank Indonesia (BI) and Financial Services Authority (OJK). The rate is lower compared to the 10.4 percent that the banking industry posted just a year ago.

The slow disbursements, including in working capital and investment, reflect sluggish credit demands as corporates are still taking the wait-and-see approach regarding their own expansions, said BI deputy governor Perry Warjiyo.

He added that domestic production capacities were high, but global markets had not called for sufficient demands.

The central bank has issued several policies in an attempt to jack up credit demands, including by replacing the benchmark interest rate and relaxing the loan-to-value (LTV) requirement for mortgage.

The new benchmark now follows the seven-day reverse repurchase (repo) rate at 5.25 percent and no longer uses the 12-month BI rate, currently standing at 6.5 percent.

BI also encourages banks to lend more as it has increased the minimum lending requirement to 80 percent, according to the new loan-to-funding ratio (LFR). The policies did not immediately trigger banks' excitement.

Bank Mandiri, the largest bank by asset, has cut its loan growth target to 10 percent and 12 percent this year, down from 12 to 14 percent set previously, as it gets more cautious in disbursing loans amid rising bad loans.

Mandiri's non-performing loan (NPL) ratio soared to 3.86 percent as of June from 2.43 percent in the same period last year. The increasing NPL might be not very dangerous, but it could hamper credit expansion, said Bank Mandiri chief economist Anton Gunawan.

"Credit growth will probably pick up 1 to 2 percentage point next year compared to this year. Financing for economic activities cannot take off as fast as we'd like," he said, adding that the situation could adversely affect investment and consumption.

Meanwhile, the largest private lender, Bank Central Asia (BCA), has also projected that it may not see its loans grow to 12 percent as targeted in 2016 if there is no significant economic improvement throughout the rest of the year.

BCA chief economist David Sumual said growth relied on consumption and investment now because trade was still in a negative territory and the government spending was limited.

However, even Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Thomas Lembong said on Tuesday that realization of foreign direct investments (FDI) would rise to 12 percent and 14 percent only by year-end, compared to 19 percent in 2015.

[Fedina S. Sundaryani contributed to the story.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/economic-growth-prospects-still-bleak-2016.html

Government downplays reduced state budget

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2016

Farida Susanty and Prima Wirayani, Medan/Jakarta – The government has dismissed concerns over next year's smaller state budget, arguing that the reduced state spending will still allow for various infrastructure projects.

The total spending figure, as reported before, stands at Rp 2.07 quadrillion (US$156.66 billion) for 2017, 0.6 percent lower compared to what was earmarked for this year, while spending by ministries and agencies – which is a key component of spending – has been cut by 1.2 percent to Rp 758.38 trillion, according to the budget draft.

"If we compare the figures with those in the revised 2016 state budget, they are down," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said recently.

However, she argued that the 2017 spending would in fact be higher after the government completed its austerity plan this year by shaving Rp 133.8 trillion off the revised budget as a result of unsatisfactory revenue collection. The cut itself will leave total spending at Rp 1.95 quadrillion in 2016.

Not all ministries will suffer budget cuts. The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry and Transportation Ministry – the two ministries that spearhead President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's government's grand infrastructure design – will see their spending allocation rise, albeit by a small percentage.

The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, for instance, will get Rp 105.56 trillion next year, up 8.7 percent from the revised 2016 budget or up 5.7 percent if the government cuts Rp 2 trillion as part of the austerity measures.

The ministry's secretary general Taufik Widjoyono said it would get assistance from the newly established National Asset Management (LMAN) public service agency. The LMAN is under the authority of the Finance Ministry, but is tasked with acquiring land needed for various infrastructure projects.

Now that the land acquisition issue is practically solved, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry will be able to focus its spending allocation on non-land issues, as well as to continue several multiyear projects that it began in 2016, Taufik said.

The budget draft shows that the ministry has several projects prepared for next year, including the construction of 815 kilometers of roads, 9,399 meters of bridges and 20 dams.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry will obtain Rp 48.7 trillion in next year's budget, 13.5 percent higher than this year. The ministry's secretary general Sugihardjo acknowledged that the figure was Rp 1.78 trillion less than what it had expected.

He added that spending would be cut to adjust to the new budget, but said that it would mostly be unproductive spending, such as on seminars and work trips, while the government's maritime highway program would be spared from cuts.

The Transportation Ministry is slated to carry out various projects, namely the constructions of 14 airports and 50 pioneering ships.

Separately, BMI Research says in a note that next year's more grounded revenue and expenditure projections mark a conscientious effort by the Jokowi administration to improve the accuracy of its fiscal scheduling and it is a positive development.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/24/government-downplays-reduced-state-budget.html

Banking & taxation

Small taxpayers left confused

Jakarta Post - August 29, 2016

Prima Wirayani, Jakarta – Pensioner Elyzabeth, 63, annually pays taxes for her car and a 0.25-hectare plot of land, but she has not declared both assets on her tax returns form (SPT).

When she heard about the government's ongoing tax amnesty program, she was curious about how her case could be resolved. She went to the Pulogadung Tax Office in East Jakarta, only to find herself more confused.

"I was told by a tax officer it's up to me whether to join the tax amnesty or just simply correct my tax reports," Elyzabeth said, fearing she will be double taxed over the amnesty penalty.

Many small taxpayers are unaware that they do not need to apply for a tax amnesty and pay the penalty rate of 2 to 10 percent of the value of declared assets, when they have paid their taxes accordingly. They simply need to correct their SPTs and include their previously undeclared assets.

