Zely Ariane, Jayapura – A petition claimed to represent the wishes of Papuan people on a referendum on West Papua's future has been debated since last week among Papuan people and commentators, the government of Indonesia and the United Nations.

Denials and accusations have sprung up in various media since the petition was published by the British publication The Guardian. The Indonesian government accused Benny Wenda, the key driver behind the petition of "lying and spreading hoax".

Quoting the statement of the Chairman of Decolonisation Special Committee known as C24, Rafael Ramirez, the Indonesian Permanent Mission of the United Nations in New York said no petition had been received from West Papua by C24.

On the other hand, Benny Wenda said that if the petition was a hoax as alleged by the Indonesian government, why would anyone be jailed for organising the signing of the petition.

He already suspects Indonesia will do anything to discredit the petition, himself and other West Papuan leaders – even the people of West Papua.

However, some Papuans have the view that submitting the petition is not a substantial matter. The Indonesian government must recognize that Jakarta's policy in the Land of Papua has not yet satisfied the indigenous Papuans.

Response from Papua

Responding to the furore over this petition, Papuan legislator Laurenz Kadepa said the current contrasting claims between the Indonesian government and Benny Wenda were not the substance of the Papua issue.

The most important thing should be a lesson for the government so that policies for Papua should be evaluated from all aspects, especially human rights.

"Hoax or true, the petition information is not to be debated. Now the human rights issue in Papua is on the UN agenda and it will be an obstacle for the Indonesian government. Because the states that are concerned with Papuan human rights continue to grow, not just Melanesian countries," said Kadepa.

"The Indonesian government should correct itself and improve its policy in Papua," Kadepa continued.

While a statement by the chairman of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), Victor Yeimo, to Benar News confirmed that even if without any petition everyone knew the desire of the people of Papua, which was to hold a referendum to shape the fate of Papuan people.

Regarding the Chairman of C24's rebuttal, Yeimo said that if the chairman refused to accept the petition it was within the authority of the commission. Ramirez had the right to refuse formal acceptance.

"What must be understood by the people of Papua is the chairman of C24 himself in the interview video said that West Papua was listed by General Assembly.

'Procedural issues'

"It means he explains the procedural issues that are needed to be encouraged. So, the petition is good as public awareness, but the main thing for the Papuan people is to strengthen the strength of the domestic struggle, to encourage the liberation process of the people of Papua," said Yeimo.

Markus Haluk, one of the ULMWP's work teams, echoed this view. In fact, on 26 September 2017 Benny Wenda, accompanied by Rex Rumakiek, one of the executives of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), submitted a petition to the Chairman of the UN Decolonisation Commission in New York.

"If there is a response from the government of Indonesia that says it is a lie, I think it's all okay. We pray and work that in time the truth is upright for the nation of Papua, Indonesia and the UN," said Haluk.

ULMWP continues to focus and work on the right of self-determination without being disturbed by the furore that arose from the petition.

Benny Wenda and his petition

Benny Wenda, a Papuan independence leader, claimed to have handed the West Papua People's Petition to a C-24 representative.

After the news of the submission was released by The Guardian, the government of Indonesia immediately denied it and claimed the petition was a publicity stunt without any credibility.

Benny Wenda told Tabloid Jubi he had submitted the petition to C24 representatives on September 26 at the Office of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He was with Rex Rumakiek who also submitted the petition.

"More than 70 percent of the population in Papua want a referendum in West Papua. Bishop Desmond Tutu and Noam Chomsky are two of the world's leading figures who signed the petition," Wenda said.

Wenda added that the people of West Papua who were supported by the international community very much trusted the petition demand.

West Papuan demand

West Papuan people demanded that West Papua became a non-self-governing territory with full rights to liberty and freedom, he said.

The signing of this petition did not go smoothly. Recorded petitions distributed online through the avaaz.org site were blocked by the Indonesian government by the end of 2016.

Similar petitions were carried out manually since April 2017. According to the ULMWP records, 57 people were arrested for supporting the petition. Among them are Yanto Awerkion, vice-chairman of KNPB Mimika and its secretary Sem Ukago on 7 December 2016.

"Yanto and Sem were threatened with Article 169 of the Criminal Code for participating in associations aimed at committing a crime, or participating in other associations prohibited by general rules, are punishable by imprisonment of up to six years," said Wenda.

Indonesian denial

The petition led to the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations, New York, Triansyah Djani, issuing a press release quoting an interview with Rafael Ramirez.

"As the Chairman of the UN Decolonisation Special Committee (C-24), I and the Committee Secretariat, have never received, formally or informally, any petition or anyone about Papua as reported in The Guardian newspaper," Rafael Ramirez said.

Ambassador Ramirez further affirmed that he highly respected the integrity and sovereignty of all members. The mandate of the Decolonisation Committee, he added, was limited to 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories and Papua was not included in this list.

Ramirez's statement was supported by an interview video broadcast extensively through YouTube by the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the UN, New York.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir, who participated with the Indonesian delegation at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, called the petition an unfounded action.

"It's a pure publicity action without credibility," he said, quoted by The Guardian. Papua, continued Nasir is an integral part of Indonesia as stipulated in United Nations General Assembly resolution 2504 (XXIV) 1969.

Support of British MPs

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) of England supports the West Papua people's petition. An APPG release received by Tabloid Jubi said this petition provided strong evidence that the people of West Papua wanted to express their hope for a better future.

Therefore, according to Alex Sobel, an APPG member (from the British Labour Party) acknowledged that all APPG members supported West Papuan people in calling for their inalienable right to self-determination democratically, so that they could freely decide their own future peacefully.

"We will also step up this significant development with the British government," Sobel said.

West Papua people has experienced more than 50 years of widespread human rights violations without a satisfactory solution. So it was clear that in a situation that continues to deteriorate, the people of West Papua were not secure under Indonesian occupation, Sobel said.

Source: https://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/10/08/west-papua-petition-caused-a-stir-these-are-responses-from-papua/

Cairns bands set for Rockin' weekend in West Papua plight

Cairns Post - October 6, 2017

Danaella Wivell – The plight of West Papua to gain independence from Indonesia is spreading to Cairns.

The Indonesian province, about 250km north of Australia, was handed from the Dutch to the Indonesians in 1969. About 500,000 West Papuans have died at the hands of soldiers since then.

The West Papuan community will feel the Far Northern support at the weekend's two Rockin' For West Papua concerts to raise funds for United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

The organisation wants to give the people of West Papua a referendum to vote for freedom from Indonesia.

Papua New Guinea-born Cairns musician Samantha Clark, who performs under the name Kaweyova, says it's time West Papua has more support from its neighbours.

"This is very close to my heart because they're pretty much my people and to see them fighting so hard for freedom is hard," she says.

"We gained our independence in 1975 and to see the people on the other side, so close by, our neighbours fighting for freedom and not getting it... it breaks my heart.

"It's something I really want to see change. It's been ongoing for many years now but only recently people have started coming out and talking about it, so hopefully change will be made."

Rockin' for West Papua organiser Cameron Cusack says the aim of the concerts is to educate and raise much needed funds for the fight to free the province.

"Cairns has a big PNG community so it's really good to bring the event to Cairns," he says. "We're raising awareness to stop the atrocities there and make a change."

Organiser Nigel Perera says the line-up was selected to reflect the intention of the concert. "All of our talent is from Papua New Guinea, so it hits pretty close to home," he says.

"We have been communicating with the Papua New Guinean community and they are so happy to see the people of Cairns getting up behind West Papua and supporting a cause close to their hearts."

Rockin' for West Papua has two shows in Cairns. Tomorrow's 18+ show will be held at Empire HQ Club in Cairns with a $15 entry fee. Saturday's free all-ages show at Fogarty Park kicks off at 2pm.

Source: http://www.cairnspost.com.au/entertainment/cairns-bands-set-for-rockin-weekend-in-west-papua-plight/news-story/66403db8b9384cb253459ee70e860b13

Coronation Hotel rocks for West Papuans

Queensland Times - October 6, 2017

A series of concerts around the globe to assist the persecuted people of West Papua is being held on Saturday with the Coronation Hotel in West Ipswich playing its part.

The Coro' will host at least nine bands from 4pm until midnight with all proceeds from the concert to go to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), with the musicians' performance fees all being donated to the cause.

The Ipswich event is part of a giant three-day sequence of Rockin' For West Papua global peace concerts held in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and England.

More than 100 artists will be performing at the 25-plus gigs in Australia alone across all genres of music.

It is estimated that 500,000 West Papuans have been murdered during Indonesia's 50-year-plus occupation. Just flying their own flag can see West Papuans jailed for 15-years.

The QT spoke to the Coro's Nina Florence and Ken Weaver, both musicians themselves, about the event.

The Coronation Hotel has held two concert events for the people in West Papua which have both been a success. "We are not on our own this time," Ms Florence said.

"We are all part of a big community that is looking to earn money for those who really do need help and whose lives are in danger. We are particularly interested in social justice."

Mr Weaver said the Coro would also multi-track record the artists who appear. "Which we will then send to a documentary film maker as well, because it is a film maker that has organised this particular (event)," Mr Weaver said.

"That way they will have good quality recordings of the bands' performances that might end up being part of a future documentary. We have raised money for asylum seekers here and we like to find ways of giving back to the community. The (West Papua) issue has been kept out of the mainstream media, so it is good to see it in there."

Newton-based brewer Young Henrys is also on board for the Coro' gig and is providing reduced priced beer while patrons can also make a contribution on the day.

In the last fortnight a ULMWP petition was handed over at the UN General Assembly in New York.

The petition, calling for a vote for self determination, was smuggled from village to village to be signed by an unprecedented 1.8 million people, 95.77% being indigenous West Papuans and the remainder Indonesian settlers.

Indigenous West Papuans risked arrest and their lives to sign the petition.

Source: https://www.qt.com.au/news/coronation-hotel-rocks-for-west-papuans/3231874/

Fiji opposition slams UN's rejection of West Papua petition

Radio New Zealand International - October 5, 2017

The opposition SODELPA party in Fiji says it's disappointed by the United Nations decision to reject a petition from the people of West Papua calling for an act of self determination.

It said the world body will regret the decision in time to come. The leader of the opposition Ro Teimumu Kepa said she also deplored what she called the Fiji government's abandonment and betrayal of West Papuans by supporting Indonesia in return for aid.

"It is not only a rejection of the will of the people of West Papua reeling under genocide but a betrayal to the Melanesian community and treatment with contempt for the people of the Pacific region."

"The United Nations, it appears, has forgotten that Indonesia took over the territory by a forced plebiscite against the will of the indigenous people of West Papua to have the right to self-determination".

Ro Teimumu said Indonesia occupied West Papua to exploit its mineral rich grounds and seas while killing more than half a million of its indigenous inhabitants.

She said it appeared these acts of conquest and genocide are completely ignored by the UN which she said was gradually becoming a body of elite nations guided only by economic considerations.

The opposition leader said almost all Melanesian nations supported the freedom of West Papua except for Fiji, whose government's position on indigenous rights had never been strong, she said, given its blatant disregard of the rights of indigenous in Fijians.

"Indonesia has been giving out military aid to Fiji to oppress the Fijian people and tacitly solicit support for its position on West Papua. A SODELPA Government will reverse the position and press for the independence of West Papua as has been the case of East Timor."

"We would like it to be known that the rejection of the petition to free West Papua by the United Nations is in no way going to diminish our will to support and agitate for the freedom of the West Papuan people. We stand by them as do the rest of the Pacific States."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/340884/fiji-opposition-slams-un-s-rejection-of-west-papua-petition

Matter of time for Papuan self-determination, says lawyer

Radio New Zealand International - October 4, 2017

An international law specialist says it's not a question of if but when West Papuans will be granted a genuine act of self-determination.

The United Nations is being urged to review the process which transferred sovereignty over Papua from the Dutch to Indonesia in the 1960s.

The international lawyer, Melinda Janki, has analysed this process and the controversial plebiscite it culminated in – 1969's Act of Free Choice.

She said this referendum didn't adhere to the rules of self determination under international law, as it was not free, and did not feature a range of choices.

The 1969 referendum took place over a number of weeks and involved around 0.2 percent of the population at the time, selected by Indonesian officials and military.

"What happened is that the Indonesian government rounded up about 1022 people, forced them to declare that they wanted to remain with Indonesia, and then went to the United Nations and said 'we've held an act of self-determination, that's all we need to do'. Clearly that was not all they needed to do," Ms Janki said.

"It's a complete breach of international law, and it's complete and fundamental violation of the West Papuan right to self-determination."

Ms Janki is a Guyana-based lawyer specialising in international environmental law and international human rights.

Having extensively examined international law and processes related to the right to self-determination, and the decolonisation process, she is a co-founder of the International Lawyers for West Papua network.

According to the lawyer, the UN General Assembly did not even approve of the Act of Free Choice result, but merely noted it.

"So all the General Assembly said is we take note of this report. There is no where anywhere in the United Nations General Assembly a resolution which says the General Assembly approves the integration of West Papua into Indonesia."

Indonesia said the referendum legitimised Papua's incorporation into the republic, and in government statements describes the matter as final.

Questions over the Act of Free Choice have fresh impetus following the emergence last week of a West Papuan petition to the UN which seeks a self-determination vote and Papua's reinscription to the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation.

Jakarta's claims that the petition is a hoax have gained momentum after the Committee's chairman denied a claim by the Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda, that he had handed the petition to the Committee.

Yet the petition has served to remind the international community of what Ms Janki and others call its failure to decolonise Papua.

In the wake of the petition, Indonesia's Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto this week said the 1969 referendum was declared valid by the UN, and that Papua remained a legitimate territory of Indonesia.

While Indonesia has strong support among other countries for its claim to West Papua, Ms Janki said Papuans never exercised their legal right to self-determination under international law, to international standards.

According to her, this made the matter of self-determination for West Papuans unfinished business that the UN needed to ensure there was resolution to.

"West Papuans really do understand that they have a right to self-determination, and that they intend to keep on demanding that they are given the same right that everyone else has had," she said.

"So the only question now is not whether they exercise their right to self-determination, but when will it happen. How long is it going to take now for a genuine act of self-determination? How long is it going to take for the United Nations to ensure compliance with international law?"

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/340800/matter-of-time-for-papuan-self-determination-says-lawyer

Indonesia disputes veracity of West Papuan petition

Radio New Zealand International - October 3, 2017

Indonesia has disputed the veracity of a West Papuan petition to the United Nations seeking self-determination.

The Papuan pro-independence leader Benny Wenda emerged in New York last week on the margins of the UN General Assembly, announcing he was delivering the petition.

Indonesia's government says the petition is a hoax, but advocates for West Papuans say it reflects a real desire for a legitimate self-determination process. Johnny Blades reports.

Transcript

In New York, Benny Wenda carried a hefty compendium which he said bore signatures of 1.8 million West Papuans demanding an internationally supervised vote on independence.

It seeks West Papua's reinscription to the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation whom Mr Wenda said he gave notice of the petition to. However this was subsequently refuted by the committee's chair, Venezuela's representative to the UN, Rafael Ramirez.

"West Papua is not on the agenda, first of all. Secondly, in my capacity as a chair of the C24, I have not received nothing from any petitioner, that's not true. I'm a little bit concerned because some people are trying to use me as a propaganda."

Indonesian government spokespeople have described it as "impossible" that 1.8 million people could have signed the petition. However, a West Papua specialist from the University of Sydney Dr Jason MacLeod was asked to verify it.

"I looked at a representative sample of the petition, and contacted some of the people, a random selection of names, on those petitions. And I'm also satisfied that of the names I looked at, that I could track those down and get confirmation that people did sign the petition."

Dr MacLeod says the petition is a fair and accurate representation of the West Papuan people's will, and the UN needs to pay due attention.

The UN is under the spotlight because of its role in sanctioning the process which led to the transferral of sovereignty over Papua from the Dutch to Indonesia in the 1960s.

The International lawyer, Melinda Janki, has analysed the controversial plebiscite in which this process culminated – 1969's Act of Free Choice. She says West Papua has never exercised it's legal right to self-determination under international law, to international standards.

"All that has happened is that this tiny group of people were coerced into declaring that they wanted to remain with Indonesia. West Papuans really do understand that they have a right to self-determination and they intend to keep on demanding that they are given the same rights that everyone else has had. They're not asking for anything different."

However, Indonesia's UN representative, Triansyah Djani, who sits on the decolonisation committee, has called the petition a manipulation.

In response, Benny Wenda denied that the petition was a hoax, saying the real hoax was Indonesia's justification for its occupation of West Papua.

But Jakarta's influence ensures Papuans face an uphill battle if their incorporation into Indonesia is to be reviewed at the UN.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/201860852/indonesia-disputes-veracity-of-west-papuan-petition

Rough road ahead for powder keg Papua

Asia Times - October 2, 2017

John McBeth, Jakarta – As much as it will spark development in one of Indonesia's most remote regions, Papuan leaders are growing increasingly concerned over the social impact of the new Trans-Papua Highway that will open highland tribal areas for the first time.

Papua Peace Network coordinator Neles Terbay says nothing has prepared the tribes for the expected influx of migrants from other islands, who he claims now outnumber indigenous Papuans by as much as 60-40 across the once-roadless territory.

As many as 750,000 outsiders settled in mostly western Papua under the authoritarian Suharto regime's now-moribund transmigration program, but more recent arrivals have come on their own accord looking for new economic opportunities.

Terbay wants the issue to top the order of business when central government representatives and Papuan provincial and community leaders begin the first round of a new sectoral dialogue, recently endorsed by President Joko Widodo.

Initiated by the Papuans, it is designed to move the conversation away from difficult political issues that have stalled peace-making talks so far and focus instead on specific areas of concern, such as health, education and the environment.

The new approach stems from an August 14 meeting where 14 Papuan leaders told Widodo that something different was needed to get around suspicions among conservative elements in Jakarta that the talks would somehow lead to independence from Jakarta's rule.

Widodo, who has visited Papua five times since the beginning of his presidency in 2014, and was pictured only a few months ago touring part of the Trans-Papua road, has shown a keen interest in the latest effort to improve the troubled relationship.

But there are still questions over how the process will be implemented and sustained in a way that overcomes mistrust among defense and home affairs officials. "There will be no discussions about independence," says Tebay. "We will go nowhere otherwise."

The combined population of Papua and West Papua provinces is now estimated at 3.6 million, with 1.7 million listed as indigenous Papuans, the majority making up the 250 different tribal groups in the interior.

