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Indonesia News Digest 7 – February 15-22, 2008
Jakarta Post - February 18, 2008
Banjarnegara, Central Java – Poverty has been blamed as the main
cause of the rising divorce rate in Banjarnegara, Central Java,
where most divorces are sought by women.
At least 1,460 out of 1,839 divorce petitions at the Banjarnegara
Religious Affairs Court in 2007 were motivated by economic
issues, according to data.
"Plaintiffs, most of whom were women, stated that their husbands
were no longer able to function as the breadwinners of their
families. That's why they wanted to divorce their husbands," said
the court's head, Munasib Zainuri.
He said other factors driving the divorce rate included low
education levels and domestic violence. Munasib said 90 percent
of those involved in divorce petitions were farmers.
Jakarta Post - February 22, 2008
Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – Civil society needs to play a bigger
role in the fight against terrorism, an ASEAN forum heard here
Thursday.
"The government can't do the task by itself. They should
cooperate with civil society, including NGOs, to counter
terrorist movements," said Sidney Jones, the Southeast Asia
project director of the International Crisis Group (ICG).
She was speaking at the sixth ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) being
co-hosted by Indonesia and India. Delegations from 27 countries
are attending the event to share information on terrorism.
The two-day forum, titled "Participation on Counter-Terrorism and
Transnational Crime", is expected to produce recommendations on
how to fight transnational crimes before its close Friday. The
recommendations will be submitted to ARF's 2008 ministerial
meeting in Singapore for adoption.
Jones said governmental institutions commonly encountered
bureaucratic problems and reluctance from community groups in
their efforts to approach the grass-roots for counter-terrorism
purposes.
"NGOs usually have easier access to the society," she said. "And
such a flexible approach will allow them to better address
people's social and economic grievances, which have become the
underlying issues in terrorist movements."
She said non-governmental organizations could work together with
the local community to provide alternatives to extremist groups
that became radicalized due to the absence of freedom of
expression.
"Potential or actual terrorists are usually further radicalized
by the treatment they received at the hands of government
authorities. "We should prevent people from being drawn into the
circle by advocating for a humane condition, allowing groups
desiring for a more Islamic country to express their ideas,"
Jones said.
She said the government should also recover the people's trust in
its institutions and strengthen community policies to involve the
active participation of society in reporting crimes or any
suspicious activities.
"One critical element in fighting terrorism is getting people to
report suspicious activities in their neighborhood. But people
won't report anything if they don't trust the police," she said.
According to Jones, the regional terror network Jamaah Islamiyah
continued its consolidation at the grass-roots level by
refraining from carrying out large-scale operations that would
jeopardize its support base.
She said the JI was changing its tactics from carrying out
large-scale operations to focusing on expanding its organization
by recruitment through dakwah (Islamic preaching) to strengthen
its base.
The move is also connected to JI's current financial condition,
which has forced its operatives to shift from expensive large-
scale operations to more subtle operations, such as dakwah.
Speaking at the same forum, John Stephen Cook, chief of mission
for the International Organization for Migration, said terrorism
should be addressed together with transnational crimes such as
human and drug trafficking.
Comprehensive measures should be taken to prevent cross-border
crimes from being translated into devastating terrorist attacks
by outsiders to interrupt the peace of local people, he said.
Primo Alui Joelianto, director general for Asia Pacific and
African affairs at the Foreign Ministry, said in his opening
speech that terrorism and transnational crimes were two sides of
the same coin.
"People smuggling, human and drug trafficking, piracy and armed
robbery at sea are some of the examples of serious crimes that
constitute elements of transnational crimes," he said.
Vivek Katju, assistant secretary to India's foreign minister,
said the fact that the masterminds of terrorist attacks were
mostly outsiders has added to the urgency of combating terrorism
within the context of transnational crimes.
Demos, actions, protests...
Aceh
West Papua
Human rights/law
Labour issues
Environment/natural disasters
Health & education
War on corruption
Islam/religion
Media/press freedom
Economy & investment
Opinion & analysis
News & issues
Poverty blamed for Central Java divorce rate
Civil society help required to fight terror, says ICG
Cuba ready to lend a helping hand
Jakarta Post - February 21, 2008
Charlotte Wheatley, Jakarta – You can learn a lot about someone over a cup of tea – starting with the way they drink it. Black with just one spoonful of sugar is all that's needed for the Cuban Ambassador to Indonesia.
"We Cuban's must have sugar with our tea," said Jorge Leon Cruz over the gentle clinks of a silver spoon circumnavigating a porcelain cup. Once the leading sugar exporter in the world, he explains that Cuba has long been dependent on sugar both economically and as a key culinary ingredient.
The 55-year-old ambassador returns to his armchair and sinks into its cushions with an air of ease and comfort.
Despite having already spent nearly two years in Indonesia, Cruz's first impressions of Jakarta are still fresh. The rich humidity of the tropical air with its frequent bouts of soothing rain is a close match to the climate of his home country. The dense and unforgiving traffic, however, is not. This he admits was the first thing he noticed about the city.
However, the prime location of the Cuban Embassy, which is also his residence in Permata Hijau, West Jakarta, means he gets a reprieve from the traffic deadlock.
Other than the ambassador and his wife – who are the only two Cuban diplomats running the embassy – there are only two other Cubans living in Indonesia. Similarly, a small community of around 10 Indonesians reside in Cuba. Despite the numbers, Cruz says he feels right at home in Indonesia.
"I never felt like a foreigner here in Indonesia because there are so many similarities between the two countries. The people of Indonesia are very friendly, communicative and hospitable and the Cuban people have similar characteristics.
"Although there's one key difference between Cubans and Indonesians," Cruz quips with a growing grin. "The Indonesians like to sing, but the Cubans, they like to dance."
Cruz's role as an ambassador in Indonesia is his first diplomatic experience in the Asian region. After graduating from the high school of International Relations in 1983, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cruz's first post led him to Kuwait followed by Libya and then to Qatar, where he first worked as an ambassador.
A fierce competitive spirit in the sporting arena was what gave Cruz this thirst to proudly represent his country.
"I participated in national competitions in different sports and maybe that's how I got the desire to represent the place that I belong to. So when I was growing up one of my wishes was to represent my country in the world and to defend our revolution," he said.
Despite a keen interest in swimming, baseball, basketball and table tennis while growing up, Cruz says these days his busy schedule means he only gets to exercise at the gym – twice a week, if he's lucky.
Yet good sportsmanship is still on the agenda for Cruz, who considers sports to be one of the key areas that Cuba and Indonesia are looking to strengthen in their bilateral relations.
Last year the deputy president of the Cuban Sports Ministry paid an official visit to Indonesia and signed a sports cooperation agreement between the two countries. From July to December of that year, a delegate from Indonesia, accompanied by around 35 athletes and coaches, traveled to Cuba for a training camp in Havana. The 6-month program focused on different sports including weight lifting, gymnastics and volleyball.
"We know that Cubans are very good in sports and health so this is what we want to share with our friends here in Indonesia. When it comes to the health sector, you know Cuba is ready to help Indonesians whenever they need it."
Cuba was indeed quick to send aid during the aftermath of the 2006 earthquake that devastated Yogyakarta. As many as 135 Cuban doctors were dispatched together with 60 tons of medicine and surgical equipment, which was used to set up two field hospitals in Prasmanan and Gantiwarno, near Yogyakarta.
During the 4 months they spent in Indonesia, the team attended to more than 200,000 patients and performed more than 2,000 surgical operations. While there are already promising signs for strong relations in the areas of sports and health, the ambassador acknowledges that when it comes to the area of trade there is much to be desired.
"The trade relationship is very low. It's US$10 million a year on average and the balance is only for Indonesia. We import Indonesian clothes, electronics and furniture but we don't export anything from Cuba." While the vast distance between the two countries has been one of the biggest obstacles when it comes to trade, Cruz is hopeful that things will start to pick up pace in the near future.
New developments in Cuba's biotechnology and in the pharmaceutical sphere have meant that medical products and drugs are currently waiting to be registered before they can be exported.
"So after they register these products the commerce and trade between Cuba and Indonesia will increase. It's one of the points that we want to go ahead with in order to boost the relationship in trade because the distance has always been the biggest handicap."
Even though Cuba and Indonesia lie in different regions of the world, Cruz is adamant that the two countries still have a lot in common.
"We do have different political systems but our history has many similarities because we both fought against our metro police, we both fought for our freedom, for our independence. I think we have the same objective, to find peace and social justice for our people."
Jakarta Post - February 20, 2008
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The United States deems supporting democratization in Indonesia a priority, and whoever wins the American presidency will consider the Southeast Asian country an important partner, a US congressman says.
"There is no difference between the American political parties and presidential candidates on the importance of this Indonesian relationship," David Price, who heads a six-member US Congress delegation here, told reporters after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Office on Tuesday.
Price said both US Republicans and Democrats as well as their presidential candidates realized the importance of the US supporting democracy in Indonesia and committing to a solid partnership.
The six Congressmen are grouped under the House Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC). They are visiting Indonesia to foster partnership with Indonesian House of Representatives members in line with the HDAC goal of empowering lawmakers in selected partner countries.
Earlier in the day, they met with the House's leading figures and signed an agreement on the continuation of the partnership.
"We know very well that while democracy requires free and fair elections, what happens between elections is equally important. And we're committed to the development of strong and responsive legislative institutions to link government to the people, and make sure that government is responsive to all the people's needs," Price said.
During the meeting, Yudhoyono expressed his commitment to democratization and vowed to enhance democratic partnership with the US.
"Indonesia has transformed itself into one of the world's biggest democracies in the last several years, and achieved a point of no return in the process," Yudhoyono said through his spokesman Dino Patti Djalal.
Price, however, said Indonesia was still dealing with obstacles to achieving full democracy, with the questions of civilian control over the military and human rights violations lingering on.
"We know that those problems are still being addressed. But there's no question that the progress toward democracy and realization of human rights are indeed irreversible. But the work of democracy is never done, and we know that in our country, believe me. And we're committed to walking this path with you," he said.
Price said President Yudhoyono had no doubt Indonesian progress toward democracy would continue.
The Congressmen and the President also discussed international issues, including problems in Myanmar, Lebanon and Darfur.
"The President conveyed his view that Indonesia supported Myanmar's plans for referendum and general election as long as the process is transparent and inclusive for groups outside the government," Dino said.
Price described his dialogue with Yudhoyono on Myanmar as "productive", stressing the country's need for a specific approach to overcome its problems.
HDAC is a bipartisan commission of the US House of Representatives. It campaigns for responsive and effective government and strengthening democratic institutions in emerging democracies.
Jakarta Post - February 15, 2008
Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – More than 150 villagers in Tulangbawang regency, Lampung, have sought protection from provincial authorities due to alleged intimidation from a private company.
Aside from being intimidated by thugs and police personnel, some 60 families in Kerawang village faced increased threats when the company dug a large canal around their village to isolate them.
Villagers met the Lampung governor and provincial legislature last week, saying they had frequently been approached by thugs and armed security from the local Brimob unit, asking them to sell their land to the company and leave the village.
