Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Jakarta – Police in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua have named six people as suspects out of 17 arrested on Saturday after a violent demonstration by former mine workers at Freeport McMoRan Inc's Grasberg copper mine, a police spokesman said.

Trouble erupted at the mine, the world's second-biggest copper mine, when demonstrators blocked an access road in a protest over employment terms. At least seven people were injured and dozens of vehicles and buildings torched, and access to Grasberg was restricted amid safety concerns.

The six people were named as suspects for carrying weapons among "various" offences, Papua Police Spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said on Monday.

Under Indonesian law, naming someone as a suspect means authorities believe they have enough evidence to consider filing charges, and such cases normally go to court. "They were carrying machetes, knives and bows and arrows," Kamal said. "This was not an ordinary demonstration."

Police are also investigating a shooting on the same access road on Thursday that injured a police officer and a search for an "armed group of criminals" began in the area today, Kamal said.

"Looking at the footprints there were more than five people," Kamal told Reuters, adding that the search efforts had been hampered by foggy weather and difficult terrain in the area.

Incidents like this were frequent on the access road, Kamal said. "Limited" access to Grasberg resumed on Monday, said Riza Pratama, a Freeport Indonesia spokesman.

Tensions around Grasberg could hamper Indonesia's efforts to calm Papua, where a low-level insurgency has simmered for decades. The mine is a major source of revenue for the local economy, but its social and environmental footprints are sources of friction between police and the local population.

Between 2009 and 2015, shootings within the mine project area have killed 20 people and wounded 59. To protect workers and infrastructure, Freeport contributed $21 million toward government-provided security in 2015.

[Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa in JAKARTA; Writing by Fergus Jensen in SINGAPORE; Editing by Christian Schmollinger.]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-freeport-idUSKCN1B1109?rpc=401&

Thousands rally in Deiyai over fatal shooting

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2017

Nethy Darma Somba, Jayapura – Thousands of people rallied in Deiyai, Papua on Monday to demand the perpetrator of a recent fatal shooting in the regency be brought to justice.

They also want contractor firm PT Putra Dewa Paniai and the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel to be forced out from the Mee Pago indigenous area.

Yulianus Pigai, 28, was found dead with several gunshot wounds when Brimob personnel tried to disperse a crowd that had destroyed the construction camp of the firm in Tigi district, Deiyai regency, on Aug. 1.

"Thousands of people marched to the Deiyai Legislative Council over the incident on Aug. 1," Catholic priest Santon Tekege told The Jakarta Post.

During the rally, the demonstrators also performed traditional dances while others carried signs and banners slamming the incident.

They also called on the Papua Police to remove all Brimob personnel from the Mee Pago indigenous area, which covers Nabire, Paniai, Deiyai, Dogiyai and Intan Jaya regencies.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar has dismissed Tigi Police chief First. Insp. Maing Raini and replaced him with First Insp. Ferry Mervin Mehue. A number of Brimob personnel have also been investigated over the fatal shooting.

Rallies protesting the shooting also took place in Jakarta, Bandung and Gorontalo. (bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/21/thousands-rally-in-deiyai-over-fatal-shooting.html

Former workers at US-owned miner Freeport Indonesia injured in clash

Reuters - August 20, 2017

Hundreds of former workers of Freeport Indonesia clashed with security forces near the company's mines in the eastern province of Papua on Saturday and three workers were injured, company and union officials said.

The Indonesian unit of U.S. mining giant Freeport McMoran Inc. has been embroiled in a labor dispute since May, when around 5,000 workers went on strike to protest against mass layoffs.

Following export restrictions related to a permit dispute, Freeport furloughed some 3,000 workers in Indonesia earlier this year, which prompted a strike and high levels of absenteeism.

Freeport later deemed that approximately 3,000 full-time and 1,000 contract employees who were absent had "voluntarily resigned".

Police on Saturday fired warning shots in the air to disperse the crowd of ex-workers who were demanding their jobs back, blocking roads and setting trucks on fire.

Union official Tri Puspital said police then fired into the crowd, injuring three people. Papua's police chief Boy Rafli Amar declined to comment.

A spokesman for the company said the protests have not had an impact on operations, although employee access to worksites was being affected.

"Some of our employee convoys have been canceled and we will not be scheduling further convoys until the situation is conducive again. We have urged our workers to avoid this area until further notice," said Freeport Indonesia spokesman Riza Pratama.

The company is a major source of employment and livelihoods in the impoverished eastern-most province of Indonesia.

[Reporting Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Wilda Asmarini. Additional reporting by Sam Wanda in TIMIKA, Indonesia Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Toby Chopra and Richard Balmforth.]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-freeport-idUSKCN1AZ0FG

Police probe shooting at Freeport

Jakarta Post - August 18, 2017

Jakarta – The Mimika Police in Papua are investigating a shooting incident, which affected a long-wheel base (LWB) vehicle at gold and copper miner Freeport Indonesia's mining area in Tembagapura district, on Thursday.

A member of the National Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) was injured in the incident. Mimika Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Dean Mackbon said the vehicle driven by Nikson Moningka was shot by an unidentified person as it passed Mile 60 in Tembagapura district, at around 1 p.m. local time on Thursday.

"We have examined the incident site and are investigating further," said Victor as quoted by Antara. He confirmed there were no fatalities from the attack. The police were also inventorying material losses caused by the incident.

Victor said the shooting at Mile 60, on a road connecting Timika to Tembagapura, had caused damage to the vehicle's engine. Both rear tires were deflated while a Brimob personnel suffered injuries from shards of glass from the broken windows of the vehicle.

Nikson was escorting a trailer truck passing from the lowlands to the Freeport mining area in the highlands when the incident occurred.

When he arrived at Mile 66, in an area called Hidden Valley, Nikson received a report that a surveillance vehicle belonging to marine fleet and port facility operator Kuala Pelabuhan Indonesia had suffered damage at around Mile 58.

Nikson decided to return to Mile 58 to pick up the two Brimob personnel operating the vehicle. When passing Mile 60, Nikson's vehicle was suddenly shot from the left side of the road. (yon/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/18/police-probe-shooting-at-freeport.html

Pacific church endorses self-determination in region

Radio New Zealand International - August 17, 2017

Pacific churches have come out in support of West Papuan self-determination while endorsing the referenda planned for New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea's Bougainville.

In a statement, the Pacific Conference of Churches said it supported calls from Pacific Island countries' for a United Nations investigation of Indonesia's human rights abuses in West Papua.

It said it also supported the struggle of the people of New Caledonia in their pursuit of self-determination and urged the signatories to the Noumea Accord to proceed with the referendum planned for next year.

The conference also encouraged churches to promote the leadership of women and urged law enforcement agencies to protect the rights of women and children.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/337381/pacific-church-endorses-self-determination-in-region

RNZ undeterred by Indonesian protest over Papua coverage

Radio New Zealand International - August 17, 2017

New Zealand's public broadcaster says a protest in Indonesia won't deter it from covering West Papua.

Last week about twenty people protested about RNZ Pacific's coverage of West Papua in a demonstration outside the New Zealand embassy in Indonesia's capital Jakarta.

Among placards on display were messages accusing RNZ of being manipulated by Papuan separatist interests in its coverage. One placard called for bilateral relations between Indonesia and New Zealand to be cut.

RNZ's chief executive Paul Thompson said the broadcaster was surprised by the protest against its on-going coverage of West Papua. He said he had received no complaints about RNZ Pacific coverage which had been fair, accurate, and independent.

According to Mr Thompson, RNZ would continue to assiduously report on issues in the region.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/337403/rnz-undeterred-by-indonesian-protest-over-papua-coverage

Protest in support of Papuan independence ends in clashes, arrests

Jakarta Globe - August 16, 2017

Jakarta – A march in support of Papuan independence in Central Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon (15/08) ended with the arrest of several protesters and allegations of police brutality.

"This protest is simultaneously taking place in 11 cities across Indonesia," Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) activist Frans Nawipa told the Jakarta Globe during the event. He alleged that protesters at similar actions in other cities were assaulted by police.

Frans said the 1969 Act of Free Choice (Pepera) was invalid and urged the government to hold a new independence referendum for all Papuans. Pepera refers to a series of eight regional assemblies from July to August 1969, on which the government bases its assertion that the people of Papua decided to relinquish their sovereignty in favor of Indonesian citizenship.

Protesters were planning to march from the busy Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the State Palace, but police prevented them from doing so.

"We are conducting peaceful resistance; we don't want any violence. We have a permit to hold the protest, why wouldn't you let us through?" one of the protesters told police.

A senior police officer tried to negotiate with the protesters to remain at the starting point, but they refused to comply, resulting in clashes and subsequent arrests.

One protester said police refused to allow them to march to the State Palace because of the preparations currently underway for Independence Day.

The protestors also expressed their dissatisfaction with the Indonesian government over high levels of poverty among the people of Papua, despite the region's abundant natural resources.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/protest-support-papuan-independence-ends-clashes-arrests/

Ten people die in Papua during mine labour dispute

Radio New Zealand International - August 16, 2017

An Australian miners' union says 10 people have died in Indonesia's Papua province due to a labour dispute at the Grasberg mine.

Tabloid Jubi reported four thousand workers were laid off by Freeport McMoran after going on strike in May. The strike was in response to the threat of layoffs after mining was disrupted by a dispute between the government and the company.

Freeport said that the workers were considered to have resigned because they violated their contracts.

Andrew Vickers of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union said health rights for the redundant workers and education for their children had been withdrawn by Freeport.

Mr Vickers said 10 people died after being rejected by a hospital due to a lack of healthcare coverage.

Negotiations between the government and Freeport were reported last week in Jakarta. Since January, operations at the massive gold and copper mine have been crippled by the dispute.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/337286/ten-people-die-in-papua-during-mine-labour-dispute

1965 anti-communist purge

No closure for victims of Indonesia's anti-communist purge

UCA News - August 23, 2017

Konradus Epa, Jakarta – Every Thursday afternoon for 10 years, Bedjo Untung has stood for an hour across from the Presidential Palace in Jakarta carrying banners, wearing black clothes and holding a black umbrella.

His goal is to draw attention to the victims of Indonesia's bloody 1965-66 anti-communist purge and subsequent political repression that still goes on to this day, he says. Others join Bedjo in the symbolic protest.

In 1970, in the wake of the mass killings, the then 17 year old was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Bedjo was accused of being a "communist henchmen" because of his involvement in student activism.

The Communist Party of Indonesia had been accused of being behind the murder of senior army officers. Hundreds of thousands of people by some estimates more than a million were killed for alleged links to the Communist Party. There were mass arrests and many reported cases of torture.

After being released from prison in 1979, Bedjo became a human rights' activist and was awarded for his work earlier this year by South Korea's Truth Foundation.

Bedjo, a Catholic and chairman of the 1965 Murder Victims' Research Foundation, dedicated the award to those who were persecuted. "I appeal to my friends to not back down," he told ucanews.com.

Besides receiving a medal, Bedjo was given a US$10,000 prize, which he says is being used to support his organization.

Lukas Tumiso Danuasmoro, another victim of the 1960s purge, described Bedjo as a man committed to the cause. "The award also encouraged us to be more active in helping other victims who are voiceless, neglected and forgotten by the government," he said.

Yati Andriyani, coordinator of The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, appreciates Bedjo's struggle. The Indonesian government, she said, should be ashamed because many other countries had paid attention to victims of past abuses.

Stigmatization and discrimination

According to Bedjo, victims still face stigmatization, particularly from the Indonesian military, which does not want the purge investigated further.

Many family members of the crackdown victims still can't join the nation's civil service, police or military.

Like many others, Bedjo's identity card labels him as a former prisoner, making it hard to find employment. He gives private music lessons to survive.

Military personnel and intelligence agents monitor victims' meetings, Bedjo said, and some participants are threatened as well as having their phones tapped.

The plight of victims has been referred to the United Nations. Bedjo said President Joko Widodo had not honored a 2014 pledge to deal with the injustice.

But Teten Masduki, the presidential chief of staff, said Widodo had maintained his commitment to address the historical grievances through judicial and non-judicial means.

Moral support from church

Bedjo said the church had been helping him since he was sentenced, including with medicines, clothing and food. "I am indebted to the church," he said.

However, he added that victims deserve more moral and financial assistance. "We are counting on the Indonesian Bishops' Conference," he said.

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/no-closure-for-victims-of-indonesias-anti-communist-purge/80049

New order & militarism

Yogyakarta students reject militarism on campus, attacks on democracy

Arah Juang - August 23, 2017

On Tuesday August 22 scores of protesters from the Anti-Militarism-Seize Democracy Student Front (FAMRED) launched an action in front of the Yogyakarta State University (UNY) Sports Building (GOR) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta.

The FAMRED is an alliance of student organisations in Yogyakarta. The action was launched to protest the involvement of the Indonesian military (TNI) in the Introduction to Campus Life for New Students (PKKMB) at the GOR UNY. The UNY had invited the commander of the District Military Command 072/Pamungkas (Koramil) Brigadier General Fajar Setyawan to the event.