Up until now, migrants from mostly South Sulawesi and Java have settled in lowland areas, especially in West Papua's coastal towns, the Papua province capital of Jayapura, and around Timika, the logistical base of the Freeport mining operation on island's south coast.

But the main artery of the 4,325-kilometer Trans-Papua Highway, stretching from the coastal city of Sorong in the western Bird's Head region across the rugged Central Highlands to Merauke on the southeast coast, will change all that.

Public Works officials say the remaining 450 kilometers, much of it linking Wamena, the quasi-highland capital in the Baliem Valley, to the western and eastern ends of the road, is expected to be completed by election year in 2019. As ambitious as it seems, that would be another feather in the cap for Widodo, whose bid for re-election will be built largely on his reputation as the so-called 'Infrastructure President', a legacy his proponents claim will endure long beyond his presidency.

The Papua highway will bring a sharp reduction in the cost of fuel and other daily necessities to Papua's interior; a bag of cement in most remote towns, for example, currently costs 1.5 million rupiah, compared to 75,000 rupiah in Jayapura and 50,000 rupiah in Jakarta.

But it is the social cost that worries Papuan leaders. "Non-Papuans who understand trade and entrepreneurship will begin settling in the interior," warns Tebay. "Indigenous Papuans have to be prepared for that somehow, otherwise they will see it as a threat."

Last March, in an attack later claimed by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TNPPB), gunmen ambushed and killed four construction workers on a section of the highway in the mountainous district of Puncak Jaya, 120 kilometers northwest of Wamena.

More worrying, however, are potential religious and ethnic conflicts. In July 2015, one person died and 11 others were hurt in violence that broke out after local church leaders sought to forbid Muslims from celebrating Idul Fitri at the end of the Ramadan fasting month.

A subsequent report by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) found the incident in Tolikara, a district straddling the Trans-Papua highway east of Puncak Jaya, was not only a product of Papuan-migrant tensions, but also of "poor governance, poor policing, corruption and isolation."

Such a toxic mix does not bode well for the future when the road brings more newcomers into an area mostly populated by Western Dani, Protestant Christians who are also predominant in nearby Wamena and surrounding areas.

Social tensions haven't been helped by better-educated migrants getting most of the senior positions in the creation of new administrative regions, a process known as pemakaran which is more common in Papua than anywhere else in Indonesia.

Since 2000, the number of kabupaten, or districts, alone has grown from nine to 29 in Papua province and from three to 13 in West Papua, all done more to satisfy local political demands and gain access to funding than to improve the quality of administration.

Many of the new regions are in the highlands, where Tolikara is a standout. Although it has a population of only 140,000, the number of sub-districts have grown from four to a staggering 46. It is also claimed to have 549 villages, the highest of any district in Papua.

Ominously, IPAC director Sidney Jones believes the new influx of migrants could become a significant rallying point for the Wamena-based West Papua National Committee (KNPB), the domestic arm of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP).

Outlawed last year, the KNPB has evolved from a group of student activists into a mass organization committed to Papua's independence, which now appears to be receiving more funding from the diaspora who make up the increasingly-active ULMWP.

"There's a danger the government will be caught flat-footed in all this," says Jones, who has reported extensively on Papua. "The KPNB is a lot more focused and have been able to overcome the rivalries that previously existed between highland and lowland activists."

Source: http://www.atimes.com/article/rough-road-ahead-powder-keg-papua/

Human rights & justice

KontraS: 138 cases of human rights violation conducted by TNI

Tempo - October 4, 2017

Saifullah S., Jakarta – Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) recorded 138 cases of violence and human rights violation involving the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) occurred throughout 2016 to 2017.

Based on the data, KontraS Deputy Coordinator Puri Kencana Putri said that 15 people were dead, 124 injured, 63 were wrongfully detained, and 61 people endured other forms of losses.

Puri said that most of the violations happened during the year were 65 cases of abuse and 38 cases of intimidation. It occurred in North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and East Java.

Puri also revealed that there has been a drop in the number of violence and human rights violation since September 2016 up to August 2017. However, she presumes that the drop is caused by the victims that are afraid to report their cases to the authorities, or that it took place in rural regions that are far from law enforcement offices.

"The current trend is that victims will be handed financial compensation as an attempt to make them silent, even though [these practices] do not satisfy the victims," said the KontraS Deputy Coordinator.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/10/04/055912019/KontraS-138-Cases-of-Human-Rights-Violation-Conducted-by-TNI

Pki & anti-communism

Red scare still haunts Indonesia

Asia Times October 5, 2017

Erin Cook, Jakarta – A recent clash between protesters, counter-protesters and police at the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation offices in Central Jakarta was an unusually controversial beginning to a time of year typically known for anti-communist activism.

Left-wing activists had gathered at the offices on September 17 to protest police shutting down a discussion event aimed at dispelling myths about the country's 1965-66 nationwide massacre of communists and others planned for the previous day.

Rumors quickly spread over social media that the activists were sympathizers of the long-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), sparking a response among hardline rightist and Islamist groups which showed up to counterprotest.

The anniversary of the start of Indonesia's notorious 'September 30 Movement' purge, a year-long mass killing of alleged PKI sympathizers, ethnic Chinese and leftists spanning 1965-66, serves annually as a divisive reminder of one of the country's murkiest and most violent episodes.

The PKI, then among the world's largest communist parties with an estimated over two million members, was accused of plotting with six renegade military officers a failed coup against the country's army leadership of the time. The Suharto-led 'New Order' regime, which ruled with an iron fist for over three decades, rose to power in the event.

The nationwide massacres, where at least 500,000 and possibly as many as three million were killed, ranks among the worst mass murders of the 20th century and has never been adequately addressed by successive Indonesian governments.

The timing of this year's PKI fear-mongering rumors is no coincidence, as the political temperature rises in early anticipation of 2019 national elections.

Many suspect former military lieutenant general and Suhatro era minister Prabowo Subianto is a near certainty to challenge incumbent President Joko Widodo at the next polls. The 2014 race, which saw Widodo edge ahead of tightening polls to win with just over 53% of the vote, was tainted by rumors spread by Prabowo's camp that Widodo was raised by communists and of ethnic Chinese heritage.

Vannessa Hearman, a lecturer of Indonesian studies at the University of Sydney, said the rumors were reminiscent of New Order era accusations made for politically charged purposes. She said the campaign was partly responsible for closing the electoral gap in support between Prabowo and Widodo, leading to a much closer race than initially anticipated.

Those rumors have started to spread again, though arguably more quickly and widely than in 2014 with the recent fast uptake of social media and instant messaging applications. The messages are having enough of an impact that Widodo feels obliged to periodically disavow leftist ideology and criticize the long-defunct PKI.

"Don't let the PKI cruelty happen again, don't give room to ideologies that contravene Pancasila," Widodo said on September 29, as reported by the Jakarta Post.

Prabowo's courting of local and international media, as well as his prominence during Islamist demonstrations against Jakarta's ethnic Chinese ex-governor Basuki 'Ahok' Purnama this year, has observers convinced he is already on the campaign trail without officially announcing his candidacy.

Indonesia's military remains stridently anti-communist and Subianto has received endorsements from the right wing Indonesian Anti-Communist Front (FAKI). Analysts have suggested hardline elements are behind the re-emergence of anti-communist rhetoric, but are reticent to name names.

However, links have consistently been drawn between the current situation and the politicization of Purnama's blasphemy case by conservative Islamic groups believed to be connected to New Order era political and military leaders.

Cultural distrust of communism is supported by strong legislation aimed at suppressing leftist thought and activity. A decree issued in the wake of the 1965-66 killings is still in place that bans both the PKI and the dissemination of Marxist-Leninist thought.

Attempts to repeal the law, including by late president Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid, were fiercely resisted, including by the powerful popular Nahdlatul Ulama mass Muslim association, of which Gus Dur had once been the leader, based on fears the ideology would reemerge.

Widodo's election had offered brief hope to activists and survivors of the purge for reconciliation and closure after he pledged support to investigate past human rights abuses. While mayor of Solo in Central Java, Widodo had allowed demonstrations and gatherings by the 'Joint Secretariat', a group advocating for dialogue on the mass killings.

But a government-led symposium initiated by Widodo last April involving rights watchers, victim advocates and international observers failed to resolve outstanding questions and signaled a presidential official apology for the massacre is unlikely any time soon.

"It happens mostly because of the 2019 presidential election," Human Rights Watch's Indonesia researcher Andreas Harsono said. "The heat is already on for some politicians, but also military chief General Gatot Nurmantyo, in making paranoia to fuel criticism against President [Widodo]."

Anti-communist raids and arrests are still common but are often dismissed after the accused plead ignorant. Last May, police arrested the staff at a T-shirt store in South Jakarta's Blok M after reports emerged the shop had been selling clothing emblazoned with communist hammer and sickle iconography.

A brief investigation found the shirts were merchandise for German thrash metal band Kreator and the peddling vendors were unaware the hammer and sickle is related to communist imagery.

The incident highlighted the combination of lingering fears of support for the ideology within Indonesia, along with general miseducation and ignorance that has defined anti-communist sentiment ever since former president Suharto's authoritarian New Order regime.

"Communism is practically non-existent here, but the deeply entrenched anti-communist propaganda from the Suharto period is still alive," Harsono said. "Indonesians need more information about the 1965 mass killings and other rights abuses to stop paranoid politicians from exploiting them."

Indeed, much of the Suharto-era anti-communism propaganda has gone unchallenged by successive Indonesian leaders, obscuring the violent past and thwarting fact-finding missions as the generation of Indonesians who experienced the period firsthand starts to fade away without giving their testimony.

The early years of Suharto's New Order regime (1966-1998) were defined by fervent support for the founding ideology Pancasila, a philosophical national foundation of five principles that solidified military power within governance and perpetuated hardline anti-communism.

It remained a hallmark of Suharto's increasingly authoritarian regime, with the production of the 1984 propaganda film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI, a stark reminder that anti-communism underpinned at least part of Suharto's authority.

The film is screened annually in high schools and public places across the country coincident with the anniversary of the September 30 Movement. It controversially shows bloodthirsty PKI members mutilating murdered army generals in a supposed communist plot to undermine Indonesian statehood, but critics say fails to accurately depict the purge of leftists.

This year the three and a half hour film has proved more controversial than previously, with lawmakers complaining it is too violent for children while academics and activists dispute its accuracy. Movie fans on social media have slammed it for its raw 1980s production value.

Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy recently responded to a directive from the local government of Padang, West Sumatra, to screen the film for elementary and junior school children, saying that children should be accompanied by parents if they must view it.

Supporters of the film and its rightist narrative want the message to continue to be spread far and wide. Among them are Suharto's youngest son, Hutomo 'Tommy' Mandala Putra, who recently weighed in on the debate by insisting the film accurately depicts the still historically contested coup attempt.

"The tragedy is complex and the legacy of New Order propaganda continues to preserve the stigma against communism and consequently against the victims and survivors of the 1965-1966 anti-Communist killings," said Prodita Sabarini, one of the founders behind Ingat 65, a blog for young Indonesians to share reflections on the conflict.

Sabarini pointed to a recent study published by the Jakarta-based Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting, a research outfit, which found 86.8% of Indonesians do not see communism as a threat, suggesting the decades-long utilization of the conflict for political purposes has lost its resonance.

"I think the young people of Indonesia are starting to find out about what happened in 1965 and realizing that the stigma against communism is part of the New Order's propaganda to legitimize their grip on power for three decades," she said.

Source: http://www.atimes.com/article/red-scare-still-grips-indonesia/

Prabowo denies his party is whipping up red scare

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2017

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Gerindra Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto has claimed he had nothing to do with the renewed anti-communist hysteria in the country.

The former presidential candidate played down a suggestion made by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) that fears of an imminent revival of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was "mobilized" by his supporters.

"I don't know. There is no such thing," Prabowo said in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, (NTB) on Sunday as quoted by Antaranews.com. "I never gave instruction [to spread the PKI issue]," he said.

The SMRC survey, released Friday, shows that only 13 percent of 1,220 respondents believed Indonesia was facing a communist revival. Most of them (about 76 percent) voted for the Prabowo-Hatta Rajasa pair in the 2014 presidential election, and are supporters of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Gerindra and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which Jokowi is a member, previously accused the opposition of using anti-PKI sentiments to hurt its electability ahead of the 2019 legislative elections.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) predicted that the PDI-P would win the election if it were held today. (ary)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/02/prabowo-denies-his-party-is-whipping-up-red-scare.html

In time, we will all be communists

Mojok - October 2, 2017

Dandhy Dwi Laksono – As in the case of the song "Genjer-Genjer" which was composed by M. Arief, the song "Garuda Pancasila" was also written by an artist from the People's Cultural Institute (Lekra). His name was Sudharnoto.

Because the military and Suharto's New Order regime deemed Lekra as being the same as the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), Sudharnoto, who once worked at Radio Republic Indonesia (RRI) in Jakarta was later hunted down and jailed. After being released from prison in 1968-1969 he worked as an ice street vendor and a taxi driver. He was indeed a little more fortunate than M. Arief who disappeared following the September 30, 1965 affair.

In the eyes of the New Order, Arief's crime was absolutely fatal: composing "Genjer-Genjer" in 1942, which was written in the context of the people's suffering following the Japanese invasion and then having the song promoted by PKI deputy Lukman Njoto who was visiting Banyuwangi. But what then was the relationship with Arief as the composer of a song? There was none. A characteristic of fascists is that they don't need a sensible reason for anything.

In September, the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI), which have historically defended all groups and ideologies (including hard-line Islamic groups), was slandered as a "nest of PKI" and attacked by an anti-communist mob.

The Farmers Monument (Tugu Tani) in Central Jakarta, a symbol of mass mobilisation to retake West Papua from the Dutch, has also been cited as a PKI symbol.

Karl Marx's book Capital which contains the basic ideas of communism has even been accused of "teaching the younger generation to become capitalists".

Just because they both have beards, a picture of Mikhail Bakunin printed on a red T-shirt and worn by one of the participants at the LBH seminar was assumed to be that of Karl Marx and seen as proof that communists were present at the seminar. Yet Bakunin was an opponent of (state) communism in the Soviet Union which he saw as being just as oppressive as capitalism.

Fascist groups who wrap their identity in religion garb even insist on calling President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo a communist even though his policies and development projects are in fact very pro-capitalist and have created conflicts with ordinary people all over the country: the Jakarta Bay reclamation project, the 1 million hectare rice plantation project in Papua which will be managed by private companies (not the people) or the coal fired power plants (PLTU) and dams which do not reflect ecological justice. These groups don't want to know and don't care.

They continue to claim that Jokowi and the Palace support the revival of the PKI. Yet Widodo is not appropriating land and redistributing it to the peasants like the PKI or its affiliated Indonesian Peasants Front (BTI). He's just handing out land certificates which clearly strengthen private ownership of land. This is far removed from idea of land as a source of production that should be controlled communally.

And through this certification process, privately owned land can more easily be purchased and controlled by capital, as in the case of the Sunda Wiwitan community in Kuningan, West Java. This is quite different from the land at Baduy Dalam or Tenganan Pegringsingan in Karangasem which cannot be bought or sold to resort or hotel developers because it belongs to the traditional community.

But Widodo continues to be called PKI. The same goes for his political party the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which historically is a fusion of nationalist parties like Sukarno's Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) and non-Islamic religious parties.

Although historically there was an intense conflict between the PNI and the PKI (as reflected in frequent and sharp polemics in the newspapers Suluh Indonesia owned by the PNI and the People's Daily owned by the PKI), these ahistorical groups do not of course care about this.

The PDI-P is accused as being the same as the communists. Yet its claims to be Marhaenist are a best half-hearted. Leading figures such as Ganjar Pranowo in Central java are more concerned with defending cement factories than farmers like 'Pak Marhaen' who are defending their water sources for the irrigation of their small plots of rice paddy.

The PDI-P even supported former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama whose development policies resulted in mass evictions of the poor, even employing the military for this. Ahok himself is a government official who was quick to refer to residents of the Waduk Pluit reservoir area as "communists" because they were occupying "state land".

For groups such as those that took part in the anti-communist rally in Jakarta called the "299 Action", none of this is important or relevant.

They're in bed with the generals and retired TNI (Indonesian military) officers who yearn for the great days of the New Order regime and the dual military and political function of ABRI (as the TNI was then called).

Officers who could carry a baton but also sit in government as officials in charge of national and regional budgets. Who could mobilise troops but also sit in the House of Representatives (DPR) and take part in drafting laws. Who could wear a beret and military uniform but also sit as commissioners on state-owned and private companies.

Who wouldn't miss those days? And the cheapest and easiest way to recreate this is by garnering anti-communist sentiment wrapped in religious garb. So, everyone has to be labeled PKI. And in time, everyone will be PKI.

Yet it is they who are really the PKI: Penduduk Kurang Informasi (The Poorly Informed Populace).

Notes

1. The Javanese folk song Genjer-Genjer, which tells the story of the genjer (lettuce) plant that gained popularity during times of extreme poverty due to its abundance amid high food prices, is associated with the PKI affiliated women's organisation Gerwani or Women's Movement which was banned and then demonised by the Suharto's New Order dictatorship following the 1965 anti-communist purge.

2. The People's Cultural Instituted (Lekra), whose members included celebrated revolutionary author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, was an association of left-wing writers, artists and literary critics affiliated with the PKI that was banned by the Suharto dictatorship following the 1965 anti-communist purge.

3. The term Marhaenism (Marhaenisme) was coined by Sukarno, the founding president of Indonesia. It was derived from the name of a poor farmer, Marhaen, who Sukarno is reputed to have met in the Priangan highlands near Bogor, West Java – a "wong cilik" or "little person" who owned their own means of production but did not become an evil capitalist (ie petty bourgeois).

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Semua Akan PKI pada Waktunya".]

Source: https://mojok.co/dandhy-dwi-laksono/esai/semua-pki/

Don't give communism a foothold: Jokowi

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2017

Jakarta – After attending a public screening of the movie Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI (The Treachery of G30S/PKI) in Bogor, West Java, on Friday, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo addressed the nation on Sunday, stating that his administration would never allow communism to flourish in the country.

Jokowi, who has been repeatedly accused of being a communist sympathizer by his opponents, said the 1966 Temporary People's Consultative Assembly Decree (TAP MPRS) on the disbandment of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) clearly stated that communism was banned in the country.

