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Indonesia News Digest 28 – July 25-31, 2008
Kompas - July 29, 2008
All police units based along the country's borders have been
instructed to fly the red-and-white flag all along the borders,
to welcome Independence Day on 17 August 2008.
In addition, police units in regions affected by separatism and
conflict are instructed to fly as many flags as possible,
according to an instruction from police headquarters.
A senior police officer said the purpose was to reinforce the
spirit of nationalism of all citizens which seems to have lagged
recently. This is evident from the number of conflicts between
groups. "We fear that Indonesia is in danger of breaking up, like
what happened to Russia and Yugoslavia," he said.
Another sign of the diminution of the national spirit was that
people were paying more attention to their personal interests,
while the interests of the nation were being neglected.
"It is therefore our aim," he said, "on the 100th anniversary of
the national uprising and the 63rd anniversary of Indonesian
independence to call upon all citizens to unite and build the
country into an integrated nation."
To support these efforts of the police, the organisation of
retired police officers will distribute 100,000 red-and-white
flags, to be flown in particular along the outer boundaries of
the country and in regions of conflict. The priority areas are:
Aceh, Papua, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and NTT.
Jakarta Post - July 28, 2008
Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Victims of the July 27, 1996, attack on
the headquarters of then opposition leader Megawati
Soekarnoputri, commemorated the incident on Sunday by launching a
book strongly criticizing her.
Former president Megawati, who currently chairs the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was slammed for
"neglecting" the victims for her own political gains when she was
in power from 1999 to 2004.
The attack occurred when military-backed thugs stormed the
headquarters of Megawati's PDI, her former party, on Jl.
Diponegoro in Central Jakarta.
At least five people were killed, with 149 injured and 23
missing, the National Commission on Human Rights said.
The book, a political biography by Megawati's former lawyer and
confidant R.O. Tambunan, claims Megawati failed to show any
political commitment to settle the case, despite the fact the
victims were her own supporters.
"She has disappointed everyone. She used to fight for the people,
but after coming to power, she only focused on her personal power
and was unwilling to resolve the July 27 incident," the book
read.
"Megawati has, with her political attitude, sacrificed the
victims of the July 27, 1996, incident, those who were ready to
die for her."
Tambunan, who acted for Megawati in trying to bring the
perpetrators to justice, accused her of having reconciled with
the military and the National Police, as well as the civilian
attackers, in glossing over the incident.
He also criticized Megawati's closeness with former Jakarta
governor Sutiyoso and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono while she was
still president, saying the two, who served as Jakarta military
commander and military chief-of-staff respectively in 1996, must
have been involved in the attack.
Arbi Sanit, a political expert from the University of Indonesia,
said victims of the attack should not expect the incumbent
government to settle the case, adding it was up to PDI-P
officials to do so.
"But these officials have not done anything either," he said on
the sidelines of the book launch.
Arbi said he believed the main obstacle to resolving the case was
"military involvement" in the incident.
Tambunan said he had joined the Democratic Reform Party (PDP), a
breakaway faction of the PDI-P, because of his disappointment in
Megawati over the matter.
The roots of the attack stretch back to Megawati's 1994 victory
for leadership of the PDI during the party's National Congress.
Threatened by her growing popularity and influence, then
president Soeharto's New Order regime convened a Special National
Congress in Medan, North Sumatra, in 1996.
The congress was attended by anti-Megawati figures who reelected
veteran politician Soerjadi as PDI chairman.
When Megawati and her supporters refused to acknowledge the
results of the government-backed congress, Soerjadi threatened to
take back the PDI headquarters in Jakarta by force. He made good
on this threat on July 27, 1996, when his supporters, reportedly
with government backing, attacked the headquarters.
In the ensuing clash, Megawati's supporters managed to hold off
the attackers. But a riot then broke out, followed by a crackdown
by the government, who blamed the riots on the People's
Democratic Party (PRD).
Following the fall of Soeharto in 1998 amid political and
economic upheaval, Megawati founded the PDI-P and became vice
president in 1999. She went on to become president in 2001, but
lost in the 2004 election to Yudhoyono.
Megawati's supporters said they had hoped she would use her power
to expose and prosecute the masterminds of the July 27 attack.
But she never did.
Actions, demos, protests...
Aceh
West Papua
Human rights/law
Labour issues
Environment/natural disasters
Health & education
War on corruption
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Foreign affairs
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Opinion & analysis
News & issues
Fly the Red-and-White flag along the borders
Megawati faces new attacks over July 27 raid
Pornography and violence still overshadow Indonesian children
Tempo Interactive - July 28, 2008
Dian Yuliastuti, Jakarta – The National Commission for Child Protection (NCCP) has stated that violence and pornography from the internet still overshadow Indonesian children.
The Head of NCCP called on everyone to help safeguard Indonesian children by providing healthy internet education in order to protect them from pornographic sites.
Parents should supervise internet usage and reduce children's dependence on online game, as well as monitor TV shows watched by children and their usage of cell phones. "Children can access internet sites without being filtered," he said last weekend.
Head of the Committee for Indonesian Children Day celebrations, Rahmat Sentika, said violence is still the dark side for Indonesian children.
Sexual harassment is still a potential threat to Indonesian children, particularly girls. According to newspaper report, there are 456 cases related to violence against children every year, including 361 cases that involving girls.
In general, violence is experienced by children between the ages of 5-12 and teenagers. There are 79 cases of girls being raped as well as 122 cases of indecency involving 75 girls and 47 boys.
"Violence is carried out did by people close to the children, like fathers, either natural fathers or step fathers," said Rahmat.
Other violence includes children being forced into marriage when they are only 15 because of strong local customs.
Data from 2006 stated that 182 out of 400 violence cases were about children being forced into prostitution.
Tempo Interactive - July 28, 2008
Dian Yuliastuti, Jakarta – Head of Internet Rental Centers in Indonesia (Awari), Irwin Day, has that the money in circulation being spent on pornography has reached US$3.075 million per second.
"Based on statistical data in 2006, more than 28,258 users per second look at pornographic sites," said Irwin at a press conference about Safe Internet for Children at the Department of Communication and Informatics, on Friday (25/7) last week.
Irwin also mentioned that revenues from pornography throughout the world in 2006 reached US$97.06 billion, with 28 percent coming from China and 27 percent from South Korea.
He explained that 25 percent of all search engines looked for pornography every day and that 12 percent of total sites, or 4.2 million sites, are included as pornographic sites. "There are 420 million pornographic pages," said Irwin.
He went on to say that some children have already started checking out pornographic sites when they are as young as 11 years old.
The largest amount of consumers, however, is still adults aged between 39-49 years.
Irwin went on saying that in Indonesia, seven out of 100 top sites are pornographic sites.
In terms of looking for the word 'sex' at search engines, Indonesia is ranked number seven in Asia, while the largest amount of searchers for this word come from Pakistan.
Cahyana Ahmadjayadi, Director General of Telematic Applications at the Communication and Informatics Department, stated his concern for this situation. "The government will work together with Internet Rental Centers in Indonesia to block porn sites," he said.
The association of internet rental centers is offering free software to block porn sites.
Jakarta Post - July 28, 2008
Agnes Winarti, Jakarta – More than half of the street children living in shelters in Central Jakarta have been sexually abused and one third take addictive substances, including cigarettes, glue, alcohol and opium, a study has found.
The research, which surveyed the emotional and behavioral problems and associated factors of street children living in five shelters in Central Jakarta, was conducted by a team of undergraduate students of the medical faculty at the University of Indonesia.
The research is among the winners of eight researches submitted to contest the faculty's Liga Medika Sains annual competition.
"This research is based on our concern that there are at least 170,000 street children in 12 major cities nationwide, 10,373 of whom are in the capital," one of the students, Ary Indriana Savitri, told a conference on Thursday.
She was quoting data from the 1999 Asian Development Bank report on street children in the world.
"These street children are prone to discriminations, exploitation by adults and addictive substances, all of which harm their mental health and lead to emotional and behavioral problems," she added.
Of 85 street children registered at the five shelters, 60 percent have been sexually abused, and 35.5 percent use addictive substances, especially cigarettes and glue.
Examples of sexual abuses included the children being forced to watch porn movies, show their genitals, touch other people's genitals and have objects inserted into their genitals.
The research concluded that sexual abuse and addiction to harmful substances were the main causes of the children's behavioral and emotional problems.
The research was conducted between May and June by a team of six undergraduates: Natasha Pangestu, Ary Indriana Savitri, Fatimah Saidah, Yohanes Handoko, Nia Novianti Siregar and Youdiil Ophinni.
The study found that 10.6 percent of the street children, mostly boys between 10 and 16 years old, are emotionally disturbed, 28.2 percent are behaviorally disturbed, 11.8 percent experience peer-related problems and 15.3 percent experience a combination of the these problems.
Symptoms of the children's emotional disorders included anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, cowardice and pessimism. Behavioral problems often lead to anger, lying, disobedience, cheating and fighting.
Peer problems included having no friends, being a loner, being regularly teased and mocked by others.
The research was conducted using a series of questionnaires given to the street children at the five shelters: Dian Mitra, Gema Nusantara, Pelita, Kesuma Jaya and Karya Putra Indonesia Mandiri.
Although most of the children worked the streets as hawkers and musicians at the time of the research, more than 91 percent of them were found to still have parents.
Emotional and behavioral problems were more common among children aged between 14 and 16 compared to those aged between 10 and 13.
"The older the child is, the longer he has been negatively exposed on the streets," said Ary, adding that the children spent more than eight hours a day, and up to three days a week on the streets.
The research also showed that emotional and behavioral problems were also influenced by the amount of time the children spent working on the streets.
The research suggested the government pass a law limiting the time street children are allowed to work on the streets and offer educational activities to increase their quality of life.
Jakarta Post - July 28, 2008
Triwik Kurniasari, Jakarta – Hundreds of students from the Arastamar Theological College (Setia) were evacuated from their campus in Kampung Pulo, East Jakarta, on Sunday, following clashes between students and local residents.
"The situation in the area got very heated, so the police and the campus' management decided to evacuate all of the students, especially those residing in the school's dormitories," Setia spokesman Bayu Kusumo told The Jakarta Post.
"It looks like certain people in the area recruited people from other groups to brutally attack the students."
A clash broke out Saturday between Kampung Pulo residents and Setia students after a student allegedly stole from a resident.
The school's female and male dormitories were heavily damaged during the clash as unidentified people threw Molotov cocktails into the school compound. Several residents and students were also injured in the attack.
The district administration attempted to mediate between the feuding sides, but the situation deteriorated again on Sunday afternoon.
Bayu said more than 100 students were moved to the offices of the Makassar subdistrict administration, while the rest were taken to the offices of the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta. During the evacuation, he added, two male students were attacked by unknown assailants.
"The police were protecting the students as they led them from Kampung Pulo to a shelter in Kampung Lembur, which is about 800 meters from here," he said.
"The men came out of nowhere and hurt our two friends. Both sustained injuries to their elbows, but they are safe now. We still don't know who assaulted them. We don't blame the police for that incident because the situation was chaotic. The police have promised to arrest the perpetrators."
East Jakarta Mayor Murdani said he would check Setia's property certificates and operating permits, following claims by local residents the school was misusing the permits.
"I will have their permits checked. In the meantime, I suggest Setia students not provoke the residents by doing anything harmful," he said as quoted by okezone.com.
East Jakarta Police chief Comr. Sr. Hasanuddin said the police would confiscate all weapons possessed by the residents and students.
Bayu said the school's management was completely unaware of the reason behind the attacks and the residents' anger. "We've been operating since 1991. We only engage in basic educational activities," he said.
He added that protests from local residents began escalating six months ago, but could speculate on the cause.
| Actions, demos, protests... |
Tempo Interactive - July 31, 2008
Fery Firmansyah, Jakarta – Three protest actions are scheduled to take place at the State Place and two other government offices on Thursday July 31. Hundreds of protesters from a number of different groups plan to take part in the actions.
Based on data from the Metro Jaya police criminal investigation directorate, the first protest action will take place at 12noon in front of the Department of Transport and Communication on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta. The action is being organised by scores of students from the Trisakti University Transportation Management College.
At 2pm, demonstrators from the Red-and-White Students, the Student and Youth Action Committee for Democracy (KAMPUD), the Activists Network for Indonesian Reform (JARI) and the Youth Movement Network (JAMPER) will be protesting at the central offices of the state-owned oil company Pertamina in the Sawah Besar area of Central Jakarta.
Later in the afternoon meanwhile, the State Palace in Central Jakarta will be packed with hundreds of protesters from the Solidarity Network for the Families of Victims of Human Rights Violations (JSKKP-HAM). The action will take start at around 4pm.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Detik.com - July 26, 2008
Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Around 20 students in the Central Jakarta city of Yogyakarta were arrested by municipal police on Saturday July 26 when they tried to block President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's entourage as it approached the Gedung Agung Presidential Palace in Yogyakarta.
The action by students from the National Student Front (FMN) was held to the north of the Palace. Students began arriving at around 2.14pm then marched on foot or rode motorbikes towards the Palace.