However, most tax officers around the country have been answering taxpayers' questions based on the Tax Amnesty Law, while there is a wider General Taxation System (KUP) Law that regulates asset declaration and payments overall, said Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA) executive director Yustinus Prastowo.

"One thing that is not conveyed to taxpayers is that they can correct their tax returns by adding previously undeclared assets without paying any penalty," he added. "But the SPT correction scheme is not included in the Tax Amnesty Law, it is in the KUP Law. This is not the mistake of tax officers – they just don't give the full information to taxpayers."

A couple of months into the tax amnesty program, the government is deploying all possible strategies to make the program a success, including through educational events at residential complexes and by leapfrogging from city to city to disseminate information about the law.

Tax officials nationwide have been overwhelmed by the two distinct tasks they have to undertake: achieving this year's high collection target while at the same time making the public understand the tax amnesty program clearly, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has acknowledged.

Tax officials are accustomed to collecting taxes while now they're supposed to explain amnesty procedures to taxpayers, something Sri Mulyani said required different "memory muscles".

"Ideally, tax reform should come before a tax amnesty. But this hasn't happened. Hence, we're accelerating tax reforms as quickly as possible while upholding the morale of tax officials. But at the same time, they have a very specific target," she told lawmakers during a hearing session last week.

It is hoped that the tax amnesty program, which will run until next March, will see Rp 4 quadrillion (US$301.5 billion) worth of assets being declared, a quarter of which is expected to be repatriated from overseas, with Rp 165 trillion in penalty payments targeted.

Latest data shows that Rp 103 trillion assets have been declared in the program, with penalty payments of Rp 2.14 trillion reaching only 1.3 percent of the target.

The program was initially believed to be aimed at wealthy Indonesians who have stashed their assets overseas, although another main goal is to broaden the nation's historically low tax base.

Now it has created concerns among small taxpayers who feel "targeted" by the program. An online petition filed at change.org and signed by over 3,500 supporters has demanded the government stick to its initial track.

"Within some public dissemination events, it seems as though all taxpayers are directed to join the tax amnesty" while they have the option of simply correcting their tax forms without paying any penalty, wrote a supporter of the petition.

On Twitter, the hashtag #stopbayarpajak [stop paying taxes] has been trending, challenging the amnesty, which is regarded as pardoning tax crimes while victimizing small taxpayers. (mos/vps)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/29/small-taxpayers-left-confused.html

Tax amnesty yet to net big fish

Jakarta Post - August 25, 2016

Prima Wirayani, Jakarta – The government's tax amnesty bullets seem to be hitting the wrong targets as most people participating in the program so far are small taxpayers, not those who keep assets worth billions of dollars overseas.

Setyo Utomo, head of the extension and dissemination section at the Tanah Abang 1 tax office in Central Jakarta, said his office held recently held a number of events to promote the tax amnesty program. But it was ordinary people who flocked to the events, not the wealthy or business owners as expected.

Setyo acknowledged that he was surprised small taxpayers actively visited the tax office to seek information about the program. "They're busy asking what the tax amnesty is. What if they don't join the program?" he said on Tuesday.

Although the government seems to be missing its primary target – wealthy Indonesians who keep their funds offshore – Setyo said the high participation of ordinary people was encouraging because it would widen the country's tax base, resulting in more tax payments in the end.

Yulianingsih, head of the Palmerah tax office in West Jakarta, said the 40 to 50 application letters for the amnesty program submitted to her office were mostly from individual taxpayers. Her office has so far received penalty or compensation payments of about Rp 8 billion (US$602,568). Most of the participants, she added, were private employees and owners of businesses in the area.

The scheme offers tax pardons for Indonesians who declare and repatriate their assets in exchange for relatively low penalty rates between 2 percent and 10 percent from July to next March. The program aims to attract billions of dollars of funds kept overseas by rich Indonesians.

As of Wednesday evening, repatriated assets had reached Rp 1.94 trillion, far from the government's projection of Rp 1 quadrillion. The total declared and repatriated assets stood at Rp 59.5 trillion while penalty payments amounted to Rp 1.18 trillion, just 0.7 percent of the Rp 165 trillion target.

Finance Ministry data revealed that as of last week, 75.3 percent of participants were individual taxpayers whose declared assets were worth Rp 6.4 billion on average.

Tax offices in West Jakarta, North Jakarta and North Sumatra have received the most applications. Tax officials earlier expected that tax offices in the affluent areas of South and Central Jakarta would receive more amnesty applications.

Big taxpayers were probably still calculating the value of their assets and preparing documents needed for the program, according to the Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis' (CITA) executive director Yustinus Prastowo. They could also be waiting for certainty around investment procedures and instruments, especially for investments in the real sector.

"Up until today we don't know yet what projects are offered by the government to be invested in," he said Wednesday. He also noted that small taxpayers seemed to be more active in the tax amnesty program. "The key is the data the government owns," he said. "It can push big taxpayers to join the program using the data."

The government, including President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has said it holds data of Indonesians taxpayers with money overseas and has urged them to declare the assets. The data was available to three pairs of eyes only – those of the President, the finance minister and tax office head – Jokowi said when he launched the program on July 1.

Taxation Director General Ken Dwijugiasteadi, however, on Monday denied having such data. Thus, the success of the program has so far relied on small taxpayers' willingness to participate.

A 52-year-old man who did not wish to be named said he decided to take part in the program after a dissemination event at the Jakarta International Expo venue in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, which was also attended by the President.

"I joined it because this is my chance to help the government," he said, while waiting for documents to be verified at the Palmerah tax office.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/25/tax-amnesty-yet-to-net-big-fish.html