"Our commitment, my commitment, the government's commitment is clear [...] the PKI is banned," he told reporters after leading the ceremony commemorating Pancasila Sanctity Day in Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, on Sunday.

Jokowi called on the people to hold on to Pancasila to maintain unity. "Don't let the PKI cruelty happen again. Don't give room to ideologies that contravene Pancasila. Don't give room to the PKI," he said.

An anticommunist frenzy has swept the country ahead of the annual commemoration of a failed coup attempt on Sept. 30 in 1965, which was blamed on the PKI and was then used as a pretext for the killings of about 500,000 people accused of being linked to the communist party.

Analysts have said certain parties might have deliberately stoked the anti-PKI sentiment to attack Jokowi and gain political support ahead of the 2019 presidential election. (ary)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/01/dont-give-communism-a-foothold-jokowi.html

Beware the red peril: Indonesia still fighting ghosts of communism

The Guardian - October 1, 2017

Kate Lamb, Bali – Beware the evil communists, warn fearful hoax messages spreading on WhatsApp. Should people come to your village offering free blood tests, they are really trying to infect you with HIV.

In some circles in Indonesia it is like the cold war never ended. Even the military is on board with a paranoid campaign against the old red peril.

This month the Indonesian army announced the Suharto-era propaganda film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI, or "Betrayal of the Communists", would be screened across the country.

In the lead-up to 30 September, the anniversary of a failed 1965 coup that was blamed on Indonesia's then communist party, the army said the screenings were crucial to ensure people understood the "correct" version of history.

The epic 1984 propaganda film, which depicts communists as violent savages, is being played in villages, mosques and to the military. During the Suharto era it was mandatory viewing – aired on state television every 30 September until his downfall in 1998.

As part of this latest offensive the military has also issued an internal memo to its troops to restrict screenings of Joshua Oppenheimer's 2014 documentary film The Look of Silence. That film depicts a rather different version of events – one that explores the violence of the Indonesian state.

According to historians, in 1965-1966 Islamic youth and paramilitary groups with military backing massacred between 500,000 and one million suspected communists across the country.

More than half a century later that bloody purge remains deeply sensitive. No one has ever been held to account. It is why the military is attempting to limit Oppenheimer's film, and why the ghosts of communism continue to be dredged up even though the ideology has been outlawed here since 1966.

"It is this peculiar situation in that communism has been exterminated, has been extinct in Indonesia since 1965, and yet it is a country in which communism never really died," says Oppenheimer of recent events. "They are stuck in evoking or conjuring the spectre of communism to keep people silent and afraid."

Back in 1965, a time when the "domino theory" on the global spread of communism loomed large, Indonesia's Communist party (PKI) was the third-largest of its kind in the world. This time 52 years ago, a group calling themselves the 30th September Movement kidnapped and murdered six generals. Blamed on the communists, the event led to the rise of Indonesia's strongman ruler Suharto and the mass bloodletting that ensued.

Each year there are incidents that expose Indonesia's ongoing communist phobia – the arrest, for example, of unaware tourists detained for wearing T-shirts with the hammer and sickle logo.

But the anti-communist paranoia has surged significantly in the past month. Behind it, say analysts, is the military jockeying for political gain in the lead up to the 2019 presidential election.

"The military always tries to paint themselves as politically neutral," explains Yohanes Sulaiman, a lecturer at General Achmad Yani University in Bandung of the decision to run the public screenings. "But now you have the head of the military basically politicising everything."

The public screenings this year have also coincided with attacks against purported communists. In the past month a planned seminar about 1965 at Jakarta's Legal Aid Institute was met with violent protests by hardliners and rent-a-thugs. This week a group established to collect and share stories from 1965 was branded "communist" on social media sites.

And at a rally in the capital on Friday thousands of protestors gathered at the gates of the parliament to decry a "communist revival".

Evoking the threat of threat of communism to instil fear has proven very effective in Indonesia in the past, notes Yosef Djakababa, a history lecturer and director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies Indonesia.

"It forces citizens to seek protection from an institution that can be seen as capable of protecting them," he argues. "In the past it was the military that has proven, through this narrative, that they are ones that are able to protect the country from communism."

In Indonesia communist ties are still a kind of political kryptonite. A smear campaign that falsely branded then-candidate Joko Widodo as a communist and ethnic Chinese almost cost him the 2014 presidential election.

Last year a government-organised symposium on the events of 1965 gave some hope the government might finally be ready to face its ugly past. But the momentum to officially acknowledge past rights abuses appears to have lost steam.

Even when in recent weeks the president suggested the Suharto-era propaganda film be "updated" for millennials, he was quickly shot down. His coordinating security minister quickly clarified, saying the president did not mean the film's overall message, the anti-communist narrative, should be changed.

In any case it seems most Indonesian millennials – who have not been forced to watch the film every year – don't think about communism much at all. Judging by his students, lecturer Djakababa says many in his class can't understand why people would "kill each other over ideas".

"They can understand that people can kill each other if they fight over resources, like oil for example, energy," he says, "But for ideology, communism. What is communism?"

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/01/beware-the-red-peril-indonesia-still-fighting-ghosts-of-communism

Labour & migrant workers

Indonesia's skilled-labor shortage hinders foreign investment: Business

Jakarta Globe - October 4, 2017

Jakarta – Anders Wickberg, Business Sweden trade commissioner to Indonesia, said an unreliable regulatory climate, lack of skilled labor and inadequate infrastructure are some of the obstacles hampering Swedish investment in the archipelago.

"New laws are introduced very fast, sometimes without the companies having the chance to adapt. This influences imports and exports, especially when the companies are trying to establish [themselves] here," Wickberg said during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (03/10).

As the Swedish investment model not only seeks to export goods but also to establish companies in the target market, Wickberg said the lack of skilled labor in Indonesia often presents a challenge to businesses wishing to come to Indonesia.

"We believe foreign direct investment, especially from Sweden, will increase a lot of if there is more skilled Indonesian labor," Wickberg said.

Business Sweden is an organization jointly owned by the Swedish government and representatives of the country's business community.

Wickberg said Indonesian-Swedish cooperation in higher education has played an important role in facilitating the growth and expansion of Swedish businesses in the archipelago.

"There are many Swedish companies that want to grow and invest in Indonesia, and in order to do so, you need skilled labor, proper training and proper education for the population. We see great progress in that," Wickberg said.

Technology, Research and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir and his Swedish counterpart, Helene Hellmark Knutsson, are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on higher education, research and technology on Wednesday.

The MoU will seek to expand the possibilities of joint research between the two countries, while also strengthening cooperation in training, exchanges and capacity-building.

Relations between the two countries' private sectors will also be strengthened through the Indonesia-Sweden Executive Forum (ISEF) as business leaders from Sweden and Indonesia meet to discuss infrastructure, digitalization, health care and skills development.

Wickberg said the next year will see an increase in activities and dialogs through planned working groups and seminars between businesses.

"We will nourish this relationship and really take them to the next level," Wickberg added.

Urban transportation and smart-city roadshow

Business Sweden plans to take Swedish companies on a roadshow around Indonesia in November, following the visit of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia in May.

The program aims to open discussions with Indonesian stakeholders and give them an opportunity to showcase Swedish solutions on smart cities, technologies and urban transportation.

"This will be the first concrete deliverables and actions from the discussions we had when the king was here in May, on the issue of infrastructure – how can we work together to bring more investment and jobs to Indonesia," Wickberg said.

The roadshow will take place in several cities, including Jakarta, Bandung (West Java) and Makassar (South Sulawesi).

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesias-skilled-labor-shortage-hinders-foreign-investment-business-sweden/

Kadin calls for revision of Manpower Law

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2017

Stefani Ribka, Jakarta – Indonesia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has called on the government to revise the 2003 Manpower Law, saying that the law has become a target of complaints by investors.

"We need to review Law No. 13 [on manpower] because this has become the main target of complaints by both Indonesian and foreign investors," said Kadin chairman Roslan Roeslani in his closing remarks of the 2017 National Coordination Meeting of Kadin in Jakarta on Tuesday evening.

The law, he said, was outdated given the advanced digital business climate and it did not increase productivity.

He further suggested that the government revise the law and give full authority to special economic zone operators to formulate a better wage structure.

"Full autonomy for special economic zones in formulating labors incentives will help the central government sync its policies," Roslan said.

Special economic zones are spread across the archipelago, comprising factories and firms in various sectors in an integrated concept with ports, industrial facilities and other infrastructure. The zones are managed by regional governments, private firms or mixed management.

In addition to manpower management, Kadin suggests that the zones add a special division to help investors acquire building permits. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/04/kadin-calls-for-revision-of-manpower-law.html

Political parties & elections

KPU must stay impartial in verifying parties: Election watchdog

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Election watchdog the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) has warned the General Elections Commission (KPU) to show professionalism and act without discrimination in deciding which political parties can stand in the 2019 legislative election.

The KPU has recently announced that registration for the legislative election begins on Tuesday and will remain open until Oct. 16. During the two-week period, political parties must submit numerous papers, including documents that prove parties' membership at the regional level.

The KPU will later run a "factual verification" to determine whether or not a party is eligible to run in the election.

"We do hope the KPU can carry out its work in a professional manner while upholding a principle of independence in line with the prevailing laws," Perludem head Titi Anggraini said. "It is important to treat all parties without discrimination during the verification process."

Perludem has found numerous indications that some KPU offices at the regional level had treated different candidates differently in past regional elections (Pilkada), for example, when they gave certain candidates the chance to to fix their application, but denied others.

Some election observers and newly established small parties, like the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), have raised concerns about the requirements in the newly enacted election law, particularly since the law only requires new parties to undergo the KPU factual verification.

In August, the PSI sought a judicial review of the law in the Constitutional Court, saying that the law discriminated against newly established parties. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/kpu-must-stay-impartial-in-verifying-parties-election-watchdog.html

Jokowi accuses rivals of creating rumors about decline in purchasing

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2017

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has accused rival politicians of spreading rumors about declining consumer purchasing power as part of their strategy to win the legislative and presidential elections in 2019.

"If businesspeople talk about it, I will talk to them, but if politicians do so, it means it is their task to create rumors for the 2019 [elections]," said Jokowi when speaking at the national coordination meeting of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by tribunnews.com.

The debate on declining consumer purchasing power began when retailers complained about an insignificant increase in sales prior to Idul Fitri in June, which is usually the peak sales season, particularly for fashion and other consumer goods.

Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani said in June that sales of batik products, for instance, dropped 20 percent from last year's Idul Fitri.

Local retail firm Matahari department store announced last month that it would close its Mangarai and Blok M locations- both in South Jakarta – because of declining sales.

The government denied the decrease in sales was an indication of declining consumer purchasing power, arguing that people had shifted to online marketplaces.

"If there are shops that closed, it means they were unable to adapt to the [online] era," Jokowi said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/04/jokowi-accuses-rivals-of-creating-rumors-about-declining-consumer-purchasing-power.html

I'm tired of Jakarta elites: Prabowo

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2017

Jakarta – Chief patron of the Gerindra Party Prabowo Subianto has said he no longer wants to rub shoulders with political elites in Jakarta given their predilection for lies.

"I am done with them. The Jakarta elite, I am sorry to say this, is beyond repair," Prabowo said at a rally to announce a ticket to compete in the 2018 gubernatorial election in West Nusa Tenggara on Monday.

Prabowo also said he had grown tired of the behaviors of political bigwigs in the capital. "They only give you fake smiles, not like yours. You have real smiles, ones that comes from the heart," Prabowo told his supporters as quoted by kompas.com.

Prabowo, who lost the 2014 presidential election to then Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and is expected to run in the 2019 presidential election, also said he preferred to spend his time at home rather than attending parties held by elites.

In April this year, ahead of the runoff to the Jakarta Gubernatorial election, Prabowo gathered a number of party elites and several political figures at his private residence in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta

Several prominent figures who joined him at the dinner table included National Mandate Party (PAN) senior politician Amien Rais, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Sohibul Iman, former coordinating economic minister Kwik Kian Gie and Betawi figure Ridwan Saidi.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/02/im-tired-of-jakarta-elites-prabowo.html

New youth party urges Indonesian youngsters to get political

Jakarta Globe - October 2, 2017

Jakarta – Former TV presenter Grace Natalie, now the chairwoman of Indonesian Solidarity Party, or PSI, a new political party established after the 2014 Indonesian presidential election, is urging young people in the country to enter politics and change the country's stagnant political landscape.

"We invite young, highly-principled Indonesians to help improve this country by joining our political party," Grace, a former TV One news anchor, said during a discussion at Balai Kartini in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Saturday (30/09).

The event carried the theme "The Future of Indonesian Political Scene" and featured Mohammad Guntur Romli, an activict from the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) and Nahdlatul Ulama – Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, and Rian Ernest Tanudjadja, a former legal staff of ex-Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is now serving a two-year sentence for blasphemy against Islam.

Both Guntur and Rian were members of the Ahok-Djarot campaign team in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election and have signed up with PSI to become the party's legislative candidates in the 2019 general election.

Grace said it is only through a political party that young Indonesians can rise to power by snaring the youth votes and securing parliamentary seats in the election. "It's time for young people to make a breakthrough and create policies that benefit the Indonesian people," Grace said.

She said politicians play an important role in building the country, since they are the ones who can change and create policies. They also indirectly control state finances, since once in power they will employ their colleagues in the government, who will have to make sure that state funds are not corrupted.

"One of the main reasons I decided to become a politician is because I've seen how the existing political parties work," Grace said.

Indonesian politics has allowed too many people for too long to seek power for their own interests, and not to serve the interests of the people, she added.

Guntur said the Jakarta gubernatorial election earlier this year showed that some political groups had succeeded in pushing their own agenda by claiming it represented the interests of the majority of Indonesians.

Instead of promoting unity and nationalism during the election campaign, these groups unashamedly played the race, religion and ethnicity card – known by its acronym SARA.

Guntur said he does not want seats in the parliament be filled by these groups of people in 2019.

"Do not let Indonesia fall into the hands of people who want to change what our founding fathers have worked so hard to achieve," Guntur added.

During the Balai Kartini event, PSI also organized "Patungan Rakyat Akbar," a fundraising for the party, that has said one of its goals is to fight corruption, collusion and nepotism, or KKN – the three deadly sins of Indonesian politics.

Every participant of the discussion on Saturday donated Rp 250,000 ($18) to PSI.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/new-youth-party-urges-indonesian-youngsters-get-political/

Blasphemy & hate speech

Police grill suspected Saracen treasurers

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Gemma Holliani Cahya, Jakarta – The National Police have stepped up efforts to reveal the source of funding for the Saracen group, an online syndicate accused of creating and spreading fake news and hate speech for money.

The National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) investigators questioned on Thursday two witnesses identified as Riandini and Dwiyani, who reportedly acted as the group's treasurers.

Investigators also summoned Mirda alias Retno, who is also believed to be Saracen's treasurer, for questioning on Wednesday.

"The investigators will continue to dig for information from those who can explain Saracen's flow of funding," National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul said on Thursday.

The police are teaming up with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) to investigate at least 14 bank accounts allegedly used in the Saracen campaign.

The group members have reportedly earned up to Rp 72 million (US$5,349) for spreading fake news and hate speech online, including those that are believed to have fueled sectarianism during the Jakarta gubernatorial election in February. At least 800,000 social media accounts have been linked to the group.

Four members of the syndicate have been arrested. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/police-grill-suspected-saracen-treasurers.html

Prosecutors seek two years for Buni Yani

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2017

Arya Dipa, Bandung – Prosecutors at Bandung District Court want Buni Yani to be jailed for two years and fined Rp 100 million (US$7,384). He is currently on trial for allegedly spreading hate speech.

Buni allegedly edited a video in which former Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama warned Thousand Islands regency residents about parties using Quranic verses for political gain.

The video caused an uproar and resulted in Ahok, a strong contender for the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial elections, being found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison on May 9 for defaming Islam.

Prosecutor Andi M. Taufik said Buni had violated Article 32 of the 2011 Information and Electronic Transactions Law or Cyber Law.

"We demand that the judges find him guilty of violating the ITE Law for adding, reducing or eliminating other people's electronic documents," Andi said on Tuesday.

In response, Buni asked the judges, led by Presiding Judge M. Saptono, to give him two weeks to prepare his defense plea. "The demands are heavy, so in accordance with the demands, I wish to have two weeks for my defense plea," he said.

The panel of judges agreed to his request. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/03/prosecutors-seek-two-years-for-buni-yani.html

Nationalism & state ideology

President Jokowi leads commemoration of Pancasila Sanctity Day

Antara News - October 1, 2017

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) presided over a ceremony to mark Pancasila Sanctity Day here on Saturday morning.

The ceremony held at Sanctity of Pancasila Monument in Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, began at 8am. The event was also attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla and cabinet ministers.

The chairman of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), Osman Sapta Odang, read the text of Pancasila, which is the state ideology, while the text of the preamble of the 1945 Constitution was read by the chairman of the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR), Zulkifli Hasan.

Brigadier General AAB Maliogha acted as ceremony officer while police senior commissioner Ady Eibowo as ceremony leader.

Deputy House Speaker Fahri Hamzah read and signed a declaration while religious affairs ministet Lukman Hakim Saifuddin led a prayer.

Solemn ceremony is annually organized to mark Pancasila Sanctity Day at the Sanctity of Pancasila Monument which stands on the place of the pit of a well called Lubang Buaya, where the bodies of dead senior officers were recovered the next day after the failed coup attempt by the Indonesia Communist Party (PKI) on September 30, 1965 known as G30S/PKI movement.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/112874/president-jokowi-leads-commemoration-of-pancasila-sanctity-day

Surveys & opinion polls

Jokowi could beat Prabowo again: Survey

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Safrin La Batu and Gemma Holliani Cahya, Jakarta – If the election was held today, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo would easily beat his rival, Prabowo Subianto, again, according to a recent survey.

A survey by the Jakarta-based Saiful Mujani Research Institute (SMRC), released on Thursday, revealed that 38.9 percent of its 1,057 respondents would still vote for the former Jakarta governor. The study was held from Sept. 3 to 10 in all provinces in the country.

Prabowo, Jokowi's rival in the 2014 presidential race, has to work hard to beat Jokowi, with only 12 percent of the respondents saying they would vote the former military general.

The third most-electable candidate in the survey was Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Jokowi's predecessor, who is no longer eligible to run for president because he held the position for two terms, from 2004 to 2014.