When the protesters began giving speeches just before Yudhoyono's entourage was to arrive, scores of police immediately moved in and arrested them. A minor clash broke out with students and police pushing and shoving each other.
In the end the demonstrators were arrested and taken directly to the Yogyakarta municipal police headquarters on Jl. Reksobayan some 400 metres away where they were registered and questioned. Posters and flags brought by the students were also seized by police.
A short time later at around 2.50pm, Yudhoyono's entourage entered the Palace unobstructed. The president and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono along with Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik and ASEAN tourism ministers and ambassadors plan to attend an event titled The 2008 Trial of Civilization Performing Arts on the grounds of the Borobudur temple complex at 5pm. (bgs/djo)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Detik.com - July 25, 2008
Ken Yunita, Jakarta – Five separate protest actions by a number of different social organisations will provide a panorama for Jakarta residents on Thursday July 24. Demonstrations will be taking place from the morning through to the afternoon.
The first action will be held by employees from Mayasari Bakti bus company. In addition to demonstrating, the employees will also be holding a work stoppage.
The central office of the Bank Rakyat Indonesia and the Commercial Court will also be besieged by demonstrators at 9am. They plan to continue protesting until 4pm.
Once again the Hotel Indonesia roundabout will become a favourite spot for demonstrators. The same group of protesters also plans to descend upon the National Education Department office on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman where they will hold an action between 9am- 12noon.
With the approach of the general elections next year, the General Elections Commission on Jl. Imam Bonjol is also becoming a 'soft target' for demonstrators, with a protest planned to take pace from 11am.
The final protest action will be held between 4-5pm in front of the Presidential Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara.
If large numbers of demonstrations take part in the actions, the traffic congestion in the capital will of course be unavoidable. So for those of you who plan to pass by locations were protest actions are taking place, please be on alert. (ken/ken)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| Aceh |
Tapol Report - July 25, 2008
While 34 national political parties will contest the general elections in April 2009, the contest in Aceh will be very different. This will be the only place where local parties will also participate.
Six local parties have complied with the requirements needed to stand regarding minimum membership and having the required number of branches in the districts and sub-districts. Unfortunately some requests for recognition were rejected including a women's political party, several Muslim parties and a party combining members of GAM and the ulama party.
The six parties which complied with the requiremeents were:
All the parties bear the word 'Aceh' in their names. It is also clear from the composition of their leaderships and programmes that they advocate a variety of political programmes from left to right.
It is widely expected that the majority of votes will go to the local parties. According to some observers, they could between them win up to two-thirds of the votes. On the list of contesting parties, these local parties will be listed as numbers 35-40.
This is the first time in Indonesia that local parties will be allowed to stand and it is likely that certain complications will emerge. Votes for the national Parliament at the election in April may only be cast for one of the national parties. Votes cast for local parties will determine the composition of the local parliament. It is therefore likely that, in the interest of both local and national parties, agreements will be reached to make coalitions of two or more parties so as to attract more support for some of the national parties.
Some candidates nominated by national parties have withdrawn from the national list in order to stand for local parties. The most striking example is Farhan Hamid, a well-known Acehnese politician from PAN (Partai Amanat Nasional) who has decided to stand for the new local Party, Partai Bersatu Aceh. It is quite likely that PAN will decide to place Farhan high on their list of candidates.
Partai Aceh represents the electorate that supported GAM, the Free Aceh Movement. It is chaired by Muzakkir Manaf who was the commander-in-chief of the armed wing of GAM. It is widely predicted that this party will win an absolute majority, anywhere between 50 and 60 percent of the votes. Several problems emerged at the launching of the party. One was about the choice of its name and another was caused by internal frictions within GAM. The authorities in Jakarta refused to accepted the name first adopted, Partai GAM, arguing that this would portray it as a party in support of independence.
After many months of wrangling, the dispute was resolved at a summit meeting between the GAM leadership and the President when it was agreed that the initials GAM would be dropped. In accord with the consensus reached, the central government promised to allow a museum to be established in Aceh to commemorate the struggle of the Acehnese people and to comemmorate the victims who died in the more than 30 years struggle for independence.
This GAM party has already began to organise itself on a grand scale; in many parts of Aceh, the streets are festooned with the red flag of Partai Aceh.
Another serious problem was the deep rift between the senior GAM leadership, some of whom are still based in Sweden, and a much younger wing of rank-and-file GAM leaders under the present governor of Aceh, Irwandi Yusuf who won a sensational victory in the local election for governor last year, even defeating senior GAM leaders. The new party, Partai Aceh, is basically a creation of the senior leaders and all the signs indicate that a consolidation will be reached between the two fractions within GAM.
With the huge victory of GAM candidates in the local elections where contests for the majority of district chiefs were also won, another interesting phenomenon emerged. A batch of relatively inexperienced administrators suddenly had to take over and in the course of weeks swift decisions were taken. A new layer of young advisors and bureaucrats were recruited, often originating from the large group of pro-democracy activists, while civil servants were now required to pledge loyalty to these new office-holders. Some key activists like Kautsar, Ary Maulana and many others became advisors of the district administration and have now also joined the ranks of the new party.
Partai Aceh will likely seize a substantial majority and will continue with a policy of openness towards the outside world, secular with deep roots in the Islamic traditions of Aceh and will safeguard good relations with the government in Jakarta.
Partai Aceh Aman Sejahtera (The Aceh Peace and Prosperous Party) is an initiative of a senior Acehnese politician Ghazali Abas. He served several terms in the MPR, the People's Congress, in Jakarta, and has a splendid track record in raising serious human rights problems in Aceh during the difficult periods of the eighties and nineties. PAAS will try to win support from the non-GAM electorate and in certain districts will attract many voters. Whether PAAS will succeed in establishing a stronghold in the new local parliament depends on the success of its campaigning. PAAS will emerge as a mainstream party with conservative inclinations.
Partai Bersatu Aceh (The Aceh Unity Party) under Farhan Hamid will also try to attract non-GAM voters. Farhan Hamid comes from PAN, the party that was established by key members of Muhammadiyah, arguably the only Muslim organisation that has followers all over Indonesia. In previous elections it drew a large share of the votes but it remains to be seen how well this new party will perform. PBA will also emerge as a mainstream party with a more progressive programme and a modernist Muslim outlook.
Partai Daulat Aceh (Aceh Sovereignty Party) will emerge as the sole party with a solid Muslim identity and its electorate will be the dayah communities, the communities based around Muslim educational centres.
In the Suharto era, the Acehnese electorate for over 20 years voted for PPP, the Muslim federation, one of only three parties permitted to exist. PDA will probably draw its votes primarily from the traditional PPP electorate plus votes from other Muslim national parties such as the PKB and the PBB. PDA will run on a conservative programme.
Partai Rakyat Aceh has adopted a leftist nationalist programme and a cautious attitude towards foreign investments in Aceh. Its board include familiar names, those who were active in the period before and after the fall of Suharto, the so-called reformasi generation, including chairman Aguswandi (who studied abroad for several years), Nanda Thamrin (who had to flee from Aceh during the military emergency period) and spokesperson Raihan Diani, who spent some time in prison for allegedly insulting President Megawati; she too was forced to leave Aceh for several years. It remains to be seen whether they can attract a large number of votes but so far PRA has always been able to mobilise large crowds in their rallies.
Partai Suara Independen Rakyat Aceh is the party of the mass movement SIRA that was able to mobilise hundreds of thousands of people in the period from 1998 to 2000 under a slogan calling for a referendum on the political future of Aceh. SIRA still enjoys the sympathy of many Acehnese but at the same time SIRA is often seen as the unarmed wing of GAM. The present vice-governor of Aceh is Muhammad Nazar, till very recently chairman of SIRA. The present chair of Partai SIRA is Taufiq Abda, a very able and sociable young politician. His party will definitely score well but at the same time will find it hard to compete with its big brother, Partai Aceh.
| West Papua |
Agence France Presse - July 29, 2008
Jakarta – At least 172 villagers have died in a cholera outbreak that has triggered unrest in Indonesia's remote eastern Papua province, church authorities said Tuesday.
Church aid workers in the Kamuu valley confirmed the victims had died from severe diarrhoea and vomiting caused by cholera, said Catholic brother Budi Hermawan from the Jayapura archdiocese.
The source of the outbreak, which began in April, was still unknown, but the disease appeared to be spreading via drinking water from a river and products in markets in the highland region, Hermawan told AFP by phone from Jayapura.
Local health authorities and the provincial government were briefed on the crisis in May but failed to act, leading to a more severe outbreak, Hermawan said. "In my view it's already too late, because people are very angry and they are desperate," he said.
The long delay had raised suspicions among local Papuans that the government was deliberately neglecting the outbreak and allowing them to die, Hermawan said.
Angry indigenous residents in Kamuu had attacked a settlement of migrants from other parts of Indonesia last week, destroying around a dozen houses, he said, adding that locals assume the migrants were to blame for the outbreak.
The head of the provincial health office, Bagus Sukaswara, denied the government had failed to tackle the health crisis, the local Cendrawasih Pos daily reported. "We've been handling those cases since the start of May. Even if more cases show up again, we'll handle them," he was quoted as saying.
Indonesia won sovereignty over Papua, a former Dutch colony on the western half of New Guinea island, in 1969 after a vote among a select group of Papuans widely seen as a sham. The region is among the least developed in Indonesia despite being home to rich natural resources worth billions of dollars.
Cenderawasih Post - July 29, 2008
Jayapura – A group of demonstrating students from the Coalition of Students and the Community Concerned about the Land of Papua (KMMPTP) were ordered to disband by police units in Abepura for failing to comply with procedures stipulated in Law 9/1998 about expressing views in public. They were intending to hold a peaceful demonstration outside the office of the MRP.
The police officer said that according to the regulations, a letter should be sent to inform the police before going ahead with such an action.
"After negotiations with the demonstrators, they eventually disbanded because notice about the action has to be conveyed to the police three days beforehand," the officer said.
Co-ordinator of the demonstration, Buktar Tabuni told journalists that after the letter had been sent, they would hold the demonstration. Their purpose is to call for dialogue in view of the fact that after seven years, special autonomy has failed. They will also be asking about the violations of human rights that have occurred since special autonomy was introduced.
"All we want is that there should be dialogue with the central government, via the intermediary of the MRP, involving all sections of the Papuan people. If the lack of progress under special autonomy continues, we will boycott the elections in 2009," he said.
Sydney Morning Herald - July 29, 2008
A diarrhoea outbreak in a remote area of Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua has killed at least 156 people and sickened hundreds of others, media reports say.
Local church leaders feared the toll would rise because of limited drugs and medical personnel and the possibility the outbreak would spread to other areas.
Benny Giay of the Synod of Protestant Churches Denominations said the epidemic has affected 19 villages in the districts of Dogiyai and Paniai in the remote Kamuu Valley since early April but the local government has done nothing to bring it under control.
He told The Jakarta Post that the churches have deployed medical teams to affected villages but they did not have sufficient personnel or drugs.
Brother Budi Hermawan of the Jayapura Archdiocese said three medical teams have been dispatched but could not cover all of the large, remote area.
"The situation in the two (districts) is an emergency, and if the epidemics are not contained immediately, they will claim thousands of lives," Hermawan was quoted as saying by the Post.
He criticised the governor and local government officials for not attending to the epidemic.
The church leaders called on residents of the two affected districts to clean up the areas they live in and boil the water they drink.
Wall Street Journal - July 28, 2008
Tom Wright, Jakarta – The global resource boom is threatening one of the world's last tropical-forest frontiers: the Merauke region of Indonesia's remote Papua province.
Indonesian companies are lining up to develop pulp-and-paper mills in Merauke; investors from South Korea want to expand palm-oil plantations; and Indonesian officials have tried to persuade International Paper Co to invest in the region.
Merauke lies on the southern shore of Papua province, a California-size land of virgin forests and pristine rivers, with a population of 2.5 million. Because Papua is so remote, its ecology has been largely spared the kind of destruction wrought on forests in the past 25 years by pulp mills and palm-oil plantations on other Indonesian islands.
The governor of Papua pledged in December at the United Nations climate-change meeting in Bali to protect the province's forests in return for carbon-credit financing from global investors. But these projects are likely to take years to come to fruition; meanwhile paper, palm-oil and other agricultural investors are already staking out Merauke.
Indonesia is under intense international pressure to protect its forests. Last year, Wetlands International, an environmental group, published data showing that fires set to clear forests for agriculture make Indonesia the world's third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide behind the US and China, despite its much smaller economy.
Still, record commodity prices and lack of available land elsewhere are driving investors to regions such as Papua. Environmentalists fear the area's forests will be destroyed much like those on Sumatra and Borneo islands, where rare elephants, tigers and orangutan are threatened with extinction.
Medco Group, an Indonesian oil and gas company, has recently begun construction of a wood-chip mill in a remote part of Merauke and plans to start building a 500,000-metric-ton-a-year pulp-and-paper factory in 2012. The plant would be Indonesia's first large new mill since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and the first in Papua.
Modern Group, a local distributor of Fuji photographic equipment, is hoping to acquire land for a pulp mill in Merauke despite having no track record in paper making, a person familiar with the matter said. Modern Group declined to comment.