The rally was protesting the TNI's presence on campus and to campaign and educate the broader public on the dangers of militarism and the muzzling of democracy.

The FAMRED also demanded the new Government Regulation in Lieu of Law on Social Organisations (Perppu Ormas) be revoked, rejected the Draft Law on National Security and called for a resolution to past gross human rights violations, particularly in Papua.

The FAMRED slammed various acts of repression and criminalisation of students and the ordinary people and called for unity between students and the people.

Solidarity also came from 45 Proclamation University (UP 45) students who had been forced to drop out by the university after they launched an action demanding transparency in the management of campus funding.

In a speech one of the UNY students said their rejection of militarism, "...is not a rejection of individuals that hold particular positions such as the TNI commander or the military commander, but militarism as an ideology. The militarism that is creeping into civilian affairs such as education".

The presence of the military on campus can be seen as a sign that Indonesia is returning to the era of the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto.

Several of the speeches touched on the sins of militarism in Indonesia. One of these is the human rights violations that have to this day yet to be resolved.

These include the mass killings in 1965 that gave birth to the New Order, the Tanjung Priok shooting of Muslim protesters in 1984, the murder and abduction of activists such as labour activist Marsinah, journalist Fuad "Udin" Muhammad Syafruddinn, radical poet Wiji Thukul, human rights defender Munir and Papuan Presidium Council leader Theys Eluay, as well as the invasion of East Timor, the military operations in Aceh and Papua, the May 1998 riots in Jakarta and Solo and other the racist riots that accompanied the reformasi movement in 1998, none of which have resolved.

"The military no longer safeguards [the country's] territory and protects the people, but has entered into public space and protects corporate capital", said one of the speakers at the rally

Another speaker said, "The TNI is no longer a people's army. Since the reconstruction and rationalisation (re-ra) program [in 1948] they have become professional soldiers who enjoy the special right to bear arms".

The speakers also highlighted the problem of the liberalisation of education where the state has relinquished its responsibility for education.

The rally also slammed the ongoing muzzling of democracy for the people of West Papua and said that the Perppu Ormas was an attempt by the regime of President Joko Widodo to muzzle those movements that do not agree with the government. (rf)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Mahasiswa Aksi Menolak Militer Masuk Kampus di UNY".]

Source: http://www.arahjuang.com/2017/08/23/mahasiswa-aksi-menolak-militer-masuk-kampus-di-uny/

Student protest in Bandung rejects social organisation law, rise of

Ayo Bandung - August 21, 2017

Ananda Muhammad Firdaus, Bandung – A group of protesters calling themselves the Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (Pembebasan) held an action in front of the Independence Building on Jl. Asia Afrika in Bandung, West Java, on Monday August 21.

During the action the demonstrators voiced a number of demands including rejecting Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2/2017 on Social Organisations (Perppu Ormas) and the Draft Law on National Security (RUU Kamnas).

"Several months ago, Jokowi [President Joko Widodo] issued Perppu Number 2/2017 on Social Organisations. This Perppu will be used to target social organisations that are accused of being separatists and anti-Pancasila. It will also become a new weapon for intolerant groups to dissolve and criminalize other groups", wrote Pembebasan in a press release received by Ayo Bandung on Monday.

The group said that the RUU Kamnas is another attempt to involve the military in civil affairs. The draft law contains many abstract words that can be misused in its application.

"The people are being introduced to militaristic programs. The state defense program for example that was officially launched in late 2014, and is now being socialised. This program was then followed by regulations such as those banning of nighttime activities (a curfew) and bans on student demonstrations", the group said.

In addition to this Pembebasan also demanded that the military return to the barracks, that all organic and non-organic troops be withdrawn from West Papua and that the military's territorial command structure be abolished.

"In short the military has begun to retake the road to power through legitimate channels. Ironically this is being supported by the [political] elite and political parties, laws, former activists and even legal instruments", they wrote in the press release.

The group believes that by siding with these regulations which have the backing of various parties, it will make it easier for the military to cripple the people's [movements], so that the people's struggle to win full democracy cannot be said to be finished.

Notes

Similar rallies were held by Pembebasan along with the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) and the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) in Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogyakarta, although these have not been reported in the Indonesian media.

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Massa Pembebasan Unjuk Rasa Tolak Kebangkitan Militerisme".]

Source: http://m.ayobandung.com/read/20170821/64/22933/

Makassar students rally against militarism, reject national security law

Online 24 - August 21, 2017

Ade Surya, Makassar – Scores of students from the Democracy Concern Coalition (Kopidemo) held a rally at the Jl. Urip Sumoharjo flyover in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar on Monday August 21 against the rise of militarism.

In a speech protest leader Jail said that the rise of the military through occupying seats in the administration could destroy efforts by the people to uncover and resolve the problems of human rights violations in Indonesia.

"The military isn't just handling the country's defense, they have also entered into civil space. In addition to this, they also dictate what it is to be a country, a single interpretation [of the state ideology of] Pancasila, and we believe that they are also blocking efforts to resolve human rights cases", he said.

According to Jail, the Draft Law (RUU) on National Security is in the final drafting stage at the Defense Ministry after being rejected by the House of Representatives (DPR) because several articles were abstract and could be misused.

"In its application this RUU does not meet [legal] standards because of the many abstract words. For example, 'threats', 'disturbances', 'conduciveness', 'defense and development'. We believe it is these words that are unclear or abstract", he said.

In addition to opposing the draft security law, they also rejected the new Government Regulation in Lieu of Law on Social Organisations (Perppu Ormas).

This is because they believe that the articles on insulting religion that are already covered in Article 156a of the Criminal Code and Article 28 Paragraph 2 of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (ITE) are often used by intolerant groups to criminalise minority religious groups.

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Kopidemo Melakukan Unjuk Rasa Menolak Perppu Ormas dan RUU Kamnas".]

Source: http://online24jam.com/2017/08/21/71847/kopidemo-melakukan-unjuk-rasa-menolak-perppu-ormas-dan-ruu-kamnas/

Political parties & elections

Jokowi signs election bill into law

Jakarta Post - August 19, 2017

Jakarta – A controversial election bill has been passed after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo signed it into law on Wednesday, presidential spokesperson Johan Budi said on Saturday.

"The election bill was officially signed on August 16," Johan said as quoted by kompas.com. Johan said the bill has been registered as Law No. 7/2017.

The House of Representatives approved the bill during a protracted and heated plenary meeting on July 21 in which lawmakers of four political parties, rejecting the bill, walked out.

The Gerindra Party, the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) demanded that the 20 percent presidential threshold be scrapped from the bill.

The threshold is the minimum popular vote a party or coalition of parties must have to nominate a presidential candidate.

Soon after the bill was endorsed, Crescent and Star Party (PBB) chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Peaceful and Benign Islam (Idaman) Party chairman Rhoma Irama filed a judicial review with the Constitutional Court to challenge the law. The two parties do not have legislative seats.

The two claimed that their constitutional rights to run for president had been violated as a result of the bill. (ecn/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/19/jokowi-signs-election-bill-into-law.html

Blasphemy & shariah law

Another conviction under Indonesia's dangerous blasphemy law

Human Rights Watch Dispatches - August 23, 2017

Andreas Harsono – Indonesian authorities wielding the country's dangerously ambiguous blasphemy law have claimed another victim: Siti Aisyah, the owner of an Islamic school in Mataram, Lombok Island.

On Monday, a Mataram court sentenced Aisyah to 30 months in prison for "strange teachings," which included advising students to restrict their beliefs to the content of the Quran and to ignore other books on the Prophet Muhammad's teachings.

Media reports of those teachings prompted West Nusa Tenggara Governor Zainul Majdi to order the closure of Aisyah's school in January and to ask local police to open an investigation of possible blasphemy law violations. The Mataram chapter of the Indonesian Ulama Council, an umbrella of Muslim groups in Indonesia, issued a non-legally-binding edict to the police on January 31 that Aisyah had committed blasphemy.

Aisyah is the sixteenth person prosecuted and imprisoned on blasphemy charges since President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo took office in October 2014. Indonesia's blasphemy law was passed in 1965 and punishes deviations from the central tenets of Indonesia's six officially recognized religions with up to five years in prison.

The law has been used to prosecute and imprison members of religious minorities and traditional religions. Recent victims include three former leaders of the Gafatar religious community following the violent forced eviction of more than 7,000 Gafatar members from their farms on Kalimantan Island last year. Another was former Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Purnama, sentenced to two years in prison in May. Despite the repeated misuse of the law, Indonesia's Religious Affairs Ministry is seeking to reinforce and expand its scope through the so-called religious rights protection bill, which parliament is likely to debate in late 2017.

The government's unwillingness to substantially amend or repeal Indonesia's blasphemy law suggests that it will continue to pander to bigotry and discrimination at the expense of fundamental rights to freedom of belief and expression. So long as the blasphemy law remains on the books, the Indonesian justice system will prosecute and imprison people like Siti Aisyah for "strange teachings" and other specious accusations.

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/08/23/another-conviction-under-indonesias-dangerous-blasphemy-law

Woman convicted of blasphemy for spreading 'misguided' Islamic teachings

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2017

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara – Siti Aisyah, the owner of an Islamic learning center, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for spreading "misguided" Islamic teachings.

Siti was found guilty of violating Article 156 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on blasphemy. The sentence handed down by the Mataram District Court in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is lighter than the prosecutor's demand of three years' imprisonment.

Presiding judge Didiek Jatmiko said Siti had been proven guilty of spreading teachings that contravened Islamic principles, kompas.com reported. Didiek said Siti did not admit her fault, insisting that what she taught did not go against the principles of Islam.

Siti, who is the owner Rumah Mengenal Al-Quran (Home to learn Quran), had reportedly taught her followers that the Quran did not oblige Muslims to pray. She also reportedly rejected Al-Hadist (Prophet Muhammad's words and attitudes) as a religious guideline. (bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/21/woman-convicted-of-blasphemy-for-spreading-misguided-islamic-teachings.html

Nationalism & state ideology

Indonesian flag upside down in official SEA Games booklet

Jakarta Globe - August 20, 2017

Jakarta – Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi on Saturday (19/08) expressed his disappointment over a misprint in the Indonesian flag in the promotional materials distributed at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

"A great opening, but marred by a fatal, very painful negligence. Our flag... [is] Red White..." Imam said on Twitter.

Pembukaan #SEAgame2017 yg bagus tapi tercederai dg keteledoran fatal yg amat menyakitkan. Bendera kita....Merah Putih. Astaghfirullaah... pic.twitter.com/k92SlDdBqB – Imam Nahrawi (@imam_nahrawi) August 19, 2017

To the tweet the minister attached a photograph of the Kuala Lumpur 2017 Souvenir Special Book, in which the Indonesian flag appears upside down, making it become the national flag of Poland.

Imam's tweet received a prompt response from his Malaysian counterpart, Khairy Jamaluddin, who apologized and said "absolutely no malice was intended."

Bapak Imam, Please accept my sincere apologies for this. Sesungguhnya tiada niat jahat. Saya amat kesal dengan kesilapan ini. Mohon maaf. – Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) August 19, 2017

"Mr. Imam, please accept my sincere apologies for this. There was absolutely no malice intended. I'm very upset by this error. My apologies," Jamaluddin."

As close neighbors, Indonesia and Malaysia have one of the most important bilateral relationships in the region. Over the years, however, relations between the two countries have been strained by various issues, including claims over each other's cultural features and diplomatic frictions due to haze caused by wildfires in Indonesia.

Although a considerably small issue, the Saturday error prompted netizens to voice discontent, with #ShameOnYouMalaysia trending on Twitter.

Netizens were also quick to point out that the same error was made in a local Malaysian newspaper, which the Jakarta Globe identified as Harian Metro.

Not only the booklet but today's newspaper still uses wrong Indonesian flag??? OMG!!!#ShameOnYouMalaysia pic.twitter.com/Hd3FagJfdK – NOONAKON (@maymayrin) August 20, 2017

"I think this was very careless, very sloppy. I think it has tainted the grand ceremony of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, which was watched by millions," Imam said, as quoted by state news agency Antara.

Imam said Indonesia demands an official apology from the Malaysian government. The Malaysia SEA Games Organizing Committee (MASOC) apologized "for the inadvertent error of publishing the wrong flag for Indonesia."

Following the incident, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released on Sunday that foreign ministers of the two countries have discussed the issue. The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur submitted a diplomatic note expressing Indonesia's disappointment, the statement said.

Meanwhile, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo asked Indonesians to remain calm and not to be provoked by the incident.

"Let's not exaggerate this issue and wait for the Malaysian government to officially apologize, as this is a matter of the nation's pride and our national spirit," Jokowi said in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted on the president's official website.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesian-flag-upside-official-sea-games-booklet/

Four university staff, students suspected as HTI supporters

Jakarta Post - August 19, 2017

Djemi Amnifu, Kupang – Four lecturers and students at the state-run Nusa Cendana University (Undana) in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, have been identified as being connected with the disbanded Islamist organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI).