"The support [for Jokowi] is very solid and hard to sway. Other names were not strong enough," SMRC executive director Djayadi Hanan told reporters during the release of the study.

Although Jokowi's electability rating was the highest among other names, the majority of the respondents had not decided or would not say who they would vote for. At least 41.9 percent of the respondents were in this category.

Jokowi's performance might have contributed to his strong electability, the SMRC said. At least 60 percent of the respondents said they were satisfied with what Jokowi and his administration had done.

In economy and family welfare, for example, 41.5 percent of the respondents said they felt their situation had improved, 32.3 percent said there had been no change and 19.78 percent said their situation had worsened. (ary)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/jokowi-could-beat-prabowo-again-survey.html

Environment & natural disasters

At Least 1,300 evacuated, 380 homes damaged in West Java landslides

Jakarta Globe - October 4, 2017

Jakarta – At least 1,300 residents have been evacuated and 380 homes damaged after landslides hit villages in the West Java district of Cianjur last weekend, an official said on Tuesday (03/10). No casualties were reported.

Cianjur administration on Sunday declared a week-long state of emergency in the area. The landslides also damaged three schools, 14 mosques, three irrigation channels and roads in five villages.

Local administration officials, security officers and volunteers are working together to provide food and shelters for the evacuees, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said in a statement.

He said further landslides are expected if heavy rains and strong winds batter the area again during the transition period from dry to wet season in November.

Landslides have claimed the largest number of casualties compared to other natural disasters in Indonesia between 2014 and 2016, according to the BNPB.

Last year, nearly 350 landslides were recorded, killing 130 people, injuring at least 63 and forcing more than 18,000 to be evacuated.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/least-1300-evacuated-380-homes-damaged-west-java-landslides/

Health & education

Parents still believe hoaxes about measles, rubella vaccines: Councillor

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Jakarta – Fake news about the ingredients of measles-rubella vaccines have resulted in many parents refusing to let their children be vaccinated against the infectious diseases, a City Council member has said.

Secretary of the council's Commission E, which oversees health issues, Veri Yonnevil, said many parents believed the fake news claiming the vaccine was haram and could cause infertility.

"The vaccine is safe, halal. The hoaxes are misleading, yet believed by residents," Veri said Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

The Jakarta Health Agency should raise public awareness about the benefits of being vaccinated, Veri said.

"The health officers in community health centers [Puskesmas] and subdistricts should go to the residents [and tell them about the importance of vaccines]," he said.

Agency head Koesmedi Priharto said as of Oct. 3, 200,000 children in Jakarta had not been vaccinated against measles and rubella.

However, the number was expected to significantly decrease, as the agency was attempting to provide vaccinations to children aged 9 months to 15 years old, he said. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/parents-still-believe-hoaxes-about-measles-rubella-vaccines-councillor.html

Contaminated alcohol in Indonesia is killing hundreds of people each

Asia Correspondent - October 4, 2017

Aisyah Llewellyn – If you walk around nightlife spots in Indonesia like Jalan Legian in Bali, you'll see the signs. They offer you "vodka and coke" for as little as IDR15,000 (US$1.10); free spirit-based cocktails for ladies; or 2-for-1 promotions on mixed drinks.

How is this possible in a country where the tax on alcohol is currently set at 150 percent? It isn't.

And the "vodka", "gin" or "whisky" on the advertisements will almost certainly be arak. In its most basic form, arak is a traditional liquor made from coconut palm, sugarcane or rice, which has been enjoyed in Indonesia for centuries.

But many visitors to the archipelago don't realise that arak has been linked to a spate of alcohol-related incidents in recent years, some of which have resulted in the deaths of Indonesians and tourists alike due to methanol poisoning.

Methanol is naturally produced during the fermentation process in alcoholic drinks and presents as a colorless and odorless liquid. But as little as 30ml of methanol can kill you. In most distilling processes, the alcohol product is heated and the methanol is burned off, making the resulting liquor safe to drink.

In recent years, due to the increasing demand for cheap drinks; the high tax making real alcohol unavailable to many; and the willingness of local businesses to lower costs, this process has been increasingly eschewed, meaning that methanol is often still present in the finished bottle of arak.

The resulting figures make for uncomfortable reading. According to a report by the Centre for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), "Nationwide, 487 people died from illegal alcohol poisoning between 2013 and 2016 – a 226 percent increase over figures from 2008 to 2012."

There have also been reported deaths of tourists not only in Bali, but also on the Gili Islands in Lombok and in Bukit Lawang in North Sumatra, making methanol poisoning a countrywide issue in Indonesia.

The official figures should also be considered conservative estimates, as many local and tourist deaths are often misdiagnosed and attributed to alcohol poisoning. One of the main problems comes when an individual seeks treatment for methanol poisoning and is then often incorrectly treated for excessive alcohol consumption.

To add to the confusion, there have even been reports (perhaps due to Indonesia's contentious relationship with alcohol) of deaths being blamed on demons or as punishment for ingesting "forbidden" drinks.

So what is the Indonesian government doing about the problem? Not much.

If anything, methanol poisoning has become even more widespread thanks to the new law that was passed in 2015 that prohibited alcohol being sold in the majority of mini markets across Indonesia. This was the brainchild of the then trade minister Rachmat Gobel, who claimed that alcohol was corrupting Indonesian youth.

Unfortunately, in making alcohol more difficult to purchase, the law has also made it more dangerous, something that was foreseen by the former governor of Jakarta, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who expressed concern that "the ban could encourage the illegal sale of alcoholic beverages in the city".

His prophecy was absolutely right as Indonesians, unable to purchase alcoholic drinks in mini markets, have had to turn to unlicensed "bottle shops". The alcohol sold in these shops, which is often known as "miras oplosan", is not regulated and could therefore contain lethal amounts of methanol.

In their report, the Centre for Indonesian Policy Studies echoed the conclusion that the ban has been a complete failure: "Our research in six Indonesian cities confirmed that, instead of curbing the desire for intoxication, prohibition facilitates the growth of black markets, a case especially evident in areas with partial prohibition that limits the distribution of alcohol to particular zones."

Where the Indonesian government has failed to tackle the problems surrounding bootleg liquor however, two families of the victims of methanol poisoning have started campaigns to educate tourists about the dangers.

The first of these is LIAM – Lifesaving Initiatives About Methanol which was founded by Lhani Davies when her son Liam, an Australian national, died after drinking vodka that contained methanol on the island of Gili Trawangan in 2013.

The charitable fund now works to train medical staff in Indonesia on how to recognise methanol poisoning and treat victims, and also campaigns to warn tourists about fake alcohol.

Another initiative is the CHEZ – Save a Life Campaign which was started by the Emmons family from the United Kingdom. The campaign was founded in memory of their daughter and sister Cheznye Emmons who died in 2013 after drinking contaminated gin in Bukit Lawang in Sumatra.

The family spreads awareness of the risks of drinking illicit alcohol through their charity events, poster campaign and Facebook page.

These campaigns are now gaining traction with tourists to Bali, but methanol poisoning still kills on a regular basis across Indonesia due to the continued lack of awareness of both victims and medical staff.

For individuals with suspected methanol poisoning, it is imperative to seek medical attention immediately, crucially in a facility that is able to provide haemodialysis, which will remove methanol from the system.

Many consumers, however, don't realise that they have been the victims of methanol poisoning before it is too late. There is no way to detect methanol in drinks by taste or smell alone, and the initial symptoms often look similar to those of a hangover.

Headaches, abdominal pain, sensitivity to light, nausea and loss of appetite are common initially, but one of the key differentiating symptoms of methanol poisoning is blurred vision, caused as the methanol begins to attack the nervous system.

The timing is also critical, as the symptoms of methanol poisoning typically take 12-24 hours to manifest, and if consumers have been drinking over a long period then they may often be asleep or still intoxicated.

So how can visitors avoid methanol poisoning in Indonesia? Unfortunately, due to the lack of government action in clamping down on illicit alcohol manufacturers, consumers are pretty much on their own. The only real way to guard against methanol poisoning is to either stick to beer or drink duty-free spirits imported from abroad.

Another important factor, like it or not, is the realisation that it would be impossible for Indonesian bars and clubs to make a profit on selling IDR15,000 (US$1.10) drinks if they use imported, licensed spirits. It's bad news for backpackers on a budget, but if you want to avoid fake alcohol that could kill you, then the old adage applies.

If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is.

[This piece was originally published on our sister website Travel Wire Asia.]

Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/10/contaminated-alcohol-indonesia-killing-hundreds-people-year/

Tertiary education & campus life

Academic community to pledge war on radical ideologies

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Safrin La Batu, Jakarta – Wary about the spread of radical and intolerant ideologies on campuses, students and lecturers from universities nationwide are set to make a simultaneous declaration against radical ideologies on Youth Pledge Day on Oct. 28.

The declarations will be made simultaneously at universities in all 34 provinces. Around 4.5 million students, lecturers and academicians will take part in the event, according to the organizing committee.

"This movement is aimed at revitalizing the younger generation's commitment to be a constructive element of this nation," HM Shirozi, the rector of Raden Fatah Islamic State University in Palembang, South Sumatra, said on Thursday.

"We want to emphasize that universities and the academic community support national unity. And we are against radicalism," he added.

The government has declared a war on radical ideologies deemed to be against the state ideology of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issued in July a regulation in lieu of law granting his administration to disband radical organizations without due process.

The first organization banned by the government was Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), which had fought for the creation of a transnational Islamic caliphate.

Shirozi said the declaration would be followed up with measures to tackle the spread of radicalism in universities, however he said such move would be made independently by each university.

Jokowi met with some 3,000 university leaders in Bali on Sept. 25, on the occasion of which they shared issues related to radical and intolerant ideologies. (ary)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/academic-community-to-pledge-war-on-radical-ideologies.html

LGBT & same-sex marriage

Indonesia police raid 'gay spa', dozens arrested

Reuters - October 8, 2017

Jakarta – Indonesian police detained 51 men including several foreigners in a raid on what authorities described as a "gay spa" in Jakarta late on Friday, and some could face up to six years in prison under pornography and prostitution laws.

The arrests are the latest in a spate of high-profile police actions against gay clubs and parties in Indonesia this year that have called the country's reputation for tolerance into question.

With the exception of the ultra-conservative Aceh province in northern Sumatra, where Islamic law is enforced and two men were publicly flogged last month for gay sex, homosexuality is legal in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population.

Among those detained at the spa in Central Jakarta on Friday were four Chinese nationals, a Singaporean, one Thai national, one Malaysian, and one Dutchman, although none of the foreigners would be charged, Jakarta Police spokesman Argo Yuwono told Reuters on Saturday.

When asked about what the people in the spa were doing at the time of the raid, Yuwono noted that it was dark at the time.

"LGBT is clearly between men and men or same-sex relationships. Male prostitution," Yuwono said, without clarifying further. He said those charged could face up to six years in prison under Indonesia's pornography law.

"There's a cashier, the manager there and also those providing facilities like towels and other things," he said.

Activists say police targeting of consensual gay sex has shone a light on discrimination and harassment in the world's third-largest democracy.

Andreas Harsono, a Jakarta-based researcher for Human Rights Watch, referred to a pattern of discriminatory police action against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Indonesia.

"If they raided (this club) because they are gay, it is abusive, it is abuse of power," he said, adding that there is no law against homosexuality as long as relationships are consensual. "If there is no victim, there is no crime," he said.

Police often used to the pornography law to "criminalise" such cases, but that law itself is also problematic, Harsono said, noting that people could be charged if they had pornographic material on a cell phone.

"Just imagine if every person in Indonesia had their cell phones checked, how many hundred million people would go to jail?"

In May, officers detained 141 men in a raid on the Atlantis sauna, accusing them of involvement in a gay prostitution ring in a part of Jakarta that is also home to many heterosexual "spas".

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesia-police-raid-gay-spa-dozens-arrested-20171007-gywdus.html

Indonesian police raid 'gay party'

Human Rights Watch Dispatches - October 7, 2017

Andreas Harsono – Indonesian police in Jakarta raided a sauna popular with gay men on Friday night, arresting 51 people. It's the latest in a slew of actions targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the country.

Most of those arrested were released Saturday, but police have detained five employees of the sauna – four men and a woman – who face charges of violating the Law on Pornography. That law prohibits such acts as sex parties, the use of pornography, and "deviant sexual acts," which is defined to include: sex with corpses, sex with animals, oral sex, anal sex, lesbian sex, and male homosexual sex.

This is at least the fifth raid targeting LGBT people in private spaces in 2017. On March 28, unidentified vigilantes forcibly entered an apartment in Aceh province and took two men in their twenties to the police for allegedly having same-sex relations. Two months later, authorities publicly flogged the two young men.

On April 30, police raided a private gathering of gay and bisexual men in Surabaya, arrested and detained 14 of them, and subjected them to HIV tests without consent.

On May 21, police raided the Atlantis Spa in Jakarta, arrested 141 people, and charged 10 for holding an alleged sex party. On June 8, police in Medan apprehended five "suspected lesbians" and ordered their parents to supervise them – and shared a video of the raid and the names of the five women with reporters. And on September 2, police in West Java province entered the private home of 12 women they suspected to be lesbians, and forcibly evicted them from the village.

Anti-LGBT incidents across Indonesia have significantly increased since a January 2016 spike in noxious rhetoric from public officials and politicians. In October 2016, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo broke his long silence on escalating anti-LGBT rhetoric and violence by defending the rights of the country's LGBT community. He declared that "the police must act" against actions by bigoted groups or individuals to harm LGBT people or deny them their rights, and that "there should be no discrimination against anyone."

In September, Indonesia announced at the United Nations Human Rights Council that the government would "take further steps to ensure a safe and enabling environment for all human rights defenders," including LGBT activists, and implement freedom of expression, association, and assembly rights – including for LGBT people.

But despite such promises from Indonesia's leaders, they have taken no action. And it appears in such an environment of impunity for anti-LGBT abuses, the police have realized the vague and discriminatory pornography law can be used to target this already-vulnerable minority.

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/10/07/indonesian-police-raid-gay-party

Indonesia considering banning LGBT characters from national television

The Telegraph - October 3, 2017

Nicola Smith – Indonesia is debating a law that would ban LGBT characters from national television shows, in the latest move in a sweeping crackdown on gay rights in the world's largest Muslim nation.

The Jakarta Post reports that the proposed ban has been added to a broadcasting bill currently passing through the country's House of Representatives. Outlawed content would include programmes featuring any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender "behaviour."

The new restrictions reportedly have broad cross-party support. "We can't allow LGBT behaviour on TV. It is against our culture," said legislator Supiadin Aries Saputra of the NasDem party.

"We have to ban it early before it becomes a lifestyle. It's dangerous and can ruin the morality of the younger generation."

Under the new bill, all shows would need to be screened, including adverts and documentaries, to ensure compliance.

"I am sure there are still more creative ways to entertain people [instead of showing LGBT behaviour]," Hanafi Rais from the National Mandate Party told The Post, while justifying the new law.

It is legal to be gay in Indonesia, apart from in the province of Aceh, where Sharia law is enforced. In May two men were publicly caned there after being caught having a consensual sexual relationship.

However, the LGBT community has come under increasing pressure from conservative forces across the country. In May police raided a gay sauna in the capital, Jakarta, arresting 141 men using loosely defined pornography laws.

Meanwhile the influential Family Love Alliance [AILA] has been pushing for Indonesia to outlaw any premarital sex. To do so would effectively ban LGBT relationships as same-sex marriage has not been legalised.

Rights groups are raising their voices in opposition to the proposed law. "The policy is obviously rooted in homophobia," Surpiyadi Widodo Eddyono, executive director of the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, told Vice News.

"If content containing violence is censored, fine. It's normal. But LGBTQ characters aren't a form of violence."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/03/indonesia-considering-banning-lgbt-characters-national-television/

Marriage & the family

Unemployment leads to rise in divorce in Batam

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2017

Fadli, Batam, Riau Islands – Financial issues top the cause of divorce in Batam, Riau Islands, where mostly wives file for divorce after their husbands are dismissed from work, according to data by Batam religious court.

The court recorded 1,300 divorce cases from January to September this year, caused mostly by economic problems. Some 80 percent of the cases were filed by the wives.

"The majority of the cases are financial issues. Husbands who could not provide for their wives or family," the court's spokesman Ahmad Nabawi said on Friday.

The husbands did not have the income to support the family after they were fired from their jobs, as there had been many lay-offs taking place in Batam.

The number of divorce cases rose compared with 1,000 cases handled by the court throughout last year.

In an effort to reduce the high rate of divorce, the Batam office of the Religious Affairs Ministry has encouraged mediators to bridge the communication between couples who are on the verge of divorce. The mediation process takes place usually before the couple proceed with the divorce process in the court.

Batam Empowerment Agency reported that from January to July this year there had been 46 small scale and big scale companies in the city that filed for closure to the agency on the back of negative economic conditions. A total of 3,000 workers had been dismissed, the agency head Rudi Syakyakirti said. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/06/unemployment-leads-to-rise-in-divorce-in-batam.html

Social media leading cause of 2,000 Depok divorces

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2017

Jakarta – Social media engagement was the leading cause of 2,000 divorces in Depok, West Java, a court official said on Tuesday.

The Bekasi Religious Court has dealt with this year 1,826 divorce cases, from which officials found indication that most misunderstandings between the couples had been triggered by social media interaction, said Masniarti, a court clerk.

She explained that in some cases, social media interaction had led to cheating. "This triggered friction in marriages," she explained as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com on Tuesday.

The phenomenon had also taken a toll on children, whose needs were not fulfilled, she said.

Masniarti further explained that most friction in the divorce cases had also been caused by the use of emoticons and the exchange of flirtatious messages.

"On average, couples deciding to get a divorce had been married for fewer than 15 years," she added. (agn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/04/social-media-leading-cause-of-2000-depok-divorces.html

Polygamy dating app draws criticism in Indonesia

Agence France Presse - October 3, 2017

A Tinder-style dating app for polygamists has sparked controversy in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation – but its developer says he "just wants to help" unmarried middle-aged women.

Indonesian law defines marriage as between a man and a woman but polygamy is tolerated in certain circumstances, despite being generally frowned upon.

Ayo Poligami, loosely translated as "let's go polygamy", is a free smartphone app that matches married and single Muslim men with women who want to create "big families".