International Paper, of Memphis, Tenn., confirmed it has been in talks with Indonesia's forestry ministry about establishing a large plantation somewhere in the country. Hadi Pasaribu, director general of production forest management at Indonesia's forestry ministry, said the government had offered International Paper two areas: one in Merauke and the other on the Indonesian side of Borneo. The company was considering a 1.5 million-ton-a- year mill with a possible investment of more than $3 billion, Mr. Pasaribu said.
Thomas Gestrich, president of International Paper's Asian operations, said the discussions were only "exploratory." The company is looking to develop sustainable forestry operations in a number of countries, including Indonesia, he said.
Environmental organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, based in Switzerland, and Washington-based Conservation International are hoping to work closely with investors like Medco to ensure they don't destroy forests.
That is a departure from the 1990s, when two Indonesian-owned pulp-and-paper companies – Asia Pulp & Paper Co. and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. – established huge mills on Sumatra island without any input from environmentalists. The WWF estimates the two companies have felled an area of natural forest equal to two million hectares in one area of Sumatra alone over the past 20 years.
"Development, of course, is needed in Papua," said Nazir Foead, head of the WWF's Indonesian species program. "But we're concerned this could be a repeat of the deforestation in Sumatra and Borneo."
Both Asia Pulp & Paper and Asia Pacific Resources say they are committed to setting up sustainable plantations. Both are jockeying to get large concessions of untouched forests in Papua to feed their mills. So far, the companies have managed to win only small parcels of land in the province.
Meanwhile, other investors seek to expand their palm-oil operations in the region, including the Korindo Group, a joint venture between South Korean and Indonesian investors.
Medco appears to have the biggest plans for Merauke. The company this year persuaded the local government to grant it a 350,000- hectare concession area near the Bian River.
Medco, headed by entrepreneur Arifin Panigoro, is planning to diversify its business from oil and gas through spending $750 million on its pulp-and-paper mill development. It has also set aside $350 million for a plan to develop agricultural and biofuel projects in Papua.
The company estimates that $3 billion is needed to develop infrastructure, including roads and ports, and is hoping to attract foreign partners.
Medco contends its mill will be environmentally friendly. The company won't buy any wood from third parties, reducing incentives for illegal logging, said Widjajanto, Medco's corporate secretary. It also plans for the mill to eventually run 100% on wood from its own acacia plantations.
In the seven years it will take to establish those plantations, Medco said it will only cut trees in the natural forest selectively and will also set aside 100,000 hectares for conservation in its concession – a swampy area of eucalyptus trees that is on an important migratory route for birds.
Jatna Supriatna, who heads Conservation International's local office, said development in Merauke is preferable to northern areas of Papua where forests are more diverse. But he said environmental groups will be keeping a close eye on developments.
"We want to make sure that Medco will comply with good corporate governance," he said.
Cenderawasih Pos - July 28, 2008
Jayapura – The military commander of XVII/Cenderawasih, Major General Haryadi Soetanto issued a warning on Saturday to remind all adat councils in Papua, including the Dewan Adat Papua (Papuan Traditional Council) that they should not use these institutions for political purposes, or still worse intervene in any way in affairs of State that could undermine the Unitary Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
He said that as organisations concerned with traditional matters, their function is to concern themselves with issues regarding traditional rights.
Anyone, he said, including other countries can get involved in activities concerning traditional rights, such as for instance Australia, which has its own traditional communities.
But the most important thing to remember, he said, was that their attendance at such events should be solely in connection with traditional rights and not in any any involve intervention in domestic affairs in Indonesia.
"If adat organisations start getting involved in political affairs, this is not right, especially if the objective is to undermine the integrity of NKRI. This must not be allowed to happen."
He stressed that as citizens, we are all required to defend and preserve the unity of the country, which was why he reminds everyone to stick to their own functions and tasks. "Adat councils are not allowed to discuss political matters, still less to do anything that disrupts the integrity of NKRI."
Comment: The background to this warning is not explained in the report. It may be that the Dewan Adat is holding a meeting to which some Australians have been invited.
Jakarta Post - July 25, 2008
The National Commission on Human Rights will launch an investigation into alleged human rights violations in Papua, despite protests from the Attorney General's Office (AGO).
M. Ridha Saleh, the commission's deputy chairman, said the rights body was completing preliminary research into cases of atrocities that took place between 1963 and 2002. He said the result of the study would be presented at a plenary meeting next month to decide whether a field investigation was warranted.
"We are of the same view about the urgency of the investigation, because of the numerous reports of violence we received," Ridha said. "The Papua conflicts are a burden on the nation's history."
Despite the province's special autonomy status, which allows it to rake in trillions of rupiah in revenue, demands for investigations into past rights abuses continue to be made.
Past military operations in Papua gave rise to reports of mass arrests, detentions, torture, disappearances and killings of local residents, amid an atmosphere of repression.
The influx of migrants from other parts of the country exacerbated the situation, with the newcomers quickly taking control of the province's economic resources and creating a considerable wealth gap.
Ridha said once established, the ad hoc team would focus on alleged atrocities in Timika and Biak, and would collect first- hand data through interviews with survivors, families of victims and witnesses, as well as excavations of victims' graves.
Papuan priest Karel Phil Erari urged the commission to concentrate on the quality of the investigation, because the number of victims remained uncertain.
"It's not about the number of victims, but how to convince the public and the government crimes against humanity really took place in Papua," he said.
Muridan S. Widjojo, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), called on the commission to investigate the role of non-state parties, including separatist rebel groups and foreign institutions, in alleged rights abuses.
"Most people tend to focus on state parties, such as the military and police. They overlook the role of non-state parties, such as militia groups, rebel groups, unidentified military personnel, civilians and outsiders," he said.
Muridan claimed this resulted in biased and unbalanced reports. He added LIPI investigations found non-state parties organized and initiated much of the violence, including 43 attacks perpetrated by separatist rebels between 1965 and 1989.
Marwan Effendy, deputy attorney general for special crimes, acknowledged the AGO and the rights commission held different views on past rights abuse cases.
"What the AGO wants are legally recognized facts and physical evidence, not just reports and assumptions," he said. "People can say this or that, but where is the proof?"
| Human rights/law |
Jakarta Post - July 29, 2008
Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The press community has warned against the emergence of a new form of censorship as evident in a recent ruling between Koran Tempo and a paper company, a discussion heard Monday.
According to the discussion, threats to press freedom are becoming more intense despite the reforms. Not only does the state undermine press freedom through the laws they draft, but the courts are becoming stricter in enforcing censorship.
"In this reform era, the government has no right to intervene in the press as it did during the New Order regime. Therefore, a new style of bowdlerization is coming through the courts, with judges as the actors," said Eko Maryadi, head of the advocacy division at Alliance of Independent Journalists, in a discussion to mark the fifth anniversary of the Press Legal Aid Institute (LBH Pers).
He cited the South Jakarta District Court's ruling on the long- standing dispute between Koran Tempo and PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP).
Earlier this month, the court found the daily guilty of defamation and failing to provide RAPP with its proper right to reply over three articles connecting the company and its owner, Sukanto Tanoto, to illegal logging in Riau.
The court ordered the daily to pay Rp 220.3 million (US$24,000) to RAPP and publish apologies to the company in 12 major national media, including newspapers and televisions, for seven consecutive days.
"Such a ruling may threaten the existence of Koran Tempo as a business entity as they have to spend billions of rupiah to publish apologies," Eko said.
He said the ruling went against the principles of journalism as it undermined the newspaper's move to reveal facts surrounding illegal logging in Riau.
Eko said threats against press freedom came from the government's legal products, such as the Broadcasting Law, Information and Electronic Transaction Law, Election Law, state secrecy bill and the Criminal Code procedures bill.
LBH Pers executive director Hendrayana said the number of lawsuits and violence against journalists had increased. In the past five years, the institute has dealt with 60 cases.
"It is important to revise the Criminal Code, especially the articles that are usually used to imprison journalists," he said. LBH Pers has filed a judicial review with the Constitutional Court to seek annulment of four articles in the Criminal Code that it argues contradict the Constitution. The review is currently on trial.
Science, Aesthetics and Technology Institute deputy director Agus Sudibyo said the advocacy strategy to uphold press freedom needed to be improved because threats could come from any party, not only state apparatus but also business players that were intimidated by press reports.
He suggested the Newspaper Publishers Union (SPS) play a greater role in facing threats against the press because they have the authority to do so.
Jakarta Post - July 29, 2008
Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – Calls are mounting for the government to immediately finalize drafting a bill on governance administration which is intended to promote bureaucratic reforms in Indonesia.
The slow pace finalizing the draft law has been blamed in part for the stalled reforms in bureaucracy. "We call on all community components including the media to jointly campaign for significant bureaucratic reforms, because after 10 years of reform, bureaucracy has been the slowest to progress," the People's Coalition for the Monitoring of Good and Clean Governance (Komwas PBB) said in a statement.
The coalition includes the Indonesian Transparency Society (MTI), the Indonesian Legal Aid Association (PBHI) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI). "The bill is a way for our hopes to push for change in our bureaucracy," it added.
The coalition accused President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of stalling to approve the draft law for fears it could end his control over the bureaucracy.
"The President discussed the bill during a Cabinet meeting last week, but asked the drafting team to revise it," team member Safri Nugraha said Monday after a seminar on administrative procedures hosted by the University of Indonesia.
"The President asked the team to synchronize the content of the bill with existing laws on law enforcement agencies," he added.
Yudhoyono also asked for better explanations of corruption and power abuse as mentioned in the bill, Safri said. He said the bill was necessary to promote an efficient and clean government, as well as to eliminate the sense of ego among government agencies.
"House of Representatives members, whom we talked to, have shown a good response," he said. "That's why we urge the government to quickly pass it on to them for deliberation," said Safri, who is also executive director at the UI Center for Law and Good Governance Studies.
The government initiated the bill four years ago, but progress has been slow due to disagreements among stakeholders during the drafting process, he said. "There are fears in the government the bill could disadvantage them," Safri said.
State Minister for Administrative Reforms Taufik Effendi had previously said the bill would separate the state, or bureaucracy, from the government.
The bill would serve as the standard administration procedure for all government agencies to ensure efficiency, improve public services and minimize corruption, collusion and nepotism, he added. Under the bill, government administrations must allow the public to express their opinions as part of the policy-making process.
The government must inform the public through invitations or mass media about their rights to voice their opinions at least 15 days before a policy is issued, it stated.
The draft law also requires the administration to give the public wider access to administrative documents, except for those under the "state secrecy" category. Safri said discussions on the draft the bill had been held more than 60 times, but disagreements remained, for example in determining sanctions for violations.
"Non-governmental organizations wanted criminal sanctions, but the government refused the idea and proposed administrative sanctions which we think make it a soft law," he said, adding that the team eventually agreed on administrative punishments.
The debate also focused on issues of government bodies implicated in the law – whether it should cover state enterprises or not, he said.
Jakarta Post - July 26, 2008
Indah Setiawati, Jakarta – Anwar Rosadi, the father of a 12 year old, who had worked as a maid for Renata Tan, looked worried. His daughter was being questioned by policewomen at West Jakarta police station. She had seen another maid allegedly tortured to death by her employer.
He had every reason to be concerned. She told the police and her father she had often been subjected to similar treatment.
Nevertheless, Anwar, a farmer and part-time construction worker from Purwokerto in Central Java, said he would not sue the woman who had tortured his daughter, Anisa Dwi Jayanti.
"I think I will not sue her because it would take time and money. I cannot afford to repeatedly go back and forth from my home town to Jakarta to accompany my daughter," Anwar told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
His eyes looked empty when he said he did not know that Anisa was often beaten by her employer during her eight-month stay as a maid in Renata's house in West Jakarta. "Every time I called my daughter she always said she was fine and she enjoyed her work," he said.
Anwar later found out that Renata always waited next to Anisa when she took phone calls, carrying a rattan stick. "She said her two fellow maids had become her employer's new targets for her anger in the past weeks," he said, adding that he would bring her home today, if police permitted it.
Anisa gave testimony to police over the death of Septiana Maulina, 16, Renata's third suspected murder victim, who was allegedly abused to death. She also stood as witness for another housemaid, Satini, who suffered burns from boiling water at the hands of Renata.
Head of the Women's and Children Service at West Jakarta precinct Adj. Comr. Sri Rahayu Lestari, said Renata was formerly known as Maria Ursula Tangguh and was previously found guilty of torturing two housemaids to death in 1992 and 1996.
Renata was freed after being pronounced insane by doctors in the first case. In 1998, she escaped another prison sentence because she was diagnosed as mentally ill and was sent to Jakarta Pyschiatric Hospital in Grogol, West Jakarta for one year for treatment.
"Her identity card now shows her name as Renata and we are using that name now. We discovered that she was also Maria after senior detectives here recognized her face," she said. West Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Iza Fadri said he did not know when Renata changed her name or why.
A crime expert at the University of Indonesia, Adrianus Meilala, said that judges in the previous trials had already forbidden the family from ever again employing domestic workers.
"Both husband and wife clearly violated the law. Unfortunately, our police and courts do not have clear procedures under which we can charge them for violating this rule," he said.