"After the prolonged intimidation only around 150 villagers remain there, while more than 450 others have sold their land and moved to other villages," a spokesman for the villagers, Makruf, said.
He added that some 3,800 villagers in the subdistrict have faced similar threats when they refused to sell their land to PT Central Pertiwi Bahari (CPB), owner of a shrimp pond estate.
School children have had classes in a hut in the village since the mosque and an elementary school were torn down, Makruf said. Residents had to walk seven kilometers toward the shrimp pond estate if they wanted to leave the village, he added.
Residents said the intimidation has become more intense in recent months after 21,000 residents of Kuala Teladas and Gedongmeneng had received compensation from the company last year.
CPB's Taufik Slamet denied that his company had recruited thugs or security personnel to intimidate villagers, but said part of the land occupied by the village, belonged to his company.
He said his company had asked the residents to vacate the land because they were infringing on the shrimp pond estate. "We have never intimidated farmers. Things are not like they used to be, when you could get away with intimidation," he said.
Taufik said CPB would pay out up to Rp 4 million per hectare in compensation for the occupied land, as it had done with many other villagers who accepted the offer.
The company aims to retrieve some 16,200 hectares of land, including 600 hectares occupied by the village. The land bought from PT Dipasena Citra Darmaja following the 1997 economic crisis, was originally protected forest.
Provincial forestry office chief Arinal Junaidi said the 600- hectare Kerawang village was not included in the CPB land title issued in May, 2007.
"The land title was issued after the company and land authorities determined borders between the shrimp pond estate and villages. The digging of the canal was unjustified and we must ask the company to refill it," he said.
The provincial legislative council say they would form a joint working committee to provide advocacy for the villagers and settle the case fairly.
| Demos, actions, protests... |
Jakarta Post - February 21, 2008
Novia D.Rulistia and Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Hundreds of meat sellers from Greater Jakarta protested at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, demanding the government stabilize rising meat prices.
Zainuddin, vice chairman of the Association of Meat Traders (APD), said rising prices made it difficult for them to buy cattle, while consumers could not afford to purchase beef.
Beef prices surged to about Rp 52,000 a kilo in traditional markets on Wednesday, up from about Rp 45,000 a kilo, the APD said. Protesters urged the government to put an end to monopolies over meat and cattle imports, and to lower the price of local and imported cattle.
According to the APD, the price of imported cattle is Rp 15,000 per kilogram, including transportation costs. After reaching the slaughterhouse, the price is Rp 18,000 per kilogram, and is Rp 35,000 per kilogram after the meat has been dressed out. "The question now is how the price in the market can reach Rp 52,000 per kilogram?" Udin said.
Most meat sellers in traditional markets in Greater Jakarta closed their stores Wednesday and say they will stay closed until Friday. The government has yet to respond to the protest.
Despite the seemingly unified front presented by the meat sellers, some said they were forced to join the rally by the APD.
Oking, quoted by Antara newswire, said the APD threatened to fine meat sellers Rp 10 million if they failed to take part in the protest. "And it will cost us around Rp 450,000 if we don't sell meat for three days," he said.
Chairman of the Indonesian Food and Beverages Association, Thomas Dharmawan, told The Jakarta Post rising beef prices were likely driven by cattle shortages in Australia, Indonesia's main provider, as a result of prolonged drought. He said obstacles during the shipping process, including rough seas, were also causing delays in the supply of cattle to slaughterhouses.
Thomas said domestic demand for beef this year would reach about 385,035 tons, while the country has 11.26 million cows, equal to about 249,925 tons of beef. "That means we have to import about 135,110 tons of beef to cover the demand," he said.
Citing association data, he said that in 2006, the country imported 60,186 tons of beef, up from 54,370 tons in 2005. During the first seven months of last year, he said, Indonesia imported 47,234 tons of beef.
This year, he said, meat imports are expected to grow by 16.84 percent. "The government should conduct an overall evaluation of its beef policy, which should also involve people from the association to be able to solve this problem," Thomas said.
Tempo Interactive - February 21, 2008
Mustafa Silalahi, Jakarta – Based on data from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre, at least five different protest actions will enliven Jakarta and Depok today.
The first action will be held by the Social Alliance of Lapindo Mud Victims (ALKLL) at the House of Representatives Building in South Jakarta at 10am. Protesters will be demanding compensation for victims of the Lapindo mud disaster.
At 11am, around 100 protesters from the Indonesian Solidarity Forum (FSI) will hold a demonstration in front of the offices of the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Overseas Labor (BNP2TKI) on Jl. Gatot Subrotot, demanding an investigation into corruption at the agency.
The Metro Jaya regional police and the Jakarta Transportation Office will also be enlivened by demonstrations by the Jakarta Student Forum of Concern (FMPJ), who will be calling for comfortable and safe traffic in Jakarta.
Later in the afternoon, around 25 people from the Solidarity Network for the Families of Victims of Human Rights Violations (JSKKPH) will be holding an action at the State Palace in Central Jakarta. They will be calling on the government to fully resolve cases of human rights violations.
The Depok Regional House of Representatives building will also be coloured by an action at 2pm, which will be organised by around 50 people from the Depok City Volunteers for Democratic Struggle (RPDKD) who will be calling for 20 percent of the Depok regional budget to be allocated for education.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Detik.com - February 18, 2008
Indra Subagja, Jakarta – Protest actions will be taking place again today in Jakarta, Monday February 18. As usual, government institutions will be the targets. Drivers should be careful therefore when passing through areas where demonstrations are being held.
The first action will start at 10am with around 200 people protesting in front of the State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara in Central Jakarta over the issue of corruption.
Also at the State Palace, some 200 people will be holding an action at around 12noon in relation to the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support Scheme (BLBI) corruption scandal.
Likewise at the Attorney General's Office, at around 12.30pm a group of demonstrators will be protesting over issues related to corruption.
Perhaps the most interesting action to observe will be a protest at the Jakarta city hall on Jl. Medan Meredeka Selatan. Large numbers of protesters from the Indonesian Assistant Teachers Communication Forum (FKGBI) will be holding a demonstration at 1pm.
So if you are likely to pass by a location where a protest action is taking place, you should be on guard against the possibility of traffic jams. (ndr/nrl)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Kedaulatan Rakyat - February 15, 2008
Yogyakarta – Street actions demanding a reduction in the price of basic commodities are commonplace. But the action held by the Poor Politic-Indonesian Student League for Democracy (LMND-PRM) at the post office intersection in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on the afternoon of Thursday February 14 was more interesting then usual. As well as articulating their demands, they also held a theatric action.
Fourteen people with their faces smudged with paint held up a series of huge letters spelling the words "bring down prices" while they performed a coordinated dance. On the stage meanwhile, posters were put up with the protesters demands.
In a statement and speech, action spokesperson Paulus Suryanta G. said that the increase in the price of basic commodities (sembako) and other goods indicates that the government is failing to bring prosperity to the ordinary people.
Wheat crop failures in Australia and France along with disruptions in the export of wheat from Argentina have caused a jump in world wheat prices. As a consequence, since January 1 China and Russia have increased export taxes on cereals five fold. Thus world food security in Indonesia as well as the rest of the world is under threat.
Protesters gave a number of examples if price instabilities including the government's helplessness in the face of rising soybean prices that are decimating local tofu and tempeh producers. (Ewp)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| Aceh |
Jakarta Post - February 19, 2008
Jakarta – Poverty in tsunami-struck Aceh has fallen below the pre-disaster level, a new World Bank report shows, due to both peace and the large reconstruction effort.
The Aceh Poverty Assessment 2008 report shows poverty in Aceh increased slightly in the aftermath of the tsunami, from 28.4 percent in 2004 to 32.6 percent in 2005.
However, the poverty rate fell in 2006 to 26.5 percent, below the pre-tsunami level, suggesting the rise in tsunami-related poverty was short-lived and reconstruction activities most probably facilitated this decline.
Despite the improvement, the report said, poverty in Aceh remains significantly higher than in the rest of Indonesia.
Lead author Enrique Blanco Armas concluded in the report the short increase in poverty levels in 2005 was relatively small given the extent of damage caused by the tsunami.
The 2004 tsunami devastated Aceh's coast, with 130,000 confirmed dead and 37,000 still missing. An additional 500,000 people were displaced by the disaster.
Damage and losses were estimated at US$4.8 billion and the production sector alone suffered damage estimated at $1.2 billion, with over 100,000 small businesses destroyed and more than 60,000 farmers at least temporarily displaced.
"Poverty was higher in both tsunami- and conflict-affected areas in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami. By 2006, poverty in tsunami and non-tsunami affected areas appeared to equalize and the impact of the conflict on poverty declined in 2006," Armas said.
The report further showed poverty in Aceh was predominantly a rural phenomenon, with over 30 percent of rural households living below the poverty line and less than 15 percent of poor households in urban areas.
Other characteristics associated with higher poverty levels were larger household sizes, lower education levels, female-headed households and households that predominantly worked in agriculture.
The relationship between the above characteristics and poverty, the report said, remained relatively stable over the tsunami period, suggesting underlying determinants of poverty were unchanged despite the rapid socio-economic and political changes.
In a statement received by The Jakarta Post on Monday, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, director of the Executing Agency for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Aceh and Nias (BRR), said the positive impact of the post-tsunami reconstruction effort was not going to be sustainable for the Acehnese.
"The current growth trend, primarily the result of the large reconstruction effort, is not sustainable. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to stagnate.
"The provincial and regional governments, respectively, need to develop the necessary regulations that encourage the development of the private sector, particularly in agriculture and downstream-related industries," Kuntoro said.
Abdul Rahman Luis, head of Aceh Regional Body of Planning and Development, said improving the productivity of the agricultural and fisheries sectors as well as other sectors linked to poverty alleviation was key to alleviating poverty in Aceh.
"It is important that the current focus on reconstruction of tsunami-affected areas be broadened to focus on the poorest and most remote areas that are not necessarily those devastated by the tsunami," Abdul said.
| West Papua |
Jakarta Post - February 20, 2008
Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Residents of Papua's Pegunungan Bintang regency on Tuesday voiced their opposition to the proposed formation of a new province.
After five regents on Monday issued a joint statement in Jayapura for an autonomous province that would include Pegunungan Bintang, people in Oksibil, the regency's capital, staged a rally rejecting the plan.
"People strongly oppose the plan. We wish to remain an integral part of Papua. Hundreds of people have protested against the decision of the five regents," Pegunungan Bintang legislative speaker Theo B. Opki told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Theo said residents were against the proposal on the grounds Pegunungan Bintang was still a new regency, in need of administrative improvements, so there were no reason to be involved in the additional task of forming a new province.
Pegunungan Bintang, Yahukimo and Tolikara regencies emerged from Jayawijaya regency in 2002 alongside 11 other regencies in Papua.
The main stumbling block, said Theo, was territorial isolation since each of the districts could be reached only by air, an expensive mode of transportation.
"We don't have any overland access and it costs a lot to visit people in rural areas since we have to travel by air. We need to address this problem first and not demand a new province," he said.
Theo said Pegunungan Bintang Regent Wellington Wenda, one of the five regents who called for the establishment of the new province, had never informed citizens or the local legislature of his plans for such a move. People considered the decision based on his personal interests, Theo said.