It has attracted more than 56,000 members since its launch in April, according to developer Lindu Cipta Pranayama. But women's rights campaigners have criticised the app, warning of a strong link between polygamy and domestic violence.

"Due to the controversy, I initially wanted to permanently shut down the site, but when I saw many women in their 40s of 50s who are still virgins and unmarried I decided to keep it," Pranayama told AFP Tuesday.

"Can you image being in your 40s or 50s but never been touched by a man?" added the 35-year-old, who created the app after failing to find a wife on several dating sites.

Indonesian men who apply to one of the country's Islamic courts, which have jurisdiction over marriage, are able to take a second wife under certain circumstances.

For example, a court may review and grant an application if the man's first wife is unable to bear children or has a disability and gives her permission.

Adriana Venny Aryani, from Indonesia's National Commission on Violence Against Women, said polygamy as facilitated by Ayo Poligami could be harmful to wives.

"When the husband is practicing polygamy, women are emotionally abused, economically (abused), and sometimes violently," she said.

Pranayama said a high number of fake accounts had caused the platform to temporarily close, but a new version is set to launch on Thursday with more stringent user criteria.

Indonesian authorities recently shut down another controversial matchmaking site, Nikahsirri.com, which offered "virgin auctions" for men and women looking for marriage.

Police arrested the founder of the short-lived site, Aris Wahyudi, over the "pornographic content" it contained.

Source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/polygamy-dating-app-draws-criticism-indonesia

'Let's Do Polygamy': New dating app stirs debate in Indonesia

Reuters - October 2, 2017

Bogor – Scrolling through dating websites a year ago, Indonesian app developer Lindu Pranayama realized there were a lot of married men looking for another wife – but few online services to meet their needs.

"When they go to regular dating sites, they don't see options for polygamy. They don't see options for finding second, third or fourth wife," he said.

Enter "AyoPoligami" – a new smartphone app developed by Lindu, which aims to "bring together male users with women who are willing to make 'big families.'"

Loosely translated as "let's do polygamy," the Tinder-style dating app has already stirred up controversy since its April launch in Indonesia, where over 80 percent of the 250 million population are Muslim and polygamy is legal.

Muslim men can take up to four wives in the world's most populous Muslim country, if permission is granted by a court and the first wife gives her consent.

Court officials could not provide figures of how many people in Indonesia are polygamous, but activists say cases of men giving false information to gain permission and manipulation of women are common.

The app has been downloaded over 10,000 times before it stopped registering new members following concerns of fake accounts were being set up, and men using the site without the knowledge of their first wives.

A new version is set to be launched on Oct. 5, and will impose stricter rules on users including requiring them to provide an identification card, marital status and a letter of permission from their first wives.

'This is what God planned for me'

Iyus Yusuf Fasyiya, a factory worker who has two wives, said he used the app to share tips with other users on how to maintain a polygamous marriage.

"Many members are looking for wives – they ask about how to start, how to maintain polygamous marriages, and also government regulations," he said from his home village in Bogor, about 90-minute drive from the capital Jakarta.

The 37-year-old dodged questions about whether he was using the app to look for another wife but said he continues to learn about polygamy, after he took on his second wife six years following his first marriage in 2000.

"It just happened, this is what God planned for me," said Yusuf, who takes turns to see his two wives and five children who live in nearby villages.

The majority of the app users were men, but there were also about 4,000 women who have registered, the app developer said.

Lawyer Rachmat Dwi Putranto, who deals with marriage matters, said polygamy is "not that easily achieved" as Indonesian courts will only give permission if the first wife is disabled, ill or cannot bear children.

Violence against women

But Indriyati Suparno, a commissioner from the government-backed National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), said the app was trying to "normalize polygamy."

"The reality is women tend to be the victims of domestic violence in a polygamous marriage – polygamy is a form of violence against women," she said.

The Ministry for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry said it was up to individuals if they wanted to use the app, because polygamy is legal as long as it can be done in a fair manner.

"For us what is important is whether the women and children are protected in polygamous marriages," the ministry's spokesman Hasan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

User Yusuf said he will continue to refer to the app to learn how to juggle his two families.

"Me and my wives, we're committed to showing people that polygamy isn't as scary as they think," he said. "We're trying to make it work."

[Additional reporting and writing by Beh Lih Yi.]

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/lets-polygamy-new-dating-app-stirs-debate-indonesia/

Corruption & abuse of power

Activists report judge Cepi for alleged ethics breach

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – Activists grouped under the Coalition of Civil Society for Anticorruption filed a report with the Supreme Court's internal monitoring body against a judge who ruled in favor of politician Setya Novanto in his pretrial hearing.

The judge in question is Cepi Iskandar of the South Jakarta District Court, who recently annulled the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) decision to name Setya a suspect in the high-profile e-ID graft case.

"We want the Supreme Court to investigate the matter, particularly due to several [alleged] irregularities that came to surface during the pretrial process," activist Kurnia Ramadhana from the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) told reporters after filing the report on Thursday.

Kurnia was referring to the ICW's findings, which include, among others, Cepi's rejection of the KPK's request to present and play a recording that reportedly implicated Setya in the case.

The ICW has also questioned Cepi's impartiality since, in the hearings, he raised the issue of the KPK's status as an ad-hoc institution, which, according to the ICW, was irrelevant to the pretrial motion.

Earlier, the Golkar Party Youth Movement Group (GMPG) reported Cepi to the Judicial Commission over the same accusations. Like the Supreme Court, the Judicial Commission has the power to investigate the alleged ethics violations of judges. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/activists-report-judge-cepi-for-alleged-ethics-breach.html

KPK seeks ways to pin Setya in e-ID case

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is looking into the possible ways it could rename politician Setya Novanto a suspect in the e-ID graft case.

Setya, the House of Representatives speaker, won last week a pretrial motion against the KPK's decision to name him a suspect in the case, which also implicates dozens of other politicians.

Setya's victory does not necessarily put the KPK back at square one, but, without a doubt, it hinders the KPK's investigation into the Golkar Party politician.

KPK deputy chief Saut Situmorang revealed on Thursday that his office was "currently reviewing thoroughly" the reason why they lost the pretrial motion, saying that "there are some loopholes that we must close".

Saut promised that the KPK would "be prudent" this time, to build a more solid case against Setya. "The point is that we should not stop; it [the investigation into Setya] must continue."

Regulations allow the KPK to rename a suspect in the same case after losing pretrial motions.

In a decision made last Friday, the pretrial hearing's sole judge, Cepi Iskandar, argued that Setya's suspect status had been rendered void since the KPK had used evidence taken from the dossiers of other suspects in the case. At that time, KPK investigators had collected around 200 pieces of evidence indicating Setya's alleged role. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/KPK-seeks-ways-to-pin-setya-in-e-id-case.html

KPK chairman reported to police

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2017

Jakarta – National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto confirmed the institution had received a report alleging the involvement of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Agus Rahardjo in corruption.

However, he said, the police had rejected the report on account of weak evidence.

"Personnel of the police's Criminal Investigation Department [Bareskrim] requested the documents be completed first," said Setyo as quoted by tempo.co at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Tuesday.

Setya said he could not disclose details of the report submitted by Madun Hariyadi on Monday. "It's still too early [to reveal it to the public]," he said.

Madun reported Agus to Bareskrim over his alleged involvement in a corruption case related to the procurement of, among others things, IT equipment, a trunked radio system, MTU diesel generators and their spare parts for the KPK's new building. The procurement was funded by the 2016 state budget.

Agus was also reported for his alleged involvement in corruption connected to the development of a new IT security system for the KPK's new building.

Setyo said the police could investigate the report only after sufficient evidence had been collected. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/04/KPK-chairman-reported-to-police.html

KPK can name Setya suspect again, confirms Supreme Court

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2017

Jakarta – The Supreme Court has confirmed that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has the authority to name House of Representatives Speaker and Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto as a suspect in the high-profile e-ID card graft case, again.

Last Friday, the South Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of Setya's pretrial motion and declared the KPK's decision to name him suspect invalid.

Supreme Court spokesperson Abdullah said the authority was regulated under Article 2 paragraph 3 of Supreme Court Regulation No. 4/2016.

"That pretrial ruling, which approved the plaintiff's motion, does not necessarily overrule the authority of investigators to name the plaintiff a suspect again," Abdullah said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

However, Abdullah said, investigators should use at least two new pieces of evidence other than those already used when Setya was first named a suspect.

He added that a pretrial only takes into account the formality of a case and does not make a judgement on the crime per se.

Regarding the controversies surrounding Setya's victory, Abdullah said that the Supreme Court could not intervene into a judge's verdict. "The Supreme Court respects the verdict on Setya's pretrial," he said.

The KPK has asserted it has been considering naming Setya a suspect again. The plan has been strongly opposed by Setya's supporters. (dra/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/03/KPK-can-name-setya-suspect-again-confirms-supreme-court.html

Old photo brings new online frenzy about Setya Novanto

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2017

Jakarta – The seasoned politician and chairman of the Golkar Party has become the target of netizen mockery, especially after a court cleared him of his status as a suspect in the high-profile e-ID graft case, which experts have deemed controversial.

Setya was receiving treatment at a hospital when a South Jakarta District Court judge read out his ruling, last Friday.

A picture of him lying on a hospital bed was circulated online last week, and Setya was quick to become a trending topic once again. Social media users posted the picture and creative meme makers were quick to make mocking edits to the image.

Just recently, an old picture, believed to depict a young Setya, began circulating online. The photo shows a long-haired classic Setya sitting on a chair with an unbuttoned long sleeves shirt showing an exposed chest.

A 2015 report by Tempo.co quoted Setya's close friend Olis Datau, who said that Setya was bestowed with the "Most Handsome Man of Surabaya" award in 1975.

Twitter user @Dennysiregar7 posted the picture with the caption "#Quiz Good morning... Anybody know who I am?"

@daniel_abh replied "This is the only person who can sit beside the rector during his graduation. If the police ticket him, the officer will be brought to trial. If his head hits a wall, the wall will get the bump."

Mocking statements like Daniel's were also quick to flood timelines after the pretrial ruling with #ThePowerOfSetnov becoming one of the trending topics.

But @echoodresden had the most intriguing answer: "It was Surya Paloh before he grew a beard," he tweeted, referring to the NasDem Party chairman.

On Monday, a few days after the pretrial ruling, Setya was released from the hospital where he had received "medical treatment" for two weeks, during, which he also dodged a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) summons for questioning. (dra/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/03/old-photo-brings-new-online-frenzy-about-setya-novanto.html

Travel ban on House speaker extended for six months amid graft probe

Jakarta Globe - October 3, 2017

Jakarta – A travel ban on House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto, recently acquitted of corruption charges, has been extended for another six months, anti-graft and immigration officials said on Tuesday (03/10).

Novanto's suspect status in a graft case related to the Rp 5.9 trillion ($439 million) procurement of national electronic identity cards, or e-KTP, was dropped in a pretrial verdict on Friday.

But anti-graft officials have said they are seeking a new investigation into Setya, who was named a suspect in July in the case that caused the state to lose Rp 2.3 trillion.

Setyahas been prevented from traveling abroad for six months beginning in April. On Monday, anti-graft officials requested that the Immigration Office extend that travel ban until April next year.

"The request letter was already sent yesterday," Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioner Basaria Panjaitan told reporters in Jakarta.

The Immigration Office's spokesman, Agung Sampurno, confirmed that the request was filed. "Yesterday there was a letter signed by the KPK chairman, stating a travel ban on S.N.," Agung said, referring to Setya.

Setya, was accused of receiving about Rp 574 billion from the government's procurement of e-KTP cards that began in 2011. He could have faced up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.

The House speaker, who has denied any wrongdoing, filed a pretrial motion with the court last month. On Friday, a sole judge declared the naming of Novanto as a graft suspect procedurally flawed.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/travel-ban-house-speaker-extended-six-months-amid-graft-probe/

House revives plan to force KPK to attend inquiry

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2017

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – The House of Representatives' special committee tasked with launching an inquiry into the Corruption Eradicaton Commission (KPK) is mulling to, again, force the anti-graft body to attend a hearing in the House.

The committee's deputy chairman, Eddy Kusuma Wijaya, said on Monday that committee members would hold a meeting to schedule a summons for the KPK.

"We'll summon the KPK again and if they still refuse to come, we'll consider taking legal action stipulated under the MD3 [Legislative Institution] Law to force it to attend the inquiry," said Eddy, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

He went on to say that the committee would summon several KPK investigators to seek clarification over its investigation procedures.

The committee was expected to end its probe into the KPK on September 28, but it decided to extend its mandate until it managed to bring its leaders and investigators in for questioning.

The KPK has refused to attend the hearings which it said was illegal and could be construed as an attempt to obstruct justice.

Eddy said the committee had support from the National Police to summon the KPK. The MD3 Law gives the police the authority to help the House to force all parties summoned to attend any inquiry. (ary)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/02/house-revives-plan-to-force-KPK-to-attend-inquiry.html

Pre-trial win bolsters Setya's supporters

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2017

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani and Margareth Aritonang, Jakarta – Loyalists of Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto have indicated they would fight against any moves to unseat their leader after a Jakarta district court ruled that his naming as a graft suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was illegal.

Calls for Setya's resignation mounted days before the court's ruling on Friday. Factions opposed to Setya's leadership within Golkar argued that his legal problem had taken a toll on the party's electability, saying Setya had to resign to save the party.

Party secretary-general Idrus Marham, a close ally of Setya, said that the party respected its members' aspirations but that there was no need for the party to replace Setya as he had won a pre-trial lawsuit against the KPK.

"What is the urgency for the party [to appoint an acting chairman]? The party has no problem now after Setya won the pretrial motion," Idrus said at the party headquarters.

The Golkar executive board was supposed to hold a plenary meeting on Monday to hear Setya's response to a recommendation made by a special team within the party that Setya be suspended from his position to focus on his legal problems and health issues.

Golkar deputy secretary-general Ace Hasan Syadzily said it was now unclear if the executive board would hold the plenary meeting as scheduled.

Setya has been accused of playing a key role in the high-profile e-ID graft case, which has also implicated other former and active members of the House of Representatives. (ary)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/02/pre-trial-win-bolsters-setyas-supporters.html

Terrorism & religious extremism

'Guantanamo article' scrapped as tougher anti-terrorism bill nears

Jakarta Globe - October 7, 2017

Jakarta – A controversial article on preventive detention under a proposed anti-terrorism bill expected to be passed later this year has been dropped, lawmakers said on Friday (06/10).

The bill is likely to be brought into a plenary meeting in December after nearly two years of deliberation that has come amid fears over a rise in militancy inspired by Islamic State.

The tougher government-proposed bill has drawn the ire of human rights defenders who have especially decried what has been called the "Guantanamo article."

The article would have allowed police investigators or prosecutors to pick up and place suspected militants in unspecified locations for up to six months without charge.

"The article has completely been removed in line with public demands," lawmaker Arsul Sani told the Jakarta Globe, adding that the article had been revised into what is called the "prevention article."

The article mainly sought to heighten deradicalization efforts, according to Arsul, a member of the working committee for revisions to the 2003 anti-terrorism law.

Most lawmakers staunchly objected to the article and the government itself eventually moved to scrap what they had earlier proposed, lawmaker Supiadin Aries Saputra said.

"It hasn't been discussed yet, but they already dropped it recently," Supiadin, deputy head of the committee, told reporters.

Lawmakers also earlier agreed on a pre-charge detention period of up to 21 days. This compares to the 30 days the government had earlier proposed and the seven days already stipulated under an existing 2003 law.

The period of detention with charge of 180 days under the 2003 law was also extended up to 200 days. The government had earlier proposed 450 days.

The government moved to revise the 2003 law in January last year, when Indonesia was on high alert after an Islamic State-linked bomb and gun attack in Central Jakarta that killed four.

Renewed calls for the immediate passing of the bill resurfaced in May, when an Islamic State-linked twin bomb attack in East Jakarta killed three policemen. It was the biggest since the January 2016 attack.

The 2003 anti-terrorism law itself was an immediate response to the Bali bombing of 2002 that was associated with the al Qaeda-affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah that killed 202 people.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/guantanamo-article-scrapped-tougher-anti-terrorism-bill-nears-enactment/

This little girl could help change the lives of other victims of

ABC Radio Australia - October 7, 2017

Samantha Hawley, Indonesia – She's too young to realise it, but in November last year the life of a four-year-old Indonesian girl changed forever.

Trinity Hutahaean was playing outside a church in the city of Samarinda, East Kalimantan when it was attacked by Islamic State group sympathisers.

She was engulfed in flames when a homemade bomb exploded and suffered burns to 60 per cent of her body. A two-year-old girl, Intan Marbun was killed.

The main perpetrator, Juhanda, who goes by one name and had been convicted of terrorism offences before, was sentenced to life in prison in September.

And in an historic verdict, judges in the case ordered the Indonesian Government pay $22,000 compensation to a total of seven victims.

It is not enough for the extensive burns care Trinity will require. But it's seen as a progressive decision in a nation where victims of terrorism have rarely received any financial support.

Leading the charge for victim compensation

Tony Soemarno has been fighting for compensation for the Indonesian victims of terrorism since he was badly injured in the Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta in 2003. That attack killed 12 people and injured more than 150.

Mr Soemarno's head injuries and burns on his hands and back were so severe he spent nine months in a Jakarta hospital. The pain was so bad he said had tried to take his own life.

"I didn't do it, because my mother told me, 'Who is going to feed your kids if you are gone?' I still remember those words. It was very sad," he said while fighting back tears during in an interview with ABC in a Jakarta cafe.

He said victims of past attacks have struggled to survive and must be compensated by the Indonesian Government.

"The biggest priority is health insurance. If we get the health insurance we can go to hospital freely, and that will be helping so much," he said.

"You know burn damage is the worst and some of them lost their eyes, some of them lost their two legs."

Moving forward with scars of the past

Iwan Seitawan was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Australian embassy in Jakarta was attacked in 2004, killing nine and wounding more than 150 others.

He was on a scooter driving past the embassy compound with his then-pregnant wife. "At the time I didn't see what hit me but it felt hot and painful, I thought I was about to die," he said.

He keeps the piece of shrapnel that landed in his eye in a small jar at his home in Depok south of Jakarta. A reminder of how he lost his right eye.

His wife gave birth to a son but died two years later from complications from injuries suffered in the attack. "Finally, God loved her more and so she was taken to be an angel in heaven," he said.