Jakarta Post - July 25, 2008
Indah Setiawati, Jakarta – Gay groups, human rights and women groups protested at media bias putting homosexuality in a negative light through association with and negative reporting of a serial murder case allegedly committed by Verry Idham Henryansyah.
"Much of the murder coverage focused on the homosexuality of the alleged perpetrator and not on the crimes. I am gay, but I don't kill people," Hartoyo, an activist at Our Voice, an NGO that supports homosexual and bisexual males, told reporters here on Thursday.
He said his gay group was annoyed after reading experts' statements on Internet news portals and in printed media pointing the finger at homosexuals and conveying prejudice.
Verry is currently under police custody for allegedly killing five people, one of whom was mutilated in Jakarta, while the others were found in Jombang, East Java.
"How come some experts link homosexuality with cruelty in the serial murders allegedly committed by Verry? Anyone can commit murder!" he said.
Hartoyo said homosexuality was already stigmatized in this country and the highlighting of the sexual aspect to the serial murders case made this worse. "We feel more intimidated and scared," he said.
He gave the example of a master of ceremonies in a pub in Central Jakarta, which was a gathering place for homosexuals, who kept reminding the customers to be careful, as they heard that the police were calling reinforcements.
"Please avoid holding hands in public. We have been pinpointed recently, so please be more careful," the master of ceremonies repeated several times to the pub customers, Hartoyo said.
He also regretted some experts' statements that homosexuality was a sickness and should be cured, a notion which was completely wrong, Hartoyo said. He said some experts might not have a good understanding or might hold a completely different perspective on homosexuality.
Agustine, an activist of the Ardhanary Institute, which is concerned with lesbians and transgender issues, said news media outlets took advantage of the alleged murderer's confession that he was gay.
"Things would be completely different if the serial murder was committed by a heterosexual. Who would write newspaper headlines like 'Heterosexual kills five people,'? she said.
On behalf of Civil Care to Stop Stigma against Homosexual and Bisexual Groups she passed on her sincere condolences to the families of Verry's victims. "We hope the news media do not link the murder, allegedly done by Verry, with emphasis on sexual orientation that points the finger at us," she said.
She said she hoped police, who were investigating the case, would still respect humanity when they questioned Verry. "We hope police treat Verry fairly, giving him his rights as an alleged murderer," she said.
The protesting groups Thursday included groups advocating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender/transsexual rights like Arus Pelangi, Transsexuals Communication Forum, Srikandi Sejati; and women groups like Institute Pelangi Perempuan, Kalyanamitra, Kapal Perempuan, Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan and Koalisi Perempuan.
| Labour issues |
Jakarta Post - July 31, 2008
Nurni Sulaiman, Balikpapan – Up to 3,000 forestry workers went on strike in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday, demanding the government raise the monthly provincial wage by at least 30 percent to compensate for rising fuel and basic commodity prices.
While the demonstrators occupied the governor's office and the provincial legislature building, most police personnel and fire engines were deployed to put out a flash fire which razed a densely populated slum housing in the city.
The demonstrators, mostly from the Federation of All-Indonesian Wood and Forestry Workers Union (Kahutindo) and the Confederation of Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (KSBSI), said they would stay at the two buildings until the governor increased the provincial minimum wage from the current Rp 815,000 (US$88) to Rp 1.3 million.
"We will continue to occupy the governor's office and the legislative council building until a dialogue with employers and the government is held and the provincial minimum wage is revised," said the chairman of the provincial chapter of Kahutindo, Jumransyah.
He said the workers' purchasing power weakened despite a small wage rise in January. The increase was insignificant. Purchasing power decreased by the rising prices in May by 28 percent of fuel and up to 40 percent of basic commodities.
"How can we survive the economic hardship while the minimum physical need set by the National Statistics' Bureau (BPS) in the province has reached Rp 1.389,000?
"The government should not take employers' side. This condition could incite workers to commit anarchistic actions to express their frustration," he said.
Both acting governor Tarmidzi A. Karim and the provincial manpower and transmigration office were not in their office.
The police and the municipal administration were unable to break the traffic jam along the Jl Gajah Mada street and other main streets in the city because they were deployed to handle the fire.
The demonstrators threatened to spend the night at the two main buildings until the demands were met, saying they could not go back home without any gain from the employers and the government.
Chief councillor Herman Agussalim pledged that the provincial legislature would invite the governor to revise the gubernatorial decree on the provincial minimum wage, saying legislators would join the labor rally if their demand was not met by the provincial government.
The industrial strike has caused a number of forestry and plywood companies in Samarinda such as PT Kalamur, PT Melapi Timber, PT Kalamur and PT Tirta Mahakam to stop their operations.
The protesters dispersed the following day after agreeing to a 9.16 percent increase instead.
Jakarta Post - July 29, 2008
Fadli, Batam – As many as 2,000 workers of PT Jaya Asiatic Shipyard in Batam, Riau Islands, went on strike Monday, demanding the company fix its poor work conditions.
The shipyard, the biggest on the island, has reportedly neglected sanitation and work safety, prevented workers from setting up their own union, and employed contract workers without insuring them under the compulsory social security programs.
Deputy chairman of the Batam chapter of the National Workers Union (SPN) Edison Simanjuntak said the workers, mostly contract-based welders, had come to the workplace but had refused to carry out their daily tasks until the poor work conditions were fixed.
Edison said the laborers would resume work only after they were provided with work safety equipment such as shoes, helmets and fireproof uniforms because they were all at high risk of occupational accidents.
"Besides, the workers have been denied access to freedom of association and insurance protection under the government-owned insurance company PT Jamsostek. So far, the company has recognized only one labor union, while SPN and other unions such as the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers Union (FSPMI) have been prohibited from representing workers in collective bargaining and bipartite negotiations on industrial disputes in the company," he said.
The local manpower and transmigration agency has tried to mediate the industrial dispute and to create contact between the workers and management but so far no agreement has been reached.
Asnan, employed in the air conditioning section, said he had to use shoes he bought himself because the company did not give him any as he was hired by an outsourcing company to work in the shipyard.
"I am paid by the hour, and if I am sick I am not paid. The company also does not give any health allowance and sick workers have to go to the hospital at their own expense," he said. He is paid Rp 6,500 (70 US cents) per hour, he said.
The 1992 law on social security programs requires companies that employ 10 or more workers, or that pay Rp 1 million or more a month, to register their workers with PT Jamsostek, a monopoly company that provides insurance covering healthcare, workplace accidents and death and pension benefits for workers.
Chairman of the local chapter of the Federation of All-Indonesian Workers Union (FSPSI) Imanuel D. Purba acknowledged the labor strike as the last chance for the company to respect the workers' rights, as required by the 2003 law on labor.
Local manpower and transmigration office head Rudy Syakyakirti said he would deploy a mediation team to take the workers' demands to the company and to make sure the strike ran peacefully.
"We will ask the company to respect workers' basic, normative rights such as provision of work equipment, social security programs and workers' status because the law prohibits outsourcing the core business," he said.
The three labor unions also asked local authorities to take action against the company, which has outsourced most of its core jobs to other companies, and against the outsourcing company, which has ignored the law in supplying workers to the shipyard.
The shipyard is the third company whose workers have gone on strike in the past month to fight for their normative rights. The other two were PT Shimano Batam and electronics company PT Thomson.
| Environment/natural disasters |
Tempo Interactive - July 28, 2008
Aqida Swamurti, Jakarta – The State Ministry for the Environment has recorded that verdicts of not guilty are handed down by the courts in around 40 percent of environmental cases.
According to the Head of Investigation at the State Ministry for the Environment, Dasrul Chaniago, judges do not yet consider environment cases to be important. Verdicts in about 60 percent of these cases only amount to conditional sanctions.
"There are only a few six-month to two-year prison sentences," Dasrul told Tempo last weekend. He said he regretted the light punishments in spite of the complete evidence.
State minister for the Environment, Rachmat Witoelar, said that by end of this month, the government will announce the performance appraisal program for companies in managing the environment (Proper) during 2007-2008.
According to Rahmat, five companies have been black listed. "They will be processed judicially," he said.
Rahmat went on to say that prior to the judicial process, they had already been given the opportunity of being trained about taking care of the environment.
Radio New Zealand International - July 28, 2008
The Papua NGOs Forum is calling on Indonesia's government to stop issuing permits for oil palm plantation in Papua province.
Indonesia's government is looking to to expand its oil palm plantations in its vast easternmost provinces in Papua where it has three to four million hectares of land suitable for plantations.
The Forum is urging both central and provincial governments to consider preserving Papua's native forests and allowing secondary forests to be cleared for oil palm instead.
The Forum's executive secretary, Septer Manufandu, says that whatever way you look at it, deforestation has disastrous enviornmental and social impacts on Papuan communities.
"Logging companies or oil palm companies destroy the forest. Papuans respect the forest. Forest is the mother. Forest can give everything they want: food, water, vegetables, everything."
| Health & education |
Jakarta Post - July 31, 2008
Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The implementation of the electronic school textbook (e-books) policy has been met with glitches, with parents of students forced to buy expensive textbooks for the new academic year.
Heru Narsono, whose son goes to an elementary school in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, said other parents were charged Rp 345,900 (US$37) each for 11 different school textbooks for their children.
Receipts from these purchases show one book was sold for Rp 30,000, much higher than the National Education Ministry's recommended retail price of between Rp 4,000 and Rp 20,000. Heru said he opted to buy the textbooks at a bookstore and found he could save some Rp 100,000.
Supatmi, 49, a resident of the Jakarta satellite city of Tangerang, said she spent Rp 530,000 ($57) on 25 school textbooks and complementary books for her 15-year-old daughter Annisa, a tenth-grade student at a local senior high school.
Annisa said she bought the books at a bookstore in front of her school after being told to by her teachers. She added the books would only be used in the first semester. None of the books she bought is on the National Education Ministry's book list.
Under the new e-books policy launched in January, the ministry will buy the copyrights to 287 textbooks for elementary to senior high school levels this year and make them available for free download from the Internet. To date, the ministry has bought the copyrights to 49 books.
The ministry's new regulation specifies anyone can print, copy, distribute and sell the books, as long as the price does not exceed the maximum retail price set by the government.
Fitriani Sunarto, coordinator of the Independent Group for Book Advocacy (KITAB), said the regulation was a failure because none of the 49 school textbooks, available online at http://bse.depdiknas.go.id, was available in the market.
She added the public was still ill-informed about the new book policy. Most teachers and parents are unaware schools should only use textbooks whose copyrights have been bought by the government, while many schools and local education agencies have yet to receive a guideline on the policy from the ministry. Fitriani said another problem was the fact many schools and students had no access to the Internet, while those who did had difficulties downloading the books.
"Even after a successful download, printing the book will end up being more expensive for students than buying a book in a bookstore or at school," she said.
Instead of wasting Rp 20 billion on the e-books policy, she suggested the government reallocate the funds to the School Operational Aid (BOS) to allow students to obtain textbooks for free.
Setia Dharma Madjid, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Publishers (IKAPI), said publishers were confused about whether they could publish school textbooks whose copyrights were bought by the government.
"On the one hand, the government is purchasing books' copyrights from authors," he said. "But, on the other hand, they are asking us to submit our books for assessment, which is standard procedure prior to publication."
| War on corruption |
Jakarta Post - July 31, 2008
Andreas D. Arditya and Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Two Cabinet ministers implicated in the BI liquidity support scandal declared their innocence Tuesday after a Golkar Party lawmaker testified Monday at the Corruption Court of their complicity.
In response to the court findings, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he would respect the legal process and the facts revealed in the BI corruption trials, presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said.
"As for the President, he leaves it to whatever the legal facts are. Those concerned can defend themselves, based on the principle of presumed innocence," he said.
State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta declined to confirm or deny if he accepted Rp 1 billion (US$109,600) in embezzled funds from the central bank when serving as a lawmaker in 2003.
"This is what I believe in my heart, but it depends on the court. I will abide by the legal process should I be declared guilty," he said.
Separately, Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Ka'ban flatly denied accepting part of the misappropriated Rp 100 billion funds five years ago, when he was a member of House of Representatives' Commission IX for banking and financial affairs.
"I never accepted it and I deny what Pak Hamka Yandhu said," he said as quoted by Antara.
Golkar lawmaker Hamka testified at the Corruption Court on Monday that Ka'ban and Paskah accepted Rp 300 million and Rp 1 billion each from the central bank. Hamka said the money was part of the total Rp 31.5 billion he received from then BI communications bureau head Rusli Simanjuntak.
Hamka also said he and fellow Golkar politician Anthony Zeidra Abidin (who is the Jambi deputy governor) distributed the money to all 52 Commission IX members, when working to amend the BI law and resolve corruption cases over swindled Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) funds in 2003-2004. Each was given at least Rp 250 million, Hamka added.
"Hamka was most likely panicking, and it's also possible he forgot because we (Paskah and I) were members of the commission. He was just reconciling the figures the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has accused him of distributing," argued Ka'ban.