"It is not ethical to mention their names. The point is I have summoned and questioned them," Undana rector Frederik Benu told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Frederik said that, during the questioning, all four claimed they had only received invitations for a pengajian (Islamic learning forum) from the HTI back in 2012 without knowing what the organization was and whether the organization intended to change the state ideology of Pancasila.

"It happened several years ago. But I asked them to make written statements that they were not part of the management or supporters of the HTI. I will hand over the statements to the Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister [Muhammad Nasir]," he said.

Previously, Frederik said he would expel lecturers and students who were involved in the HTI.

"If you cannot accept diversity, leave this university, leave this nation," he said, adding that he had received notification from the ministry over the presence of HTI supporters at the university. There are some 28,000 students in the university, Frederik said.

The government has launched an intensive crackdown on state officials known to be HTI supporters since the Law and Human Rights Ministry announced it had disbanded the organization in July. (ecn/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/19/four-university-staff-students-suspected-as-hti-supporters.html

Bogor police name suspect in case of burned red-and-white decorative

Jakarta Post - August 18, 2017

Jakarta – The Bogor police have named a man identified as M, 25, as a suspect of allegedly burning red and white umbul-umbul (decorative flags) placed by residents around Ibnu Mas'ud pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Kampung Jami, Bogor regency, on Wednesday, a day before Indonesia's Independence Day.

The police believe M violated article No. 24 of the 2009 National Flag, Language, Emblem and Anthem of Indonesia Law which dictates that such actions could bring a maximum punishment of five years in prison.

The police named him as a suspect after questioning M and 29 witnesses. "The suspect is one of the pesantren teachers," Bogor police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. AM Dicky said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when M burned the decorative flags, sparking the anger of residents around the pesantren.

The national police spokesman, Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said the police would investigate further to ascertain whether the people involved in the act were connected to any radical groups. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/18/bogor-police-name-suspect-in-case-of-burned-red-and-white-decorative-flags.html

Environment & natural disasters

Indonesia forest threatened by development despite new rules

Associated Press - August 23, 2017

Stephen Wright and Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – In a remote corner of Borneo, an Indonesian company and its Chinese partner are pushing ahead with an industrial wood plantation in a tropical forest and orangutan habitat, apparently flouting government regulations intended to prevent a repeat of disastrous fires in 2015.

Photos and drone footage taken by activists in late July show an extensive drainage canal full of water, heavy earth-moving equipment on the land and planting of seedlings despite an order in March from the Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya to cease operations.

The exploitation of the 57,000-hectare (140,847-acre) Sungai Putri forest, which is home to as many as 1,200 critically endangered orangutans, and Chinese investment in a related wood-processing plant is supported by provincial and district officials in West Kalimantan on the giant island of Borneo. But it is in conflict with the central government's unevenly enforced moratorium on the drainage and exploitation of Indonesia's extensive peatlands, which was instituted after massive dry season fires in 2015.

The fires, which spread across 2.6 million hectares (6.4 million acres) and blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand in a health-damaging haze, were worsened by El Nino dry conditions but also underlined the huge risks that pulp wood and palm oil companies have taken in draining swampy peatlands for industrial plantations, making the peatlands highly combustible. The World Bank estimated the fires caused losses of $16 billion.

A representative of local communities in Sungai Putri said villagers didn't know about the government freeze on peatland drainage when the Indonesian company, Mohairson Pawan Khatulistiwa, sought their agreement for what it called a trial plantation and digging of a canal to transport wood to a factory.

They now want the agreement, which involved $300 of compensation for each hectare of land taken by the canal, canceled. "At that time we did not know that canals should not be created on peatlands," said Abram, who uses one name. "So, frankly speaking, we felt lied to."

The Indonesian company is working with a Chinese wood-processing business Benshang Advanced Materials Co. which according to the website of the Ketapang district government in West Kalimantan is investing 4 trillion rupiah ($300 million) in the area, including a factory. Employees reached by telephone at a Ketapang office shared by the two companies declined to comment.

The government's commitment to protecting and restoring peatlands has become muddied following pressure from industry and provincial governments. An April 25 letter from the governor of West Kalimantan province to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo asserts that restricting use of peatlands will threaten nearly 90,000 jobs and jeopardize billions of dollars of exports.

Jokowi in July said that ministries should not issue new regulations that scare away investors, which local media reported as a rebuke to the Forestry and Environment Ministry.

Nurbaya, the forestry minister, did not respond to phone calls or questions sent by WhatsApp. In March, a statement from Nurbaya published on the ForestHints website, a semi-official mouthpiece for Forestry and Environment Ministry officials, said new canals and development of peatland is "strictly prohibited" and there would be "no compromise."

Abram said the companies have continued to work on the plantation. Earlier this month the Indonesian side visited villagers and told them not to make a fuss and also asked for a letter from the community approving of the canal, which was rejected, he said.

The chief of Ketapang district, Martin Ratan, said he welcomes investment in the region and the bankrolling of the plantation by the Chinese company will provide 2,000 jobs.

He said communities should not cancel their agreements because they will lose out on economic opportunities. He insisted that work on the canal, which was envisaged as 60 kilometers (37 miles) long, had stopped and the company was only planting.

"Drainage canals will not continue in the peatlands, and they plan to carry out their products with lorries, they plan to build a road for their lorries but that has not yet begun," he said.

Greenpeace has warned that drainage of the Sungai Putri peatlands will create a significant fire risk that threatens communities and the orangutan population. Palm oil plantations around Sungai Putri burned extensively in the 2015 fires, it says.

Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said Tuesday that one third of the more than 500 fires now burning across Indonesian in the current dry season are in West Kalimantan.

"This company appears to be not only ignoring government instructions but also restarting its operations," said Greenpeace forests campaigner Ratri Kusumohartono. "If the government is serious about stopping fires it must stop this company from developing on peatland and protect this critical peatland forest."

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDONESIA_FOREST_FIRES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-08-23-02-30-38

BNPB warns of more forest fires in upcoming weeks

Jakarta Post - August 22, 2017

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has warned of an increasing risk of land and forest fires from August to September as a result of the prolonged dry season.

The BNPB recorded that, based on the Terra, Aqua and SNPP satellites, 538 hot spots were detected on Tuesday with a confidence level of medium-to-high.

The actual numbers, however, might be higher than that already detected since the Terra and Aqua satellites do not pass through several regions the BNPB deems as blank spots – Aceh, Jambi, Riau, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Gorontalo and East NusaTenggara.

The number of hot spots in West Kalimantan and Papua – two regions currently contributing the highest number of hot spots, around 193 and 143, respectively – is predicted to rise.

"The dry season will run until October. The peak is predicted to be in September. Therefore, there is an increasing possibility of land and forest fires. So, be careful," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a press release on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Banten, Jambi, West Papua and North Sulawesi recorded one hot spot each.

Six provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan – Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan – have declared emergency-alert status for forest fires, most were declared in June and will last until October.

Five taskforces with different responsibilities for land, air, law enforcement, health and public awareness have been deployed to prepare for forest fires. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/22/bnpb-warns-of-more-forest-fires-in-upcoming-weeks.html

Corruption & abuse of power

Police suspect Novel's attacker wore gloves

Jakarta Post - August 23, 2017

Jakarta – Fingerprints were not found on a mug allegedly used in an acid attack on Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) lead investigator Novel Baswedan.

The suspects might have used gloves in the attack, said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono.

"It was H2SO4 [sulfuric acid]. If it touches the hands, the skin will be burned. If it touches jeans, they will be torn. Do you think the suspects used their bare hands?" said Argo as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday. "There are a few possibilities; they might have used gloves."

Although the police did not find any prints on the mug, the police continue looking for any evidence to unravel the case, he said.

However, he refused to explain the police's attempts in detail. "That [explaining details] certainly is the authority of investigators," he said.

In April, Novel suffered severe burns when he was hit in the face with acid on his way home after morning prayers at a mosque near his house in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. He is currently receiving medical treatment in Singapore. (agn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/23/police-suspect-novels-attacker-wore-gloves.html

KPK gets new information on flow of funds in e-ID graft

Jakarta Post - August 17, 2017

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has received details provided by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) regarding the flow of Rp 2.3 trillion (US$172 million) that had been stolen from the electronic identity card (e-ID) procurement project.

KPK deputy chairman Alexander Marwata said that the information concerned financial transaction of four firms that are part of the State Printing Company (PNRI) Consortium, which was appointed to implement the project.

Alexander said the firms were PT Superintending Company of Indonesia (Sucofindo), PT LEN Industri, PT Quadra Solution and PT Sandipala Arthaputra.

"[The flow] was pretty simple. Money from the government went into a bank account controlled by the consortium, and we're looking into how the money from the consortium went to other [parties]," Alexander said as quoted by kompas.com.

He said that the PPATK data would help the investigation in gaining details on how Rp 2.3 trillion – from the allocated budget of Rp 5.9 trillion – was stolen and how it could have likely ended up in overseas bank accounts.

"We will find out who has enjoyed the money; an audit of the Rp 2.3 trillion would show us. We'll just follow the money," he said.

At least 37 House of Representatives members have been implicated in the e-ID graft case, including House Speaker and senior Golkar politician Setya Novanto.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/17/KPK-gets-new-information-on-flow-of-funds-in-e-id-graft.html

Terrorism & religious extremism

Ex-terrorists pledge allegiance to Indonesia, decry terrorism as

Sydney Morning Herald - August 17, 2017

Jewel Topsfield and Amilia Rosa, Tenggulun, East Java – The first thing former terrorist Ali Fauzi Manzi does when he meets Fairfax Media is apologise to Australia and the 88 Australian victims of the first Bali bombing.

Ali Fauzi is best known to Australians as the brother of the Bali bombers. In 2008 he oversaw the religious rites on the bodies of Amrozi and Mukhlas – who were executed on the penal island of Nusakambangan – and sent a text message to relatives in Arabic saying: "They are with the Almighty".

"Again, I would like to apologise for what my brothers did," Ali Fauzi tells Fairfax Media. "They have been executed or are spending their life in prison. Their actions cost many lives."

Ali Fauzi studied bomb-making and between 2004 and 2007 was jailed for terrorism offences in the Philippines, where he had helped build a military training camp for extremists.

Ten metres from where he is standing in Tenggulun village in the Lamongan regency of East Java is Amrozi's old home.

"The bombings, all over Indonesia, you could say originated from here," Ali Fauzi says. "At one point there was [sic] 13 tonnes of explosives here before they got distributed to other places such as Ambon and Poso."

Lamongan, once dubbed the birthplace of terrorists, is still a hotbed of extremism. But Ali Fauzi hopes the Circle of Peace foundation he started in November last year, which provides a transit house and job opportunities for ex-terrorists, can start to defuse the radical ideology.

On Thursday a motley crew of ex-terrorists and combatants and their families joined Indonesian Independence Day celebrations for the first time as an indication of their new-found commitment to Indonesia and its pluralistic ideology of Pancasila.

The men in charge of raising the Indonesian flag included the son of Bali Bomber Amrozi, Zulia Mahendra, who long nursed feelings of vengeance and anger against the country that executed his father.

The commander of the ceremony was a former student of an Islamic State commander in Syria while Ali Fauzi read the 1945 independence proclamation text.

"My pledge to Indonesia is real," Ali Fauzi says. "My pledge is loving the nation. Islam respects other religions, even if Indonesia became an Islamic country that does not mean it would get rid of other religions. That's what I believe now."

Ali Fauzi describes terrorism as a sickness, that requires a "special doctor". "It took me seven years to be the 'now Ali Fauzi'," he says. The first six months of his deradicalisation process – an education "half-forced" upon him by Indonesian police after he was deported from the Philippines in 2007 was "torture for me".

"At first I resisted, I couldn't let go of my own beliefs, I complained, I argued with the Islam they taught, the so-called moderate Islam. After six months I realised I was less angry."

One of the turning points was meeting victims of terrorist attacks, including Dutchman Max Boon, who lost both his legs in the 2009 Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta.

"I apologised to him. He's a Catholic, he said to me: 'I already forgave the perpetrator, let alone you'. He forgave me. If it was reversed, if I was in his position, I don't think I could forgive as easily."

Ali Fauzi says his old belief is wrong that kafir (unbelievers) should be killed wherever they are, something he says Islamic State calls for.

The mission of Circle of Peace is to provide a new community for ex-terrorists to prevent them returning to their old networks because they have no other alternatives.

"To get them to join the foundation is not an abracadabra moment. It starts when they are in prison, I visit them, I assist with problems they face, financially, their families. Once they are released we assist them to get jobs. We so far have assisted seven ex-terrorists to get jobs with my business friends. It's still a long way to go."

The head of Indonesia's national counter-terrorism agency Suhardi Alius last month inaugurated a mosque and Koran learning centre in Tenggulun, which will preach moderate Islam.

"Nationwide there are 560 ex-terrorism convicts," he tells Fairfax Media. "It means their children, their wives, their community has been exposed to radicalism."