The five regents formed a mediating team led by Regent Wellington Wenda, and the team met with Papua legislative vice speaker Paskalis Kosay and Papua People's Assembly (MRP) chairman Agus Alua Alue.
"Their wish to separate is just a proposal and they have not yet conveyed the matter officially to the MRP," said Agus after the meeting.
The team left for Jakarta on Tuesday to meet President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Home Minister Mardiyanto and Commission II members of the House of Representatives.
Jakarta Post - February 18, 2008
Angela Flassy, Jayapura – Two Papuan intellectuals have expressed deep concern over a bill on the formation of four new provinces in Papua, which they said would benefit Jakarta and could sow conflict among tribes.
Don A. Flassy, a senior researcher at the provincial administration, criticized the House of Representatives for attempting to divide Papua into four new provinces – West Papua, Southeast Papua, South Papua and Central Papua. He said the proposal was opposed by the majority of Papuans.
"The proposed formation of the four new provinces is in contravention of Law No. 21/2001 on Papua's special autonomy and the 2004 regional administration law, which recognize the province's uniqueness in terms of ethnicity, culture and territory. The development of eight regencies into a Central Papua province would likely incite horizontal conflicts among numerous tribes and local cultures in the future," he told The Jakarta Post here over the weekend.
The bill proposes the regencies of Supiori, Biak, Yapen Waropen, Nabire, Waopen, Paniai, Dogiai and Mimika be developed into the province of Central Papua, with Timika as the provincial capital. According to the bill's sponsors, this would improve public services to residents.
Don warned the presence of three separate ethnic groups in the province could pose a serious threat to harmony, saying the government should learn from the prolonged conflict between two tribes in Mimika.
"The culture of the Mee-Lani Poqo tribe in the mountainous area is in contrast with the Saireri tribe's culture in Cenderawasih Bay and the Ha Anim culture in Mimika. The three ethnic groups and cultures have their own characteristics and interests, both in terms of customs and conflict settlement," he said.
He said if a Central Papua province was formed, it should include only the mountainous areas, home to the Komoro, Sempan and Agimuga tribes, while the coastal area around Cenderawasih Bay, home to Saireri, should remain an integral part of Papua province.
"The proposed regencies of Numfor, North Yapen, West Yapen, Upper Waropen, Lower Waropen, Biak and Nabire in the coastal areas could be developed later into a new province," he said.
Don also said the creation of new provinces should be aimed at improving the welfare of residents, not helping the government enhance security in the province, which is home to the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM).
The proposed Central Papua would be home to about 605,000 people, 60 percent of them indigenous Papuans. It has great potential in mining, agriculture, forestry and tourism
The proposed new province would also be home to US copper and gold mining company PT Freeport McMoran Indonesia, and has the potential to produce 670,000 tons of fish annually in Supiori and Yapen Waropen.
Paniai regency is seen having great potential in agribusiness, while Nabire could be developed to be a trade center for the province.
The Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) opposes the proposed formation of the four new provinces, which it said violated the 2001 special autonomy law for Papua.
Deputy head of the assembly, Frans Wospakrik, said the MRP and the provincial administration had their own ideas on how Papua should be developed into several new provinces, but Jakarta has ignored their suggestions.
"Jakarta has interpreted the law in accordance with its own interests. We give up and ask the central government to withdraw the special autonomy so that Papua can be governed according to its interests," he said.
Frans, also a former rector of Cenderawasih University in Papua, said the assembly was deeply concerned that Jakarta continued looking down on Papuans and ignoring their desire to build a better future.
He said the majority of Papuans were committed to the Indonesian unitary state, but the government should listen to their suggestions for developing the province and improve their living standards.
| Human rights/law |
Detik.com - February 22, 2008
M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – Tubagus Noviarwan, an Indoglobal Mandiri University student in the South Sumatra city of Palembang, who died as a result of mistreatment by police adds one more name to the list violence committed by security personnel. The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) recorded 180 cases of violence by security personal in Indonesia over the last year.
"There were 180 cases of violence committed by police in 2007 and 2008. In Palembang itself seven cases were recorded, and this has now grown by one with the death of Noviarwan", said Komnas HAM commissioner Nur Kholis.
This was conveyed by Kholis when he received the family of Noviarwan, who were accompanied by the Palembang Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, at his office on Jl. Latuharhari in the Central Jakarta area of Menteng on Friday February 22.
According to Kholis most of the cases of violence in 2007 and 2008 were committed by police followed by Indonesian military (TNI) personnel who were involved in 18 cases. A breakdown indicates that 12 cases were committed by army officers, four cases involved navy personnel and airforce officers committed two.
LBH Palembang operational head Yopie Bharata said that there were at least 67 instances of violence committed by security personnel in his area. Police officers, local government officials, employees and rogue members of the TNI were the main perpetrators of violence.
"The types of violations ranged from the right to life as defined by Law on Human Rights, freedom from torture, offensive treatment or punishments, the right to a fair trial, freedom of expression and the right to feel safe," said Bharata (zal/nvt)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Detik.com - February 22, 2008
Indra Subagja Jakarta – The investigation into the murder of human rights activists Munir continues. Now that Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto has been sentenced to 20 years in jail by the Supreme Court, police are now taking aim at other suspects – a number of which have already been questioned.
"We have another strategy, people associated with him are being questioned first of all. This has already been done, but it's not for public consumption," said national police public relations division head Inspector General Sisno Adiwinoto at the national police headquarters on Jl. Trunojoyo in Jakarta on Friday February 22.
According to Adiwinoto, the testimony of these witnesses will lead to other suspects. "We already have information and have started questioning others," he explained again.
Adiwinoto admitted however that they had yet to question Priyanto again. "He is still upset because he's only just been sentenced. Past experience is that he often equivocates, so we will be seeking other witnesses first. But the key still lies with Polly[carpus]," explained Adiwinoto.
Adiwinoto said that in order to target new suspects, the previous testimonies of witness will be used first. But he declined to give an answer as to how many number new witnesses have also been questioned. "There are several, okay", exclaimed the former high-ranking officer who will soon occupy a new post as the South Sulawesi chief of police.
From the testimony of witnesses however, police now know where the planning of the murder took place. "The police have been able to discover this, but it's not for public consumption, right", he asserted.
Information obtain from police has already been recorded in police investigation reports from 4-5 new witnesses. Most of these are people from intelligence circles. "All of them are civilians, they were questioned separately at the national police headquarters last Sunday", said an investigator.
The witnesses have also provided information that has been of assistance in the investigation to indict new suspects. "It's very significant", he asserted. (ndr/mly)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Kompas - February 20, 2008
Jakarta – The murder of human rights activists Munir will be one of the cases taken up in the annual report on human rights in Indonesia, which will be presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in April. This is being done as a means to accelerate a resolution of the case.
Speaking in Jakarta on Tuesday February 19, Human Rights Working Group deputy director Choirul Anam said that the UN Human Rights Council would discuss the annual report from Indonesia on April 15. As well as the official government report, the council will also be seeing a number of reports from non-government organisations (NGOs) as a comparison.
"In the case of reports from NGOs, we will be including developments in the Munir murder case as one of the main reports", said Anam. The Munir case continued Anam, will also be included as part of a report by the UN Human Rights Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Hina Jilani, who visited Indonesia in June 2007.
When Jilani was in Indonesia, she said that as long as the Munir murder remains unsolved, human rights defenders in Indonesia will never feel safe. The case has also attracted the attention of the international community so she suggested that the Indonesian government ensure that the law is properly applied in the case.
Suciwati, the wife of the late Munir, added that she and a member of the European parliament, Ana Maria Gomes, are currently collecting signatures from the European parliament to support resolving the Munir murder case. "I am still collecting various facts requested by Ana Maria Gomes. It is hoped that there will be at least 200 signatures for Munir", she said.
Jhon Muhamad from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) hopes that the case can be resolved this year. If it is delayed until next year, there is concern that significant amounts of material evidence will be lost.
Speaking yesterday in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung, Indonesian Police Chief General Sutanto said that police are continuing to conduct a follow up investigation into the Munir case. Following the sentencing of Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, Sutanto said that they would be working more intensively to uncover the possibility that other parties were involved. He denied remarks that they had they had been discriminative in the examination of certain people who are suspected of being involved. (CHE/NWO)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| Labour issues |
Jakarta Post - February 22, 2008
Novia D. Rulistia, Jakarta – An alliance of entrepreneurs and workers groups has established a bipartite forum to help settle industrial labor disputes and problems.
The establishment of the forum would effectively end an existing similar forum, called the tripartite forum, which incorporates the government, the alliances said Thursday.
Secretary-general of the Indonesia Welfare Labor Confederation (KSBSI), Idin Rosidin, said the government, the House of Representatives and other institutions should not be involved in the settlement of labor disputes, especially between employers and workers.
"The bipartite forum is determined to settle the problems internally without any interference, so that the problems can be solved immediately, simply and fairly," he said.
Chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), Sofyan Wanandi, said the role of the House or the government might be needed only as a stamp of approval for any agreements reached within the forum.
"But not during the negotiations in the forum," Sofyan added. "If we directly involve the government or other institutions in the negotiations, a solution takes a long time. Sometimes the government even politicizes industrial problems, such as the worker social insurance, even more so if it is election time."
The forum was established as a place to discuss solutions to business-related disputes and confusions, including severance pay, outsourcing and overlapping laws on the manpower and industrial sectors. It also is designed to help prevent strikes and the closure of companies.
In the forum, workers are represented by the KSBSI, which heads 11 worker federations, and the Indonesia Workers Confederation (KSPI), which heads 10 worker federations. The entrepreneurs are represented by Apindo.
According to the KSPI, there around 80 workers unions registered at the Manpower Ministry, but more than 50 percent of them do not have legitimate supporters.
The forum secretariat will consist of 15 people from each of the three institutions, including five people grouped as a working committee. It will begin work in March, with an office in Menara Jamsostek in South Jakarta.
"There are still many worker alliances out there which have not yet joined the forum, but we decided to start it off with those which are ready," said KSBSI president Rekson Silaban.
He said if the results of the forum was positive, there would be no reason for other unions not to join the forum later. Chairman of the KSPI, Thamrin Mosii, said the first item to be discussed at the forum was the 1992 law on social insurance for workers.
He said other laws that needed further discussion were the 2000 law on unions, the 2003 law on manpower, the 2004 law on industrial courts and other regulations considered to be overlapping.
Jakarta Post - February 20, 2008
Novia D. Rulistia, Jakarta – The rigidity of the 2003 Labor Act, particularly its severance provisions, has forced entrepreneurs to use outsourcing, a panelist told a seminar on Tuesday.
Chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Sofjan Wanandi said the hefty severance payments stipulated by the law burdened employers, making them turn to outsourcing. "In fact, outsourcing isn't good for either employer or employee – but employers have no alternative."
A three-part severance package applies when a permanent employee is terminated, giving the former employee a right to a service payment and so-called rights replacement payment, in addition to the severance payment itself.
The minimum severance payment for an employee who has been working eight years, for example, is the equivalent of nine months of salary.