Iwan said the Australian Government has paid his medical insurance costs since the attack, but he has never received any financial support from the Indonesian Government.

The case of Trinity Hutahaean, and the other victims of the Samarinda church bombing, opens the way for courts to use existing laws to ensure the Indonesian Government pays compensation to victims of terrorism. But for past victims the fight continues.

Working toward compensation without trial

Indonesia's 2003 anti-terrorism law does include compensation measures, but associated technical regulations needed by prosecutors in the court do not exist, meaning it has not been used in the past.

"The Samarinda church bombing case is the first time where the prosecutor has formally included compensation in their verdict demand," Supriyadi Widodo from the Institute for Criminal Justice reform said.

He said in that case prosecutors sought a letter from the Attorney General to incorporate compensation in the court's ruling.

He argued tougher counter-terrorism laws that have been stalled in the Indonesian Parliament for months should include compensation measures for victims.

A provision being considered would mean victims of attacks would receive financial compensation regardless of court proceedings.

"We are trying to promote the idea of compensation without a trial process," he said, noting it could open the way for victims of past attacks to gain financial help.

Mr Soemarno said he would continue to fight for compensation for hundreds of terrorism victims across the country.

"How long will it take to get it? I don't know," he said. "But better late than nothing."

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2017-10-07/this-little-girl-could-help-change-the-lives-of-other-victims-of-terrorist-attacks-in-indonesia/1707290

Freedom of religion & worship

Bogor youth festival held to strengthen interfaith communication

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2017

Theresia Sufa, Bogor, West Java – Young leaders of different religious beliefs came together on Sunday for the 2017 Social Communication Festival (Festkom) to promote religious harmony.

Taking place in the front yard of the Bogor Cathedral and Catholic school Budi Mulia, the 2017 Festkom was organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Berita Umat (Congregation News) magazine issued by the cathedral parish.

Festkom organizing committee head Aloisius Johnsis said issues related to diversity and tolerance among religious followers always had a place in the heart of Indonesian people.

The festival, themed "Rooted in Unity, Growing Amid Diversity," was held based on a common wish of the Bogor Cathedral and the people of the city to maintain harmony among all religious followers.

Bogor Bishop Mgr. Paskalis Bruno Syukur said in his sermon that Berita Umat was part of the church and played an important role in communicating good news to its congregation.

"This is important because we believe in God who has communicated Himself to us and conveyed anything that becomes His wish. Our God is an excellent communicator. Our God is not a silent God," said Paskalis.

He called on young people to play a greater role to communicate peace. "Please use social media such as Facebook and Instagram as a communication tool to convey messages of peace and love to all. Don't use social media to spread fake news or hoaxes," said the bishop.

Bogor Deputy Mayor Usmar Hariman, chairperson of Nadhlatul Ulama's (NU) youth wing (GP Ansor) Rahmat Imran Hidayat, and police and military representatives attended the event. (dra/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/03/bogor-youth-festival-held-to-strengthen-interfaith-communication.html

Cabinet & the presidency

President asks cabinet to maintain political orderliness

Antara News - October 3, 2017

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called on the cabinet to maintain security and political order towards the political year in 2018.

"All parties must maintain peace and orderliness and should encourage state development," Jokowi stated here on Tuesday.

The president urged his ministers to focus on working and support the peoples development amid the political issues that have been witnessed recently. He asked the cabinet to take steps to prevent tense political situations.

"During the plenary session yesterday, I asked the cabinet to create a calm and peaceful political environment and support Indonesia to achieve development," Jokowi reiterated.

He stressed that Indonesian people wanted the government to work hard to accomplish the tasks related to the state.

The president had previously called on the ministers of the working cabinet, TNI Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo, and National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian to focus on their respective duties.

"As the head of government and head of state, I call on the ministers of the working cabinet, TNI Commander, and National Police Chief to focus on their respective duties," Jokowi noted last Monday.

He remarked that the political stability could support economic development and encourage the governments effort to achieve programs for development.(*)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/112910/president-asks-cabinet-to-maintain-political-orderliness

Jakarta & urban life

Jakarta councilors want transportation allowance equal to luxurious car

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2017

Ivany Atina Arbi, Jakarta – City councilors are under the spotlight for proposing a Rp 21.5 million (US$1,592) monthly transport allowance equal to the cost of renting a luxurious car.

The Center for Budget Analysis (CBA) director Uchok Sky Khadafi said on Friday that the transport allowance was extremely high.

"The transport allowance should be performance-based. It could be based on their attendance to either plenary or commission meetings, for example," Uchok told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"If each member needs to set aside a transportation budget of Rp 50,000 to attend a meeting, the transport allowance will not exceed Rp 5 million per month," he added.

City budget committee member Ruslan Amsari previously admitted that the proposed Rp 21.5 million transport allowance per city councilor was calculated based on the monthly rental rate for a 2400-cc car.

Currently, there are 101 members in the Jakarta City Council. The city administration has provided them with official cars since 2015.

However, the council members will give back their official cars in return for the transportation allowance. The bylaw on councilors' allowance, which also regulates about councilors' transportation allowance, was passed last month.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/06/jakarta-councilors-want-transportation-allowance-equal-to-luxurious-car-rental-rate.html

Government officially lifts moratorium on Jakarta reclamation project

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2017

Ivany Atina Arbi, Jakarta – The central government officially lifted its moratorium on the Jakarta Bay reclamation project through an announcement letter issued by the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister, a top official at the city administration confirmed on Friday.

The letter was sent to Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat on Thursday evening, Development Planning Board head Tuty Kusumawati said at City Hall.

"With the announcement, the ban on construction work on the Jakarta reclamation project is officially lifted and, as a consequence, the minister's letter banning the project, issued in 2016, is nullified," Tuty told reporters.

Former minister Rizal Ramli halted the project last year and asked for the fulfillment of several requirements.

The requirements included a revision to the Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal), taking into account technical designs for power plant pipes, sedimentation mitigation and sailing routes for traditional fishermen.

Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan claims that all requirements for the controversial project have been fulfilled.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/06/government-officially-lifts-moratorium-on-jakarta-reclamation-project.html

Jakarta foots US$5b annual bill for traffic jams: Minister

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2017

Jakarta – National Development Planning Minister and National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) head Bambang Brodjonegoro has said that traffic congestion costs the capital US$5 billion annually, as kompas.com reported on Thursday.

"Economic losses due to traffic jams cost $5 billion annually," Bambang said on Thursday in Depok, West Java, adding that the major cause of congestion was limited roadway capacity, which could not accommodate the increasing number of vehicles in the capital.

He also blamed the sluggish development of public transportation infrastructure, like the MRT and LRT projects.

He said the MRT feasibility study had been available in the 1990s, but that the government had failed to realize the project, arguing that it was financially unfeasible.

"We are 30 years late in building the MRT. We considered the project unfeasible financially, because we only thought about value and investment and revenues from the project," said Bambang.

The MRT project, which is expected to be completed in 2019, also required economic considerations, he added, particularly in terms of losses from traffic jams – losses incurred as a result of longer travel times and greater fuel consumption.

The government is now working on the first phase of the MRT project, which runs from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. The second phase of the project will extend the route completed during the first phase to Kampung Bandan in North Jakarta. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/06/jakarta-foots-us5b-annual-bill-for-traffic-jams-minister.html

Military personnel, civilians travel by foot to avoid traffic congestion

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel set to participate in the commemoration of the 72nd anniversary of the TNI at PT Indah Kiat Port in Cilegon, Banten, on Thursday, traveled to the event's venue by foot to avoid traffic congestion on the Merak Atas alternative toll road.

Personnel of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, including high-ranking military officers, abandoned their trucks and buses at 6 a.m. and walked for three kilometers to reach the venue.

"All personnel walked to the venue because of the congestion. The ceremony started at 7:30 a.m. so we needed to hurry," a member of the Army's special forces (Kopassus) told The Jakarta Post while walking past traffic at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Civilians who were stuck in traffic also parked their cars and joined hundreds of people walking to the port to see the TNI's 72nd anniversary event, which featured an extravagant show involving 5,932 military personnel from the three armed forces.

Sadikin, 21, who traveled to the venue by foot, said he was excited to attend this year's event, themed "Bersama Rakyat TNI Kuat" (Together with the People, the TNI is Strong).

"I departed from Serang [Banten] with my family at 3 a.m. to attend the event," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/military-personnel-civilians-travel-by-foot-to-avoid-traffic-congestion.html

Walk this way: Indonesia traffic jam forces president out of car

Agence France Presse - October 5, 2017

Jakarta – Indonesia's notorious traffic congestion was on display for the world Thursday after the country's president was forced to walk two kilometres through the scorching heat to attend a military parade.

Graft-ridden Indonesia is home to one of Asia's most inefficient bureaucracies and gridlock plagues many of the archipelago's largest towns.

The country's traffic nightmares were aptly illustrated when President Joko Widodo had to walk more than two kilometres to attend a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of the Indonesian military's founding.

Widodo and senior government officials were held up by gridlock as they approached the military parade in Cilegon, a port city about two-and-a-half hours drive from the capital Jakarta, the presidential palace said.

After a 30-minute wait, "the president then decided from inside the car that he would walk," Widodo's guard Ili Dasili said in a statement.

National police chief Tito Karnavian, who was also stuck in the jam, joined the president. Video footage shows the president walking with a phalanx of security personnel while spectators yell and chant his name.

Widodo's unorthodox entrance wasn't lost on social media users, who questioned why the leader of Southeast Asia's largest economy was compelled to walk to the event.

"How come the president walked for two kilometres to the military anniversary location, why didn't they give him the privilege of vacating the road or taking him in a helicopter?" Twitter user @Pujithegooners wrote.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/walk-this-way-indonesia-traffic-jam-forces-president-out-of-car.html

Literature & the arts

Max Lane brings the millennial generation closer to the works of

Surya Malang - October 3, 2017

Klojen – The name Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesia's foremost writer who was born in 1925 and died in 2006, still resonates to this day, not just in Indonesia but internationally, bridging the cultural divide.

Can however Indonesia's millennial generation, whose 'best friends' are their gadgets, understand a figure like Pramoedya, the only Indonesian author to become a Nobel Prize candidate for literature.

Held on the grounds of the Malang State University (UNM) Library Cafe in East Java, a discussion with Max Lane analysed Pramoedya and his Buru Quartet – a series of four novels that have gained acclaim throughout the world – was held on the evening of Monday September 2.

It was Max Lane, born in Australia in 1951, who made Pramoedya's name known to the public and readers throughout the world. Lane translated the Buru Quartet – This Earth of Mankind (Bumi Manusia), Child of All Nations (Anak Semua Bangsa), Footsteps (Jejak Langkah) and House of Glass (Rumah Kaca) – from Indonesian to English.

The fraternal discussion was a dissertation of Lane's new book titled "Indonesia is not Present on this Earth of Mankind" (Indonesia Tidak Hadir di Bumi Manusia). In addition to Lane, also speaking at the event was author Yusri Fajar, cultural observer Djoko Saryono and moderator Ardi Wina Saputra.

"I translated them because I loved his works (Pramoedya). Reading his works has made me contemplate upon many things. Until it gave birth to this book (Indonesia Tidak Hadir di Bumi Manusia), said Lane in his introduction.

Following the discussion, Surya Malang invited Lane to talk about the importance of Pramoedya's works for the millennial generation.

According to Lane, from reading Pramoedya's Buru Quartet, readers can contemplate upon exactly what it is to be an Indonesian.

"My hope is that Pram's books will be read by the younger generation. They must think about the content, not just enjoy the (fictional) stories", said Lane.

According to Lane, today's younger generation has become divorced from literate. There is no culture of reading among the activities of youth today. This is caused by the lack of literary studies in class rooms.

"Since the 1970s the government has removed literary studies from primary and high-school levels. All there is now is language lessons", he explained.

Now, it was starting from this premise that he wrote the book about Pramoedya, so that the millennial generation can get to know Pramoedya and to inflame interest in reading literature.

Lane related how even though he translated and has read the Buru Quartet numerous times, he still thinks about many of the issues contained in the works. One of the things that still sticks in his mind is that in the thousands of pages that make up the Buru Quartet there is no mention of the word Indonesia.

Yet the Buru Quartet is novel about the causes behind the formation of the country that would later and until now is called Indonesia. The main plot in these works is a story about an indigenous man named Minke in the period before and after 1900.

The books not only present a story about the colonial laws used to shackle the indigenous people of the Dutch East Indies, but it is also spiced up with a story of the love and romance between Minke and a mixed-blood girl name Annelise.

Cultural observer Djoko Saryono meanwhile said that it is fitting for the millennial generation to read and contemplate Pramoedya's workers because they contain multiple layers of meaning.

"These works are like an onion, when we peal it we find another layer underneath. In his works, Pramoedya is present as a journalist, a man of literature and a scientist. These things make his works worldly and they should be read by the younger generation", explained Saryono.

Notes

Dr Max Lane introduced the English-speaking world to the celebrated revolutionary Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who was imprisoned by Suharto for a decade on the Maluku island of Buru, by translating his classic Buru Quartet novels, starting with "Bumi Manusia" (This Earth of Mankind) in 1980. As a result, Lane, who at the time worked as junior diplomat with the Australian Embassy in Indonesia, was forced to return to Australia in 1981.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Upaya Max Lane Mendekatkan Sastra dan Pramoedya Ananta Toer kepada Generasi Milenial".]

Source: http://suryamalang.tribunnews.com/2017/10/03/upaya-max-lane-mendekatkan-sastra-dan-pramoedya-ananta-toer-kepada-generasi-milenial

Teachers must instill the knowledge and will to fight for a better

Surya Malang - October 3, 2017

Lowokwaru – Australian writer Max Lane packed out a collegial seminar and book dissertation on his new book titled "Indonesia is not Present on this Earth of Mankind" (Indonesia Tidak Hadir di Bumi Manusia) at the Malang State University (UNM) social science faculty in East Java on Tuesday October 3.

Speaking to UNM lecturers and sociology students, the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) lecturer spoke on the difficulties in having to present a talk to university students who are to graduate and become teachers themselves.

"Indonesia will face many problems in the future, whether it be development, the economy or advancing regional cultures". "In confronting this difficult future, teachers have a heavy burden in educating Indonesia's children", said Lane.

Moreover the nation's history is progressively being forgotten by its own people. "Teachers have a heavy task in providing enlightenment to the younger generation. Included among other things the many interesting Indonesian [literary] works, such as the works of Pramoedya Ananta Toer", said Lane.

The lecture from the Singapore ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute added that the challenge facing Indonesia is to find the correct steps to move forward into the future.

"What has to be taught and deep understanding gained is what Indonesia's origins are, and why Indonesia in 2017 has become like this", he said.

Lane hops that teachers will teach primary through to high-school students with the aim of making them willing and able to fight for and create a better future.

"The Indonesian nation will not be able to play a role in creating a better future if it does not understand what must be changed", he explained.

Notes

Source: http://suryamalang.tribunnews.com/2017/10/03/sejarah-bangsa-terlupakan-guru-memiliki-beban-besar

Armed forces & defense

SBY tells military to improve relations with police

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2017

Safrin La Batu, Jakarta – Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has taken the opportunity during the 72nd anniversary of the Indonesian Military on Thursday to deliver a message for the military force to improve its relations with the National Police amid apparent tensions between the two institutions.

As usual, Yudhoyono used his Twitter account @SBYudhoyono to express his thoughts. He first congratulated the military on its anniversary and then proceeded to convey his expectations.

"Dirgahayu! [Happy anniversary!]," he wrote. "As a senior in the military and a former state leader, I really expect the military to get on well with the National Police. This [good relationship] is our strength," he tweeted.

In an apparent attack aimed at the police institution, military commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo recently said that a non-military institution had attempted to purchase anti-armor weapons. He also said he would even attack the police if it had such weapons.

The remarks later turned into a controversy, and analysts argued it might be a sign of tensions between the military and the police. Later, Coordinating Political, Law and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto confirmed that there really were problems in relations between the two institutions.

Before becoming president for two terms from 2004 to 2014, Yudhoyono, who is a former four-star general, was the Coordinating Political, Law and Security Affairs Minister from 2001 to 2004. He was also the Sriwijaya Military commander in South Sumatra from 1996 to 1997.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/05/sbytells-military-to-improve-relations-withpolice.html

Indonesia's president says military should stay out of politics

Reuters - October 5, 2017

Tommy Ardiansyah, Djohan Widjaja, Cilegon, Indonesia – Indonesia's armed forces should stay out of politics and ensure their loyalty is only to the state and the government, President Joko Widodo said on Thursday at a parade to mark the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the country's military.

His remarks came amid growing controversy over the actions and what analysts perceive as the political ambitions of Armed Forces Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo, who promotes the notion that Indonesia is besieged by "proxy wars" involving foreign states and even a renewed communist threat.

"The Indonesian military is a national property that is above all classes, groups (and) which is not fragmented by narrow political interests and does not enter into the practical political arena," said Widodo, who sat beside Nurmantyo at the parade in the port city of Cilegon.

"Politics and loyalty to the nation and the state means loyalty to fight for the interests of the people, loyalty to maintain the territorial integrity and unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia, and loyalty to the legitimate government," added Widodo, who, as president, is also commander in chief of the armed forces.

The start of the event, which included troops rappelling from helicopters and exercises involving amphibious vehicles, was delayed because the president's entourage got stuck in traffic and on a post on his official Facebook page Widodo said he decided to walk the last two kilometres (1.2 miles).

The Indonesian armed forces (TNI) enjoyed a powerful central role in politics and society for three decades under the authoritarian rule of Suharto, the former general who took power after leading a 1965 purge that killed at least 500,000 alleged communists. Indonesia's army forces paint their faces for celebrations of the 72nd anniversary of the Indonesia military, in Cilegon, Indonesia Banten province, October 5, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

Since the country transitioned to democracy in 1998, the TNI has formally withdrawn from political life but retains a strong position in society, and former generals remain prominent in politics.

Some political analysts have said Nurmantyo had clear political ambitions and accused him of helping foment a "red scare" aimed at the reformist Widodo, who has previously falsely been accused of being the descendant of communists.

Last month, Nurmantyo instructed military officers to screen a Suharto-era propaganda film depicting the murder of six generals and the crushing of an alleged communist coup to "prevent what happened in 1965 from recurring".

The armed forces chief, who is due to retire in March, courted further controversy last month when he falsely claimed 5,000 weapons had been illegally imported "on behalf" of Widodo.