He says Lamongan is an epicentre of terrorism but thanks to the Circle of Peace: "now there are 37 ex-terrorism convicts there who are now on our side".

"Altogether they have around 100 children. Can you imagine how many lives we can save by taking this approach?"

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/exterrorists-pledge-allegiance-to-indonesia-decry-terrorism-as-sickness-20170817-gxyfwf.html

Religious intolerance & vigilantism

Anies wants FPI to improve its image

Jakarta Post - August 20, 2017

Jakarta – Jakarta governor-elect Anies Baswedan has called on the hardline Muslim group Islam Defenders Front (FPI) to join efforts to promote national unity and protect the country's ideology of Pancasila.

Speaking at an event to celebrate the FPI's 19th anniversary on Saturday, Anies also urged the organization to improve its image.

"I want to reiterate what I have said before, that from now on the FPI must prove itself as one of the organizations that serve as guardians of the country's diversity," Anies said in his speech, as quoted by tempo.co.

In his speech, Anies also called on the FPI to help solve the problem of inequity and injustice in society.

The former education minister said injustice could create problems that threaten national unity. "We should not only make efforts to preserve the country's unity, but also fight for social justice for all people in Indonesia," Anies said.

Anies delivered his speech after joining a predawn Subuh prayer with leaders and activists of the Muslim organization.

FPI leader Rizieq Shihab, who is in Saudi Arabia after being named a suspect in a pornography case, played a key role in the election of Anies by mobilizing Muslims in the capital to call for the prosecution of his rival in the 2017 gubernatorial election, Basuki Thahaja "Ahok" Purnama.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/20/anies-wants-fpi-to-improve-its-image.html

Governor elect Baswedan calls on FPI to shed negative image, support

Tempo - August 19, 2017

Avit Hidayat, Jakarta – Jakarta governor elect Anies Baswedan hopes that the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) can shed its negative image which is so often associated with the organisation.

"I want to reiterate, as I have said before, that in the future the FPI must be able to prove itself as an organisations that is a guardian of diversity", said Baswedan during the celebration of the FPI's 19th anniversary in Kapuk Kamal, Jakarta, on Saturday August 19.

Baswedan reminded the FPI that it has a commitment to safeguard the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) calling on the organisations established by Rizieq Syihab to protect unity in diversity (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika). "I want the FPI to prove that it can do this", said Baswedan.

Baswedan said that the negative image associated with the FPI is linked to past problems of tolerance and diversity. In fact in the past, said Baswedan, the FPI has been involved in a number of cases of violence, including among others the 2008 attack on the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith (AKKBB) at the National Monument in Jakarta.

Baswedan is sure that the FPI does not represent a threat but rather is an organisation that can restore the pride of the state ideology of Pancasila. Currently he is inviting society to fight for unity in Indonesia. The kind of unity meant by Baswedan cannot exist in a situation of inequality.

"Unity must be present in justice. So we must fight for it together", said Baswedan. "It is very difficult in a situation of inequality to hope for unity, inequality can create divisions and envy", said Baswedan.

Baswedan invited the FPI to join in resolving the inequalities in society. According to Baswedan, with the existence of justice unity will follow. There is a common misconception, that when speaking about unity it is rarely counterbalanced with justice.

"God willing, this will not only restore diversity, but also fight for social justice for all Indonesian people". Earlier in the day Baswedan joined in pre-dawn Subuh prayers with members of the FPI.

This year's FPI anniversary was not attended by Rizieq Syihab because he is a suspect in a legal case. Rizieq is currently in Saudi Arabia and it is unknown when he will return to Indonesia. Rizieq is embroiled in a case related to an obscene WhatsApp chat with Firza Husein and has been declared a suspect.

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "FPI Ulang Tahun, Anies Baswedan: Stigma Negatif Harus Diubah".]

Source: https://metro.tempo.co/read/news/2017/08/19/214901299/fpi-ulang-tahun-anies-baswedan-stigma-negatif-harus-diubah

Sex, pornography & morality

Police question Rizieq in Saudi Arabia: Tito

Jakarta Post - August 18, 2017

Jakarta – Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) fireband cleric Rizieq Shihab has been questioned in Saudi Arabia regarding his alleged role in an on-going pornography case, said National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian.

Rizieq has been in the Middle Eastern kingdom since late April for what he claimed was an umrah (minor haj) trip.

He has refused to return to Indonesia, despite having been summoned twice by the police for questioning in a pornography case allegedly involving himself and Firza Husein, a pornography and treason suspect.

"As he is now conducting religious activities, instead of waiting for him, the police went there to question him," Tito said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

Investigators are currently evaluating the results of the interview, Tito said, adding that when Rizieq returns to Indonesia, he may be questioned again if necessary.

Meanwhile, Rizieq's lawyer, Sugito Atmo Pawiro, confirmed his client had been questioned by five investigators from the National and Jakarta Police on July 27. Sugito previously said that Rizieq would return to Indonesia for Independence Day on Aug. 17.

The police named Rizieq and Firza suspects on May 29 and May 16 respectively. They are accused of violating Indonesia's pornography law after a sexually explicit WhatsApp conversation allegedly exchanged between them was leaked online earlier this year. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/18/police-question-rizieq-in-saudi-arabia-tito.html

Poverty & social inequity

Government sets aside trillions of rupiah for social assistance programs

Jakarta Post - August 18, 2017

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo administration has set aside more than Rp 67 trillion (US$5.014 billion) from the 2017 draft budget for social assistance through various programs, ahead of the 2019 presidential and legislative elections.

From the amount, Rp 17.30 trillion will go to the cash assistance Family Home Program (PKH), Rp 13.5 trillion is for the government's non-cash food assistance campaign (BPNT), Rp 25.5 trillion will be allocated to the national health insurance (JKN) program and Rp 10.80 trillion will go to the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) program, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said on Thursday.

The number of beneficiaries included in these programs was also increased. The PKH was expanded to include 10 million low-income households from 6 million this year, and the BTNP will benefit 10 million people next year from 1.28 million this year.

Meanwhile, the beneficiaries of JKN and KIP will reach 92.4 billion and 19.7 million respectively, she added. "[All of the] assistance will target 40 percent of the poorest people," said Sri Mulyandi as reported by tribunnews.com on Friday.

National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro added that the state budget for 2018 paid serious attention to wealth distribution to address social and economic disparity in Indonesia.

In his state of the nation address on Thursday, President Joko "Jokowi" told the lawmakers that the third year of his administration would focus on implementing economic justice policies to improve the welfare of the people.

"We want people in the outer islands, border areas and isolated regions to feel the presence of the state," the President said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/18/govt-sets-aside-trillions-of-rupiah-for-social-assistance-programs.html

August 17

Jokowi promotes diversity through traditional dress code

Jakarta Post - August 17, 2017

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said the cultural costume dress code for the Independence Day ceremony at the Presidential Palace on Thursday morning was his own idea. He added that he wanted to show that Indonesia had a rich and diverse culture.

"I want to let the people know that Indonesia is very diverse. This is Indonesia," he told reporters before the ceremony. "We know that our nation has hundreds of types of cultural attire," he added.

For that reason, Jokowi said, members of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) also had to use traditional attire during the ceremony.

"For example, this member is wearing Malay cultural clothes, another member is wearing Minahasa clothes. Can you notice them?" he said while pointing at the Paspampres members around him.

Jokowi himself wore traditional attire from South Kalimantan, while his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, wore traditional attire from Palembang and another former president, B. J. Habibie, wore traditional attire from Bugis. The guests at the ceremony were sporting traditional attire from across Indonesia. (ecn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/17/jokowi-promotes-diversity-through-traditional-dress-code.html

Jokowi maintains merciless stance on drug dealers

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The war on drugs was one of the focal points of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's state of the nation address on Wednesday.

Jokowi reiterated his commitment despite the recent criticism he has received after it was revealed that law enforcement officers had shot dead a total of 60 alleged drug dealers they argued had been resisting arrest.

"We stand firm in our war against drug dealers. Narcotics are destroying our youth. Jokowi said.

According to data from Amnesty International, at least 60 suspected drug dealers were killed by the police and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) between January and August, a sharp increase from 18, last year.

In July, Jokowi ordered law enforcers "to be firm and merciless, especially with foreign drug dealers who enter the country" and to shoot them if they resisted arrest. Around 10 drug dealers have been shot dead onsite after Jokowi made the order.

Last year, the international community also lambasted Jokowi after Indonesia executed four drug dealers, most of them foreigners. Authorities have sent 18 drug dealers before firing squad since 2015.

Jokowi said he would also remain firm in his decisions to protect the country's sovereignty. "We also have to be brave to fight against illegal fishing to protect our natural resources and fishermen. We have shown we are brave by dissolving Petral," Jokowi said referring to the now-defunct oil and gas trading company Pertamina Energy Trading. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/jokowi-maintains-merciless-stance-on-drug-dealers.html

Jokowi declares graft war in front House members, Setya

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo declared war on corruption and called on everyone to support the campaign, in his annual state address on Wednesday in front hundreds of politicians, some of whom have been implicated in graft cases.

"We will become a developed nation that can compete with other countries in the world if we have competitiveness. One of the factors derogating our competitiveness is corruption. This is our common enemy," Jokowi said. "Therefore, I call on members of this respected forum and all people in Indonesia to fight corruption."

Jokowi's remark seemed to surprise House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto, who is a suspect in the e-ID graft case that also implicates dozens of politicians.

An ongoing Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigation into the botched e-ID procurement project has prompted the House to launch an inquiry into the antigraft body.

The statement also comes following Jokowi's decision not to assign Setya to read out the sacred proclamation text at the State Palace on Independence Day.

Jokowi has instead given the honor to People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, which is in line with calls from antigraft activists to not give the honor to Setya on account of his status in the graft case. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/jokowi-declares-graft-war-in-front-house-members-setya.html

Jokowi to focus on economic justice in his third year

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – In the state of nation address before members of the People's Consultative Assembly on Wednesday, President Joko "Jokowi" told the audience that the third year of his administration would focus on implementing economic justice policies to improve the welfare of the people.

In his speech to the forum, he said that unity among state institutions was the key to achieve the noble goal and that all parties had to work hard and hand in hand to establish economic equality in the face of fast-growing global challenges, which directly impact Indonesia.

Jokowi said that despite the significant efforts of the government to build infrastructure across the country, he was aware that many people had yet to enjoy the benefits, even though Indonesia had enjoyed independence for 72 years.

"In the third year of the Working Cabinet, the government will focus more on economic justice for the people. We want people in the outer islands, border areas and isolated regions to feel the presence of the state," the President said.

People must have equal access to education, health, sanitation and clean water as well as transportation like citizens in other regions had, Jokowi added.

"We want people in the border areas of Papua to have pride in their nation because border areas are the front veranda of the republic. We want people in the monotonous areas of Papua to enjoy fair prices for fuel and staple foods like other people in other regions," he said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/jokowi-to-focus-on-economic-justice-in-his-third-year.html

Jokowi praises DPR performance despite subpar results

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo gave a glowing review on Wednesday of the performance of the House of Representatives for passing key legislation, despite criticism that lawmakers have failed to achieve their own targets.

In his speech delivered before a special session of the People Consultative Assembly (MPR), Jokowi said that lawmakers had passed laws that would be crucial in helping to propel the government's key development programs for 2017.

Jokowi said that some of the 14 laws passed by the House this year could boost exports and also the cut red-tape that had hampered foreign investment.

The President also praised the House for jumpstarting internal reforms within the legislative body. "The House has continued carrying out internal reform and has become a modern and trusted representative body," Jokowi said in his address.

Watchdog groups have blasted the current batch of lawmakers for failing to meet their own legislative agenda.

For 2017, the House planned to endorse 50 priority bills, but as of July this year, it has managed to pass only four bills or eight percent of the total target.

Since being inaugurated in 2014, the House has enacted only 15 priority laws, which is a new low for the institution. The 2009-2014 batch of lawmakers endorsed 40 laws in its third year.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/jokowi-praises-dpr-performance-despite-subpar-results.html

SBY no show during state address, again

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the only living former president not to show up at the House of Representatives on Wednesday as President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo addressed the nation.

Former country leaders Megawati Soekarnoputri and BJ Habibie attended the annual meeting, while late president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was represented by his wife Sinta Nuriyah.

Ever since Yudhoyono handed the office to Jokowi in 2014, after 10 years in power, he has not attended the annual state of the nation address.

The House secretariat general claimed to have already invited all former leaders, including Yudhoyono who is a patron of the opposition Democratic Party. Democratic Party lawmakers attending the event refused to comment on Yudhoyono's absence.

Last year, Yudhoyono preferred to spend his time in his hometown in Pacitan, East Java, instead of attending the state of the nation address.

Yudhoyono is known to have avoided sharing the same stage in public with Megawati, who is also the chairwoman of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), after ties between the two went sour after Yudhoyono decided to resign as one of her ministers to run in the 2004 presidential race, in which he defeated Megawati.