"In practice", however, according to Apindo head of industrial relations and advocacy Hasanuddin Rachman, that minimum is usually multiplied by a factor of at least two; and this is just one of the three severance payments the law requires. "This is considered too much by employers," Hasanuddin told The Jakarta Post.
Unlike the other two payout components, the rights replacement payment is calculated primarily on the basis of transportation costs and holidays.
Sofjan said many businesses faced with this burden have to turn to outsourcing, even though this brings "side effects". With the outsourcing system, for instance, companies have to train new employees when an outsourced employee's contract expires, which has time and productivity costs, he said.
Meanwhile, outsourced employees don't enjoy the same rights and benefits as permanent ones. To help strike a balance, Sofyan said more and more companies were using outsourced workers only in areas not involving production.
Under the law, outsourcing is an agreement where one company provides services to another for business functions that usually are or could be provided in-house.
Also speaking at the seminar, the president of the Indonesia Welfare Labor Association, Rekson Silaban, said outsourcing decisions shouldn't be based on the core versus non-core distinction, but instead on vulnerability associated with the job.
For example, outsourcing wasn't appropriate in the case of minimum wage employees whose positions were still non-permanent or contract-based, he said. He also said that wages for outsourced employees should be higher – by at least five percent – than for permanent employees – to compensate for the lack of severance protection.
| Environment/natural disasters |
Jakarta Post - February 22, 2008
Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The government said Thursday it would not license new mining companies to operate open-pit mining systems in protected forests.
"There will be no more open-pit mining permits in protected forests other than the 13 already-licensed firms," Yetti Rusli of the Forestry Ministry said.
She made the statement in response to growing fears from environmental activists a new regulation requiring forest exploitation fees would encourage more mining firms to dig up forests, including protected ones.
"The collection of fees is not intended for renting forest lands. It is only a little part of the responsibilities that the operating mining firm must fulfill. They still have to pay royalties to the government," Yetti said.
She said the non-tax revenues generated from the new regulation would be used to support the government's reforestation program.
The regulation, which took effect February 8, say non-forestry firms operating in forests must pay fees of between Rp 1.2 and Rp 3 million per hectare per year.
Companies involved in mining, oil and gas exploration, radio and television transmissions, telecommunication networks, electricity and water installations and turnpike infrastructure are among the main targets of the regulation.
The regulation says open-pit mining activities in protected areas are subject to the highest charge of Rp 3 million per hectare per year. "But that is only for the 13 companies that have been allowed to carry out open-pit mining in protected areas," Yetti said.
Protected forests are supposed to be free from any exploitation or exploration activities for commercial purposes, but the 13 firms were given an exemption in 2004 under a government regulation. The government said the 13 firms were allowed to operate in protected forests because they were there before the forests were declared protected.
These companies include PT Aneka Tambang, PT Inco, PT Freeport McMoran Indonesia, PT Nusa Halmahera, PT Nataran Mining and PT Indominco Mandiri. Most operate in eastern parts of the country.
Yetti said the government had only issued "principal permits" to three of the 13 mining firms. "Therefore, none of the mining companies has started operations in protected forests," she said.
The Forestry Ministry said it expected to gain non-tax revenue of around Rp 600 billion this year from the new regulation. Data from the ministry shows there are currently 334 non-forestry businesses operating in 293,556 hectares of forests.
"We are still examining 586 proposals for licenses, including from mining companies," said Bowo Heru Satmoko, the head of the ministry's licensing division.
Environmental group Greenomics Indonesia said the additional revenue from forest exploitation would be insignificant to the state.
The group's executive director, Elfian Effendy, said the potential revenue was just Rp 2.78 trillion per annum, far lower than potential state losses of Rp 70 trillion per year due to open-pit mining in protected forests.
He demanded the government increase the new fee to US$16,000 per hectare per year for each of the 13 companies. This would cost the 13 companies a total of Rp 140.6 trillion per year, he said.
Jakarta Post - February 22, 2008
Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – Members of the Indonesian Forest Protection Committee and the Riau chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) rallied Thursday at Riau Police Headquarters here demanding the immediate prosecution of illegal logging suspects.
Riau Police named six regional heads and dozens of executives from 23 forestry and plantation companies as suspects in illegal logging cases in early 2007, but none of these suspects have been brought to trial.
"We handed over data and facts from the field between January and April 2007 to help the police in their investigations. It has been a year now, but the illegal logging cases have not yet been resolved. We hope Riau Police chief Sutjiptadi keeps his promise to settle the cases," Riau Walhi executive director Joni Setiawan Mundung said during the rally.
He cast doubt on whether Riau Police had investigated the six officials who issued forestry licenses critics say sped up the destruction of the province's forests.
"We were initially very impressed by the actions taken by Sutjiptadi, who expressed his commitment to combat illegal logging in Riau, especially when we were told the National Police had asked for the President's permission to question the regional heads in Riau on Sept. 27 last year.
"Sixty days have passed but there is has still been no reply from the President. The police should have immediately questioned the officials, who have been identified as suspects. Surprisingly, the Riau Police have yet to question them, with the police chief instead issuing a statement saying they won't be examined," said Mundung.
Riau Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Zulkifli declined to comment on the charges. "Please ask the Riau Police chief about the illegal logging issue," he said.
The police also have not completed 15 case files on illegal logging suspects returned by prosecutors in December last year, preventing the cases from moving forward.
Prosecutors are also very careful about handing over cases to the courts, especially after a number of illegal logging suspects were acquitted. "We don't want to be blamed by the public if we lose in court due to a lack of evidence," said Riau Prosecutor's Office spokesman Darbin Pasaribu.
Jakarta Post - February 22, 2008
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – An alliance of non-governmental organizations have voiced strong opposition to the planned straightening of the Deli River, which divides Medan in North Sumatra.
The opposition comes after the alliance, including the Environmental Policy and Development Studies (Elsaka), the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and the Commission for Victims of Violence and Missing Persons (Kontras) in Medan, organized a walk to trace the 700-meter section of the river to be straightened.
The project, according to the NGOs, contravenes Government Regulation No. 35/1991 on river conservation. They also claimed the work would benefit businesspeople, who would gain some 22 hectares of free land, at the expense of thousands of poor families who would be removed from the banks of the river.
Elsaka director Effendi Panjaitan, who joined the river walk, called on the municipal administration and Public Works Ministry to review the plan. In addition to affecting residents, the project will harm the environment and put the city at greater risk of floods by narrowing the river, he said.
"If the government is committed to conserving the river, local authorities should take the necessary steps, including the revival of the clean river program, to fight the river's heavy pollution," Effendi said.
He warned the government not to straighten the river, saying NGOs would file a lawsuit against local authorities if they went ahead with the project. "This is part of our protest to the city administration and the six construction companies who won the contract," he said.
The six companies, including PT Kastil Kencana, PT Elpinki, PT SJA and PT Eka, confirmed they had secured formal permission from city authorities to begin work on the river project.
Kastil operations director Bernard Situmorang said the plan did not pose any threat to the city because flood control works would be constructed along the straightened section of the river.
North Sumatra Walhi director Job Purba said the government was required to conserve the river, which belonged to all citizens. "This project reflects the city authorities' lack of commitment to developing the city and preserving the environment. Local officials should not take the business community's side in developing the city," he said.
He claimed the city would allow the construction of malls and hotels on the land cleared to make way for the project.
The city's decision on the project is final and all requirements, including an environmental impact study, have been met, head of the local environment, energy and mineral resources office, Purnama Dewi, said.
"We have reviewed all the positive and negative effects of the project," she said, but declined to comment on the absence of measures to curb river pollution and to use the river as alternative transportation infrastructure.
Effendi called on city authorities to punish more than 200 companies that dumped wastewater and hazardous material into the river. "Because of the contamination, residents can no longer use water from the river, which is a burden for everyone," he said.
Jakarta Post - February 22, 2008
Erwida Maulia and ID Nugroho, Jakarta/Sidoarjo – A group on Thursday declared a movement to stop the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, while questioning the government's political will to end the disaster.
The group of experts and public figures is led by Nahdlatul Ulama senior leader Solahuddin Wahid, the younger brother of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, and includes former Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif and mud volcano experts from several state universities.
Solahuddin accused the government and the House of Representatives of lacking seriousness to stop the mudflow that began in May 2006. "There's been something of an effort not to let the public know the mudflow is stoppable," he said at a ceremony to announce the group's intentions at the House building in Jakarta.
Rudi Rubiandini, a drilling expert of the Bandung Institute of Technology, refuted claims the mudflow was a natural phenomenon, which has been widely asserted since the beginning of the disaster.
He and former Pertamina deputy director Mustiko Saleh, both part of the group, also rejected the theory the mudflow was triggered by the 2006 earthquake that rattled Yogyakarta a few days before the mudflow began.
The group said it would use relief well technology to stop the mudflow, and conduct fund-raising activities to finance the movement. Rudi said that by drilling a relief well to get to the source of the mudflow, which lies at a depth of 2,000 to 3,000 meters, they would be able to plug the source.
He said the source could be destroyed by injecting mud with higher specific gravity and channeling the hot salty water, which produces mud after mixing with clay, to the earth's surface via the relief well.
Another possible solution is to explode layers around the source to close the crack from which the water flows, he added. "Such a method requires six months of preparations, but will effectively destroy the mudflow source within three hours," said Rudi, who is also the former head of the independent team investigating the mudflow. He said the effort would cost between US$50 million and $70 million.
"Using concrete balls or constructing cover dams won't work because they don't kill the mudflow at its source, but only at its surface. "Those methods would only result in the flowing of mud through other places," Rudi said.
The relief well technology had been used to stop the Sidoarjo mudflow once previously, according to retired operation head for drilling activities at state-owned oil company PT Pertamina, Kersam Sumanta. But it failed to work, as mining firm Lapindo Brantas Inc. had not been serious in using the technology, he said.
Lapindo, which is connected to the family of Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Aburizal Bakrie, was widely blamed for the disaster that cost it some Rp 3.2 trillion (US$335 million) in compensation to victims.
Rudi said since its eruption almost two years ago, the mudflow had inundated 700 hectares in Sidoarjo and displaced thousands of families.
The declaration ceremony also saw the launch of a book, Kill Lapindo Mudflow: Saving the Nation, People's lives and State Money, which was co-written by movement members including Solahuddin, Rudi, Kersam, Syafii Maarif and Mustiko Saleh.
Separately, Andy Darussalam, vice president of PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, a subsidiary of Lapindo Brantas, said in Sidoarjo that whatever the status of the mudflow, be it man-made or a natural disaster, the company would continue payment of the remaining 80 percent of its compensation to victims.
But he said Minarak would not be responsible for victims living in areas outside the boundaries of the Lapindo mudflow, which were specified in a 2007 presidential regulation on the Sidoarjo mudflow.
Jakarta Post - February 21, 2008
Jakarta/Sidoarjo – House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerdjogoeritno was criticized Wednesday by fellow lawmakers for reversing a decision to question the government on the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java.
During a plenary session of the House on Tuesday, presided over by Soetardjo, lawmakers decided to knock back a report from a House special team, which concluded the mudflow was a natural phenomenon, not man-made.