In a briefing with reporters this week, Nurmantyo denied that Widodo had reprimanded him over the weapons issue or that he had meddled in politics, saying the TNI remained "neutral in practical politics".

"The TNI commander must be involved in politics, however his politics is state politics, and not practical politics," he said. "As a commander I have to carry out my duties according to the constitution."

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-indonesia-military/indonesias-president-says-military-should-stay-out-of-politics-idUKKBN1CA0JT?rpc=401&

Indonesian military earns rebuke for meddling in politics

Jakarta Globe - October 5, 2017

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military, or TNI, is earning a rebuke from critics for meddling in politics, as it celebrated its 72nd anniversary on Thursday (05/10).

Critics of the institution say there are signs it is trying to reestablish its political power – curbed since the fall of the military dictator President Suharto in 1998, including by regaining its old dwifungsi, or dual-function, role under current commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo.

The TNI's dwifungsi role, maintained for 32 years under military strongman Suharto, was scrapped soon after his downfall. Dwifungsi had allowed soldiers to be involved in business and politics, earning them enormous advantage and helping them stay in power.

Concerns that civil supremacy is slipping in Indonesia have been rising since Gatot took the reins of the TNI in July 2015. The general makes frequent public appearances, seems to court media attention and in recent months has been putting forth ultra-nationalistic remarks that created controversies.

Activists from Jakarta-based Kontras, a non-governmental organization that has been helping victims of military violence, said in a note on civil-military relations entitled "A Gift for the Military's 72nd Anniversary," released on Wednesday, that Gatot had been making "obvious political maneuvers."

"The commander of the military will always get drawn into politics," Gatot told reporters earlier this week in Banten, during preparations for TNI's anniversary celebrations which were held on Thursday.

"But it's state politics, not practical politics. The military remains neutral in practical politics," Gatot, who is due to retire in March next year, said.

Gatot came under fire for his claim last month that an "institution outside the TNI" had illegally imported 5,000 military-standard weapons. The claim had pit the TNI squarely against the police and forced Chief Security Minister Wiranto – himself a former TNI commander – to clarify matters.

Last month Gatot also ordered soldiers to hold screenings of a Suharto-era propaganda film depicting the killings of six army generals on the fateful night of Sept. 30, 1965. The murders were part of a failed coup attempt that was blamed on the now-banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and led to an anti-communist pogrom that historians say killed up to three million people.

Large crowds, including children, were herded to watch the often violent film, which failed to mention the military-backed retaliation against the communists that followed.

Gatot's claim of the illegal weapon import and his order to screen the propaganda film were mentioned in a list published in Kontras's note on Wednesday along with other incidents that also involved the TNI commander since May last year. The list, Kontras argued, "showed the military still retains its ambition to bring back dwifungsi."

"We should keep in mind that almost all members of the current military elite were raised under the climate of dual function," Kontras activist Puri Kencana Putri said. "They were trained to be a force that won't just stay put in the barracks."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesian-military-earns-rebuke-meddling-politics/

Chief security minister vows to settle controversy over import of

Jakarta Globe - October 4, 2017

Jakarta – Indonesia's chief security minister said on Tuesday (03/10) he will summon the country's chiefs of police and the military to end a controversy surrounding the procurement of hundreds of weapons by the police, which has put the force into direct conflict with the military and sparked concerns over national security.

Military Chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo claimed last month that "an institution outside the TNI (the Indonesian military)" had illegally imported 5,000 pieces of weapons, a statement which was quickly dismissed by Chief Security Minister Wiranto.

But the police later admitted they had indeed imported 280 pieces of weapons soon after reports swirled around that a shipment of weapons was being held up in customs – waiting for military clearance – at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten near Jakarta.

Wiranto, who had said the weapons in question were being brought into the country by the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), is planning to summon Gatot and Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian to a meeting this week to clear up matters.

"This is my responsibility... I will get to the bottom of it," Wiranto told reporters at his office in Central Jakarta. "No need for anyone to create a ruckus."

National Police Spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto concurred with Wiranto's statement, refusing on Tuesday to make further comment on the matter. "It's not up to us... the chief security minister will handle it," Setyo told reporters at his office in South Jakarta.

The weapons arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport late on Friday night, and police were quick to hold a press conference on Saturday to insist they had followed proper procedures to import them.

Police said the weapons were tear-gas launchers for their Mobile Brigade (Brimob), dismissing accusations they were anti-tank weapons.

The weapons, imported along with almost 6,000 ammunitions, have been awaiting clearance from the military's Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), police said.

Minister Wiranto said on Tuesday the weapons had been procured legally, but added: "We'll see if there are procedures that have yet to be met. We'll settle them as soon as possible."

Wiranto had earlier said the only weapon procurement he knew of was BIN's purchase of 500 non-military standard weapons from state-owned arms manufacturer Pindad, to be used for intelligence training.

The whole controversy was only a matter of miscommunication, Wiranto said on Tuesday.

Military Chief Gatot had attracted harsh criticism for his claim last month, which he made before a group of retired army generals at the military headquarters in East Jakarta.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/chief-security-minister-vows-settle-controversy-import-weapons/

Criminal justice & legal system

Matthew Sleeth's 'Guilty': a gut-wrenching look at Myuran Sukumaran's

Melbourne Age - October 8, 2017

Garry Maddox – More than two years after the execution of Bali Nine ringleaders Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, artist and filmmaker Matthew Sleeth is still furious about what he considers a pointless loss of life in an act of political theatre.

"I'm angry for Myuran," he said before the world premiere of a film on Sukumaran's final 72 hours at the Adelaide Film Festival on Sunday. "I'm angry for the political nature of it.

"This was done for political gain in Indonesia and had nothing to do with justice. And I'm angry for what the family is still going through."

Having joined Ben Quilty in teaching art workshops at Bali's Kerobokan prison for five years, Sleeth struggled to deal with the emotion over the execution of a man he knew as a mate.

"Because I lived with it and went through it, it was horrifying," he said. "It was something that wasn't going to go away."

Sleeth has channelled that emotion into Guilty, a gut-wrenching film that chronicles the tense last days before the execution on April 29, 2015.

In recreating scenes in the prison and then on the so-called execution island of Nusakambangan, the film is full of small, telling details – Sukumaran sketching a guard who has shown interest in his art; the setting-up of the execution site on a soccer field; the laying out of three live bullets among nine blanks so the marksmen never know who fired the fatal shots; an "X" being painted above the heart on the condemned prisoners' white T-shirts.

With lookalike Adam McConvell playing Sukumaran, the film uses news footage and radio commentary to capture the swirling public debate about the execution and show the family's distress as Indonesian President Joko Widodo ignored pleas to spare the two men's lives.

"This film was a way to try to do something out of a very traumatic situation for everybody involved," Sleeth said. "After living through it and watching the excruciating slowness of it and the intimacy of it and the effect it has on families and the lawyers and anyone else who really came into contact with it, I was completely convinced – even more than I was before – about how wrong the death penalty is.

"And also how powerful art can be sometimes to have the conversations we find difficult to have."

Sleeth considered Sukumaran a genuinely talented artist. "He got to the point he was quicker than anyone I've ever seen and was more determined to learn than any student I've ever seen," he said. "And he worked harder than anyone I've ever seen.

"Part of the waste of this – and part of the anger at this – is about the art that isn't going to be made."

Sleeth also wanted the film to be about the importance of giving a second chance to someone like Sukumaran.

"It's not something we do well as a culture," he said. "I was very determined that this wasn't a film that was just cheap shots at Indonesia, even though I'm clearly very angry with how the Indonesians dealt with this situation. But it's about a kind of generosity that we might not have as much as we think we do."

Sleeth insisted the film was not defending the Bali Nine's crimes. "This film isn't an apology for drug-dealing," he says. "Myuran, his family, his lawyers and myself all accepted that what he did was wrong and should be punished. "This isn't really a film about the crime. It's a film about the punishment."

Two years on, Sleeth remains disappointed by how many Australians supported the death penalty for the pair at the time of their execution.

"What I hope this film achieves is next time this situation happens – and it will happen again – we think a little more carefully about casually calling for the death penalty," he said. "And we think a little bit more about what it means for the families, and for the people that are asked to do it, and how much it diminishes us calling for it."

Sleeth believes Sukumaran was genuinely rehabilitated even before he met him, with painting giving him a voice. Holding his first workshop at the prison, he was surprised by how quiet and gentle Sukumaran was compared to his public image.

"I'd seen everything in the media like everyone else about how he was the enforcer and he was this and that," he said. "But he was actually relatively shy."

Sleeth spoke to lawyers, family members and others on the scene to build up an accurate picture of what took place in Indonesia, then developed the film through the festival's Hive Lab, which encourages projects that cross artistic boundaries.

"There is an argument for why make a film like this in a country that doesn't have the death penalty," Sleeth said. "But the great advantage that Australia has in this conversation is we don't have the death penalty.

"It's not about domestic political bickering. It's a conversation about what a moral absolute killing other people should be."

The film is expected to get a cinema release next year.

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/matthew-sleeths-guilty-a-gutwrenching-look-at-myuran-sukumarans-execution-20171006-gyvtd2.html

Jokowi launches national program to combat illegal drugs

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2017

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has launched the National Program on the Eradication of Illegal Drugs and Drug Abuse, which aims to combat the rampant distribution of illegal drugs and crimes related to it.

During the launch event of the program in Cibubur in East Jakarta on Tuesday, the President said the state had a responsibility to protect all citizens of the nation.

"Education is important. Therefore, teachers at schools and Islamic boarding schools should explain to students the danger of illegal drugs," Jokowi said, as quoted by Antara.

He also invited members of legendary rock band Slank to help promote the cause. "I warn you against marring food and drug supervision by bribery. We must put an end to such [illicit activity] to prevent an increase in victims of drug abuse," the President said.

Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) head Penny Kusumastuti Lukito said the agency continued to strengthen coordination with other stakeholders in the protection of the people from illegal drugs and unsafe food. "We hope the law on drug and food supervision will be amended soon," she said.

During the event, representatives of 11 stakeholders signed a joint declaration to eradicate the distribution and abuse of illegal drugs. They are the Health Ministry, the BPOM, the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Ministry, the Home Ministry, the National Police, the Attorney General's Office, the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), the Indonesian Pharmacists Association (IAI) and the Indonesian Pharmaceutical Association (GPFI) as well as a student representative and Slank members. (dra/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/03/jokowi-launches-national-program-to-combat-illegal-drugs.html

Police & law enforcement

Police say imported firearms to be used in conflict-ridden areas

Tempo - October 2, 2017

Kartika Anggraeni, Jakarta – The National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said that firearms imported by the police will be used in conflict-ridden areas such as Poso, Papua or during jungle operations.

He said that the issue is now being handled by the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs. "It's been settled and now is being handled by them, you can ask them," he told Tempo in a phone interview yesterday.

Earlier on Saturday, police said they have imported hundreds of heavy firearms for the Mobile Brigade (Brimob). The firearms arrived in Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, on Friday. "The guns belong to the National Police, indeed. They are acquired legally," Setyo said.

The spokesman also underscored that police have undergone a valid procurement process. He elaborated that the process includes specification design, auction, review from the general and financial inspector, and procurement and purchase by the third party before entering Soekarno-Hatta customs.

The clearance, however, was being handled by the strategic intelligence agency (Bais) of the National Armed Forces (TNI). Setyo said that police have confirmed the firearms or gun import to the agency. "All are carried out according to the established procedure," he said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/10/02/055911944/Police-Say-Imported-Firearms-to-be-Used-in-Conflict-ridden-Areas

Indonesia to construct 10 int'l yachts, cruise ship ports

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2017

Stefani Ribka, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said the government plans to build 10 international yachts and cruise ship ports within the next two years in a bid to bring in 20 million foreign tourists in 2019.

Today, Indonesia, the world's biggest archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, is without a single port that specializes in accommodating international yachts or cruise ships.

"We agreed to construct the ports. We have 17,000 islands but no cruise or yacht ports at all. Where do we tell them to park then?" he said during the closing speech of the 2017 National Coordination Meeting of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) on Tuesday.

Earlier, Kadin chairman Roslan Roeslani noted of the importance for the government to provide such ports for wealthy tourists.

Indonesia is aiming to bring in 15 million tourists this year and 20 million tourists in 2019. It is trying to compete with its Southeast Asian neighbors in tourism. Thailand, for example, has seen more than 30 million foreign visitors in recent years.

Besides building the ports, Indonesia launched a free-visa policy for 174 countries two years ago.

The country has recorded 9.25 million foreign visitors in January to August this year, a 26.8 percent increase year-on-year (yoy). (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/04/indonesia-to-construct-10-intl-yachts-cruise-ship-ports.html

Mining & energy

Negotiation with Freeport focuses on revenue increase: Sri Mulyani

Jakarta Post - October 8, 2017

Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani has said that the negotiations between the government and gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia are now focusing on efforts to increase state revenue and investment certainty for the company.

"The Finance Ministry is a leading institution in the negotiations. Our negotiations are based on Law No 4/2009 on coal and mineral mining," Sri Mulyani said in Jakarta, as reported by tempo.co.

She said the formula for state revenue needed to be discussed further, because there were many things to be settled, including income taxes (PPh), added value taxes (PPN), land and property taxes (PBB), royalties and regional taxes.

She assured that there was nothing secret about the negotiation, as the same process would apply to other mining companies.

"We will negotiate with other coal and mineral companies based on various contractual agreements – contracts of work (CoW), coal mining business permits (PKP2B) and the conversion from IUPs (mining permits) to IUPKs (special miming permits)," she added.

Sri Mulyani explained the government was referring to Article 128 of Law No 4/2009 for the negotiations on fiscal issues and to Article 169 for other fees, including non-tax revenue and regional revenues, which were explicitly stated in the article.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has signaled to the negotiators the need for a win-win solution that benefits both the government and PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US- based mining company Freeport McMoRan. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/08/negotiation-with-freeport-focuses-on-revenue-increase-sri-mulyani.html

Indonesia president urges action on Freeport mine deal

Reuters - October 7, 2017

Fergus Jensen, Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for faster progress to wrap up a deal with Freeport-McMoRan Inc on rights to the giant Grasberg copper mine, which the U.S. firm owns, officials said on Friday.

The chief executive of the world's biggest publicly traded copper company – which under a framework deal agreed in August to divest 51 percent of the mine – held talks with officials in Jakarta earlier in the day.

The deal is intended to replace an existing contract with a "special mining permit" and give Jakarta greater control over its mineral resources.

But significant differences remain including on how Grasberg, the world's second-largest copper mine, will be valued and on the timing and structure of the required divestment, leading some analysts to raise doubts about the future of the agreement.

Hadi Mustofa Djuraid, an aide to Mining Minister Ignasius Jonan, said Freeport CEO Richard Adkerson had met Jonan and other company and government officials in Jakarta on Friday morning after the president said "the sooner the better" referring to an end to the talks.

"In principle, Freeport is still committed in accordance with the agreement," Djuraid told reporters, noting that issues over divestment and state revenues from Grasberg had not been resolved yet by the finance ministry.

Under Widodo's direction, Jonan will "help the negotiation process" with Freeport alongside Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and State Owned Enterprise Minister Rini Soemarno, "so this problem is resolved immediately," Djuraid said.

"In negotiations there's always a bargaining process," he added, declining to provide detail on the talks.

A spokesman for Freeport's Indonesian unit declined to comment.

The government is seeking a "win-win" solution as quickly as possible, Widodo said late on Thursday, according to an official transcript of remarks the president made to reporters in Banten province west of the capital Jakatra.

"It's already been three years of heated arguing, but this is almost finalised," Widodo added.

Adding pressure to end the dispute, Indonesia's Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) told parliament this week that between 2009 and 2015, Freeport Indonesia's royalty and levy payments were $445.96 million lower than they would have been if the miner had taken up a new mining permit during that period.

"The risk of the dispute escalating and ultimately going to arbitration has increased," Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina said in a research note this week, referring to the divestment issues, and cutting Freeport's target share price to $19 from $23.

"We are increasingly concerned that a resolution will not be reached," LaFemina added.

Jefferies estimates the value of the Freeport Grasberg stake to be divested at $6.7 billion.

[Reporting by Wilda Asmarini and Gayatri Suroyo in JAKARTA; Additional reporting by Susan Taylor in TORONTO and Nicole Mordant in VANCOUVER; Writing by Fergus Jensen and Ed Davies; editing by John Stonestreet.]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-freeport/indonesia-president-urges-action-on-freeport-mine-deal-idUSKBN1CB1KK

Economy & investment

New regulation forces Indonesians to sell their foreign shell companies

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2017

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – On the back of the Indonesian government's issuance of its new controlled foreign company (CFC) regulation on July 26, many Indonesians are likely to sell their foreign shell companies because of the enforcement of double tax payments. The CFC regulation authorizes the government to charge a dividend tax on foreign companies that are controlled by Indonesians even though the companies are formed in tax heaven countries.

Consultancy firm Deloitte's Indonesia tax partner Dionisius Damijanto said on Monday if an Indonesian investor indirectly owned an Indonesian company through a foreign company, the government would charge taxes on each dividend payment.

"The government will charge tax on dividend payments from the Indonesian company to the foreign shell company and impose another tax on dividend payments from the foreign shell company to the investor," he said during a Deloitte-Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) joint event in Jakarta on Monday.

As an example, he said if an Indonesian company gave a Rp 100 million (US$7,374) dividend to the foreign shell company, the government would impose a 30 percent international withholding tax.

"If the investor owns the Indonesian company directly, the government will only charge a 10 percent dividend tax or Rp 10 million," Dionisius said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/02/new-regulation-forces-indonesians-to-sell-their-foreign-shell-companies.html

Only about 30% investment pledges realized: Official

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2017

Jon Afrizal, Jakarta – While the government is trying to attract more investors to Indonesia, it has not been able to convince investors to make good on their pledges, an official at the Coordinating Economic Minister's Office has said.

The office's deputy for commerce and industry affairs, Edy Putra Irawady, said only 31 percent of investment pledges from domestic investors and 27 percent of foreign investment pledges had been realized in the last 10 years.

"We found that this happened in a number of regions. The [investors] could not materialize their investment plans because of various problems," said Edy in Bandung, as reported by kontan.co.id on Monday.

He said the value of unfulfilled investment pledges was about US$50 billion and involved 190 projects.

Edy said records showed the variety of problems investors had faced, including complicated licensing procedures, bureaucratic red tape and uncertainties, and property issues such as land acquisitions.