The KPK, according to its deputy chairman Chandra Hamzah, would proceed with the investigation of former members of the Commission IX implicated in the scandal. "But we'll wait for the ongoing trials of the three defendants," he said Tuesday.
Former BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah and former BI legal affairs deputy Oey Hoey Tiong, along with Rusli Simanjuntak, are being tried at the Corruption Court in this graft case.
The KPK alleges Burhanuddin, together with then deputy governors Aulia Pohan, Aslim Tadjuddin and Bun Bunan Hutapea, approved the disbursement of Rp 100 billion from BI's Indonesian Banking Development Foundation in a June 3, 2003, meeting.
House Speaker Agung Laksono asked the legislature's ethics council to challenge Hamka's court testimony against lawmakers. "The case has damaged the House's image, and therefore the House will fully support the KPK's efforts to resolve it through legal measures," he said.
Agung said the House would not interfere with nor prevent due legal process against those involved.
Jakarta Post - July 31, 2008
Andreas D. Arditya, Jakarta – The Corruption Court sentenced businesswoman Artalyta Suryani to five years in prison on Tuesday for bribing state prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan.
The panel of judges was unanimous in convicting Artalyta in the bribery case, which they said was aimed at stopping the Attorney General's Office (AGO) investigation into the misappropriation of Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) funds involving tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim earlier this year.
"The defendant had received information and advice from Urip about the BLBI investigation. In turn, Urip accepted US$660,000 from her on March 2, 2008," judge Dudu Duswara said.
Urip, who led the probe into Sjamsul's case, is also on trial for bribery in the Corruption Court.
At a previous hearing Artalyta admitted to her close relationship with Sjamsul but denied the bribery charges.
Sjamsul managed to evade three questioning sessions about his BLBI case, which the AGO dropped on Feb. 29, 2008, citing a lack of evidence. Just two days later the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Urip and Artalyta at her house in South Jakarta.
Artalyta insisted the money she gave Urip was a loan for his auto repair business and presented the court with a proposal letter from Urip as evidence.
But the court rejected Artalyta's defense, saying there was no legal evidence to support her argument.
"The discussion about the financial transaction was a long process, but the proposal document was a single sheet without clear details of calculations," said another judge, Andi Bachtiar.
The KPK said it had closely monitored communications between Artalyta and Urip since early December 2007 and did not find any discussions about a loan in the 44 recorded telephone conversations.
In addition to the five-year jail term, which was the maximum penalty for such a crime as demanded by prosecutors, the court also ordered Artalyta to pay a fine of Rp 250 million.
Artalyta was given seven days to decide whether to appeal the decision. "I will think about it," she told the courtroom, which was packed with about 300 of her supporters and guarded by around 100 police officers.
The judges said they found no mitigating facts that allowed them to reduce her penalty. "The defendant did not admit to her crime and was not cooperative during the trial. Her actions damaged Indonesia's law enforcement system," presiding judge Mansyurdin Chaniago said.
Three senior AGO officials who were implicated in Artalyta's case were forced to give up their positions. Following Artalyta's arrest on March 2, the AGO dismissed deputy attorney general for special crimes Kemas Yahya Rahman and director of special criminal investigations Muhammad Salim.
During the trial, Kemas and Salim separately admitted to having met with Artalyta at the AGO building in relation to the BLBI investigation.
In June, Untung Udji Santoso resigned from the AGO after being dismissed from his position as deputy attorney general for state administrative affairs after admitting to have communicated with Artalyta.
Jakarta Post - July 31, 2008
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Pressure is mounting for the AGO to re- open investigations into the Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) graft case after a court found businesswoman Artalyta Suryani guilty of bribing a prosecutor involved in the inquiry.
Frans Hendra Winarta of the National Law Commission urged the Attorney General's Office on Wednesday to re-open the probe or let the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) step in.
There is no reason to delay re-opening the BLBI case, he said, as the court had found Artalyta's bribe was aimed at stopping investigations into the alleged misappropriation of BLBI funds involving tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim. "It is crystal clear," Frans said. "The BLBI case must be re-opened".
On Tuesday, the Corruption Court sentenced Artalyta to five years in prison and fined her Rp 250 million for bribing Urip Tri Gunawan, who had led the AGO investigations into Sjamsul's case.
During Artalyta's trial, the court heard a Feb. 27 tapped phone conversation between the businesswoman and Urip talking about a plot to end the AGO investigation. Urip had said it was secured, and added that the AGO decision would say, "After investigating for so long, there is no evidence of any violations of the law".
In their verdict Tuesday, the panel of judges said, "The money was connected, and not a loan, but was compensation for the BLBI investigation".
House of Representatives' Commission III on legal affairs deputy chairman Gayus Lumbuun also said the AGO must take another look at the case. "Commission III will ask the attorney general to re-open the case as soon as we resume our sitting. I think that's what the public wants," he said.
The House is scheduled to resume the sitting Aug. 16. Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) concurred.
"If the AGO refuses to re-open the case, the public will suspect (Attorney General) Hendarman (Supandji) was involved," ICW coordinator Danang Widoyoko said.
AGO spokesman BD Nainggolan said the re-opening of the BLBI case would have to wait until the court delivered its verdict in Urip's bribery trial. "The trials of Urip and Artalyta are connected, so re-opening the BLBI case depends on the court's ruling on Urip," Nainggolan said.
The AGO is appealing the South Jakarta District Court ruling which ordered it to re-open the BLBI case following a motion by a corruption watchdog in May. Frans, Gayus and Danang suggested if the AGO took the initiative to investigate the case anew it would restore public trust.
Jakarta Post - July 29, 2008
Andreas D. Arditya, Jakarta – The Bank Indonesia corruption saga has expanded to the President's Cabinet, with new testimony implicating two ministers once tasked with amending the BI Law.
Golkar Party lawmaker Hamka Yandhu testified that National Development Planning Minister Paskah Suzetta and Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Ka'ban accepted around Rp 1 billion and Rp 300 million, respectively, when he distributed Rp 31.5 billion in cash from then BI communications bureau head Rusli Simanjuntak in 2003.
"I personally gave the money to Paskah in four installments. As for M.S. Ka'ban I gave him Rp 300 million," Hamka told the Corruption Court hearing the case of former BI legal affairs deputy Oey Hoey Tiong and Rusli. Neither Paskah nor Ka'ban have been questioned in connection with the case.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is charging Rusli with giving the money to Hamka and fellow Golkar politician Antony Zeidra Abidin.
Hamka admitted that he and Antony, who is the Jambi deputy governor, distributed the money to 50 members of the House of Representatives' Commission IX in relation to their work in resolving the BI liquidity support (BLBI) corruption cases and the amendment of the BI law. Each of the commission members received at least Rp 250 million.
"Rusli told me the money was to be used for promoting and publicizing the BI law to our constituents," Hamka said.
The Commission IX members came from nine factions, including the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB).
Hamka said he only accepted Rp 30.55 billion from the total Rp 31.5 billion. "The rest of the money was taken by Rusli and Asnar Ashari. They had a deal with Antony about that," he said. Asnar Ashari was then a BI senior official and a member of BI's Indonesian Banking Development Foundation (YPPI) executive board.
The court also heard the testimony of former commission member Ali As'ad of the PKB, who admitted receiving money from Hamka.
"I had asked him what the money was for. He said it was for a campaign, without explaining which campaign he was referring to. So I used it for my 2004 (election) campaign," said Ali, who later gave the money to KPK after knowing it was "improper money".
The case revolves around the BI board of governors' decision in a June 3, 2003, meeting to disburse Rp 100 billion in BI funds to cover legal expenses of five former senior BI officials and payment for the House's Commission IX members.
Former BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah is also standing trial separately in the graft case.
Former BI senior official Paul Soetopo also testified before the court Monday, admitting to accepting Rp 10 billion from the BI fund.
Reuters - July 29, 2008
Jakarta – An Indonesian court sentenced a businesswoman to five years in jail on Tuesday for bribing a public prosecutor to drop a high-profile investigation in a scandal that has rocked the Attorney General's office.
The case has dominated the news in Indonesia over the past few months, leading to the removal of several officials and raising questions about Indonesia's commitment to tackling corruption, particularly when it relates to big, powerful business interests.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won Indonesia's first direct presidential election in 2004 on promises to reduce widespread graft, boost the economy and create more jobs. Many businesses cite corruption as a deterrent to investment in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
A judge at the corruption court said that Artalyta Suryani, a 45-year-old businesswoman, was found guilty of bribing Urip Tri Gunawan, a prosecutor in the Attorney General's office who handled a graft case against Indonesian tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim.
Gunawan had led the prosecutors' investigation into the alleged misuse of central bank funds by Nursalim's bank at the time of the Asian financial crisis, but his office dropped the investigation earlier this year.
Bank Indonesia, the central bank, provided liquidity funds to several banks during the 1997-98 financial crisis in an attempt to prevent the collapse of the banking system. Nursalim's bank was later taken over by the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency.
Nursalim had ranked among Indonesia's richest tycoons, with companies in his Gajah Tunggal group ranging from shrimp farms to tire manufacturers. Nursalim is now reported to be living in Singapore, but his family still has businesses in Indonesia, including retailers.
Mansyurdin Chaniago, a judge at the court, said that Suryani was found guilty of corruption, and sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 250 million rupiah ($27,420). "Her deeds have injured the judicial system in Indonesia," said Chaniago.
Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), a body set up by Yudhoyono to help the Attorney General's office crack down on graft, caught Gunawan in March with $660,000 in cash in his car after he came out of Suryani's house, a week after his office had called off the investigation.
The case has attracted plenty of public attention. Transcripts of the tapped phone calls between the various players were turned into a popular ringtone for mobile phones.
Suryani, who is a friend of the Nursalim family, and Gunawan have denied giving and receiving bribes, saying the money that Suryani paid was intended to help the prosecutor establish a workshop and jeweler business.
Gunawan is being tried separately and faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years if found guilty.
[Reporting by Telly Nathalia; Writing by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Sara Webb.]
Jakarta Post - July 28, 2008
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – While some 40 million Indonesians struggle to survive on less than US$2 per day, their representatives in the national legislature manage to each secure more than Rp 100 million ($11,000) in monthly income.
But they are still unable to restrain their "greed", several experts say, instead further enriching themselves by taking bribes and embezzling state funds.
Former House of Representatives member Moh. Mahfud MD from the National Awakening Party (PKB) revealed last week in his wealth report to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) that his monthly income as a lawmaker reached Rp 86 million.
The amount excluded other compensation such as housing and car allowances and legislation fees, he said.
In the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, Mahfud, who is now a Constitutional Court judge, said that with his other income from outside the House as a lecturer in several universities and legal consultant, he had been able to accumulate wealth of over Rp 5 billion without having to take bribes.
"Lawmakers are driven by wealth accumulation and greed, as they already have enough income," political scientist Bima Arya Sugiarto of Paramadina University said Sunday.
He said such a huge income should be enough for lawmakers to finance their personal and family lives and to support their duty as people's representatives.
"By any standards, such a high monthly income is more than enough to support lawmakers' daily lives and duties, including hiring personal assistants and experts to provide them with knowledge and information," he said.
Bima said that less than 0.1 percent of Indonesia's 240 million people had income equal to that of lawmakers.
The arrests of six active lawmakers by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) during the last six months indicated that graft has deep roots in the House, he added.
The KPK is detaining Saleh Djasit and Hamka Yamdhu, both from the Golkar Party, Al Amin Nasution of the United Development Party (PPP), Sarjan Taher of the Democratic Party, Bulyan Royan of the Star Reform Party (PBR) and Yusuf Emir Faishal of the National Awakening Party (PKB).
Saleh was arrested in March for allegedly receiving a bribe in a fire engine procurement case that caused Rp 8 billion in state losses while Hamka Yamdhu was charged in connection with the Rp 100 billion Bank Indonesia graft case.
Al Amin, Sarjan and Yusuf were all arrested for allegedly receiving a bribe intended to smooth out efforts by regions to convert conservation forests into business and office areas, while Bulyan was accused of receiving bribes in the procurement of patrol boats by the sea transportation directorate general at the Transportation Ministry.
Following the arrests of the six people, other lawmakers could also face detentions. The case of Al Amin has implicated his colleagues, such a Ganjar Pranowo of the Indonesian Democratic party of Struggle (PDI-P), Azwar Chesputra and Syrafi Hutauruk, both from Golkar, and Sujud Siradjudin of the National Mandate Party. These four lawmakers have been intensively questioned by the KPK.
During the trials for Hamka, former BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah and two other former top BI officials, the name of National Development Planning Minister Paskah Suzetta, a former Golkar lawmaker, was mentioned.
Recent data from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) revealed that at least 35 lawmakers – 15 from the PDI-P, eight from Golkar, eight from the PPP, three from the Democratic Party, three from PAN and one from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) – have been involved in corruption.
"It's very ironic that lawmakers, who live in luxury, cannot avoid stealing state money while many other people are still living in poverty," said Emerson Yuntho of the ICW.
| War on terror |
Reuters - July 29, 2008
Jakarta – Police have launched an investigation after a cache of up to 10 petrol bombs was found stashed underneath a train heading to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, officials said on Tuesday.