On Tuesday, Yudhoyono and Megawati were scheduled to speak at a discussion held by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), however he arrived right after Megawati had already left. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/sby-no-show-during-state-address-again.html

Jakarta & urban life

Half million rupiah fine for motorcyclist violators: Police

Jakarta Post - August 23, 2017

Jakarta – The Jakarta administration will carry out a trial run of a ban on motorcycles from Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat to the Senayan traffic circle in South Jakarta, from Sept. 12 to Oct. 10.

Those who violate the policy will be fined Rp 500,000 (US$37.5), Jakarta Police traffic division chief Sr. Comr. Halim Pagarra said on Tuesday.

The hours of the trial run are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. "We will inform residents about this," Halim said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Motorcycles have been blamed for causing traffic congestion and accidents in the city.

"Even though we know the public will oppose the policy, as you have heard from transportation experts and the police, we cannot live under these conditions forever," Jakarta Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah, said recently. (hol)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/22/half-million-rupiah-fine-for-motorcyclist-violators-police.html

Residents report Kalibata City apartment management to Komnas HAM

Jakarta Post - August 22, 2017

Jakarta – Some residents of Kalibata City apartment complex in South Jakarta have reported the management of the apartments to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas Ham) on suspicion of a markup of utility bills.

"The report is about the management of electricity and water charges, which are not transparent, the markup, and our questions about where the money goes," Kalibata City Residents Community (KWKC) lawyer Syamsul Munir said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com. He said that the matter had surfaced in 2012.

The apartment management was not supposed to arbitrarily determine the electricity charges as it had not obtained a required license as power provider, he said. The management should also set subsidized prices for the residents in accordance with apartment types, Munir added.

The residents have also filed a lawsuit regarding the matter with South Jakarta District Court. The suit has been proceeding with the court hearing the apartment management's response to the residents on Monday.

Apart from that, the residents also reported alleged intimidation they faced while they were gathering evidence. The management requires residents to give three days' notice if they want to hold a meeting that will be attended by more than 10 people.

Previously, a dispute between residents and apartment management also arose at Green Pramuka City apartments in Central Jakarta.

A comedian, Muhadkly, known as Acho, was reported to the police for ranting about the poor apartment management on his blog. The case has resolved on Wednesday. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/21/residents-report-kalibata-city-apartment-management-to-komnas-ham.html

Jakarta, the city where no-one wants to walk

Bangkok Post - August 22, 2017

Jakarta – Dita Wahyunita does not like walking the streets of the Indonesian capital.

And why would she? The sidewalk alone outside her high-rise office building near central Jakarta answers that question sufficiently. The pavement is cracked and uneven. There are missing sewer covers, exposed electrical wires and aggressive motorcyclists using the walkway to avoid traffic jams – or as parking lots.

Then, of course, she faces the stifling tropical heat, air pollution, pickpockets and other shady characters.

"I don't feel safe walking for a number of reasons," said Dita, 24. "The sidewalks here are terrible. In other countries, they have wide sidewalks only for pedestrians, so it's OK."

Dita, a marketing analyst, is not alone among Indonesians in shying away from walking. In a recent study by researchers at Stanford University, Indonesia, the world's fourth-most-populous nation, came in last among 46 countries and territories for the number of walking steps its citizens take, averaging only 3,513 a day.

By comparison, Hong Kong was first with 6,880, and China second with 6,189. Ukraine, Japan and Russia rounded out the top five. The study tracked 717,000 people in 111 countries, who voluntarily monitored 68 million days of activity using an app on their smartphones and watch devices that was designed by Stanford researchers – the largest such tracking study ever, the researchers said. Each place needed to have at least 1,000 participants to be ranked in the report.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asean/1311048/

Sidewalk violators to face cuts in healthcare, education facilities

Jakarta Post - August 18, 2017

Jakarta – The Jakarta administration has threatened to cut the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) and Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS) facilities of those caught encroaching on sidewalks.

Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said he had instructed Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers to note the identity of vendors and motorists who misused the sidewalks, in the spirit of optimizing the function of pedestrian walkways during the Bulan Patuh Trotoar (Orderly Sidewalk Month) operation.

If the violators were in receipt of the facilities, Satpol PP should issue a warning to them, Djarot added. "If he or she commits the violation [three more times], we will cut the facilities," Djarot said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

Meanwhile, authorities in some areas in Jakarta are still struggling to clear violators from sidewalks. In West Jakarta, for instance, some vendors still attempted to occupy the sidewalks in Latumenten and Daan Mogot.

"Some spots, such as in Latumenten and Daan Mogot, need to be monitored. If no Satpol PP officer is in sight, the vendors return to occupy the sidewalks. If they knew we were there, they would leave the sidewalks," the head of West Jakarta Satpol PP Tamo Sijabat said.

Tamo said that from Aug. 1 to Aug. 17, Satpol PP had caught 1,261 street vendors obstructing sidewalks in West Jakarta. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/18/sidewalk-violators-to-face-cuts-in-healthcare-education-facilities.html

Life is about choices, Djarot tells low-cost apartment residents

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Jakarta – As thousands of low-cost apartment residents have yet to pay rent as of today, Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat has told them that, if they want to continue living in the apartments, they must pay the required fees.

"[The residents] can choose whether to stay or leave the apartments if they find better, cheaper and more convenient living places. Life is about choices," Djarot said at City Hall as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.

Djarot further said that living in Jakarta was not easy and that citizens, therefore, had to work hard to make a living. He said he did not want to see Jakartans skip payments on rent, so he insisted that the residents pay the fees or else face eviction.

Around 6,000 low-cost apartment residents who have yet to pay rent are former residents of the Ciliwung riverbank, where houses were demolished to make way for a river-dredging project. The majority of them, who worked mainly as casual laborers, said it was hard to earn money living in a different area.

On Tuesday morning, a woman, Ika, and her husband, who used a wheelchair, visited City Hall to meet Djarot and ask for an apartment. Djarot expressed interest in fulfilling Ika's request, provided that she pay around Rp 300,000 (US$22.5) per month in rent.

Ika said she was willing to pay the amount, as rent for her current house was Rp 2 million per month. (vny)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/life-is-about-choices-djarot-tells-low-cost-apartment-residents.html

Over 100 low-cost units sealed for non-payment of rent

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Jakarta – The low-cost apartment management (UPRS) in Tambora in West Jakarta sealed 105 residential units on Monday as the residents had not paid the rent for more than six months.

UPRS Tambora head Sarjoko said a total of 261 residential units would be sealed after the management verified that the residents had not paid rent for more than three months.

"However, today we will just seal those residential units that are in arrears of more than six months, amounting to 105 units," Sarjoko said. Sarjoko said the management had twice issued warning letters before sealing the units.

"The procedure is we issued first and second warning letters and then conducted the sealing up. If the residents do not settle the rent payments within seven days, we will issue a notice to quit," he said. Sarjoko added that the residents would have to pay up in full with an additional 2 percent fine.

Meanwhile, Agustino Darmawan, Jakarta Public Housing and Public Buildings Agency head, said the city administration would ask residents who had not paid their rent for three successive months to leave their units.

The regulation would not apply to residents who had been subject to evictions from land cleared by the city administration, he said. (dra)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/over-100-low-cost-units-sealed-for-non-payment-of-rent.html

Armed forces & defense

Indonesia-Russia barter agreement reaches Rp 15 trillion

Jakarta Post - August 23, 2017

Jakarta – A recent barter agreement between Indonesia and Russia is projected to reach Rp 15 trillion (US1.14 billion), according to Trade Minister Eanggartiasto "Enggar" Lukita.

Among the commodities Indonesia will exchange for 11 Sukhoi fighter jets include tea, coffee, rubber and crude palm oil (CPO), Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said during a joint press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Ryamizard welcomed the agreement, saying that the addition of 11 fighter jets of different specifications would help Indonesia improve its defense capabilities.

"There are three specifications of fighter jets; those that can only shoot missiles, jets that can only drop bombs and those that can do both," Ryamizard said.

The deal also includes the transfer of knowledge, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of the aircraft.

Negotiations for the agreement had started with Russia's opening price of $150 million for each plane, which then dropped down to $90 million.

Enggar agreed that the MRO would benefit Indonesia as the country could use it to serve both domestic and foreign airlines.

"The process is expected to be completed. The Russian team will visit Indonesia next month," he added. Enggar secured the deal during a visit to Russia on Aug. 3-5. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/23/indonesia-russia-barter-agreement-reaches-rp-15-trillion.html

Criminal justice & legal system

BNN chief ready to execute officials caught accepting drug money

Jakarta Post - August 23, 2017

Jakarta – National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso has stated that he is ready to execute any agency officers caught accepting bribes from drug suspects.

"I will immediately fire them. If possible I will shoot them dead," Budi said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Budi, who once served as head of the National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), said he had instructed agency officers to shoot colleagues involved in drug trafficking.

"I told them not to hesitate to use their guns against fellow officers involved in drug cases," Budi said.

Budi also said that BNN officers should not be reluctant to take action even if the person involved in drug cases was himself. "If I betray their trust, they can use a gun against me," Budi said.

In recent months, the BNN has taken a tougher stance against drug dealers, which it claims have become more dangerous and are commonly armed with powerful firearms.

Recently in Medan, North Sumatra, the police shot down a drug suspect when he reportedly resisted arrest.

Following the government's declaration of war on drug abuse, BNN personnel have been equipped with powerful firearms and have reportedly been authorized to shoot suspects who resist arrest.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/23/bnn-chief-ready-to-execute-officials-caught-accepting-drug-money.html

Duterte's 'drug war' migrates to Indonesia

New Mandala - August 23, 2017

Phelim Kine – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's murderous "war on drugs" may now be claiming victims beyond his country's borders: suspected drug dealers in Indonesia.

A recent University of Melbourne analysis indicates that Indonesian police killed an estimated 49 suspected drug dealers in the first six months of 2017. That is a sharp rise from 14 such killings in all of 2016 and 10 in 2015. Ominously, more than one third of the total police killings from January to June 2017 occurred after the suspects had surrendered to police.

That increase in police killings of drug suspects has coincided with a series of public statements by senior Indonesian government and National Police officials expressing support for Duterte's anti-drug campaign. But what Indonesian government and police officials overlook in their full throated support of a Duterte-style drug war is the horrific damage it has inflicted on Philippine society.

Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency (BNN) head, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso kicked off those expressions of support in September 2016 by calling for Indonesian police to adopt Duterte-style "drug war" methods. Using language reminiscent of Duterte's public disparagement of the humanity of drug users, Waseso sought to justify such a lawless approach by stating that "The life of a [drug] dealer is meaningless." He reiterated that stance in July with praise for Duterte's drug war, saying that it "shows he is taking care of his citizens."

Waseso is no outlier. On 20 July, the National Police chief, Gen. Tito Karnavian, made an explicit reference to Duterte's campaign when unveiling a new approach to combating drugs in Indonesia: "shooting drug dealers." The next day, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issued the equivalent of a "shoot to kill" order by instructing police who encounter foreign drug dealers who resist arrest to "Gun them down. Give no mercy."

Those views seem to have been persuasive. On 9 August, Jakarta's police chief said that when dealing with suspected drug dealers, "sending them to God" would take priority over arrest and prosecution. Inspector General Idham Azis' not-very-veiled threat to summarily execute drug suspects was compounded by his pledge to "take responsibility for his subordinates' actions if they shoot alleged drug traffickers during raids."

Duterte boasts that the more than 7,000 victims of the drug war have been "drug lords," but Indonesia's officials should take note that the profile of the vast majority of those victims indicates it's more accurately a war on the poor. Human Rights Watch field research found that government claims that the deaths of suspected drug users and dealers were lawful were blatant falsehoods.

Our research painted a chilling portrait of mostly impoverished urban slum dwellers being gunned down in state-sanctioned "death squad" operations that ignore rule-of-law protections. Interviews with witnesses and victims' relatives and analysis of police records exposed a pattern of unlawful police conduct designed to paint a veneer of legality over extrajudicial executions that may amount to crimes against humanity. The investigations revealed that police routinely execute drug suspects and then cover up their crimes by planting drugs and guns at the scene.

Efforts to seek accountability for drug war deaths have gone nowhere. Duterte and some of his key ministers have praised the killings as proof of the "success" of the anti-drug campaign, making them potentially culpable for incitement and instigation of crimes against humanity. Duterte and his supporters have also threatened, harassed and intimidated any institutions and individuals – including United Nations officials – who have sought accountability for abuses linked to the drug war.

On August 16, Duterte extended that campaign to human rights organisations, calling for police to shoot human rights activists "who are part of [drug activity]. If they are obstructing justice, you shoot them."

Indonesia is already wrestling with the toxic legacy of impunity for the mass killings of least 500,000 people in 1965 – 66, when the government gave free rein to soldiers and local militias to kill anyone they considered a "communist." Unless Jokowi speaks out forcefully against a Duterte drug war model of crime control, he risks being responsible for a mass killing campaign that could demolish Indonesia's fragile and hard fought-for rights and freedoms.