Some existing investors stopped investing because they were disappointed by the difficulties obtaining facilities that were promised by the government.

He said the government was currently dealing with the problems by improving the one-stop integrated services for investors and introducing standardized licensing services through a single application scheme.

"The pilot for the scheme will start on Jan. 1 and it will be fully implemented on March 1," Edy said. He added that another facility that would be provided was allowing investors who were developing factories in industrial estates to delay arranging their business permits until construction was complete. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/02/only-about-30-investment-pledges-realized-official.html

Taxation & state budget

Taxpayers use beneficial ownership system to avoid taxes

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2017

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – Many taxpayers have used the beneficial ownership system, which involves controlling companies without being listed as shareholders, to avoid taxes.

Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) legislation deputy director Fithriadi has said that by becoming a beneficial owner, people did not state their ownership or income in their tax form, but they received payments from the company.

"The taxpayers put the asset ownership on their asset managers' names," said Fithriadi in Jakarta on Thursday.

He said the system was not only used by people to avoid paying taxes, but it was also used by corrupt people to avoid legal charges.

Citing an example, he pointed to a corruption case of videotron procurement in 2012 in the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry. The convicted person had listed his office assistant as the president director of his company in an attempt to avoid legal charges.

Transparency International Indonesia researcher Wahyudi Tohari said that global money laundering amounted to around US$800 billion to $2 trillion per year.

"Big corruption [suspects] are using dummy corporate [persons] to blur their identities and in 25 percent of bribery cases, the money was transferred through the corporate [persons]," he said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/06/taxpayers-use-beneficial-ownership-system-to-avoid-taxes.html

Analysis & opinion

Female farmers face multi-layered struggle

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2017

Leong Yee Ting, Jakarta – Many Indonesian children grow up listening to this Islamic proverb, "Heaven is at the bottom of your mother's feet."

Yet, Indonesian female farmers continue to struggle in many ways. Around 40 percent of family smallholder farmers are women, amounting to 7.4 million in 2013, and contribute to almost all the stages of production. However, they lack access to land, credit and extension services.

In 2003, only one-third of land title certificates in Java was owned by women. Although the 1974 Marriage Law provides for the ownership interests of the wife, this is rarely translated into print on the certificates. This is partly because of a lack of education and patriarchal mindset to have a man's name on the certificate.

This unequal access to land means unequal access to credit, since land certificates are needed for collateral. This has real implications on the lives of female farmers and their families. In Cianjur, West Java, female farmers and their families suffer heavy debts to middlemen due to limited access to credit. The debts are taken to purchase not just agricultural inputs, but also basic necessities or emergency healthcare. Many of these women become pressured to become migrant workers in Taiwan or Saudi Arabia to clear the debts.

Extension services tend to neglect female farmers. There is this assumption that agricultural work performed by women is seen as secondary to their domestic responsibilities or male involvement in agriculture. The truth is these women are so poor that they have no choice but to work on the farms, but suffer lack of recognition by authorities.

Women conspicuously lack access to leadership and decision-making, despite being significant players. Agricultural organizations are often dominated by males. Mixed farmer groups with both active female and male members are uncommon. Although there are a few female agricultural organisations in Yogyakarta and South Sumatra, they tend to be left out of decision-making in the community.

Female farmers are also expected to bear the double burdens of domestic and agricultural work. At times, they are unpaid or paid less than men. This exerts a significant physical and psychological toll on them.

These problems are all the more pressing because existing trends are exacerbating the situation of female farmers. Rural-urban migration of men has led to "feminization" of agriculture, meaning that in the men's absence, the agricultural work is now passed on to women.

Yet these women lack the male privileges of access to resources and leadership. This may undermine the productivity of farms. Also, climate change and the consequent unpredictable, extreme weather is exerting significant pressure on women. As farmers, they have to adapt their farming schedule to the weather; as mothers and wives, they have to ensure the family's welfare in such trying circumstances.

Empowerment of female farmers will reap tremendous benefits for all stakeholders. If women have greater access, their agricultural and domestic productivity will increase, translated into more substantial and stable family incomes.

It has been shown that increases in a woman's income and assets can improve the welfare of her household more significantly than that of increases in men's income. Importantly, this will also improve the dignity of female farmers in the community. Greater involvement of women in agricultural organizations will enable more informed decisions to be made, and enhance the production and profitability of the organizations.

Policymakers need to ensure that female farmers have access to the crucial resources and leadership opportunities. Concrete measures towards this include improving education of girls and the encouragement of women's participation and leadership in agricultural organizations. Efforts must be taken to bolster women's confidence. Moreover, female farmers need to be equipped with knowledge on adaptation methods, and climate forecasting technologies.

However, Indonesia is a hugely diverse country; different regions have different cultural norms. Javanese female farmers occupy an ambiguous position; they are often not reflected as owners of the land formally on paperwork, but informally, Javanese culture works fortuitously to protect them. The Javanese language has a word for marital property, gono-gini, and this concept is more influential in shaping behavior than official legislation or even Islamic ideas.

Furthermore, the traditional practice of arisan – – a small-scale rotating savings association – serves as an informal source of credit for Javanese female farmers. The Balinese and Minangkabau people have always had strong roles for women where women can own land in their own rights and actively farm their lands.

In contrast, the most vulnerable female farmers probably reside in the eastern parts of Indonesia. In Sulawesi, women often suffer the brunt of crop failures because they have to seek out additional income.

Likewise, in Southern Central Timor, women become malnourished during droughts because they are usually the last ones to eat in the family. In Papuan culture, women always have had low status and education despite extreme workloads. It is crucial for policymakers to take into account the different cultural backgrounds of female farmers from different regions, to best understand their unique situation and needs.

This problem of "invisible" female farmers is common across Southeast Asia, but Indonesian female farmers are relatively more disadvantaged than their counterparts in Thailand and Philippines, as these are predominantly matrilineal societies.

If we are to truly respect our mothers as providers, as a medium towards paradise and a better life, we first need to pave a smoother path for them. As the bedrock of our world, they definitely deserve better.

[The writer is a Singaporean intern working with the ASEAN Farmers' Organization Support Program at the ASEAN Foundation in Jakarta. She is in her final year of study in history at the University of Oxford.The author would like to thank Mardiah Basuni (Bina Desa foundation) and Stephanie Heng for their kind guidance and support.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2017/10/06/female-farmers-face-multi-layered-struggle.html

Independent rights body

Jakarta Post Editorial - October 6, 2017

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) established in 1993, near the end of Soeharto's regime, has become a model for the region. The commission, first chaired by retired Supreme Court justice Ali Said remains the benchmark for its successors – which have not managed to emulate its integrity or credibility.

Ironically, the first batch of commission members – including activist Asmara Nababan, former chief prosecutor Baharuddin Lopa and Golkar Party politician Marzuki Darusman – were appointed by the president, not by lawmakers as is the case in today's democracy.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives elected seven commission members for the 2017-2022 term. The House will submit the names to the President for approval.

However, few would express much hope in the new faces although they do include leading human rights advocates Choirul Anam and Ahmad Taufan Damanik, formerly of the ASEAN commission on women and children – given the squabbles and lack of integrity of previous commissioners.

Indeed, the selection of members of state institutions should no longer be under the authority of the House.

The lawmakers' vested interests are too obvious, as most notably displayed in their repeated assault on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Even though they select its commissioners, the politicians have persistently attempted to undermine the KPK's performance and its authority.

The selection of state body members by the House was part of strengthening the legislative branch compared to its previous role as a rubberstamp to the strong presidency during the New Order. But we have seen how the politicians' resistance against threats to their interests plays strongly into their authority to screen candidates of state bodies.

As state bodies answer directly to the president, selection of their members should be left to the president, who now merely approves or disapproves the short list recommended by the House. Nevertheless, any attempt at interference by the president would come under the scrutiny of a public inured to the principle of independence of state bodies, regardless of criticism of either the KPK or Komnas HAM, for instance.

Time and again the independence of state bodies are tested; the KPK, which includes detectives deployed by the National Police, often faces mega corruption cases implicating high ranking officers. Until today, one of its detectives, Novel Baswedan, is still getting treatment for an acid attack, while the perpetrators remain unknown and free. The stagnancy of the case partly can be blamed on commissioners with less unity than their predecessors, all handpicked by the House.

Every new batch of state bodies must prove their independence to win public trust. We do not need the repeated saga of candidates who have faced considerably rigorous screening by the selection committees only to see politicians choosing those who apparently pose less of a risk to their interests.

We now have only seven new commissioners of the Komnas HAM, an attempt to make them more solid. We wish them every bit of luck.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2017/10/06/editorial-independent-rights-body.html

Is Indonesia sliding towards a 'Neo-New Order'?

Indonesia at Melbourne - October 4, 2017

Tim Lindsey – On 16 September, police broke up an academic discussion at the offices of renowned activist NGO the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH). The topic was the killings of alleged leftists in 1965 and 1966 in the wake of the failed coup that brought former president Soeharto to power, public discussion of which has often raised the ire of anti-communist mobs.

This event was more significant than it seems at first glance. LBH has always been critical of government and unafraid to address highly controversial issues. Despite this, security forces have never before broken up a meeting at its offices – not even under Soeharto's authoritarian New Order, when LBH was often the most vocal opposition voice in the country.

The trouble started when protesters gathered outside LBH, claiming the meeting supported communism. They included prominent Islamist ginger groups like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and others involved in recent mass rallies against former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama. As is so often the case, the police gave in to the mob. They surrounded LBH, forced their way in and closed the event down.

Discussion of the mass killing or imprisonment in 1965 and 1966 of Indonesians supposedly associated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) may still be controversial in Indonesia but it is hardly novel. There have been many similar events in recent years (including at LBH) and even public conferences, some endorsed by the government. Likewise, Joshua Oppenheimer's dramatic documentary about the killings, "The Act of Killing" has been screened in Indonesia and covered widely in the media. Every Thursday, survivors and supporters protest outside the palace to remind President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) of his broken election promise to resolve past violations of human rights, including the massacres of 1965/6.

In this context, having police break into LBH to halt a private meeting seemed extreme and heavy-handed, so LBH organised an artistic event the next day to protest. The mob gathered again, using social media to spread rumours it was a secret congress of the PKI, and pelted those trying to enter with stones. This time, police held protesters off but activists were trapped inside LBH for hours before being evacuated to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

The idea that communism might be resurgent is ridiculous in a country that doesn't even have a leftist political party. Although the PKI was violently obliterated in the mid-sixties, and communism is a dead letter globally with has no popular support in Indonesia, it is alive and well as Indonesia's No. 1 bogeyman. Jokowi helped legitimise this in May, responding to claims that he is from a former PKI family by calling for communism to be "crushed" if it rose again. Communism remains the label of choice to smear progressive opponents, as Islamist groups showed in their highly effective attack on LBH.

Civil society leaders like those at LBH are, in fact, the intellectual engine of the reform movement that delivered democratisation in the years immediately following Soeharto's fall in 1998. For them, the attacks on LBH are another marker of what they see as Indonesia's slow slide away from liberal democratic reform, towards what they are now calling the "Neo-New Order".

Civil society figures like Nurkholis Hidayat, the former director of LBH Jakarta, point to a series of disturbing events suggesting a trend towards authoritarianism or, as they call it with a heavy dose of hyperbole, a "democratic emergency". Typical examples are: the government's continuing failure to resolve past human rights abuses, including state-led massacres and assassinations, despite Jokowi's promises to do so; increasing use of bogus criminal charges to silence critics of the government and anti-corruption activists; growing self-censorship in the media; increasing extra-judicial killings of drug suspects; and, more recently, the controversial emergency law (Perppu) on mass organisations that will allow the government to ban civil society groups (like LBH) without going through the courts.

They also point to an increasing number of military tough guys in the Jokowi administration, including Wiranto, Ryamizard Ryacudu and Gatot Nurmantyo, who feed paranoia about the rise of communism using rhetoric borrowed from the Soeharto era.

In short, civil society is losing faith in Jokowi as he follows global politics further to the right. He is probably not greatly troubled by this, however, as there is no progressive alternative for them to support.

In fact, Jokowi's position is not an enviable one. He is an outsider and a weak president, who has less institutional support than most of his predecessors. He is not a former general like Soeharto or Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or the head of his party, like Megawati Soekarnoputri or B J Habibie. He does not even have a major popular organisation behind him, as did Abdurrahman Wahid. And he faces an array of wicked problems.

One the one hand, he is under great pressure from the emergence of aggressive Islamist politics of the kind that targeted LBH. Earlier this year, they forced the jailing of his close friend Ahok, the former governor of Jakarta, and they clearly have Jokowi in their sights too, trying to smear him as a closet Christian as well as a covert communist.

On the other hand, Jokowi also has to deal with the continued dominance of powerful oligarchs, who control political parties, most of the media and, some claim, more than 60 per cent of the economy. He cannot afford to have too many of these among his enemies, and that means there is not much Jokowi can do about Indonesia's a poorly-regulated political system, which favours the wealthy and drives candidates to illegally recoup the high costs of getting elected once they are in office. This system has entrenched corruption among the political elite and is a key reason for their predatory approach to public procurement.

All this feeds Indonesia's continuing poor reputation for transparency, which, in turn, keeps foreign investment away, notwithstanding Jokowi's constant rhetoric that Indonesia is "open for business". That, combined with persistent low tax revenues and red tape, has seen economic growth stagnate at 5.2 per cent, well below what is needed. The resulting high prices and lack of new jobs feed discontent.

With elections ahead in 2019, Jokowi knows he has to cater to Islamist rabble rousing and keep the oligarchs happy in order to convince the public that he should be re-elected – all while somehow keeping the police, army and Megawati's conservative nationalist political party (the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, PDI-P) on side.

In these circumstances, Jokowi probably feels he has little choice but to dump many of his promises to civil society, which is increasing marginalised in any case. After all, if former general Prabowo Subianto runs again against him, most of civil society will have little chance but to stick with Jokowi, even if they think he has betrayed them.

This all suggests the next two years will likely be marked by continued pressure on civil society groups and, just as they say, a continued slide away from the liberal democracy they thought they had won at the turn of the century.

[This piece was also published on John Menadue's blog. Tim Lindsey is Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law and Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at the University of Melbourne.]

Source: http://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/is-indonesia-sliding-towards-a-neo-new-order/

Indonesia on notice: West Papuans still want independence

Crikey Magazine - October 4, 2017

Damien Kingsbury – In a move that is expected to whip Indonesia's military into a frenzy and will again start an Indonesian witch-hunt for Australian supporters, a West Papuan petition calling for a vote on independence has been presented to the United Nations' Decolonization Committee.

The petition demands a free vote on West Papua's independence as well as the appointment of a UN representative to investigate reports of human rights violations by Indonesian security forces. The petition was signed by 1.8 million people, or about 70% of the indigenous population.

Indonesian authorities knew that the petition was being prepared and banned it online. But it was still smuggled across the territory, receiving overwhelming support wherever it was able to be presented.

The petition comes following a crackdown on indigenous West Papuan separatists and others over the past two years, including the killing of human rights defender Joberth Jitmau. Jitmau's suspicious death was deemed by Indonesian police to be a "traffic accident" and was not investigated.

Crimes by police and the military against indigenous West Papuans, including torture, rape and murder, are rarely investigated. When such crimes are investigated, they usually result in light sentences.

Despite the reforms that have been seen elsewhere in Indonesia, West Papua remains marked by the impunity from justice that characterised Indonesia's often brutal Suharto era. Last year alone, more than 5300 West Papuans were arrested on charges related to peaceful political protest.

About 40% of West Papua's population is now non-indigenous, following the Indonesian government's former "transmigration" program and a subsequent voluntary flow of other Indonesians into the territory. The Indonesian government is now increasing administrative regions in the territory to accommodate more police and army posts for the further expansion of internal migration.

Living standards among indigenous West Papuans have remained the lowest in Indonesia, despite unfulfilled promises of increased spending on education and healthcare. Despite being granted "special autonomy" in 2001 under then-president Abdurrahman Wahid, in 2003 the territory was divided by the Indonesian government under his successor, Megawati Sukarnoputri.

In 2015, President Joko Widodo released five West Papuan political prisoners and announced that the previously closed territory of West Papua would be opened to journalists and human rights observers. Military commanders immediately contradicted Widodo's announcement, and the territory was again effectively closed.

In response, the petition for a vote on independence was organised by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), an umbrella organisation representing West Papua's pro-independence organisations, including the small armed resistance movement, the Free Papua Organisation (OPM).

There is widespread international sympathy for resolving the issue of West Papua, but the ULMWP and its petition face an immediate hurdle. West Papua's incorporation into Indonesia under the sham 1969 "Act of Free Choice" – in which 1025 Papuans of about 800,000 declared, at gunpoint, that West Papua was part of Indonesia – was recognised as "legitimate" by the United Nations.

Unlike in the case of East Timor, which was never legally recognised as part of Indonesia, the UN would have to dissolve or ignore its recognition of West Papua as being part of Indonesia in order to support a vote on independence. Unlike West Papua, Indonesia has powerful friends in the UN, which seek to retain strong economic and diplomatic ties and which therefore limit such an outcome.

West Papua has few international advocates, with the former colonial power the Netherlands, having washed its hands of the territory many years ago. Australia has guaranteed that it respects Indonesia territorial sovereignty – code for not raising the West Papua issue – or else faces a complete breakdown in that important bilateral relationship. The US has major investments in West Papua as well as wishing to retain good relations with strategically important Indonesia.

Despite the timidity of much of the international community, the West Papua issue remains compelling. After earlier massacres, human rights abuses, including official killings, have remained at a lower but steady tempo for several years, increasing again recently.

The West Papua issue seems, therefore, intractable; achieving a vote on independence faces all but insurmountable difficulties, but circumstances compelling such a vote continue as, or more, strongly than ever. In the middle of this, Widodo, like former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before him, seems powerless to fundamentally improve the lot of indigenous West Papuans, much less prise West Papua from the grip of the police and the military.

But, as this new petition shows, even in the challenging clandestine circumstances in which it was prepared, after almost five decades of forced incorporation, indigenous West Papuans overwhelmingly remain opposed to remaining as part of Indonesia.

[Damien Kingsbury is Deakin University's Professor of International Politics, and has been banned from entering Indonesia since 2004, including for allegedly supporting West Papuan independence.]

Source: https://www.crikey.com.au/