During the session, lawmakers criticized the report, which they said sided with Lapindo Brantas Inc., the company widely blamed for the disaster.
Soetardjo then offered the session two options – to continue the team's work or to move forward with plans to question the government about its response to the mudflow and its treatment of victims.
The majority of lawmakers chose to question the government, at which point Soetardjo ended the session, with a decision to summon the government over the disaster.
To the surprise of lawmakers who attended Tuesday's session, Soetardjo, 74, said Wednesday the House's special mudflow team would continue its work on its report.
"What I decided was to prolong the mudflow special team's work and, if we want to", we can question the government later, said the House deputy speaker, who also heads the mudflow team. Soetardjo's about-face was slammed by fellow legislators who want to question the government about the disaster.
"What was decided in the plenary session cannot be changed just by a statement outside the meeting," said Djoko Susilo of the National Mandate Party (PAN).
He said the plenary session clearly agreed to reject the team's report and question the government over the disaster. "We can listen to recordings of the plenary session as evidence," he said.
Djoko said a plenary session was the highest forum in the House and that decisions made during the sessions could only be changed through another plenary meeting. He said the PAN faction would discuss the issue Friday.
Ida Fauziah, a legislator with the National Awakening Party (PKB), said she did not understand what Soetardjo meant when he said they could "prolong the team's work" and question the government later.
She said a plenary session that discussed the issue of Lapindo last year decided the House would formally question the government if its special mudflow team failed to complete its report to the satisfaction of lawmakers. "We should refer to that decision," said Ida.
Commenting on the report, volcanologist Surono said the Sidoarjo mudflow would not have occurred without a "trigger". "Sidoarjo is indeed a mud volcano source. But if it was not fiddled around with, it would not have been a disaster like this," he said during a seminar at the Surabaya Institute of Technology in East Java.
Surono, who has conducted research on a mud volcano at Surabaya's Juanda Airport, said there was only a small-scale mud volcano in Sidoarjo. He said that based on its natural characteristics, the mud volcano would have remained small without some sort of trigger.
Meanwhile, some 300 victims of the mudflow from five affected villages in Sidoarjo, continued their protest Wednesday. The protesters demanded Lapindo complete its compensation payments to those affected by the disaster, and urged the government to include several more villages in the map of affected areas.
Protester Luthfi Abdillah said representatives of affected villages were in Jakarta to meet ministers and make sure their demands were heard. (alf).
[ID Nugroho contributed to this story from Sidoarjo.]
Jakarta Post - February 18, 2008
Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The four main rivers in Riau province are contaminated by hazardous levels of cadmium and zinc, posing a serious threat to the health of residents, say local authorities.
According to a recent study by the Riau Environmental Impact Management Agency, the cadmium and zinc levels in the Indragiri, Siak, Rokan and Kampar rivers have exceeded the maximum limits set by the government in a 2001 regulation.
Head of the agency's contamination control division, Makruf Siregar, said here Friday the cadmium level in the Kampar River reached 0.012 mg/liter, and 0.11 mg/liter in the Indragiri River. That is far above the government-set limit of 0.01 mg/liter.
The zinc content has reached 0.18 mg/liter in the Siak River and 0.2 mg/liter in the Rokan River, above the limit of 0.05 mg/liter.
Provincial health office chief Burhanuddin Agung said high levels of cadmium and zinc posed a danger to humans. "A high concentration of cadmium in the human body can cause anemia, teeth discoloration, loss of smell and kidney failure. The most serious effect of chronic cadmium poisoning is lung and prostate cancer," he said.
High concentrations of zinc can cause stomach ailments, nausea, anemia and a decrease in the levels of good cholesterol. It is also reported that inhaling large amounts of zinc, in the form of dust or fumes, can cause a short-term disease called metal fume fever.
Makruf said the cadmium pollution was caused by illegal gold mining near several tributaries in Logas district, Kuantan Singingi regency. He said miners here used hazardous metals in the gold purification process.
"Contamination in the Indragiri River was detected at least three years ago. Cadmium usually is used to purify gold and is often mixed with mercury. Even though we have not tested the mercury levels in the rivers due to a lack of lab equipment, we are sure the mercury level is also high," Makruf said.
He called on residents not to use water from the rivers for cooking or cleaning.
Makruf said the high zinc levels were caused by sand mining at several rivers in the province. He said the environmental agency had asked the Kampar and Rokan Hulu regency administrations to put a stop to the mining activities. "However, they have failed because sand mining is the main source of livelihood for poor families in the regency," he said.
Makruf said the agency had yet to bring the case to the courts, while waiting for prompt action from local authorities to manage the river pollution.
The Kuantan Singingi regency administration is reportedly planning to legalize hundreds of illegal gold mines to increase revenue from the mining sector.
Jakarta Post - February 15, 2008
Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The government threatened Thursday to revoke licenses of 21 natural forest concession holders for their failure to meet requirements in sustaining their forest estates.
Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said among 40 forest concession holders that underwent a sustainable operations audit last year, only 19 companies met the standards.
"I promise I will take firm steps, including to revoke the licenses of bad concession holders, so you don't need to lobby other officials to have your licenses extended," Kaban said to a number of forest concessionaires.
He refused to identify the bad concession holders. Forest Protection and Natural Conservation director general Soenaryo said the companies operated in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua. The companies have six months from now to improve, otherwise their licenses will be revoked, Kaban said.
The ministry commended 19 forestry companies, seven of them for good performance, while the remaining 12 were considered "moderate". As of 2007, the office had audited 143 concession holders to check whether companies managed forests sustainably, Kaban said. "Only 48 of the forest concessions, controlling 4.5 hectares of land each, met the requirements," he said.
The audit was conducted by the Independent Verification Institute (LPI) and funded by the government.
The move to revoke licenses is part of the ministry's attempts to protect Indonesia's natural forests which have been put at risk due to illegal logging and overexploitation. Kaban said the ministry expected to audit 61 forest concessions this year.
"Forestry is a very promising business if you can manage your estate sustainably. We are considering incentives for companies that preserve the forest," he said.
In 2003, the government revoked 13 concession licenses that controlled a total of 1.5 million hectares of forest, for poorly maintained forest estates. The concessionaires included PT Maraga Daya Wood, PT Artika Optima Inti I, PT Bhara Induk Maluku and PT Bhara Induk Sumut.
Also on Thursday, Kaban provided a license for PT Restorasi Ekosistem Indonesia (REKI), which will be responsible for the regeneration of 52,170 hectares of production forests in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra.
The company promised not to cut down any trees until the forest ecosystem was stable. "We will refrain from cutting down trees – it may take us 100 years," Reki foundation head Yusup Chayani said.
He said the company would be responsible for the protection of the forest from illegal logging and fires. The company also pledged to empower local communities living near the forest, and would encourage them to protect the forest so they did not rely purely on wood products.
"We will develop ecotourism in the area," he said, adding that his company would invest US$16.193 million over 20 years.
| Health & education |
Jakarta Post - February 21, 2008
Agnes Winarti, Jakarta – Dozens of people with tense faces and a set of documents in their hands on Wednesday huddled in front of a healthcare counter for the poor (Askeskin), at state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Central Jakarta.
There was no organized queue or system and no accessible information about procedures. Some fired off a lot of questions, which seemed to get on the nerves of the hospital's officers, who in turn, occasionally barked at them.
In the same room, dozens of customers with regular health insurance (Askes) sat neatly, in a more relaxed manner, in front of another counter. In contrast with the poor, the fee-paying patients enjoyed a digital queuing system; their numbers blinked on a digital board above the counter.
The contrast was immediately palpable. The sight of that packed room could be described as a window to the country's healthcare discrimination, where the poor have to struggle hard to survive.
Soni Widaningsih's family was an example of how hard it was for them to receive proper treatment for their daughter, a diminutive and ill 12-year-old named Nur. For a girl her age, she is different from her peers – she weighs 14 kilograms and is no taller than the average 6-year-old.
"Since Nur was eight, she has frequently had anemia, low hemoglobin levels and stomach aches and these symptoms have worsened as she has gotten older," Soni told The Jakarta Post.
"We have run out of money to bring her back to the hospital after several visits with no adequate diagnosis. A doctor in a local hospital said she might be suffering thalassemia."
While Soni was holding her daughter, Nur's father, Asep Safrudin, was fighting the crowd and struggling to receive approval for a set of seven documents which would prove them a poor family and eligible for assistance.
Toting a salesman's black bag, Asep said he had prepared the documents well in advance. They are important for Nur, he said, because the documents should guarantee a free medical check.
The family lives in Cimanggis, Depok, West Java, and Soni said, "We have been using Askeskin relief letters for Nur, since last year, when she was hospitalized here for four days."
On December, Nur was brought to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital weighing in at 12 kilograms and with a very low hemoglobin rate measuring 2.8.
Soni acknowledged the process of gathering documents to get the Askeskin relief letters took time and effort.
"That time, Nur was in critical condition and we had not completed the document set," she said. "I am very grateful that the hospital's emergency unit made available a folding bed for her. Instead of paying a sum of money, like normal patients, we, poor people, submit a set of document copies when we have a doctor consultation or a lab test," said Soni, as she opened a plastic bag of snacks for her daughter.
For a day of treatment in the hospital, Soni said her family would need some Rp 200,000 (US$21.5) for their trip from their hometown in Depok to Jakarta, snacks and meals and photocopies.
"Sometimes, if the doctor asks Nur to get a rather affordable lab test, which costs under Rp 50,000, we just pay it with our own money, so that we don't have to waste time at the healthcare counter."
Askeskin holders usually hold a green and yellow card.
Nur's father said they did not get the card, but that the local health agency had instead given them a letter stating they were allowed Askeskin relief.
However, Asep, who works as a food street vendor near a school, said, "both Askeskin card and relief letter holders undergo the same tedious document procedure for every treatment".
That day, Nur's parents submitted two stacks of copies of the above documents because she had a medical test called Echo Magnetic Resonance Imaging and a consultation with a pediatrician.
While an Askeskin card is valid for a year, Asep said that Askeskin relief letters must be renewed every three months at a local health agency.
It is said Askeskin holders are freed from all medical expenses. In reality, an expensive Eijkman lab test that Nur needs is apparently not covered. Soni said the hospital staff at the counter said Askeskin did not cover the some Rp 1 million-worth of tests.
The lists of discriminations continue in the way the hospital officials served them at the counter.
Soni, however, said she did not hold any grudges. "If we don't understand about certain procedures, we can ask other Askeskin holders."
Soni acknowledged the hospital counter officers dealt with hundreds of poor patients every day. "It must be tiring for them as well," he said.
Nur's parents are among hundreds of other poor families from regions outside the capital that are referred to Jakarta's hospitals for treatment by the Askeskin scheme, which stands for Health Insurance for Poor People. The Askeskin scheme is applied nationwide, but excludes Jakarta ID card holders.
The Jakarta administration provided a different scheme for poor families in the capital: the Poor Family Cards (Gakin) predate 2004 and the SKTM relief letter has existed since 2006. Both are issued by the Jakarta Health Agency and are funded by the administration.