The petrol bombs were detected on the executive train after it had departed the West Java city of Cirebon, 225 km (140 miles) from Jakarta on Tuesday morning.
"There were at least nine bottles with wicks and wrapped in black plastic attached to the train," said Suhartono, a spokesman for Cirebon operations at rail company, PT KAI.
A police officer, who declined to be named, said the petrol bombs had been removed at Jatibarang station for further investigation. Suhartono said the rail company had not received any threats.
[Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Ed Davies and David Fox.]
Associated Press - July 28, 2008
Chris Brummitt, Jakarta – Ten alleged militants arrested this month planned to assassinate an American teacher in Indonesia and avenge the upcoming executions of the Bali nightclub bombers by attacking the Supreme Court, a top anti-terrorism official said.
The official identified the teacher only by his first name, Samuel, and said he worked in the small town of Sekayu on Sumatra island. The US Embassy in Indonesia declined comment.
The anti-terrorism officer spoke late Sunday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, saying that revealing his identity would jeopardize ongoing anti-terror operations. The suspects' lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
The revelations point to the resilience of Islamist militant networks in Indonesia despite a US-backed crackdown that has netted more than 400 suspects in recent years and reduced the risk of more large-scale attacks on Western targets, most experts say.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, Indonesia has been hit by a string of suicide bombings blamed on the regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, including the 2002 nightclub bombings on Bali island that left 202 people dead, many of them foreign tourists. The last major strike was in 2005, also on Bali.
The 10 militants were arrested in early July in a series of raids on Sumatra, including in Sekayu town. Officers have said one of the suspects was a Singaporean who trained in Afghanistan with al-Qaida. Several bombs packed with live bullets were seized from the men.
The officer said the group planned to detonate one of the devices in the parking lot of the Supreme Court in the capital, Jakarta, to coincide with the executions of three militants convicted in the Bali attacks. He declined to say how advanced the planning was in either operation.
Officers have previously said the group also planned to attack a cafe in the tourist town of Bukittinggi, but aborted it at the last minute out of fears there would be too many Muslim causalities.
| Elections/political parties |
Tempo Interactive - July 29, 2008
Jakarta – "The Democrats must find another coalition partner," said politics expert, Indra J. Piliang, yesterday. "This giant party is nominating its own candidate, so the Democrats must achieve significant votes on its own," he added.
Indra said Yudhoyono was not in the list of presidential candidates in a number of Golkar provincial branches. Jogya branch of Golkar, for instance, is naming Kalla, the Sultan of Yogyakarta, Agung Laksono (vice-chairman), Muladi, Akbar Tandjung (ormer chairman), and Surya Paloh as their candidates. They say these names should be included in the Survey of Golkar Executives. Meanwhile Balikpapan is supporting the Sultan, Aburizal Bakrie, Akbar, and Kalla.
Indra thinks the names proposed by Golkar are only in the first phase. "Essentially, Yudhoyono's chances of being nominated by Golkar are very slim," he said.
Golkar Vice Chairman, Agung Laksono, said party executives will discuss the 2009 presidential candidates after the general elections. These names will be proposed by the party's provincial and central executives by voting.
Last Friday Jusuf Kalla confirmed that he and Yudhoyono will not nominate themselves before the parties' voting results are out.
Kalla met with Akbar Tandjung yesterday in Palembang, and asked him to launch the XXVI Moslem Students Association Congress together. This was the first time Kalla met Tandjung again after Kalla defeated him at the Golkar Congress on December 2004.
- Anton A, Kurniasih, Dwi R.A., Heru C.N., S.G. Wibisono
Jakarta Post - July 29, 2008
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – At the opening of the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) congress in Palembang on Monday, the Golkar chairman and his predecessor shook hands and exchanged smiles as if nothing untoward had happened between them in recent years.
But deep under the surface, the country's largest political party is plagued by prevailing division between its elite groups loyal to current leader and Vice President Jusuf Kalla and former party chairman Akbar Tandjung.
Some party figures acknowledged that the split, traceable back to the party's 2004 national congress in Bali when Kalla defeated Akbar to claim the chairmanship, had weakened the party and explained its defeats in its traditional strongholds in the regional elections.
Kalla's move to Golkar's top job cost many of the party's experienced and influential figures with strong ties to Akbar their positions on the central executive board (DPP), paving the way for new, sometimes inexperienced members loyal to the Vice President.
The factions supportive of Kalla were associated with House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, Regional Representatives Council Speaker Ginandjar Kartasasmita and media tycoon Surya Paloh.
Seasoned politicians like former youth and sports minister Mahadi Sinambela, House legislation committee chairman Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, Slamet Effendy Yusuf and Rambe Kamarulzaman have all been sidelined from the party's inner circle for their alliance with Akbar.
Golkar lawmaker Hajriyanto Y. Tohari, perceived also as one of Akbar's men, said the DPP had always formed the party's backbone for its efficiency and consistency in managing the party's affairs and coordinating with the regional branches.
"But since the Bali congress, the DPP has been filled with supporters of the winning camp regardless of their capability. They just don't know what they should do to win regional elections. Many times, they just change the party regulations at will to serve their own purposes," he said.
In the absence of Kalla, who is busy with his state work, Hajriyanto said DPP members capitalized on Kalla's losing grip on the party to pursue their own interests and neglect regional elections.
Golkar lost its traditional strongholds, including West Java, North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, North Maluku, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara in the recent gubernatorial elections.
The latest national surveys by Indo Barometer and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) put Golkar far behind the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) for the 2009 legislative election race.
CSIS political analyst Kusnanto Anggoro agreed that the split had played a pivotal role in weakening Golkar as Akbar's supporters would not seriously work for the elections, hoping the poor showing would delegitimize Kalla, and if possible depose him from office.
The party's deputy secretary-general Rully Chairul Azwar acknowledged the division, but dismissed it as the reason for the poor performance. He blamed poor selection of candidates instead.
Golkar lawmaker Harry Azhar Azis said that different political views between Kalla and Akbar was normal and would not lead to Kalla's ouster considering the party's well-established democratic culture.
Berdikari Online - July 26, 2008
Jakarta, Indonesia July 23 – Twelve years ago, dozens of young people declared the birth of a new political party, which had a radical-progressive political line. This event became one of the changes that brought down the New Order regime and gradually expanded the democratic space. Today members, former members and supporters of the PRD (People's Democratic Party), who are dispersed throughout various political parties, government departments, non-government organizations, have become social workers, or who work in mass organizations and trade unions, etc are taking part in a celebration to mark 12 years of the PRD's declaration. This modest event took place in the offices of Papernas, in Tebet St, South Jakarta.
Petrus Hariyanto, former general-secretary of the PRD declared that, 'this celebration is actually aimed at celebrating and remembering once more the enthusiasm and early dreams of the founding of the PRD. The PRD have put themselves forward as a radical-progressive party which was founded by youth and bravely reckoned with the authority of the New Order, which was refreshing. Many PRD cadre surrendered their body and soul in the struggle for democracy and for some their fate is up until today still not clear, like Wiji Thukul, Herman Hendrawanm Suyat, Bimo Petrus and others.'
Dinner was served by former general secretary of the PRD, Petrus Harianto and given to several comrades who were present at the PRD Declaration on 23/07/96, like Suroso and Yakobus EK. The mood of the evening brightened when those present sung the PRD anthem and other songs.
Agus Jabo Priyano, general secretary of the PRD, who arrived late from visiting people in Central Java, said that, "the prime challenge in the mass struggle is now much different to the situation in the PRD's past. Now there is open democracy, but it's entire purpose is in the interests of economic liberalization and foreign interests. Meanwhile, members and former members of the PRD who nowadays are spread throughout social and political organizations, political parties, NGO's, trade unions, government departments and others have the same response to this, that is, national liberation."
After these greetings the night continued with testimonies given by Revitriyoso, who was a candidate for the upper house in Jakarta, and others. The main enthusiasm which emerged from the PRD anniversary was for consolidating their strength and motivating people to take power, including through using formal channels like through local elections, the House of Representatives, the Legislative Council, etc.
[Source: Berdikari Online (26/07/08), Ulfa Ilyas translated by Mel Barnes.]
Jakarta Post - July 26, 2008
Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – Peace campaigners warned mobilizations of youth groups in the election campaign currently underway could lead to outbreaks of violence similar to recent violent protests by student groups in Jakarta.
A study by the Community Network for Peace (JMCD), supported by the United Nations Development Program, showed 246 incidents that led to casualties or death took place between January and April, with youths often the inciters or victims.
"Young people are a conduit for violence, and they tend to respond with acts of violence," Ichsan Malik, chairman of the Peace Building Institute, told a discussion on Friday. Despite fears of possible conflicts, Indonesia saw relatively peaceful legislative and direct presidential elections in 2004.
The JMCD collected and analyzed data on conflicts from reports published in 46 local and national newspapers.
Ichsan said the trend of the conflicts this year was different from several years ago. He warned politically motivated conflicts would likely continue, with some 100 regional elections yet to be decided before the end of the year, and the general election in 2009.
He said political tensions, a feudal mentality, a culture of violence, widespread intolerance and ignorance of the law, as well as the absence of law enforcement in the event of conflicts, would trigger conflicts in the near future.
"We should be wary of the possible exploitation of youth groups during political campaigns, because they are the most easily manipulated and provoked," he warned.
Ichsan called on the government to respond to young people's demands and aspirations in a bid to prevent violence.
"The government's lack of response has sparked anger among the youth. Once violence takes hold, it perpetuates itself. This is what we witnessed recently in clashes between students and the police," he said.
Melina Nathan, head of the UNDP's crisis prevention and recovery unit, said small conflicts should not be ignored because they could lead to bigger ones.
"Prevention must start from smaller community units, such as schools, where children are taught that violence is not the answer to disagreements," Melina said, adding the UNDP had conducted several projects in local community units to educate children on peace.
She said the UNDP had asked participants in the program to map out what types of conflict could break out in their communities, and asked them to propose possible solutions to prevent the conflicts.
Speakers at the discussion also called for media accountability in reporting conflicts, to prevent them spiraling out of control.
"The media contributes the most to the perpetuation of violence, through repeated dissemination of text, sounds and images of violence," said Heru Hendratmoko, chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists.
Atmakusuma Astraatmadja, former chairman of the Indonesian Press Council, suggested the press focus on reports on political parties and their programs during the nine-month-long election campaign, rather than stories on individual candidates.
Conflicts in Indonesia from January to April 2008
23% - mob justice
18% - conflicts related to politics
17% - gang fights
13% - conflicts over natural resources
11% - conflicts over economic resources
11% - others
4% - conflicts related to religious and ethnic groups
3% - conflicts related to state institutions
Total conflicts: 246 cases in 33 provinces
Source: The Community Network for Peace (JMCD)
| Armed forces/defense |
Agence France Presse - July 25, 2008
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has underlined the need for reform of Indonesia's military after a report blamed the country for gross human rights abuses in East Timor in 1999.
Dr Rice flew into Perth last night amid heavy security for a two-day visit to Australia as a guest of Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith.
Mr Smith accompanied Dr Rice on the flight from Singapore after the pair attended a meeting this week of the Association of South-East Asian Nations.
Dr Rice said at the summit the United States would continue military-to-military contact with Indonesia despite its recent acceptance of a report saying it was responsible for abuses amounting to crimes against humanity during East Timor's independence vote. She was content with Indonesia's response to the report, even though Indonesia had rejected calls for criminal prosecutions and none of its generals have been punished for their role in the violence.
"The recommendations of the commission I am sure will be implemented and both governments will find a means to make certain that justice is done," she said.
She was referring to the issuing of a long-awaited truth and friendship commission report this month that said the Indonesian military was responsible for violence that killed about 1400 people in East Timor in 1999.
The report, which named no perpetrators and made no recommendation for prosecutions, was jointly written by East Timorese and Indonesian officials and was immediately accepted by the governments of both countries.
Dr Rice said she believed the US-Indonesian military-to-military contacts, suspended after the violence and resumed more than three years ago, were useful to promote reform of the Indonesian armed forces.
"This is a good democratic Government that has a strong record of wanting to work and be responsive on human rights issues," she said of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration.
"We've known for a long time there are concerns about reform in the military, need for reform in the military. The United States has been active in helping and encouraging that agenda with Indonesia. We're going to continue to work closely with the Indonesian Government, we will help in any way that we can."
Mr Smith says he wants Dr Rice to have a relaxed visit while he shows her his state's culture and hospitality.
The pair descended the aircraft stairs to be met on the tarmac by West Australian senator and Immigration Minister Chris Evans, WA Premier Alan Carpenter and the American ambassador to Australia, Robert McCallum.
They were driven to the University of Western Australia for a traditional Aboriginal welcome and a dinner hosted by Mr Carpenter. Dr Rice's official functions begin today with a visit to Perth's Mercedes College, during which an entire city block will be closed to traffic.
She will then make a private visit to the SAS Barracks at Swanbourne. From there, Dr Rice will be driven to Perth's Kings Park for wreath-laying at the cenotaph. She will then fly to New Zealand.
