Sepudin Zuhri, Jakarta – The Indonesian People's Opposition Front (FOR Indonesia) is calling on the government to immediately stop trade liberalisation and pull out of all existing free trade cooperation agreements.

Working People's Association (PRP) chairperson and FOR Indonesia Coordinator Anwar Ma'ruf said that pulling out of the ASEAN China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) would not harm Indonesia nor would it be ostracised from other ASIAN countries in the region because Indonesian products exported to China are still dominated by raw materials.

"If we pull out of the agreement [ACFTA], Indonesia will not be isolated. It is precisely the ASIAN countries that see Indonesia as being too willing to open up its markets. What is needed instead is to protect domestic markets", said Ma'ruf during an event held today titled "A Critical Evaluation of Five Years and 100 Days of the SBY Regime".

According to Ma'ruf, Indonesia will not gain any benefits from the ACFTA because it will only become a market for Chinese products. If this cooperative agreement is implemented, the public will continue to fight until the Yudhoyono regime is replaced with a regime that sides with the ordinary people. "Like it or not we must start preparing now to resist and cultivate the opposition [movement]."

Ma'ruf said that local businesspeople may well shift their activities and become importers of Chinese products. FOR Indonesia, he went on, will continue to highlight issues related to free trade cooperating, because as long as there is no government opposition the public must act to respond to the first 100 days of the cabinet's program. (tw)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

New anti-neoliberal activist alliance formed in Palu

Media Alkhairaat - January 25, 2010

Palu – The Central Sulawesi Indonesian People's Opposition Front (FOR Indonesia) was officially declared at 10am at the Gor Palu Park.

FOR Indonesia was formed by a number of people's opposition groups that oppose the neoliberal regime of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono, which the group says has failed to provide leadership to the country over the last five years.

In a speech, Central Sulawesi FOR Indonesia chairperson Edy P. said that after the five years and 100 days that the Yudhoyono regime has been in power, it been proven to have failed to bring prosperity to the ordinary people. The policies that have emerged have not sided with the people, such increases to electricity rates, fuel prices and the cost of education and healthcare.

FOR Indonesia is an alliance of groups including the Palu City and Sigi chapters of the Working People's Association (PRP), the Solidarity Struggle for Agrarian Reform (SPRA), the Central Sulawesi Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), the Union for the Politics of the Poor (PPRM), the Anti-Corruption Solidarity (SAK), FP3MRD, the Kamalisi Traditional Society Alliance (AMAK), the Muslim Students Association for Reform (HMI-MPO), the Palu Fiber Worker's Community (KPSP), the Political Committee of the Poor-Peoples Democratic Party (KPRM-PRD), the Indonesian Student League for Democracy-People's Democratic Party (LMND-PRD), the Politics for the Poor-Urban Poor People's Union (SRMK-PRM), the People's Committee for Democracy (Komrad) and the Women's Trade Union Federation Preparatory Committee. (Hamsing)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Actions, demos, protests...

'Bemo' drivers strike against elimination

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2010

Jakarta – About 200 drivers of three-wheeled public transportation locally known as bemo, staged a rally in front of City Hall, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, demanding the administration cancel a plan to eliminate the transportation next month. "We think it is unfair to eliminate us just because our vehicles old," said Juara Sembiring, one of the drivers.

Juara said bemo had existed in the city for 40 years, dating back to when Sukarno served as the country's president. Currently, there are 800 to 1,000 bemos in five municipalities. The drivers claimed the administration did not involve them during the discussion to eliminate them from the city.

Deputy chief of Gambir Police subprecinct Adj. Comr. Handayani said about 85 personnel had been deployed to oversee the protest.

Protesters turn pro after a string of national scandals

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2010

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Recruited protesters are paid to shout, crowd public minibuses and carry banners defaming figures related to the Bank Century saga, all for a tidy sum of Rp 25,000 (US$2.6) a day.

Street rallies have become a source of extra income for some city residents, especially with the string of national controversies of late.