Gakin cards are still valid but distribution stopped after the SKTM was introduced in 2006. Gakin card holders can still receive free medical treatment at referral hospitals. SKTM holders include the poor and "nearly poor", so these card holders may not get completely free-of-charge treatment.
The Gakin card was useful for the whole family, while SKTM usage is limited to one patient. All Gakin and SKTM holders must go back-and-forth from the hospital to the Jakarta Health Agency for any authorization of expenses, including medication, doctor consultation, medical tests and other associated health expenses.
Ita is in her 40s, she is a Gakin card holder and resident of Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, and she said much time and effort was needed for her health-related trips. "The most important thing is my father received treatment."
Her father died after suffering Parkinson's and heart disease in July, 2007, however, the entire treatment he required for the last two years of his life was do-able thanks to their Gakin card. She said her father's entire treatment at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital cost up to Rp 300 million.
Ita said her son, her brother and herself were still receiving the benefits of the Gakin card. Ita said, "If because we are poor, we must go through all this trouble with the document application, then so be it, as long as we can get the free treatment."
Many poor people, like Ita, Soni and Asep, prefer to put their energies toward getting their documents completed, instead of taking more time to complain about discrimination. They are the ones who realize time is ticking away for their sick loved ones, and the existing system allows no compromise.
Jakarta Post - February 21, 2008
Agnes Winarti – While other provinces have taken advantage of the health care system managed by state-owned insurance firm PT Askes (Askeskin), the Jakarta administration has chosen to run its own.
In 2005, the administration launched its Poor Family Cards (Gakin) system to identify residents eligible for low-cost or free health care and food. The administration also allows residents to apply for a relief letter (SKTM) stating they are eligible for discounted or free medical care.
However, observers have said that the city's scheme is no more efficient than the Askeskin-run program.
According to Sri Indiyastuti, a campaigner from the public service policy-oriented Yappika Foundation, every scheme required patients or their families to go through a large amount of red tape in order to prove their economic status.
"All the schemes are effort- and time-consuming," she told The Jakarta Post recently. "It is time for the administration to evaluate the schemes' effectiveness, especially in creating an accountable and transparent scheme with a simpler bureaucracy."
Tuti said that even though all the health schemes were several years old, there were still many poor families who did not know about them. "During my field advocacy work, I met poor families that said they had not heard of Gakin," she said.
A lack of knowledge about the health care programs has resulted in the widespread belief among the city's poor that medical treatment is only for the wealthy. Poor people are more likely to simply take over-the-counter medication they have bought at local markets.
Tuti said many of the city's poorest people also did not have ID cards, which meant they could not access the programs. "Not having an ID card does not mean a person is not a citizen of this country. All citizens still have the right to get the assurance of access to health care services."
Indonesian Health Consumer Empowerment Foundation chairman Marius Widjajarta said Gakin and SKTM should not be continued because both hamper their members from getting health care outside of Jakarta.
"What if a poor person happens to be hit by a bus in Bekasi (West Java)? The person will not be treated at the local hospital because Gakin and SKTM are only applicable in Jakarta."
He emphasized the importance of a nationwide health care service. "It is against the law for an administration to manage its own program."
According to Marius, last year, the administration allocated Rp 260 billion (about US$ 28.6 million) for both Gakin and SKTM.
Meanwhile, the central government recently re-appointed Askes to manage Askeskin program. However, the Health Ministry and PT Askes are having an ongoing dispute about whether to send the budget directly to the insurance firm or to Askeskin's referral hospitals.
Last year, the Health Ministry allocated Rp 4.6 trillion for 76.4 million people in the Askeskin program. However, Askes president director I Gede Subawa told the Post that the ministry had only allocated a total of Rp 3.4 trillion for the 2007 Askeskin program, which resulted in an extra Rp 1.2 trillion in unpaid hospital claims.
The ministry accused PT Askes of marking up the hospital claims, although an audit is yet to be conducted.
Jakarta Post - February 19, 2008
Jakarta – Hundreds of substitute teachers in Jakarta staged a rally at the City Council on Monday to complain about the amount of time it was taking the administration to make them civil servants.
"The applications are stuck with the Teacher Quality Assessment Board and the education agency," said Edi Sudiyo, the chairman of the South Jakarta chapter of the Communication Forum of Indonesian Substitute Teachers.
He said only 473 forum members had been verified and promoted out of 3,806 members who had applied to become public servants since last August.
"The city administration has set its own standards and has not abided with a 2007 government regulation on the promotion of honorarium teachers to become civil servants. We demand certainty in this matter," Edy said, as quoted by Antara.
Council member Igo Ilham, who chairs the council's Commission E overseeing education issues, said the commission would discuss the matter with Governor Fauzi Bowo, related agencies and the State Ministry for Administrative Reform.
"We will discuss the legal aspects of the issue as well as the administration's financial capacity to employ more civil servants," he said.
| War on corruption |
Agence France Presse - February 19, 2008
Jakarta – The six children of late Indonesian president Suharto failed to appear in court Tuesday after being summonsed to defend a civil corruption case against the former leader.
The government was pursuing the case against Suharto, seeking 1.4 billion dollars in returned assets and damages that he allegedly embezzled from a charity he chaired, when he died last month. Under Indonesian law, if a defendant dies in such a case, their heirs must then answer it.
"Today (Tuesday) the heirs did not come and have not yet appointed their representatives in court. Therefore the panel of judges will summons the heirs once again," judge Wahjono told the court.
The court opened with lawyer Juan Felix Tampubolon, who had been representing Suharto, submitting a demand from the heirs for the court to hear an expert witness talk about the positions of heirs in civil suits. But since Tampubolon could not show a letter of power of attorney from the heirs, the demand was rejected.
"If after the second summons, the heirs still do not appear in court, then the panel of judges will continue the trial to an end and the (heirs) would be deemed to have forsaken their rights to defend themselves," Wahjono said.
The case, which had originally been seen as part of a renewed effort by the government to bring former dictator Suharto to justice, alleges Suharto oversaw the misallocation of money intended for student scholarships.
Suharto died without ever facing criminal prosecution over allegations he oversaw massive corruption during his more than three-decade rule that benefited his family and cronies.
A criminal trial against him was abandoned on health grounds.
| Islam/religion |
Jakarta Post - February 18, 2008
Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Ignoring intense criticism and threats of lawsuits, the Tangerang city administration continues to pursue its vision of a moralistic society through controversial regulations banning alcohol and prostitution.
The administration recently held trials at City Hall for 26 people who allegedly violated the moralistic regulations. All of the defendants admitted before the panel of judges they had violated the regulations and accepted their punishments.
Dion Purnomo, one of the violators, received the harshest punishment. He was fined Rp 25 million after admitting to distributing alcoholic drinks. "The punishment really shocked me. The fine was a huge sum of money and I will have to tell my boss because I can't pay it by myself," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Dion was arrested during an operation by the municipal public order agency near the Jakarta-Merak turnpike in Pinang district earlier this month. Officers seized 1,359 bottles of liquor from his herbal drink kiosk.
Agency head Achmad Lutfi said the bylaw banning alcohol was no "paper tiger" and the punishment would serve as a warning to anyone thinking of distributing or consuming alcohol in the city. "The judges' decision shows the administration is serious about upholding the bylaws," he said.
In 2005, the municipal council endorsed a bylaw banning alcohol and another on prostitution.The liquor bylaw bans the distribution and sale of alcoholic drinks, except in three, four and five-star hotels and designated restaurants for on-the-spot consumption. Violators can face imprisonment for up to three months or a fine of up to Rp 50 million.
The bylaw on prostitution bans people, either in public places or locations visible to the public, from "enticing" others, either by words or signals, into acts of prostitution.
It also bans forms of public intimacy like hugging and kissing that are deemed to trigger "lust" in public places or places visible to the public such as hotels, restaurants or entertainment centers. Violators of this bylaw can face up to three months in prison or a fine of Rp 15 million.
The regulations became a national issue after the administration tried 31 people charged with violating the two bylaws on February 28, 2006.
Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim said his administration would continue enforcing the regulations, saying he was prepared to face any consequences, including lawsuits. "The regulations are not of my own making, but merely the wish of the people, as represented by the municipal council," he said.
Muslim leaders in the municipality have praised Wahidin for his efforts to create a so-called moralistic society by sticking to the vision of akhlakul kharimah (religious, responsible and honest).
"We fully support the authorities for being forceful in their enforcement of the regulations because we believe that no religion allows the consumption of alcohol or prostitution," said Junaedi Nawawi, former chairman of the city's branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council.
Jakarta Post - February 22, 2008
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – Two local leaders of the Al- Qidayah sect went on trial Thursday at the Padang District Court on charges of defaming Islam.
Dedi Priadi, 44, an Al-Qidayah leader in the city, and the acting chairman of the sect's West Sumatra branch, Gerry Lufhti Yudistira, 20, sat together as the prosecutor read the indictment against them. Dozens of people attended the court session.
Prosecutor Nasril Naib said in the indictment that the defendants intentionally defamed Islam by spreading Al-Qiyadah al Islamiyah teachings preached by Ahmad Musadeq.
Nasril said the teachings deviated from those of Islam, including by requiring followers to pray just once a day instead of five and preaching a different profession of faith.
"It also preaches that in the fifth phase of its so-called movement, should the number of (sect) followers in Indonesia reach a ratio of 1:10 with other faiths, a war will take place to multiply the number of followers," said Nasril.
He said Dedi and Gerry spread the false teachings in West Sumatra by carrying out secret rituals, and were able to recruit a large number of youths and students with scant religious knowledge.
The West Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an edict on Sept. 24 last year saying the teachings of Al-Qidayah were deviant and misleading.
After the defendants continued their activities, said Nasril, the West Sumatra Supervision of Religious Movements in Society, on Oct. 5, 2007, issued a decree banning the movement.
The attorney general on Nov. 9 issued a nationwide ban on the movement. "The movement was banned but the accused did not heed the ban and continued carrying out their rituals," said Nasril.
Defense lawyer Vino Oktavia from the Padang office of the Legal Aid Institute objected to the charges and asked that both defendants be released immediately. Vino said the charges were delivered before the ban on the movement came into effect.
He said the group should have been issued a warning by the Religious Affairs Ministry, Attorney General's Office and Home Ministry, and that if it failed to heed this warning, only then should it have been disbanded or banned. "If they still disobeyed it, only then should the followers have been arrested," he said.
Jakarta Post - February 16, 2008
Desy Nurhayati and Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The government has shrugged off demands it revoke or review sharia-inspired local regulations, which many critics say violate the Constitution.
Home Minister Mardiyanto said here Friday he did not see any need to review the so-called sharia bylaws enforced in many regions in the country. The minister claimed there was no such thing as sharia bylaws.
"Explicitly, there are no 'sharia bylaws'. What exist are bylaws that implement the Islamic dos and dont's, but in a more specific manner," he said. The minister said such bylaws were implemented differently in various regions.
In Banten, he said, the so-called "sharia bylaw" was simply a public order ordinance to prohibit prostitution. He said in Aceh, the disputed regulations were only applied to Muslims, obliging them to conduct their daily lives based on Islamic teachings.