[Phelim Kine is deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch and supervises HRW's work on Indonesia, Philippines and Afghanistan.]

Source: http://www.newmandala.org/DUTERTES-DRUG-WAR-MIGRATES-INDONESIA/

Constitutional Court must speed up judicial reviews: Setara

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2017

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court (MK) needs to improve its performance in handling judicial review requests to curb potential misconduct, human rights watchdog Setara Institute has suggested.

Ismail Hasani, the watchdog's research director, said the longer it takes for the court to process a request, the greater the opportunity for collusion between plaintiffs and justices. He cited the bribery case of former justice Patrialis Akbar as an example.

"The attempt to influence MK's ruling [through bribery] in Patrialis's case could happen again because the proceeding [to reach the verdict] was too long," Ismail said on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com.

Patrialis was accused of accepting US$70,000 in bribes from businessman Basuki Hariman and his secretary Ng Fenny in connection with a judicial review request of the 2014 Farming and Animal Husbandry Law.

Setara recorded 38 requests that took more than a year to resolve in the August 2016-2017 period, while 18 requests took around nine to 12 months.

Ismail pointed out that in some cases, Constitutional Court justices read out the ruling months after they had actually reached a conclusion in an internal meeting.

The watchdog recommended for the Constitutional Court, along with the House of Representatives and government, to set up a hearing on managing case schedules, which would also help provide legal certainty for plaintiffs. (kuk/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/21/constitutional-court-must-speed-up-judicial-reviews-setara.html

In Indonesia's dysfunctional prisons, escapes aren't the half of it

New York Times - August 19, 2017

Joe Cochrane, Jakarta, Indonesia – The recent escape of four foreign inmates who tunneled their way out of Kerobokan Prison, a high-security facility on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, could have been a scene from a Hollywood movie.

But there is plenty of other drama within the walls of the prison – just a stone's throw from some of Asia's most exclusive beach resorts – and in many of Indonesia's hundreds of other penitentiaries.

Prisons are overcrowded and have far too few guards. Corrupt staff members provide wealthier inmates with drugs, outings and even prostitutes, say analysts who have studied the corrections system. And guards have been accused of complicity in some escapes and incompetence in others, including the one at Kerobokan, which has become the latest symbol of the system's many woes.

"It sadly does reflect the dysfunction," said Leopold Sudaryono, an Indonesian doctoral scholar in criminology at Australian National University.

In the Kerobokan breakout, which was discovered on the morning of June 19, four men dug a 50-foot tunnel under the prison's walls in an open courtyard and fled into the tropical night.

Two of the prisoners – Dimitar Nikolov Iliev, 43, of Bulgaria, who was convicted last year of data theft, and Sayed Mohammed Said, 31, of India, who was serving a sentence for drug smuggling – were captured less than a week later in East Timor, which borders Indonesia.

But despite an extensive manhunt, the two others are still at large: Tee Kok King, 50, a Malaysian drug convict, and Shaun Edward Davidson, a 33-year-old Australian. Mr. Davidson had already made headlines in his home country last September, when he was sentenced to a year in prison for using a false passport and visa documents on Bali, a popular destination for Australians.

Officials say the two men probably had help, both inside and outside the prison. Mr. Sudaryono said the escape was further evidence that Indonesia's prison system is ill-equipped for its most basic tasks.

"The corrections service has three main functions: security to keep those detained in a secure environment, rehabilitation and inmate services," Mr. Sudaryono said. "The recent prison break reconfirms that the corrections department is incapacitated to perform those functions, particularly the first one."

Indonesia's top prison official, I Wayan K. Dusak, head of the Directorate General of Corrections, acknowledged in an interview that the Kerobokan guards had failed in their duties, calling them "weak watchers."

But he also noted that the prison's resources, like that of the system nationwide, are stretched well beyond normal capacity. Built to house 323 prisoners, Kerobokan holds nearly 1,400. And on the night of the breakout, only five guards were on duty at the entire complex, he said.

Indonesia's prisons have an official capacity of 130,000 prisoners but house more than 228,000, Mr. Dusak said. Nationally, there is supposed to be one guard for every 20 inmates, but in reality it is one for every 65, he added.

"We have issues of quality and quantity" where guards are concerned, Mr. Dusak said. "There's no training for them when they are hired. Some carry guns but don't know how to use them."

Indonesia has seen many prison escapes and riots over the years. In May, hundreds of inmates broke out of an overcrowded prison on the island of Sumatra. In June, flooding caused a wall to collapse at another Sumatra prison, allowing dozens to escape.

Kerobokan was the scene of another notorious breakout in 1999, when prisoners set fire to their mattresses and overwhelmed panicked guards trying to battle the smoke and flames. Nearly 300 inmates escaped.

Mr. Dusak blames the overcrowding on Indonesia's judicial system, and many analysts agree. In 2009, the government introduced mandatory three-year prison sentences for using narcotics. About half the country's inmates are drug offenders, Mr. Dusak said.

In addition, nearly 29,000 Indonesians are serving long prison sentences for nonviolent crimes like pickpocketing and gambling, according to data from the Directorate General of Corrections.

"The punitive attitude among Indonesian society is high, and judges follow that," said Adrianus Meliala, an Indonesian criminologist.

Gatot Goei, program director of the Jakarta-based Center for Detention Studies, said that nearly 90 percent of Indonesians convicted of a felony offense are sent to prison, as opposed to being given a suspended sentence or fine. The prison population has grown by 15,000 to 20,000 per year since 2007, Mr. Goei said.

Some experts are lobbying the government to revoke the mandatory minimum sentences for drug users, giving judges the option of sentencing them to rehabilitation. Mr. Dusak, who is scheduled to retire this month, agreed that the system would improve if drug users and others convicted of minor crimes were spared prison time.

"There really are no 'medium security inmates' in Indonesia," he said. "So murderers and drug dealers are placed in with drug users and petty thieves."

Experts have also proposed large budget increases for the corrections department, whose prison guards, on average, earn only about $300 a month.

That could help explain guards' susceptibility to bribery, and the chaos behind prison walls. At Kerobokan Prison, inmates with money – often foreigners – regularly pay staff members to deliver drugs and alcohol, escort them on daytime excursions to Bali's beaches and bring prostitutes into the prison, according to Kathryn Bonella, author of "Hotel Kerobokan: The Shocking Story of Bali's Most Notorious Jail." Other analysts who have studied the prison system have described similar examples of corruption.

"I don't think there's any great attempt to reform the prisons – they are packing them in like sardines," Ms. Bonella said.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/19/world/asia/indonesia-prisons-bali-kerobokan.html

Duterte inspired by 'Petrus' – Wiranto

Inquirer.net - August 16, 2017

Summary execution-style killings between 1982 and 1985, known locally as penembakan misterius (mysterious shootings), or Petrus, were infamous as a means of bringing down crime rates in the country during the dictatorial regime of former president Soeharto.

More than three decades later, Petrus, considered one of Indonesia's past gross human rights violations, is said to be an inspiration for President Rodrigo Duterte, the leader of the Philippines, in his notorious war on drugs.

This claim was made by Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, who was also a former defense minister and Armed Forces (ABRI) commander before the fall of the New Order regime in 1998.

According to Wiranto, Duterte revealed the source of inspiration behind his "shooting-spree" of drug traffickers to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo during their casual conversations on the sidelines of the 30th ASEAN Summit in Manila on Saturday last week.

"Duterte joked 'I learned from Indonesia.' President Jokowi was confused [and asked] when President Duterte came to learn about Indonesia," Wiranto said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday.

"President Duterte answered, 'No, I learned from Petrus [during the administration] of Soeharto'," he added.

"Apparently, Petrus, which in Indonesia is thought of as an unresolved case of past human rights abuse, has become an example in [the Philippines]," Wiranto said.

The Petrus shootings started in August 1982 under the command of then chief of the Operational Command for the Restoration of Security and Order (Kopkamtib), the late Adm. Soedomo. The operation was codenamed "Operasi Clurit" (Operation Sickle).

In March 1983, Gen. Benny Moerdani, who replaced Soedomo as commander of Kopkamtib, took over the security operation.

The operation targeted recidivists, local gangs, unemployed youths and others considered sources of violent crime. Some were targeted by the operation simply because they had tattoos, considered a mark of criminals.

After a four-year investigation that started in 2008, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) announced in 2012 that the Petrus shootings were a gross violation of human rights as they involved systematic extra-judicial killings, torture and abduction.

The Indonesian Military and their territorial commanders as well as the National Police were mostly responsible for carrying out the widespread killings, which resulted in the deaths of at least 2,000 people according to the state rights body.

In the Philippines, up to 9,000 people have been killed in extrajudicial executions by police and vigilantes working in Duterte's drug war campaign, according to Amnesty International.

More than 2,500 people have been killed in shoot-outs during raids since Duterte took office on June 30 last year. His war on drugs has been condemned by human rights groups for what they claim amounts to crimes against humanity.

Amnesty International's report released in January reveals that the Philippine Police have systematically targeted mostly poor and defenseless people across the country and have paid others to kill thousands of alleged drug offenders.

In an alarming development, Duterte's brutal crackdown on the drug trade has inspired Indonesian security officials, including National Narcotics Agency (BNN) head Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, to take a tougher stance on drugs.

Recently, Jokowi instructed law enforcement officers to impose the sternest sanctions on drug dealers operating in Indonesia. The President has given law enforcement bodies the permission to gun down suspected drug dealers in the streets if necessary.

Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/159756/rodrigo-duterte-wiranto-petrus-mysterious-shootings-penembakan-soeharto-joko-widodo-extrajudicial-killings-war-on-drugs

Foreign affairs & trade

Malaysia turns blind eye to smuggling of narcotics into Indonesia: BNN

Jakarta Globe - August 23, 2017

Jakarta – The chief of the National Narcotics Agency, or BNN, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said on Wednesday (23/08) in Jakarta that Malaysia is deliberately letting drug traffickers smuggle narcotics into Indonesia.

Budi said approximately 100 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, locally known as sabu, come into Indonesia each month from Malaysia.

"There are two drug syndicates from Malaysia that are involved. I can say that Malaysia is making it easier for drug smugglers to send narcotics into our country," Budi said.

BNN seized 17.54 kilograms of sabu in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Aug. 6 and killed two suspects who resisted arrest.

According to officials from the Customs and Excise Office, the suspected drug traffickers shot in Pontianak are linked to another group that was raided with a ton of sabu in Serang, West Java, in July.

On Aug. 18, the agency also seized 40 kilograms of sabu on a ship in waters off Aceh. One of the suspected drug traffickers was a member of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Budi said these recent incidents prove there is a Malaysian drug trafficking network that repeatedly smuggles narcotics into Indonesia.

According to him, the Malaysian suspects who were arrested in Pontianak, Luh aka Ape and CKH aka Ahoe also tried to bribe BNN officials with Rp 10 billion ($750,000) in cash.

Budi stressed he will not hesitate to punish BNN staff if they are caught getting involved with drug dealers.

"If necessary, we will shoot them on site, if we are sure that they are assisting the drug dealers. In 2016, we seized 3.5 tons of sabu, but this year the number has dramatically increased," he said, adding that he had begun investigating Malaysian drug traffickers when he was still chief of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim) in 2015.

"Malaysia is deliberately letting their drug dealers to take advantage of our border areas. They do not distribute the drugs in large quantity at once, a ton can be split over several areas in Indonesia," Budi added.

Meanwhile, the director general of the Customs and Excise Office, Heru Pambudi, said the Malaysian drug dealers are targeting small ports to deliver their drugs into Indonesia.

"We are working with other agencies to monitor these ports closely and stop the drugs from coming into Indonesia," Heru said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/malaysia-turns-blind-eye-smuggling-narcotics-indonesia-bnn-chief/

Indonesian Christians face Trump's deportation crackdown

New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) - August 23, 2017

Ben Henry – Under previous presidencies, Christian Indonesian immigrants living illegally in the US were required to check in with immigration officials every few months, but they were not deported. Under President Trump, that's changing.

Twenty-three Indonesians in New Hampshire arrived at a check-in on August 1st in Manchester and were told they would be deported within a month, to a home country where they fear religious persecution.

Their church, Marantha Indonesian United Church of Christ, celebrated Indonesian Independence Day on Saturday, a day of games and music that masked the community's anxiety.

The congregation is predominantly immigrants from Indonesia who came to the US to escape the persecution of Christians in their majority-Muslim country. Three weeks ago, the news that more than twenty of their members would be deported caught everyone by surprise.

"It was hard," Pastor Sandra Pontoh said. Those slated to be deported, she said, "worry about their children, they worry about going back to Indonesia."

One person from the church, Terry Rombot, was arrested at that check-in. He's being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility, and his lawyer says he could be deported as soon as this week.

Behind a table with fried plantains, a close friend of Rombot, who didn't want her name to be used, breaks into tears when I ask about him. Rombot has a heart condition that he takes medication for daily, she said. "If Terry goes back to Indonesia, they don't have the medicine, so we worry about his sickness."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, won't say when Rombot will be deported or why he was arrested.