"They aren't from our neighborhood," said Suminar, pointing to protestors gathering at the nearby Proclamation Monument. The landmark is one of the meeting points for daily protests.

"People in my neighborhood mostly have jobs, I don't think they have time to join the protests during working hours," she added.

On Tuesday, 500 protesters, including those who met at the Proclamation Monument, held a rally in front of the Vice Presidential Palace. Four protesters stood onboard a truck shouting from megaphones for state leaders to be held responsible for the Rp 6.7 trillion Bank Century bailout.

They were followed by hundreds of protesters from several groups including the Anti Corruption Action Youth Committee (Kapak), the Depok Youth Communication Forum (FKMD), the Solidarity Action for Anti Corruption Community (Sorak) and the Youth Activator Network (Jamper).

"I participated in this event because one of my friends asked me to. I am being paid Rp 25,000, enough to buy cigarettes for today," said Hendri, 23, a protester from Johar Baru, Central Jakarta.

Biyan, 19, from Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, said he did not even care what the protesters were fighting for. "I'm just here as an extra. I will be paid Rp 20,000 in exchange through," he said.

Unfortunately other protesters objected when asked similar questions. Ani, 38, from North Jakarta refused to reveal whether she was also a paid protester, let alone who had organized the buses and banners for the protest.

Laode Kamaludin, the coordinator of the Kapak, said that he and his senior fellows at the Kapak had collected their own money to finance the march.

He denied that he paid the protesters to join the march. "The protesters all join voluntarily. That they are paid is just a rumor spread by people to discredit our movement."

Demonstration against SBY held in Makassar

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2010

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar, South Sulawesi – Students held a demonstration against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Makassar on Wednesday, criticizing him for not delivering his campaign promises in his first 100 days in office.

One of the protest coordinators, Muhammad Ikbal from Makassar State University, said a bigger rally would be held on Thursday.

The demonstrators said the government only tried to protect its image and thought about their supporting political parties, but it forgot about the people.

They urged the government to swiftly resolve the Bank Century bailout case, to reject free trade and neoliberalism, and to nationalize strategic assets

East Jakarta residents protest planned eviction

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2010

Kinanti Pinta Karana – Some 300 residents of Eks Yon Angkub Military Housing Complex in Cililitan Besar, East Jakarta protested against a planned eviction on Monday. The residents blocked the entrance to the compound with burning tires and erected a stage for music and speeches.

The residents began rallying at 8 a.m., wearing black outfits with red ribbons on their left arms. One of the protesters, Paul, told The Jakarta Globe that their lawyers had arrived along with officials from the National Committee for Human Rights.

"We hired the lawyers by ourselves. We are ready; we heard the military is sending 150 soldiers to conduct the eviction. They're on the way," said Paul.

Another protester said the residents built their own houses on the military property in the 1960s, including installing electricity, telephone lines and water.

"We moved here because our old houses in Gambir was taken over by the government for the National Monument project. We looked for a vacant lot in Cililitan. When we first moved here in the 60's, there was nothing but horse stables. We built everything from scratch," said Sutrisno.

The residents say they are mostly retired members of the military or their children. They received eviction notices in October. The protest caused traffic delays from Halim Perdanakusumah Airstrip to Cililitan and Kramat Jati.

January 28 protests

Snap, crackle, flop: Jakarta demonstrations underwhelm

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Anita Rachman, Dessy Sagita & Nurfika Osman – About 7,000 protesters from a number of little-known organizations, each with a shopping list of demands, were outnumbered by police and Public Order Agency officers during Thursday's antigovernment protests at three locations in Central Jakarta, ensuring no major dramas ensued.

In fact, the most dramatic moment of the day came when two people were allegedly caught engaged in one the nation's most dangerous past-times – picking pockets. They were promptly beaten and both suffered serious injuries.

Alghifari Aqsa, a lawyer from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), which represents the Opposition Front of Indonesian People, said two of its members were falsely accused of theft. They were still being questioned by Jakarta Police on Thursday afternoon, he said.