Despite the differences in the implementation of the bylaws, they all have one thing in common – to ensure that aspects of life are conducted based on Islamic teachings, Mardiyanto said.
"We should see such bylaws from a more comprehensive point of view," he said.
"It is the government's duty, especially the Home Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry, to give a better understanding to people who have different levels of knowledge."
"Actually, the issue is not about the importance of reviewing the bylaws, but it is more about how to give a better understanding to people so they will have similar perceptions of these bylaws."
Mardiyanto said a forum had been established to provide input to the government in drafting such regulations.
A number of moderate Muslim scholars have said the government has no excuse not to scrap the ordinances, which they claim have created or increased discrimination in public life.
The enforcement of sharia bylaws also leads to classifying non- Muslims as second-class citizens, which is against the Constitution, they said.
Concerns were expressed Friday by Muslim scholars Azyumardi Azra and Ahmad Suaidy over the government's refusal to revoke the "discriminatory" bylaws.
The former rector of Jakarta's State Islamic University, Azyumardi, said there are three types of sharia ordinances currently applied across the country.
First, bylaws that rule on public order. Second, the ordinances that rule on dress, particularly those that oblige Muslim women to wear headscarves. Third, the bylaws on criminal sanctions, which exist only in Aceh.
Both Azyumardi and Suaidy told The Jakarta Post the sharia- inspired bylaws on public order were generally accepted not only by Muslims, but also non-Muslims.
"All religions, including Islam and Christianity, have the same concerns over public order. They share the same ideas that things like prostitution, gambling and liquor should be regulated," said Suaidy, the executive director of the Wahid Institute.
However, Azyumardi and Suaidy agreed that the bylaws governing Muslim dress needed review. Suaidy said these bylaws were discriminatory against some citizens because they were often enforced on non-Muslims.
"Our study shows that women from different faiths are also obliged to wear headscarves in some regions like in Padang (West Sumatra) and Bulukumba (South Sulawesi)," he said.
Discussing Aceh, Azyumardi said reviews of strict Islamic bylaws would not be enough if people wanted to stop sharia-based criminal sanctions. "It's more complex. We first need to review the special autonomy law for Aceh," he said.
| Media/press freedom |
Jakarta Post - February 22, 2008
Jakarta – Press organizations will request the Constitutional Court to review defamation articles in the Criminal Code, following the district court's conviction of senior journalist Bersihar Lubis.
The Depok District Court sentenced Bersihar to one month in prison Wednesday, before suspending his sentence and requiring three month's probation.
Bersihar was put on trial for insulting the Attorney General's Office (AGO) with his opinion article in Koran Tempo daily newspaper, titled Kisah Interogator yang Dungu (The Story of Stupid Interrogators).
The court found him guilty, saying he violated article 207 of the Criminal Code on insulting public institutions. Presiding judge Suwidya said while Bersihar was an opinion writer, he should be accountable for the content of his work.
Press Legal Aid executive director Hendrayana said the organization would ask for judicial reviews of the Criminal Code articles, including article 207, which had violated the freedom of the press. "We will appeal for the review of some articles, including 207, 310 and 316 in mid March," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Hendrayana said the organization would coordinate the appeal for Bersihar and journalist Risang Bima Wijaya, the former general manager of Radar Yogyakarta daily, who was sentenced to six months in prison. Sleman District Court, Yogyakarta, found Risang guilty of insulting Kedaulatan Rakyat daily owner Soemadi M. Wonohito. Risang has been in prison since January this year.
Indonesian Press Council head Ichlasul Amal said the organization had long planned to request judicial reviews of several articles. "The problem is that appeals must be requested by those who are directly affected by the articles, not us," Amal told the Post.
He said the council would discuss the matters at a plenary session February 29. "We will call on those who have been 'victimized' by the articles to request the reviews with us."
Alliance of Independent Journalists head Heru Hendratmoko said the organization would support Bersihar in the judicial review. "The articles are no longer relevant for a democratic country like Indonesia," he said.
Heru said he was hopeful the court would void those articles. "There is a high possibility the articles will be annulled, because the Constitutional Court has already scrapped three other articles of defamation on the President and Vice President," he said.
In December 2006, the Constitutional Court made history by scrapping articles 134, 136 and 137 of the Criminal Code, which ruled that burning pictures of the President and Vice President and mocking them in public were insults.
The court reviewed the code as requested by lawyer Eggi Sudjana and activist Pandapotan Lubis. Pandapotan was arrested after insulting the President at a rally, while Eggi was charged with defaming President Susilo Yudhoyono with his statement that Yudhoyono and his son had received Jaguar sedans from businessman Hary Tanoesudibjo. The report turned out to be fabricated.
The three articles made it difficult for people to criticize the President and his deputy, Court chief Jimly Asshiddiqie said during the hearing. The articles undermined the country's process toward democracy by causing confusion as they were open to subjective interpretation, he said. (dia)
Jakarta Post - February 21, 2008
Kupang – The Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI) has condemned alleged violence against three journalists in East Nusa Tenggara over the past week, saying press freedom had been put under threat.
In a joint statement delivered to local media, a group of journalists under the AJI in Kupang called on local authorities to investigate the alleged torture of Obby Lewanmeru of the Post Kupang daily, Yopi Lati of Timor Express and Hendrik R. Benny of Expo NTT.
They said Obby was tortured Sunday by a group of thugs in Manggarai, Flores, and alleged that Yopi was beaten Monday by Hadi Purwoto, a senior prosecutor at the prosecutor's office.
The jounralists also claimed Benny was clubbed by the East Nusa Tenggara provincial secretary, Iskandar Muhammad Mberu. They linked the violence to their colleagues exposing "unwanted news" in the province.
"Local officials should not take the law into their own hands," the group said. "If they feel uneasy with the news in the daily papers, they should use their right to issue a correction."
| Economy & investment |
Jakarta Post - February 21, 2008
Jakarta – Despite slower growth in some business sub-sectors, Indonesia is not suffering from "de-industrialization", with manufacturing continuing to play a significant and stable role in the economy, a seminar heard Wednesday.
Head of the Research and Development Agency at the Industry Ministry, Dedi Mulyadi, said de-industrialization was not occurring in Indonesia, as some economists have suggested, pointing to the fairly stable contribution of manufacturing to gross domestic product over the past three years.
De-industrialization is broadly defined as a decline in the manufacturing industry's real output for a relatively long period of time.
"According to the Central Statistics Agency, the contribution of manufacturing to Indonesia's GDP during the last three years had been stable at above 27 percent. "In 2005, it was 27.41 percent, in 2006, it was 27.54 percent, and in 2007, it was 27.01 percent," he said.
Dedi said the government acknowledged that several sub-sectors experienced negative growth in 2006 and 2007, pointing to textile, timber and wood products.
The textile industry has been hit hard by an influx of Chinese products into domestic market, both legally and illegally, while wood-related products have been hurt by widespread illegal logging.
Head of the Indonesian Textile Association, Benny Soetrisno, said the negative growth in the textile sector was a blip and that the sector's competitiveness was still good. He said there were several conditions that prevented de-industrialization in the textile industry.
"The industry has an integrated structure and long experience. Besides, Indonesia's textile industry possesses one of the world's largest production capacities."
"Now, the already strong competitiveness is supported by the government's seriousness to expand the industry," he said, citing a recent government subsidy scheme for textile makers to revitalize aging machinery.
However, Anton J. Supit, head of the Indonesian Footwear Association, said some indicators pointed to the footwear industry standing on the brink of de-industrialization.
"For example, we can see that since 2006, some footwear makers like PT Dong Yoe Indonesia, PT Tong Yang, PT Spotec, PT Korionesia and PT Asia Sport have closed down, putting 19,000 people out of work," he said. (uwi)
Kompas - February 16, 2008
Jakarta – The government's economic growth target for 2007 of 6.3 percent has been reached. But growth in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors – which supports real sector growth – continues to weaken. As a result, job opportunities are not being created because the economy is being propped up by the capital intensive and technological sectors.
Speaking in Jakarta on Friday February 15, National Statistics Agency (BPS) deputy chairperson for balance of payments and statistical analysis, Slamet Sutomo announced that the economic growth rate for the 2007 fourth quarter was minus 2.15 percent. This being the cases, in cumulative terms the economy in 2007 grew by 6.32 percent compared with 2006.
The negative growth in the fourth quarter of 2007 was primarily because of a rapid decline in growth in the agricultural sector of minus 22.9 percent compared with the previous quarter. Performance in this sector depends entirely on seasonal cycles.
During the fourth quarter of 2007, negative growth of minus 0.2 percent also occurred during the in the manufacturing sector of while the mining sector declined by 0.1 percent. The latest data from BPS also indicates a further weakening of growth in manufacturing and mining sectors over the last year.
In the first quarter of 2007, the mining sector was able to grow by 6.16 percent, but since then this has continued to slow. As a consequence, cumulative economic growth in the mining sector by late 2007 was only 1.98 percent, compared with 2006.
Manufacturing industries
A slowdown also occurred in the manufacturing industries that are the backbone of the absorption of labour. In the first quarter of 2007, the manufacturing sector grew by 5.22 percent, but this has continued to weaken. In cumulative terms, in 2007 the manufacturing sector only grew by only 4.66 percent.
Growth in manufacturing is far below the government's target. In the 2005-2009 Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJM) 2005-2009, the government set an annual growth target of 8.56 percent for the industrial sector. The Department of Industry predicted that in 2007 the industrial sector would grow by 6.31 percent.
Economist M. Chatib Basri is of the view that growth in the manufacturing sector cannot be expected to improve as long as fundamental issues such as labour, infrastructure and availability of energy are not addressed.
The mining sector meanwhile weakened because of a decline in oil production. "The decline in oil production not only had an impact on blowing out the state budget, but it also weakened economic growth," said Basri. (DAY)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Jakarta Post - February 16, 2008
Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The country's economy grew the fastest in the past 10 years in 2007 due in particular to robust investment and exports, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported Friday.
The country saw 6.32 percent growth in 2007, with investment and exports growing 9.2 percent and 8 percent respectively, said the BPS deputy chairman for balance of payments and statistical analysis, Slamet Sutomo.
The growth was in line with the government's expectation of about 6.3 percent under the 2007 state budget.
By sector, communications and transportation experienced significant growth of 14.4 percent, and water, gas and electricity of 10.4 percent.
Other sectors that also experienced rapid growth were the construction sector at 8.5 percent; the trade, hotel and restaurant sectors at 8.5 percent; and the financial, real estate and service sectors at about 8 percent.
Sutomo also said, the economy grew only 6.25 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 from the same period a year earlier, declining from 6.51 percent recorded in the third quarter, due mainly to the rise in global oil prices, which slowed down the global economy.
The surge in global oil prices will affect Indonesia's economy further in 2008, with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday revising the government's economic growth target down from 6.8 percent to 6.4 percent.
The current global oil prices are hovering at or above US$90 per barrel after they soared past $100 per barrel earlier this year.
In the fourth quarter of 2007, the agricultural sector's output fell 22.9 percent due to a dry season. Output from the mining and industrial sectors also dropped 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent respectively.