Rombot, like others in his community, arrived here in the late 90s, when violence against Christians was at its worst in Indonesia. They overstayed their visas, and applied for asylum but never got it.

Around seventy Indonesians are now living illegally in New Hampshire and surrounding states. ICE, however, knows they're here and their locations. In some cases, ICE has their passports. But for years, these immigrants haven't been deported.

"There's more people here illegally than we have resources to deport," says Erin Corcoran, a legal consultant and former UNH law professor. She says this is the reality of immigration courts across the country.

"Right now they're scheduling hearings for about two years out, just to give you a sense of the backlog... Immigration lawyers and enforcement officers, just like police and prosecutors, have to prioritize who they're going to use a finite set of resources on."

The government has prioritized criminals and gang members, anyone who poses a risk to the public. People like the Indonesians in New Hampshire were not a priority.

But in January, days after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order broadening deportation priorities and giving more power to local immigration officials in deciding who to deport.

When the group of Indonesians from Madbury came for their regular check-in with ICE this month – a normally bureaucratic proceeding they had gotten used to – they were told to return in September with plane tickets back to Indonesia.

After the Independence Day festivities, Pastor Sandra Pontoh sits with members of the church. Their immediate concern is Terry Rombot, the man currently detained by ICE, and the group discusses holding a prayer vigil in Massachusetts.

Rombot will not appear before a judge, according to his lawyer, although some of the others facing deportation may try to reopen their asylum cases.

As friends and family depart the church, a cell phone rings, and is handed to Pontoh. Terry Rombot is on the other end, calling from jail.

If Rombot is deported, he says, "it won't be safe for me. Until now, the situation in Jakarta is not safe. There are still so many radical Muslims." He adds, "I'm hoping that the senators, the congresswomen, and the pastors will be able to help me."

Rombot's health is stable at the moment and he's been taking his medication.

Pontoh, however, fears the situation will get worse, and that more of the immigrants in her community without legal status could receive deportation dates too. ICE declined to comment on the future of those immigrants who have yet to be given deportation dates.

"Whatever's going to happen is not in our hands," Pontoh says, "but God's hands."

Source: http://nhpr.org/post/indonesian-christians-face-trumps-deportation-crackdown

Mining & energy

LNG import is a cheaper option: Luhut

Jakarta Post - August 22, 2017

Jakarta – Coordinating Maritime Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Monday that the government would likely prefer to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel power plants in several locations, because the domestic prices of the commodity is higher than the price offered by Singapore. "We have two options; either a swap arrangement or import," he said.

Singapore is offering LNG to Indonesia at the price of US$3.8 per million British thermal units (mmbtu), which is still lower than Indonesia's average LNG spot price of around $5 per mmbtu.

The two countries will sign a deal in the upcoming 50th anniversary of Indonesia-Singapore bilateral relations, Luhut added.

Previously, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's directorate general of oil and gas stated that Indonesia did not need to import LNG until 2020.

Luhut, however, said that as a businessman, he believed it was better to spend less in a cheaper option. "Why should I spend Rp 10 when I can only spend Rp 8?" he said.

Indonesia needs NLG to fuel small power plants in seven locations, including in Nias in North Sumatra, Lhouksemawe in Aceh and in Riau, with capacities between 25 megawatts (MW) and 100 MW.

"The total capacity would reach 500 MW, including 100 MW in Gorontalo, but it would be divided in several remote places," he said. (dis/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/22/lng-import-is-a-cheaper-option-luhut.html

No deal yet on Freeport's 51% share divestment: Luhut

Jakarta Post - August 22, 2017

Jakarta – Last week, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the government had agreed to extend PT Freeport Indonesia's contract to 2041 in exchange for the company's agreement to divest 51 percent of its shares and to construct smelter, but on Monday he made different statement.

"[The negotiation] is still ongoing, but an agreement is on the way. Our requirements [...] cannot disputed," he said. "Our stance is fixed. We will never back down. The current contract will end in 2021, [but after that] we will not just do what they tell us to."

Previously, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said the negotiation with Freeport Indonesia had entered its final phase, discussing taxation and regional levies.

Luhut added that if the miner agreed to release a majority of its shares, the government would not hesitate to grant the extension of its operating license to 2041.

After Freeport agreed to divest its shares, the government would discuss the divestment mechanism, such as holding an initial public offering (IPO), Luhut said.

"To be as fair as possible, we'll let the market do the valuation," he said, adding that the central government will be given the first option to buy Freeport's shares, followed by regional administrations and then the private sector. (dis/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/22/no-deal-yet-on-freeports-51percent-share-divestment-luhut.html

Contract to be extended to 2041 as Freeport agrees to divest 51% shares

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Jakarta – Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has said that the contract of gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia will be extended to 2041 as the company agreed to divest 51 percent of its shares to Indonesia's entities.

"Our law says the contract can be extended by 10 years, but because the company has agreed to divest 51 percent of its shares and to construct smelters, a 20-year contract extension is no problem," Luhut said as reported by kontan.co.id on Tuesday.

Representatives of PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of United States-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, have been negotiating with government officials about the conversion of its Contract of Work (CoW), signed in 1991, into a Special Mining License (IUPK). Without a contract extension, Freeport's contract is set to expire in 2021.

Luhut said the share value of the company would be calculated based on market prices, without taking into consideration the gold and copper reserves in the Papua mining site.

"We know how to calculate the value of shares, which is in accordance with the universal standard. We cannot calculate the amounts of reserves, which are still inside the earth," said the minister. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/contract-to-be-extended-to-2041-as-freeport-agrees-to-divest-51-shares.html

Infrastructure & development

Government to spend Rp 404t on infrastructure projects in 2018

Jakarta Post - August 18, 2017

Jakarta – Next year, the government plans to allocate Rp 404 trillion (US$30.23 billion) for infrastructure development, according to the draft state budget announced by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Thursday. This year, the government projects to spend Rp 387.70 trillion.

The President explained that 856 kilometers of new roads and 781 kilometers of irrigation channels would be constructed.

"Infrastructure development is expected to boost economic growth and improve connectivity among the regions," Jokowi said when reading out a financial note during a House of Representatives plenary session. Read also: Jokowi inspects progress of trans-Papua road project

The government will also develop sanitation infrastructure to manage waste water produced by 853,000 households, construct water treatment plants and develop 7,062 low-cost apartments for low-income families, Jokowi added.

Meanwhile, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said 41.30 percent of the total budget would be spent on road construction and for the maintenance of 46,000 existing roads across the country.

The government has allocated Rp 37 trillion for constructing and repairing irrigation infrastructure – including 11 new dams, 54,000 hectares of irrigation networks and repairing 160,000 hectares of existing irrigation networks.

For waste water treatment and clean water infrastructure, the government has allocated Rp 16 trillion, the minister added.

"Tenders for the government projects in 2018 will be opened in October this year," he said, adding that in addition to the projects funded by the state budget, the government would also invite the private sector to develop infrastructure through private-public partnerships (PPPs). (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/18/government-to-spend-rp-404t-on-infrastructure-projects-in-2018.html

Banking & finance

Indonesia loan growth falls to 7.7 pct in June, lowest in 8 months

Reuters - August 18, 2017

Jakarta – Loans extended by Indonesian banks grew 7.7 percent in June from a year earlier, the slowest pace for any month since October, the financial services authority said on Friday.

In May, annual loan growth was 8.7 percent. Bank Indonesia (BI) will hold a policy meeting on Tuesday.

A Reuters poll showed BI is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.75 percent, where it has been since October, despite sluggish private consumption.

In 2016, the central bank cut the benchmark rate six times, by a total of 1.5 percentage points, in a bid to spur faster loan growth. (Reporting by Nilufar Rizki; Editing by Richard Borsuk)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/indonesia-economy-loans-idUSJ9N1HJ02N?rpc=401&

Taxation & state budget

Government cannot just suddenly stop finding debt: Minister

Jakarta Post - August 22, 2017

Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani has said the government will continue to reduce its dependency on foreign debt, which is still needed to cover the deficit in the state budget because spending projection is still higher than state revenue.

"But, we cannot just stop obtaining debt suddenly," Sri Mulyani said during a press conference in her office in Jakarta on Monday as reported by kompas.com

She explained the spending projection in the draft 2018 state budget was to reach Rp 2.20 quadrillion (US$165.09 billion), while state revenue was projected to reach Rp 1.88 quadrillion.

It means the deficit in the 2018 state budget will reach Rp 325.90 trillion or 2.19 from the gross domestic product (GDP), said Sri Mulyani.

The deficit projection in the 2018 state budget, however, was less than the projection in 2017, which reached Rp 397 trillion or 2.92 percent of GDP.

The minister said in 2018, the government planned to find debt of Rp 399 trillion, Rp 62.1 trillion lower than this year's additional debt projection.

According to data from the Finance Ministry, government debt in June reached Rp 3.71 quadrillion, compared to Rp 3.67 quadrillion in May 2017.

The ministry, however, said the debt figure, which was 28 percent of GDP, was still far from the 60 percent debt to GDP ratio that was allowed by prevailing regulation. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/22/government-cannot-just-suddenly-stop-finding-debt-minister.html

Government targets Rp 1.61 quadrillion in tax revenue in 2018

Jakarta Post - August 16, 2017

Prima Wirayani, Jakarta – The government has set a target to collect Rp 1.61 quadrillion (US$120.3 billion) in tax revenue next year, according to the proposed 2018 state budget read by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo during the House of Representatives plenary session in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The figure is 9.3 percent higher than the amount earmarked in the revised 2017 state budget.

"The government will put forth its best efforts to achieve such a target through various improvement measures and by making use of all national economic potentials while maintaining the investment climate and business stability," Jokowi said.

The government expects to book Rp 1.88 quadrillion in state revenue next year. State expenditure is set at Rp 2.20 quadrillion and government spending at Rp 1.44 quadrillion, while Rp 761.1 trillion is set aside for regional transfers and village funds.

With the plan, the state budget deficit is estimated to stand at Rp 325.9 trillion, 2.19 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/16/govt-targets-rp-1-61-quadrillion-in-tax-revenue-in-2018.html

History & culture

Most Indonesian museums non-operational: Official

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2017

Jakarta – Culture director general at the Culture and Education Ministry Hilmar Farid said of 400 museums operating in the country, only 15 percent opened their doors to visitors.

Hilmar said a large number of museums suffered a wide range of problems, from poor management to lack of curators, which prevented them from offering services to history buffs.

To complicate the problem, Hilmar said the government did not have enough funding to build the capacity of museum curators. He said the Directorate General of Culture relied on local governments to keep museums open.

Hilmar also suggested that museums open to the public offer programs that could draw larger crowds. "They should put on display their core collections. Something that most people in Indonesia know about," Hilmar said as quoted by tempo.co

He said the ministry had also proposed museum collections be displayed in multiple locations.

Museums in the country have long struggled with low visitor numbers despite not applying entrance fees. Jakarta museums have in recent years created programs to attract members of the middle-income bracket.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/21/most-ri-museums-non-operational-official.html

Analysis & opinion

Indonesia was supposed to be embracing freedom. What happened?

South China Morning Post - August 20, 2017

Resty Woro Yuniar – It's been nearly two decades since Indonesian dictator Suharto was toppled in a people-led revolution that was supposed to put the country on the road to full-fledged democracy.

Laws guaranteeing a free press and the protection of rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly were passed in the immediate aftermath of Suharto's downfall in 1998 – a so-called reformasi (reformation) that was meant to draw a line under the decades of repression that had seen critics of the regime routinely jailed.

And for a while, those hopes looked justified, as the country saw a boom in the number of publications and the public embraced its right to protest.

Yet today, amid rising racial and religious tensions, many Indonesians fear the country is regressing towards its dark past, censoring debate about its former troubles, suppressing leftist political discourse and persisting with hardline defamation and blasphemy laws widely seen as blotting its human rights record. The latest incident to concern rights groups was a move by security forces to disband a public event held by the International People Tribunal this month to discuss the 1965-1966 mass killings that brought Suharto to power.

Rights groups say there have been at least 39 cases since 2015 in which authorities moved to disband events aimed at raising awareness about the massacre. In other cases, vigilante groups have threatened such discussions with seeming impunity from the police.

"These actions are a clear violation of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," Amnesty International said. "President Joko Widodo must immediately end all forms of restrictions against public discussions in relation to the events of 1965 and ensure that the government starts listening to victims and others, instead of suppressing their voices."

The mass killings that brought Suharto to power have long been a taboo topic in Indonesia. In 1965, in a bid to oust then-President Sukarno, the Suharto-led military orchestrated an attack against members of Indonesia's Communist Party and its sympathisers. It resulted in the unlawful killings of between 500,000 and one million people – largely ethnic Chinese, trade unionists, activists, artists and teachers. Hundreds of thousands of people were also detained without trial for up to 14 years.

With Communism still illegal, the stigma attached to former sympathisers lives on. Past members of the party and their families are forbidden to work as civil servants and prohibited from returning to the professions they held before 1965. Many have long since fled the country; others changed their names to find work.