Haris Rusly, head of the Petition of 28, an umbrella group of nongovernmental organizations and individuals participating in the protests, said they were satisfied with the outcome, but conceded that coordination among protest groups was lacking.

"We are satisfied as this is a process of revolution, even though it was not organized very well," Haris said. "Some organizations came alone and held rallies without us. But we think it is successful enough and we conducted a peaceful rally."

The protests, dubbed the January 28 Movement to mark the completion of the first 100 days of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second term in office, were held at three main locations – the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the Presidential Palace and the House of Representatives.

Haris said the protesters were concerned about four main points: first, that Yudhoyono was the new puppet for colonial forces; second, that his government was corrupt just like past regimes, as evidenced by the Bank Century bailout; third, that the government should pay more attention to the welfare of the people, especially the working class; and fourth, that education expenses should be cut. Haris said education costs have increased by 200 percent. "It's not acceptable. It endangers the next generation," he said.

However, other protesters also called for Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Vice President Boediono to step aside because of their roles in the Century bailout, while still others called for the abolishment of the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement, which they said endangers Indonesian jobs.

Abidin, an activist from the Front for the People's Struggle, said the police were preventing many of his group's members from reaching the demonstrations. "Many of our labor friends from Bogor have been detained, stopped by the police," he said. "They don't want us to get here to Jakarta to join the rally."

Central Jakarta Police deputy chief Firli estimated the total number of protesters in on Thursday as not more than 7,000.

"Forty-thousand people, they said? How can they manage to get them and pay all those people? It's all about money," he said, commenting on reports the rally would be attended by more than 40,000 people.

Main road in Java held up during rally

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2010

Cirebon, West Java – Clashes and a street blockade, which caused a two-and-a-half-hour jam, marred a rally protesting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration's 100th day in office on Thursday.

A group of journalists also staged a protest, but against the police, who they say hindered their attempts to cover the news.

Rallies also took place in other cities across Indonesia.

Protesters criticized what they saw as the administration's failure to implement the programs promised in the first 100 days.

Protesters also called on Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani to step down. They blamed the two for the controversial Rp 6.76 trillion (US$714 million) Bank Century bailout.

However, not all the people joining the rallies were aware of the agenda.

A group of farmers in Mataram said they joined in not to protest, but to pay homage. "We're dressed formally because we have been invited to a wake, not to protest," Muhammad Yasin said.

In Cirebon, West Java, hundreds of vehicles were held up for two-and-a-half hours on the northern Java coastal road that connects West Java and Jakarta.

Traffic stretched 2 kilometers as protesters, who were mostly university students, forced motorists to a standstill and burnt tires. Clashes flared when police tried to break up the rally to ease traffic.

In Pekanbaru, the rally ended in a clash between protesters and police in front of the Bank Indonesia building.

Four protesters were arrested and charged with provoking the clash. Police identified them as Tata Maulana, Usman, Hendra Chaniago and Antoni Fitra from the Riau People's Movement to Demand (Gerram).

Gerram coordinator Bambang Aswandi denied his colleagues had incited violence, saying the police provoked the violence. "The police used pepper spray and beat us by batons," he said.

In Makassar, the rally was marred by the stoning of the national plantation building, breaking the windows in the security post. Police officers who arrived at the scene later confiscated a motorcycle, catapults and marbles, believed to belong to the protesters.

South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Rochjana said the perpetrators were intruders who were trying to incite the crowd.

Rallies also took place in other locations, such as at the legislative office, the governor's office, a flyover, the Bank Indonesia building, Losari beach front and university campuses.

In Purwokerto, protesters trampled pictures of the President and Vice President and lowered the national flag in front of the local legislative building to half-mast. The police managed to seize the pictures from protesters before demonstrators could set them on fire.

In Samarinda, protesters were able to vent their frustration by burning a picture of the President, although the rally was generally peaceful.