Meanwhile, by location, Sutomo said, Java and Sumatra islands were the main drivers of the country's economy, contributing 58.2 percent and 23.2 percent respectively.
Regarding investment, he said, "investment will still be robust this year as investors have shown their optimism about investing funds here this year."
The BPS has predicted that the business tendency index in the first quarter this year will be 114.84, meaning that all businesses will grow – excluding the financial, rental and service sectors – as compared to the fourth quarter of 2007.
According to Sutomo, if the index is above 100, it means that investors are optimistic about the country's investment climate.
Sutomo said the growing businesses would absorb more manpower, which would reduce the unemployment rate.
The agency also expects the consumer tendency index to rise in the first quarter of 2008, meaning that people's purchasing power would rise, which in turn would drive the economy.
| Opinion & analysis |
Jakarta Post Editorial - February 21, 2008
The government has finally settled the sharia debate, which has dogged Indonesia these past few years, essentially rejecting demands that sharia-based laws introduced in many regencies be rejected on constitutional grounds. Whether this is acceptable or not is another question entirely.
Home Minister Mardiyanto announced Friday the government did not see any need to revise these bylaws because, contrary to the claims of critics, they do not contravene the 1945 Constitution or the Pancasila state ideology.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in June 2006 ordered M. Ma'ruf, Mardiyanto's predecessor, to look into the issue after 56 members of the House of Representatives sent a petition urging the government to roll back sharia-based bylaws because they discriminated against non-Muslims.
Ma'ruf expanded, and thus watered down, the issue when he said that his ministry was reviewing more than 600 "problematic" bylaws, including those that were sharia-inspired. He later took ill and has since been replaced by Mardiyanto, who provided the government's final answer on Friday.
Critics pointed out that substance-wise the bylaws go against the democratic principles contained in the 1945 Constitution. Articles 28D and 28I state everyone should be free from discrimination and entitled to equal treatment before the law.
They contend that the bylaws also violate the 2004 Regional Autonomy Law, which states that religion is the realm of the central government, with Article 28 of the law forbidding regions from taking decisions that discriminate against any citizen.
These bylaws are against the pluralistic and heterogeneous nature of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Why? They promote discriminatory treatment in public life.
In Padang municipality in West Sumatra, for example, female Muslim students are obliged to wear the jilbab (headscarf), but in practice, non-Muslim women are also subjected to the same requirement.
In nearby Tangerang, a bylaw restricts women from walking alone in the streets after 10 pm, or they face charges of prostitution.
These bylaws are an example of our failure to distinguish between religion and state affairs.
Politicians continue to exploit society's desire for equality, justice and propriety by fueling religious zeal, all the while neglecting the fact that morality and justice have nothing to do with the intrinsic application of religious laws.
Islamic values, as are those of most religions, are universal. They are ingrained within the spirit of the 1945 Constitution, which includes respect for all irrespective of their faith.
The core values of Islam are already alive and well in the hearts of all good Muslims. They need no boasting from politicians who already have their eyes on the next round of elections.
Today, Aceh is the only province governed by sharia, but more than 50 regencies already have some sort of sharia bylaws in place. The number is bound to increase now that the government has ruled there is nothing wrong with these bylaws.
This, however, endangers the unity of the country. Other religious minorities are already restless. Some have taken retaliatory action.
The predominantly Christian regency of Manokwari in Papua, for example, has established an ordinance based on the Bible.
Predominantly Hindu Bali sent a clear message in 2006 that it would seek to secede from the republic if the House of Representatives went ahead with an anti-pornography law that would have restricted their artistic expression and dictated how women dress.
Our forefathers would most likely turn in their graves if they knew that their vision of a pluralist Indonesia, obtained after a democratic debate in 1945, was being overruled by a small group of the country's political elites.
The government's announcement on Friday, which has essentially opened the door wide for more sharia-based bylaws, could, God forbid, be the beginning of the end for this republic.
International Herald Tribune - February 20, 2008
Philip Setunga, Hong Kong/China – It may seem a simple matter of coincidence that the week Indonesian ex-president Soeharto was buried with state honors, the killers of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, were given prison sentences by the state legal apparatus.
Munir was undoubtedly the most outspoken critique of the system of impunity carefully nurtured by the new order regime of Soeharto.
Systematic torture, rape, killings and mass murders during his reign would not have been possible without a muzzled press, domesticated judiciary and a police subjugated to the military that had no powers of investigation. Certainly, ideal conditions for gross human rights violations. Soeharto created these conditions, which perhaps have died with him.
Munir died for them and through a redeeming gesture, was vindicated by the country's prosecution system. What grips everyone's imagination now is whether this judicial gesture usher's in a new era, replacing the "New Order" of impunity of the defunct leader by an order of the rule of the law. Will it occasion a shift from the "rule of the ruler" to the much-needed "rule of law" which is crucial for the emerging democracy? This is what is weighing on minds of the people.
The dream of the establishment of the rule of law has been found to be elusive even after the fall of Soeharto. The reluctance or perhaps the evasion of the real issues of reforming the prosecution system in the last ten years gave birth to a host of pseudo mechanisms that had no teeth to grind.
Creation of the "Ad Hoc Human Rights Court" for instance, for adjudicating gross human rights violations, gave a glimmer of hope for the relatives of the families of the disappeared or extra judicially killed, in both East Timor and Indonesia. However, the hopes of the people were dashed when at the end of the hearing, the persons indicted with gross human rights violations were sanctioned impunity by the Ad Hoc Human Rights Court.
Similarly the creation with much fanfare of the National Human Rights Commission, Komnas HAM, officially mandated to inquire into past human rights abuses and gross human rights violations in particular, has so far been very disappointing. The inquires made into a few cases of gross human rights violations as in the case of Trisakti and Semangi, have apparently seen only a dead end. A similar fate awaited the much awaited "Truth and Reconciliation Commission". All these defunct or dysfunctional mechanisms point to a major malaise in the justice system, which is now being reluctantly brought under serious scrutiny.
Indonesia never had an impartial system of investigation. This was due to the non-existence of a proper investigation mechanism with qualified personnel and resources. The police was a subsidiary of the military and played a second fiddle to the military. The recent separation of the police from the military has not resulted in the quick adoption of a culture that is needed for serious investigations into gross violations of human rights. The investigation into the murder of Munir, contributed to highlighting this serious lacuna.
The above observation equally applies to the office of the prosecutor. In a culture of impunity, serious prosecution of human rights violations is irreconcilable. The prosecutor was deemed necessary only to sanction impunity. In hind sight, the defunct "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" (TRC), would have done the same – help the victims of gross human rights violations to pass from 'de facto' to 'de jure' impunity. The Judicial Commission that dismissed the TRC apparently saw this inconsistency but never deemed it necessary to augur a proper justice delivery system. However, due to the investigations into the murder of Munir, due to both local and international pressure, there was an obvious compulsion to address the major issues related to investigation and prosecution. Besides, in the recent judgments awarded in this case, the judges seem to be enlightened, though much more is expected.
Therefore, the intriguing question is whether the committed application of the rules will apply equally to all players in the playing field or will it be confined to the high profiled human rights activist Munir, to placate the international credulity.
What Indonesia actually needs and the people deserve are an effective investigation mechanism with qualified persons and resources, a prosecutor bent on enforcing the rule of law by indicting the law flouters, the judges determined to provide redress to the victims and punishment to the perpetrators of crimes impartially and speedily.
This would be a genuine gesture to bury Soeharto, and give hope to all, who yearned with Munir, for the death to impunity and the emergence of a reformed prosecution system aimed at establishing the rule of law in the country.
[Philip Setunga is a staff member of the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong responsible for the organization's research on Indonesia. He has a doctorate in sociology.]
Jakarta Post Editorial - February 20, 2008
The politics of the mudflow have become even, well, muddier, recently. The latest news to bubble up from the dark depths of the containment dams is that a House of Representatives special team has suggested Sidoarjo, East Java, last seen sinking beneath several meters of ooze, be declared the site of a natural disaster.
The team, consisting of 29 legislators from various parties, somewhat surprisingly believes that the mudflow that has submerged hundreds of hectares of villages and rice fields in the area is in fact the work of nature and not the fault of PT Lapindo Brantas, from whose gas exploration well the original flow burst forth.
This belief goes against a widely held opinion that the mudflow is the result of careless drilling work by Lapindo Brantas, a company controlled by the political well-connected Bakrie family, the head of which is none other than Aburizal Bakrie, coordinating minister for the people's welfare.
Unsurprisingly, the recommendation from the House team has resulted in some public outcry, particularly from the people whose homes, businesses and rice fields in Sidoarjo are now a few meters deep in volcanic mud.
They hit the streets in their thousands on Tuesday to protest against the announcement and demand that the government and Lapindo fulfill their commitment to pay compensation to them.
With such public pressure and massive media coverage, the House in its plenary session on Tuesday could do little but reject the team's recommendation.
We are relieved by the House's decisions, but we keep wondering how those 29 legislators arrived at the conclusion that the mudflow in Sidoarjo, which began in late May 2006, was the result of an earthquake in Yogyakarta – about 250 kilometers away – a few days earlier. And why bring this technical issue into a political arena?
Already, of course, there is talk that money might have been involved. It is not impossible that the legislators were acting not on their own consciences but on behalf of those with deep pockets. The Corruption Eradication Commission is currently investigating a case involving the payment of millions of dollars by Bank Indonesia to some legislators, something which only strengthens suspicions that money might also be involved in this case.
But what would happen if the mudflow were declared a natural disaster, and who would benefit?
Declaring it a natural disaster would have significant consequences, especially for the government and the victims, as well as for Lapindo Brantas and the Bakrie family. If the government were to accept the proposal, it would mean it would have to bear all the costs, including compensation owed to the thousands of victims.
A 2007 president regulation requires Lapindo Brantas to pay compensation to the victims, totaling around Rp 3.2 trillion (US$335 million), which the company has agreed to do, while the government itself will repair damaged infrastructure, to the tine of about Rp 3 trillion.
So far Lapindo has paid compensation to most of the victims, but only for 20 percent of their lost assets. It has promised to pay the remaining 80 percent in two years, although whether this will happen is anyone's guess.
The House special team's suggestion has only raised suspicious and confirmed people's anxiety that Lapindo is trying to shift the burden of the remaining costs to the government.
We believe that the issue at stake here is more than just paying compensation to the victims. Justice must be upheld and the truth behind the mudflow needs to be revealed.
The government is right to not even entertain the team's recommendation and instead wait for a permanent court resolution on the matter, which may take some time to complete.
However, if the government wanted to get things done quickly, it could just listen to the verdict of the Central Jakarta District Court last year in a civil case against Lapindo.
The court essentially declared the mudflow the result of negligence in drilling work being conducted by Lapindo Brantas.
But the government declined to use the verdict as a basis for its treatment of the mudflow, instead announcing it would wait for the verdict in the criminal case built against Lapindo by the East Java Police.
But this case appears to be as deeply stuck in the mud as the rest of Sidoarjo, and we haven't heard much about it lately. It's time for the government to remind the police of their duties and to get cracking on the case again.
It might be a chance to find out what really lies underneath the mud.