It looked like President Joko Widodo had made a breakthrough in addressing the country's past when last year he became the first Indonesian leader to bring together survivors, rights activists, artists and former members of the Indonesian military for a symposium. It recommended the government to, among other things, end all forms of restriction on public discussion relating to the events of 1965.

But since then, Widodo seems to have backtracked. Authorities continue to purge events and there has still been no criminal investigation into the massacre, even half a century later.

Martin Aleida, a former journalist with a magazine affiliated with the communist party, was among those arrested in 1965. The writer, now 73, was detained for nearly a year and forced to change his name from Nurlan Daulay so that he could continue to work.

"If this country is really democratic, they have to allow all kinds of ideologies here, with the exception of those that force an ideology and religion with violence," Aleida told This Week in Asia.

He said the suppression of left-leaning debate in recent years resembled Suharto's own efforts in silencing the victims of the 1965 killings.

But it is not only official attitudes that have rights activists worried about the country's direction. In May, Jakarta's then governor, Basuki Tjahaha Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent, was jailed for two years after being found guilty of blasphemy against Islam for a speech that referenced a verse in the Koran. The case was seen as having political undercurrents.

Last month, Indonesia said it would probably reject 75 recommendations by UN member countries to improve its human rights record – including demands to scrap its blasphemy law. Indonesia will respond at the next UN Human Rights Council meeting in September.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's defamation law is widely seen as hindering internet users from expressing their opinions online. At least two hundred people have been hit by lawsuits based on bogus claims of libel since 2008, according to the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), a regional information watchdog.

Most plaintiffs were taking advantage of the country's controversial information and electronic transactions law, the group said. Artists also refrained from criticising corrupt politicians in any medium in fear of retaliation.

"Satire here is different from the West," Muhammad Misrad, a prominent caricaturist who goes by the name of Mice, said during a recent panel discussion at the Asean Literature Festival. "In Indonesia, I need to be really careful, this country is very sensitive. Nowadays I'm more afraid of [internet users] than the government."

There were at least 90 blasphemy cases between January and August this year, suggesting religious groups had been encouraged by the trial against Jakarta's former governor, SAFEnet said.

"There has been a window of opportunity since the Ahok case," said Damar Juniarto, regional coordinator at SAFEnet, using a popular nickname for the former governor. "People have been taking the chance to sue critics of [radical] religious groups or leaders, although their interpretation of blasphemy is different to the one defined by the law."

Rights groups also say freedom of information is severely curtailed in the country's far eastern provinces, Papua and West Papua. Access to the region remains limited for foreign journalists despite Widodo promising in May 2015 to lift restrictions. Foreign reporters who are permitted to enter West Papua face surveillance and harassment from authorities. Research by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers this year found officials discriminated against Papuan journalists, who were often seen as supporters of the pro-independence Free West Papua movement.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists recorded 63 cases of violence against reporters in West Papua from 2012 to 2016, none leading to legal consequences for the police. Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders ranked Indonesia 124th out of 180 countries in its 2017 Press Freedom Index.

"Indonesia can now be confirmed as a failed state when it comes to freedom of expression," said Monica Miller, chairman of the regional media watchdog Pacific Freedom Forum. "The government of Indonesia obviously feels safer dealing with a failing press in Jakarta than the risk of fully exposing security forces' endless brutality in West Papua."

Some critics suggest that authorities are obstructing citizens' rights to information and freedom of expression in the fear they could prove catalysts for a popular uprising.

"I think there will be a third revolution," Wimar Witoelar, a political analyst and adviser to former President Abdurrahman Wahid, said during a panel discussion at the Asean Literature Festival, in a reference to the revolutions that overthrew Sukarno in the 1960s and Suharto more than three decades later.

"The third wave [of upheaval] is awaiting an enlightenment," he said. "I think that can only happen with the support of literature and a generation of intellectuals that learnt the lessons of the 1965 and 1998 insurgencies."

Source: http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2107411/indonesia-was-supposed-be-embracing-freedom-what-happened

Indonesia's unorthodox toll road debt

The Interpreter - August 18, 2017

John Cheong-Holdaway – In 2016 Indonesia's Ministry of Public Works dramatically underestimated the funds it needed to acquire land for toll road development. To try to keep development on schedule, the government leaned on toll road developers to lend them the difference at well-below-commercial rates. Over a year later, most of this money still has not been repaid, and government is now seeking to borrow more.

President Joko Widodo has made infrastructure development a large part of his platform. Among other ambitious targets, his government aims to deliver 1000 kilometres of toll roads over the 2015-2019 term. More so than any other infrastructure sector, toll road development is highly dependent on the timely availability of land.

Indonesia is bound by law to keep its budget deficit below 3% of GDP. With low resource prices and slowing oil and gas production putting pressure on revenues, 2016 was projected to be tight so all ministries were instructed to find efficiencies in their budgets. Loath to undertake difficult bureaucratic reform, most ministries demonstrated the local variant of Washington Monument Syndrome and cut spending on the President's priorities, hoping to get topped up when the revised budget came out later in the year. In the case of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MPWH), this meant land acquisition for toll roads.

Indonesia's 2016 budget included an allocation of IDR 1.6 trillion ($152 million) for land acquisition. This amount was less than a third of what was spent in 2015, and a fraction of what most in the industry thought would be needed for that year. Predictably, the full calendar year's budget for land acquisition was exhausted by February, so MPWH went back to the Minister of Finance to ask for a top-up.

When the then Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro refused this request, MPWH looked for alternatives and found an accommodation where future land acquisition funds would be disbursed via a new public service agency. While that was being arranged, MPWH borrowed the money from the investors.

The rights and obligations of the government and the toll road developers are governed by toll road concession agreements. In very general terms, the government provides the land, sets the tariffs in accordance with principles set out in the agreement, makes sure service standards are being adhered to, and allows the developer the rights to build the road (and associated infrastructure) and to charge people to use it. In recent years, land acquisition for toll roads has been solely the responsibility of the government.

Generally accepted principles of infrastructure regulation mean that when the government has an amount owing to the concessionaire arising as a result of a failure by government – in this case, the failure to acquire the necessary land – that debt will attract an interest rate at least equal to the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) of the concessionaire; currently around 13-15% for toll roads under development. The government, wanting to keep its budget under control, instead proposed to borrow at the Bank Indonesia seven-day (Reverse Repo Rate); currently 4.75%. Faced with the prospect of further delays in land acquisition, and wary of the wrath of MPWH (under whom the relevant regulator sits), the developers acquiesced, lending IDR 16 trillion ($1.5 billion) to the government at various points through the middle of 2016.

In April this year, some of the money was repaid but most is still outstanding. In June, the government borrowed another IDR 15 trillion ($1.4 billion) from concessionaires, putting the total amount outstanding well over IDR 20 trillion ($1.9 billion). The difference between the repo rate and their WACC and the total amount outstanding means the concessionaires have already lost over IDR 1 trillion, and are still losing over IDR 100 billion ($9.5 million) a month.

This is not the first time the Indonesian government has decided that toll road concessionaires should take a haircut. In 2015, President Joko Widodo announced that all toll roads nationwide would be cutting tariffs over the Idul Fitri holiday; a heavily trafficked period that operators rely on to make a lot of their revenue for the year. Toll road operators were not compensated for this tariff cut (I tried to estimate the costs and benefits of that decision here, with a brief follow-up here).

The government's propensity to undertake post-bid renegotiations is part of the reason that cost of capital for utilities developers in Indonesia is closer to the neighbourhood of its lower-income ASEAN neighbours Vietnam, and Cambodia, rather than its lower-middle-income peers of the Philippines and Thailand.

Investors and lenders see this and build expectations for it into their hurdle rates. So borrowing at a low interest rate might look attractive but, in the long term, the government – and its citizens – pay through higher cost of finance.

If Indonesia wants to achieve the lofty infrastructure investment numbers in its targets, and engage the private sector in doing so, it would do well to hew closer to generally accepted principles of infrastructure regulation and borrow from companies at their WACC, or not at all.

Source: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/indonesia-unorthodox-toll-road-debt

Indonesian democracy: from stagnation to regression?

The Strategist (ASPI) - August 17, 2017

Eve Warburton and Edward Aspinall – For much of the past decade, observers have praised Indonesian democracy. Elections have been competitive, the country boasts a vibrant civil society, and the press enjoys far more freedom than in most Asian states. An analytical consensus thus emerged that Indonesia's democracy was stable and relatively liberal, with no serious existential threats on the horizon.

Events since 2014 have cast doubt on that consensus. New signs of fragility have materialised that we believe put Indonesia at risk of democratic regression. That fragility has three sources: re-emergent strands of authoritarian populism from among Indonesia's old ruling caste, the rise of a xenophobic and sectarian brand of politics, and a sustained illiberal drift in the regulation of civil liberties.

A neo-authoritarian brand of populism emerged in 2014. Prabowo Subianto, a Suharto-era military general, ran a formidable campaign against Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in the tightly fought presidential election that year. Prabowo represented a 'classically authoritarian-populist challenge': he suggested that Indonesia was unsuited to Western-style democracy, and blamed 'foreign forces' and wealthy minorities for Indonesia's economic woes. Prabowo lost by just 6%, bringing Indonesia within a whisper of a serious authoritarian threat. That threat hasn't disappeared. Prabowo enjoys support from his loyal base, and most observers believe he will run in the 2019 presidential elections.

There's been an upswing in sectarianism too. A coalition of Islamist groups and conservative Islamic organisations, backed by leading politicians, mounted a powerful campaign against Jakarta's Christian Chinese governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok). Their efforts proved successful, with Ahok losing the election decisively before being found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison. The victor, Anies Baswedan, allied himself opportunistically with the sectarian campaign, as did his patron, Prabowo Subianto.

There has been much debate about the depth of public support for such campaigns. Prabowo's narrow loss, and the success of the anti-Ahok protests, suggest a significant constituency for an illiberal brand of politics in Indonesia. Some analysts, however, are sceptical, and warn against inferring a generalised rise of anti-democratic, especially Islamist, sentiment in the electorate. But the greatest danger lies not in the existence of a constituency for illiberalism, but in the potential coalescence of that group with a reinvigorated authoritarian-populist challenge. The 2014 presidential election and the recent Islamist mobilisations indicate that such a coalition already has significant electoral clout.

We also note an increasing propensity among political leaders to craft ethnically-charged narratives about the nature of wealth distribution. Such politicians decry the growing gap between rich and poor, and suggest that rising inequality has an ethno-religious dimension, with poor Muslim masses exploited by a small but wealthy ethnic-Chinese and Christian minority. Sinophobic discourse has a long history in Indonesia; its re-emergence should ring alarm bells, given that it has in the past often led to anti-Chinese violence.

Perhaps most concerning, however, is the slow, insidious, illiberal drift in the laws and regulations governing civil liberties in Indonesia. Laws on defamation, treason and blasphemy, for example, are ripe for political manipulation. We've also seen a serious deterioration in the protection of minority rights, particularly for religious minorities and Indonesia's LGBTI community. That drift began under President Yudhoyono, prompting a change in Indonesia's Freedom House score from 'free' to 'partly free' in 2013, and has been sustained during the first half of Jokowi's presidency.

What role has Jokowi played in Indonesia's slow-moving democratic regression? He won office in 2014 on a largely democratic and inclusive platform, with the support of volunteers and civil society activists. Yet since coming to office, Jokowi has pursued a narrow, conservative developmentalist agenda, with little concern for democratic reform or human rights.

The president's attempt to neutralise the perceived threat from Islamist groups is a case in point. In July, spooked by the Ahok mobilisations, Jokowi issued a regulation that enables the government to disband organisations it deems a threat to national unity or Pancasila, the state ideology. The target was Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI). Indonesia already has a law to shut down groups like HTI. But Jokowi wanted to avoid legislated checks and balances, and so designed a tool that could have come straight from an autocrat's playbook.

Jokowi is proving to be an impatient, reactive leader. He is readily unsettled by political threats and, like many in Indonesia's political class, seems comfortable using illiberal tools to defend his political position.

There are, no doubt, many who welcome Jokowi's heavy-handed approach to groups like HTI, which are themselves undemocratic, illiberal and xenophobic. But it's striking that neither President Jokowi nor other political leaders framed that approach as a defence of Indonesia's democracy or civil liberties. Instead, they justified it as a defence of Pancasila – the same tactic used by President Suharto when cracking down on opposition.

It's tempting to see these signs of democratic regression as isolated incidents. But we need only look at countries like the Philippines and Turkey to see how once-stable democracies can deteriorate in the hands of democratically elected leaders.

Indonesia is clearly not in the midst of a full-blown democratic breakdown. There is no coherent attack on elections, opposition parties or civic space. But we must pay attention to growing signs of fragility in one of the region's last remaining democracies.

[Eve Warburton is a PhD candidate and Edward Aspinall is a professor at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.]

Source: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/indonesian-democracy-stagnation-regression/