Mr Smith said Australia was looking positively at a US-Indian civilian nuclear energy deal despite its policy of refusing to export uranium to India. He said Australia would have to decide whether to support it, possibly by mid-August, now the deal had survived in the Indian parliament.
| Foreign affairs |
The National PNG - July 28, 2008
Jeffrey Elapa – A peaceful protest march was held in Madang on Saturday by Divine Word University students over the alleged border incursions by Indonesian soldiers.
More than 500 students and Madang residents walked with placards through the town to the Bates oval where speeches were made. The march was organised by international relations students at the university.
Protesters chanted and carried placards expressing concerns that the incursions were a violation of territorial integrity and national sovereignty. They accused the Government of being silent, slow and indecisive over the incursions.
Speakers said the continuous incursions by the Indonesian soldiers and terrorising of PNG citizens was a threat to national security and an abuse of human rights.
Student leaders said the act of unprovoked aggression by the Indonesians should be totally condemned and shamed. No more apologies and excuses must be accepted.
They said monies like the US$40 million in an MP's account in Singapore should be used to improve PNG's security and surveillance along the border.
The students also called on the Government to immediately sack PNG Defence Force commander, Peter Ilau, for not advising Cabinet well on national security issues affecting the country.
They said that the Defence White Paper policy of downsizing the force was of poor judgment and must be abolished. Instead, PNGDF numbers must be increased so that enough men are stationed at the border.
The National PNG - July 28, 2008
The Indonesian government has assured PNG that there would be no repeat border incursions into PNG by its soldiers.
The assurance was conveyed to Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Minister Samuel Abal by his Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajudi, in Singapore last week.
There had been a number of alleged border incursions by the Indonesians in the last three months. PNG had protested through a diplomatic note conveyed through the Indonesian embassy in Port Moresby. The apologies from the Indonesians blamed the incursions on "new recruits deployed to the border region".
Reports said appropriate instructions had been issued to commanding officers in the border areas to deal with those responsible and ensure such incidents do not occur again. Mr Wirajudi was also grateful that the PNG Government "exercised restraints" although these incidents do cause serious concerns.
Mr Abal told his counterpart that should occurrences of border incursions persist, PNG would seek to raise them in other forums such as Asean, Pacific Islands Forum and the United Nations. "With our border areas developed and properly managed and secured, we can expect people from either side to live and enjoy normal lives," Mr Abal told his Indonesian counterpart, referring to his recent statement in Parliament on the creation of a border development and management authority.
Pacific Magazine - July 25, 2008
Tereni Kens, Port Moresby – The Papua New Guinea government will be making a formal protest to the Indonesian government over the recent border incursions made by members of the Indonesian armed forces.
That's the word from PNG Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Samuel Abal, who spoke with Pacific Magazine before departing for Singapore yesterday to attend the annual ASEAN ministerial meeting and regional forum.
Abal said PNG-Indonesia bilateral relations in recent years had been cordial and he was concerned that the incursions could undermine relations between the two countries.
Whilst in Singapore Abal said he will take this up with his Indonesian counterpart Dr N. Hassan Wirajuda to express his concern and seek an explanation.
A joint ministerial commission meeting at the foreign minister level will be convened later this year as a means to maintaining closure dialogue between the governments of the two countries.
The National reports a confidential PNG Defense Force report on the incursions provided to the government last week highlighted seven instances of incursions by Indonesian soldiers into PNG territory in May, June and July.
On May 27, eight Indonesian Army soldiers who were inside PNG were ordered back by police, the report said. On June 9, eight soldiers crossed into Wutung and defaced monument marker 1. On June 13 two patrols (18 armed men) crossed over. Two TNI (Indonesian Army) soldiers crossed again on June 23.
His report further revealed that on June 28, company strength of armed TNI soldiers was intercepted by PNG Defense Force soldiers, who ordered them to retreat.
On July 5, six TNI crossed over and intimidated a retired policeman while, on July 6, four TNI soldiers crossed 7 km into PNG and fired shots at Bungon village, Skotchiau.
Concerned about the incursions, Forest Minister Belden Namah and Housing Minister Andrew Kumbakor visited the border area, and learnt of the incursions first hand on July 13.
The report said after they flew out in the Kumul aircraft that evening, an Indonesian military aircraft flew over Vanimo at about 7 p.m., violating PNG airspace.
Meanwhile, Abal will also be speaking with Australian foreign minister over the recent criticisms raised against PNG ministers by AusAid Minister Counsellor, Margareth Thomas.
| Economy & investment |
Jakarta Post - July 31, 2008
Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – The much-hyped global trade talks collapsed Tuesday with economic powers and top developing nations trading the blame and leaving countries like Indonesia locked out of prospective markets.
The breakdown of the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks revolved around a failure to bridge the interest gap between developed and developing nations on key issues, notably the much-debated agriculture subsidies.
But for Indonesia, according to University of Indonesia economist Chatib Basri, the collapse will lead countries to be more protective and eventually put Indonesia and its relatively open- market system in a disadvantageous position.
"We cannot do much, even though we have this liberalized point of view in our trade activities, when the international market is against it," Chatib said.
Indonesia in particular will find it more difficult now to access big markets like China and India, whose import tariffs can be high.
"We have our own interests in the talks. We cannot let our market be flooded with Chinese and Indian products when we cannot enter their markets," Chatib said.
Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu expressed deep disappointment over the collapse of the talks. Mari led the delegation from Indonesia, which is the coordinator for the G33 group of developing countries.
The Geneva talks crumbled as key trading powers failed to agree on, among other things, the "special safeguard mechanism", which was meant as a tariff aimed at protecting poor farmers.
The talks – the latest of the Doha Round of global free trade negotiations – had been seen as a last-ditch effort to strike an agreement.
Another analyst, H.S. Dillon, however, sees things differently, saying Indonesia should look at the talks failure as a way to safeguard the nation's economic interests from a full-blown liberalization drive.
Dillon said Indonesia would be better off forging more bilateral trade ties with other promising countries rather than pursuing a multilateral trade deal, which often puts developing nations in a weaker position vis a vis developed ones.
He also said the failure in Geneva should result in more benefit than harm to Indonesia, as the opportunity that the country could gain from any multilateral deals would have been minimal due to its lack of competitiveness.
"We can also start improving our competitiveness so that we can be fully ready to compete in the global trade system," he said.
As reported by Reuters, anti-globalization groups worldwide Wednesday hailed the collapse of talks on a new world trade treaty as a triumph for farmers, workers and the poor around the globe and a blow against "big business".
Jakarta Post - July 28, 2008
Jakarta – The country's packaging industry, which boasts revenues of Rp 20 trillion (US$2.18 billion) a year, is suffering from low imports and disrupted local supply due to power cuts, associations say.
More than one half of all packaging used in Indonesia is plastic-based, a quarter is paper-based, followed by metal and glass. More than 70 percent of packaging materials are used for food and drinks.
The industry is currently suffering from a shortage of the raw material polypropylene (PP), which is used in plastic-based packaging material, said Ariana Susanti, director of business development at the Indonesia Packaging Federation.
"Demand is actually there because people still need to eat and drink. But the sizes of the packages are getting smaller to suit people's lower purchasing power. Sachet-type packaging is very popular," she told The Jakarta Post this week. "But we cannot produce enough because raw materials are scarce," she said.
In response to a weakened public purchasing power, businesses have begun to produce high-end packaging materials that do not use the raw material PP, she said. Manufacturers unable to switch away from PP-based products must wait out the supply draught, she added.
The industry consumes 850,000 tons of PP every year, 750,000 tons of which is produced locally by three petrochemical companies. The remainder is imported mainly from ASEAN, Middle Eastern and European counties.
Supply in the country has been hit by low imports due to a global decline in PP production, as well as disrupted local production, which has been crippled by power cuts over the past three months, said Budi Sayanto, secretary general of the Indonesian Olefin and Plastic Industry Association.
"Even after a short power cut imposed by power company PLN, the factory needs four to five days to readjust, and to test machinery to resume full capacity," he said. Domestic production was disrupted for 10 days in May and five days in June, causing deliveries to be backed up by 45 days.
However, Budi said he expected supply to return to normal soon as the power shortage had been temporarily solved by a new ministerial decree demanding that industries reschedule their working hours. Petrochemical factories, which must function 24- hours a day, are exempt from the decree.
Budi said with the government's backing, the local industry would resist competition from Middle Eastern countries that have started producing PP from natural gas, rather than oil.
"We are using much more expensive oil, so our costs will be higher. So far our price is still competitive, but the government must keep the import tariff for PP at its current level and ensure electricity supply," he said.
Indonesia imposes a 5 percent tariff on imports from ASEAN-member countries and a 10 percent tariff on imports from all other countries. "This is relatively low compared to other ASEAN countries. They set tariffs of 12.5 to 16 percent," said Budi.
Prices of plastics have increased 40 percent this year compared to last year, Ariana said.
Prices of raw materials used to make plastic have doubled in the last year, matching a similar rise in oil prices, which have jumped from $60 to around $140 in the past twelve months. (mri)
Jakarta Post - July 25, 2008
Jakarta – Indonesia must raise ownership ceilings for foreign investment and liberalize state-owned monopolies to resolve infrastructure bottlenecks, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said.
The OECD on its first assessment report on the country's economy said foreign direct investment rules here are more restrictive than in most OECD countries, making Indonesia's ratio of FDI to GDP among the lowest in Southeast Asia.
"We therefore think it would be a good idea to liberalize foreign ownership restrictions further to encourage foreign investment in sectors where barriers remain," said OECD secretary-general Jose Angel Gurria.
OECD is a multilateral forum of thirty countries committed to the free market economy and the principles of representative democracy.
The report is timely as it is linked to the decision of the OECD to strengthen its cooperation with a number of important nonmember countries – Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa – through "enhanced engagement programs" with a chance for membership.
Gurria further said liberalizing state monopolies in key industries would produce a large potential pay-off in the form of more business opportunities for the private sector and help resolve infrastructure bottlenecks.
Despite recent deregulation, he said, the government is currently still the major player in various business sectors, including manufacturing, banking and insurance, transportation and retail distribution. "Further liberalization will bring more investment and lower prices for consumers," he said.
However, he added, to achieve such goals there had to be an effective regulator framework that combines price liberalization and easy entry with independent regulators that can protect consumer rights. On the macroeconomic front, the OECD assessment says Indonesia has been able to maintain a degree of stability, essential for sustained growth.
The momentum of the country's economic expansion is expected to be maintained until next year with GDP growth likely exceeding 6 percent annually. Nevertheless, it says, the current level of growth is insufficient to speed up the pace of reduction in poverty and unemployment.
Higher growth, Gurria said, was needed if the country wants to more quickly lower the poverty rate of 16 percent and an unemployment rate of more than 10 percent.
Gurria praised the government's "bold steps" in reducing liability for rising crude oil prices by cutting fuel subsidies in the state budget.
To further reduce liability, Gurria suggested the government consider the introduction of a formula-based mechanism for setting domestic fuel prices. "This would have make price changes transparent and less politically charged," he said.
Commenting on the first assessment made by the OECD on the country, Deputy to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy Mahendra Siregar said the government regarded it as invaluable input.
As for the possibility of joining the OECD as a permanent member, he said the government appreciated being placed on par with the other countries in the enhanced engagement programs, "but we have yet to consider joining as an option". (mri)
| Opinion & analysis |
Jakarta Post Editorial - July 31, 2008
It's a great story that makes the world go 'round – apart from love and money. A story that feeds the insatiable human need for information on the condition of others.
And in Indonesia, the material for such tales never ends. A corruption report every day, death by firing squad, celebrity unions, divorces and a serial murder by an unassuming part-time teacher, with extra bodies unearthed every other day. Oh, and he is gay!
So said the suspect's neighbors, fueling even greater creativity for the big headlines and convincing quotes from authorities.
"Victims of crimes by homosexuals have been proved to be killed in a more sadistic manner," said one detective. "Gays won't let go of the man they love," a criminologist was quoted as saying. "If he can't have the guy, then no one can," he added, saying that the only option would be murder.
Counterviews, if any, were drowned out.
Once again, our media is guilty of grave errors, perpetuating widespread discriminative views against gays. The media failed in its basic tenet to do its utmost to be fair and balanced, not to mention it failed to be accurate.
On Thursday several gay groups and other human rights activists conveyed their protest in a joint press conference, decrying what has become the finger-pointing at gays in the serial murder case involving victims in Jakarta and East Java.
"We feel more intimidated and scared," said Hartoyo of Our Voice, saying that all the news and views pinpointing gays, instead of the murder suspect, came on top of the fact that homosexuality is already stigmatized in this country.
Prejudice and ignorance is something we share in this highly diverse country. Every now and then people rally against someone, or another group, who is "different", "un-normal," and it feels the logical thing for many to seek answers and pass judgment.
Politically correct has not quite caught up here. The stigmatized or those who speak for them know they're in for a long, grueling struggle to be taken as equal humans with equal human rights. Once in a while they speak up, as many did Thursday.
Mostly those who are stigmatized live in silence and try to live as normal as possible while others glare – at the "different" sexual orientation, the strange creed, the black skin, the white skin and so forth. Women, and the disabled, who must repeatedly make us understand that they are "differently abled," know the feeling.