Protesters in Yogyakarta expressed their dissatisfaction with the President's administration. "[Yudhoyono] is a pretender, not a President," read one poster. Other posters called on Boediono and Sri Mulyani to step down.

No signs of 1998 as 'stability, security' rule day

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Emmy Fitri – Some media pundits had predicted that Thursday's rallies marking the end of the first 100 days of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second term would be as powerful and far- reaching as the 1998 demonstrations that resulted in the resignation of the dictator Suharto. But they weren't even close.

"The protests just confirmed that the economic conditions are stable and security is solid," said political scientist Ikrar Nusantara, from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

Ikrar added that the protesters could have mustered "real people power," as was demonstrated in 1998, if conditions had truly warranted it.

"But apart from the legal mess faced by the government, Indonesia is stable. I am one of those opposing [street protests] as a method for ousting a leader," he said. "If we want to force the president to step down, let the House committee tasked with the Century bailout case provide us with real results."

Ikrar was referring to the House of Representatives' special committee investigating the Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) bailout of Bank Century.

He said the ongoing corruption scandals were too "elitist" and were only followed closely by the educated middle-class.

"Even if the House committee could come up with a convincing conclusion on the Century case, Yudhoyono's strong Democratic lawmakers and his political allies would never allow the launch of impeachment procedures. They would stall the process," Ikrar said. "If I were SBY, I would just relax. He has so much power. He really didn't have to act like a crybaby and whine to the military or to the people."

Widespread reports suggested that some groups wanted to emulate the 1998 street protests. On May 12, 1998, Jakarta was paralyzed as students took to the streets, protesting Suharto's seventh term in office and demanding his resignation.

Four students were shot during the May 12 rally in front of Trisakti University. The shootings sparked riots in major cities across the country, particularly Jakarta. Suharto was eventually forced to resign after 31 years in power.

Former student activist Bernard Napitupulu said on Thursday that today's political conditions had not reached the point of no return as they had in 1998, when those from the middle class resorted to "conducting political negotiations" with the government.

"Activists from the '98 movement tend to see today's democratic process as a healthy one," said Bernard, who began his political activism in 1970s.

Thursday's rallies were dominated by those from Islamic- affiliated groups, he said, and not pro-people movements. "They are not independent. Go figure," he said, refusing to elaborate.

Jakarta Police records stated that 64 groups had signed up to throng the capital's thoroughfares on Thursday, and traffic was rerouted to avoid congestion, particularly around the protest hot spots, such as the House of Representatives and the State Palace.

Hundreds hold peaceful rallies

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2010

Desy Nurhayati and Ni Komang Erviani, Denpasar – Joining a string of anti-government demonstrations held in big cities across the country, several groups from NGOs and students of Udayana University held peaceful rallies in Denpasar on Thursday.

Hundreds of protesters denounced the performance of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono concerning their first 100 days in office. The masses concentrated in front of the BI building and the provincial council's office in Renon.

Students of Udayana University staged the rally in front of the campus, yelling "Dethrone SBY and Boediono", while claiming that the government's 100-day program was nonsense.

The students' representative Agus Purnomo said various programs endorsed by the government, such as eradicating judicial mafia, as well as improving education and health, had not produced significant outcomes.

The students also criticized the government for maintaining its policy on the controversial national final exam, which has been used to measure students' eligibility to graduate from elementary and secondary school.

"Ironically, the government claimed that the ministerial Cabinet has achieved 100 percent result, despite many unresolved problems. It seems that the President preferred to shun from problems rather than giving explanations to the public," he said.

"Indeed, it is unfair to judge the government's performance merely from its first 100 days, but we should bear in mind that this is Yudhoyono's second term. His first five-years in office should have been enough to give us a clear portrayal of his performance, so we are demanding SBY and Boediono be dethroned."

The students marched from the campus to continue the rally in front of the BI building, as around 150 police officers stood ready along the route to guard the protesters.