One might say there is the genuine ignorance of a kampung-like, fairly homogeneous community which gapes at every weird thing coming its way – though this is a lame excuse for residents of our metropolis.
But there can be no such justification for the media which is entrusted to do its bit in educating audiences on the wide world beyond their narrow outlooks.
Here then is fertile ground for propaganda, proof that we have moved little beyond the days of the New Order. There was no need for all that pressure – people here were, and are, so gullible anyway. Throw in a few authoritative statements and we seek no further; we have the truth.
These days the gay community suffers from the glares and the whispers around them. But it is a people so willing to be fed "the truth" that will sooner or later endanger us all; the "truth" that we are all uniform and that any deviation is wrong.
So much for a pluralist society. We have a long way to go in nurturing respect and compassion in this supposedly friendly country.
Jakarta Post - July 29, 2008
Julia Suryakusuma, Jakarta – Vivienne, an old friend of mine from Singapore, came to visit last week. I had just watched a Chinese kung fu DVD and Viv noticed the cover. Her favorites, she said, were Chinese zombie movies.
An anthropologist researching Chinese religious traditions, she proceeded to tell me all about jiang shi, literally, "stiff corpses" – reanimated dead that hop around, killing creatures to absorb their life essence. They are created when a soul fails to leave the deceased body, because of suicide or some other form of "improper death" or just because it wants to make trouble.
Jiang shi stories derive from the folk practice of "Traveling a Corpse over a Thousand Li," so dead relatives could be properly buried in their hometown. Families who couldn't afford to hire wagons would instead hire Taoist priests to transport relatives or friends who had died far away. They believed these priests could resurrect the corpses and teach them to hop back home to be buried properly. No, really.
Sammo Hung, a Hong Kong movie producer, started the jiang shi (hopping vampire) movie genre in 1980. In his films, when the priest rested at night the zombies were immobilized by slapping on their foreheads a piece of yellow paper on which a spell had been written in red ink. A yellow Post-it-cum-parking ticket, I guess.
I was laughing till tears came to my eyes as Viv demonstrated how the living dead moved around by hopping with her arms outstretched, and then resting her head on the wall, just like a jiang shi with its yellow parking ticket.
But after I had recovered, Viv's story made me stop and ponder whether this really was all that weird. After all, so many candidates for the 2009 presidential elections in Indonesia are political living dead, aren't they? Ten years into Reformasi Indonesian politics is becoming a Chinese zombie movie. Don't we have any fresh blood?
Let's start with SBY – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono: a former New Order army general who had been a platoon commander in the 305th Battalion in East Timor. He had several tours of duty there as with many other officers involved in the occupation of East Timor has fueled claims war crimes were committed on his watch. That's right: our "Mr Cleanskin" is a recycled New Order soldier.
And what about Megawati, who now seems to be rivaling SBY in popularity? She's another blast from the past: daughter of the first president, leader of the opposition under the second president and – eventually – our fourth president. Hello? Can someone please tell her we'll now be voting for the seventh president? Time to move on, sweetheart.
And then there's that other wannabe recycler: Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur as he's popularly known, the dynastic inheritor of a traditional Muslim movement, and in his own mind, of Indonesia as well. Let's skip over the fact that he's virtually blind and frequently bats; the bigger problem is that he could never really make up his mind whether he was a supporter or opponent of New Order authoritarianism. Anyway, he's already had a shot at being president, and blew it – badly.
But they're not the only New Order survivors who want to reclaim the Istana (palace). Don't forget Wiranto! He was Soeharto's adjutant (1989-1993), perfect training for being in charge when the East Timor atrocities happened in 1999. He was also Commander of ABRI in May 1998 when the four Trisakti students were shot dead. I don't suppose that had anything to do with him deploying the Military Police, Marines and Kostrad (Strategic Reserve) to take care of the situation in Jakarta, did it?
And while we're on the events of 1998, hard to believe, I know, but even Prabowo, the notorious former Commander of Kopassus (Special Forces), has thrown his helmet into the ring. Does he seriously think we're going to elect him? He's actually admitted to extra-legal operations involving torture, extortion, murder and the abduction of students, and for heaven's sake, he was the son-in-law of Soeharto! Even the army threw him out, but he wants us to vote him in.
Lieutenant General (ret) Sutiyoso is yet another New Order military man who thinks that being a soldier equips you to rule the country. Before he became governor of Jakarta, he served several years as the city military commander and had 25 years in Kopassus while it was involved in numerous black operations, including in East Timor and Aceh, and the Petrus killings.
True, not all the recycled candidates are ex-soldiers or former presidents. There is also Jusuf Kalla, whose main claim to fame (nice moustache aside) is that he has only been Vice President – and controls huge slabs of Golkar, which, don't forget, was Soeharto's electoral vehicle. Ah well, at least his controversial, foot-in-mouth statements will liven things up if he is resurrected by promotion to president.
The last name on the list is the Sultan of Yogyakarta, Hamengku Buwono X, yet another dynastic claimant. His father was a hero of the republic and a VP under Soeharto, so he wants to be just like daddy. In the meantime he has managed to become a Golkar apparatchik and has been accused of corruption (which some would say is part-and-parcel of being Golkar anyway) by the Yogyakarta ombudsman.
Is zombie politics really the best that we can manage in our nation of 240 million?
What on earth are the political parties up to? They've clearly failed to develop new talents, young leaders who can take over the reins of the republic. Our new democratic system may be in place, but we seem to have severe shortage of new democrats. Where's our version of Barack Obama?
It's all a bit of a worry, really: If our propensity for resurrecting zombies from the past keeps up, maybe someone will eventually dig up Soeharto, brush him down, hook him up to a car battery and put him in the running again!
But being an optimist at heart, I am hoping that good sense will prevail in the 2009 elections and these recycled presidential hopefuls will die quick political deaths.
If not, we're going to need an army of Taoist priests armed with mystical Post-it stickers to get all these dusty old has-beens to hop on home and finally get the New Order past out of our country's future, once and for all. And maybe then Reformasi can really get going!
[The writer is the author of Sex, Power and Nation. She can be contacted on jsuryakusuma@gmail.com.]
Jakarta Post Editorial - July 29, 2008
We are flabbergasted to learn that the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) is continuing to lobby the government for an indiscriminate tax amnesty it claims to be vital for luring back the billions of dollars Indonesian businesspeople took out of the country during the height of the economic crisis in 1998.
But we should also highly commend Tax Director General Darmin Nasution for his outright rejection of the Kadin proposal, arguing that such an economically and politically sensitive issue is better left for the new government to resolve.
This is yet more evidence reassuring us that despite the presidential elections next year the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono government has not succumbed to the temptation to flirt with the idea of distributing political goodies to gain voter support.
Kadin has lobbied for the indiscriminate tax amnesty since 2003, and the idea got strong political support within the government when Aburizal Bakrie, himself a former Kadin chairman, was the chief economics minister from October 2004 to December 2005.
At first glance, such a facility seemed necessary to help broaden the tax base and woo back the billions of dollars parked overseas by Indonesian conglomerates at the height of the economic crisis.
However, the idea eventually died out due to strong public opposition, especially after Boediono took over the leadership of the government's economic team in December 2005.
Boediono had strongly opposed the tax amnesty lobbies even when he was the finance minister under the Megawati Soekarnoputri administration until late 2004.
The core argument against the tax pardon is that such a facility would mostly benefit the big conglomerates, including the former bank owners, who, according to an investigative audit by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in 1999, misused Rp 138.5 trillion (US$15.05 billion) of the Rp 145 trillion Bank Indonesia funds extended in emergency liquidity credits to help bail out the banking industry in 1998 and 1999.
It would gravely insult the public's sense of justice if those same conglomerates, which had previously been released and discharged from criminal charges related to their bad debts, were granted tax amnesty under a weak and corrupt tax administration system.
Such a scheme would benefit mostly businesspeople and big tax evaders and allow them to launder their hidden assets.
It is then mind-boggling that Kadin Chairman MS Hidayat had revived the tax amnesty idea even after the recent disclosure that several senior state attorneys had been implicated in collusion for releasing several big conglomerates from corruption charges related to the central bank's liquidity credits.
The testimonies from several witnesses at the current trial of senior state attorney Tri Urip Gunawan revealed how even deputy attorneys general allegedly took part in the conspiracy in clearing businessmen of corruption charges.
Despite our desperate need for new private investment to reinvigorate the economy and for a broader tax base to increase tax revenue, granting an indiscriminate tax amnesty would only insult the public's sense of justice and damage the credibility of our tax collection system in the future.
We think the so-called Sunset Policy currently implemented by the tax directorate general is already adequate to stimulate voluntary tax compliance.
Under this policy, an individual who voluntarily registers for a Taxpayer Identification Number (NPWP) this year and files annual tax returns for 2007 and for previous years by the end of March 2009 at the latest will be pardoned from interest penalties and tax audits related to tax returns.
The Sunset Policy also releases individual and corporate taxpayers that are already registered from administrative penalties if they correct their annual tax returns for 2006 and previous years as long as the correction is made before the end of 2008.
Even though the policy grants only a limited tax amnesty, that, we reckon, is already sufficient to encourage individuals to register as taxpayers and micro, small and medium-scale enterprises to go legitimate.
Certainly big tax evaders who do not have the good faith to abide by our tax laws see the Sunset Policy as ineffective because what they really want is a one-shot amnesty for all their past tax evasion and debts, and then it will be business as usual.
Jakarta Post Editorial - July 28, 2008
"Indonesia on execution spree", reads the headline of a wire service reporting on six such executions in the past month. Six is already six too many for the anti-capital punishment camp. But wait, there's more. If the news last week is to be believed there will be as many as five more facing the firing squad before Ramadhan, the Islamic fasting month which begins early September.
As a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Indonesia retains the death penalty in its legal system. The United Nations' covenant does not require member states to abolish the death sentence, but it strongly encourages its abolition. Under the convention, the death sentence may be imposed only for "the most serious crimes".
The debate on capital punishment in Indonesia today is not so much about whether it should or shouldn't be abolished, but more about the "most serious" crimes which could be punishable by death.
Capital punishment is here to stay in Indonesia for the foreseeable future. Last year, a petition to abolish the penalty (made by people convicted to death for drug offenses) was rejected by the Constitutional Court, which ruled that the sentence is a legitimate part of the Indonesian legal system.
The six executed in the past month included two serial murderers, a woman and her son who killed an entire family of five, and two Nigerian drug traffickers. And the Attorney General's Office says five people convicted for the terrorist bombings in Bali in 2002 will likely be executed before Ramadhan.
Timing is always essential. It would be "Un-Islamic" to take the lives of others during Ramadhan. It would also be too controversial for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who essentially signs the death warrants when he rejects their clemency appeals, to allow for executions to take place close to the general elections next year. Some of the executions, certainly the Bali bombers, could easily be used by his opponents against him in the election campaigns.
The anti-capital punishment camp in the country is still too weak to mount any serious challenge. There was the regular 11th hour appeal from Amnesty International and local human rights organizations for a stay of executions, but other than that there was little public opposition to the six so far this month.
There is the widely publicized letter by an Australian man, whose son was among 212 killed in the Bali bombing, appealing to the Indonesian government not to go ahead with the executions of the five convicted terrorists. There is also the attempt by their lawyers to demand a review of the cases, but as far as the legal system is concerned, the five had already exploited every possible avenue for a stay of executions.
Clemency is unlikely since they have never shown remorse – their execution is just a matter of time.
Public debate about capital punishment in Indonesia instead took a different twist over the past few weeks as these executions were being planned or carried out.
Some members of the public are demanding that corruption too be punishable by death. Vice President Jusuf Kalla has dismissed the idea completely, but President Yudhoyono, at least according to his spokesman, welcomed a discourse on the issue while not necessarily supportive of the idea.
The fact there is such strong public sentiment reflects the gravity of the corruption problem, particularly the perceived failure of the legal system to prevent it. Despite the dozens of convictions of high profile corruption cases in the last five years, in the public eye, these are not strong enough as deterrence to stop others from their corrupt practices.
It also tells us that some of these "corruptors" are making a complete mockery of our justice system; many got off with light sentences (after hiring top notch lawyers to defend them in court) and they know they will walk free after a few years or even months to enjoy the loot afterwards.
Nothing less than death for these people would satisfy the public thirst for justice.
The demand for death penalty for corruption tells us more about the growing public frustration that, when it comes to dealing with such cases, our justice system seems completely impotent. It also seems not so much whether the death penalty is a strong enough deterrent, as this has become an outlet for the community to let off its frustration at the prevalence of the corruption problem.
Indonesia could turn to China and Vietnam to see how capital punishment is being applied to stop graft. Have they succeeded? Is it part of their "economic miracle" narrative? Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from these two countries that seem to be enjoying double digit economic growth while we are perpetually being held back by rampant corruption.
Since Indonesia has capital punishment in its books and since we have no intention of abolishing it any time soon, we may as well expand its use to include corruption, which in Indonesia seems serious enough to be at least on par with serial murder, terrorism and drug trafficking.
Perhaps, just perhaps, the anti-graft campaign will finally take us somewhere.