The Denpasar Police deployed around 900 personnel to secure important places across the city, including state administration offices.

Another group of protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights (Ardham) followed suit as they passed by the central bank's office on their way to the provincial council's building to hold an oration.

Representing the protesters, Ambrosius Ardin claimed the first 100 days of Yudhoyono and Boediono "a complete failure", especially in law enforcement, corruption eradication, people's welfare, education and health, and cases of human rights abuse. "SBY and Boediono didn't make any remarkable change for the 210 million people of Indonesia," he said.

The group of eight Bali-based NGOs said that the government's failure to settle the Century case, which had cost the state Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million), had further diminished people's trust in the government.

Around 20 protesters from the Volunteers of People's Struggle for the Nation's Freedom (Spartan) also held a demonstration in front of the central bank, calling on the government to nationalize mining industries and abolish foreign debts.

Meanwhile, the Bali Police office deployed 8,000 personnel to secure Denpasar city from any possible riots that might occur during the anti-government rally Thursday.

"Today's demonstrations ran peacefully," Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sutisna said while inspecting the Benoa harbor Thursday afternoon. "The Balinese people pay respect to any regulation. It is their right to voice their feelings and we are here to protect the people."

Students arrested at anti-government protest in Bandung

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Ahmad Fikri, Bandung – Police arrested two university and a high school student at a protest action commemorating the first 100 days of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's (SBY) second administration on Thursday January 18.

The students were arrested in front of the Sate building complex in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung. "They were beaten and kicked", said action coordinator Prabu Ningrat from the Greater Bandung Student Consortium (KMBR) who witnessed the incident. The KMBR is made up of student groups from 18 private tertiary intuitions in Bandung.

The arrests took place after a scuffle between students and police at the East gate to the Sate building complex. After the two sides retreated, students began pelting the police guarding the gate with pieces of bamboo and rolled up banners.

All of a sudden a group of suspected plain-cloths police officers approached the group and scuffle broke out when they tried to arrest several protesters. The students, who were joined by a group of workers gathered at the West gate, then pursued the plain-cloths officers holding their colleagues. The chaotic situation only subsided after the three detained demonstrators were placed in an armored personal vehicle and driven away. Police said that they would be released after being questioned.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Effigies of Yudhoyono and Boediono burnt in Banyuwangi

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Ika Ningtyas, Banyuwangi – A protest action commemorating the first 100 days of the Yudhoyono administration was also held by scores of students from the Banyuwangi Student Association (PMB) in East Java, in which they set fire to effigies with photographs of Yudhoyono and Vice President Boedion's faces.

The students started the action at 10.30am in front of the Banyuwangi Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), coinciding with a plenary meeting to approve the 2010 regional budget.

According to PMB action coordinator Aden Eko, Yudhoyono and Boediono have failed to fully investigate the Bank Century case and eradicate the judicial mafia, have promoted free trade and been unable to bring down the price of basic commodities. "SBY- Boediono must step down", said Eko in a speech.

After protesting at the DPRD, they continued the action at the Jl. Ahmad Yani intersection by burning the effigies of Yudhoyono and Boediono until they were stopped by police who were standing guard in the vicinity.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Student blockade highway during protest in Cirebon

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Ivansyah, Cirebon – Scores of students from several universities in the West Java city of Cirebon who took to the streets on Thursday and blockaded the Pantura highway creating a 2 kilometer traffic jam.

The students, who set fire to tyres in the middle of the street, also burnt a "corpse" with a photograph of Yudhoyono attached to it.

Action coordinator Hendra said that Yudhoyono was not fit to lead the country. "Among other things because of the government's inability to fully resolve the Century case", he said.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Protesters in Bali say first 100 days just sweet promises

Detik.com - January 28, 2010

Gede Suardana, Denpasar – The first 100 days of the Yudhoyono administration was also commemorated by two protest actions in the Balinese capital of Denpasar, although the number of demonstrators in the "island of the gods" was only around 200.

The first demonstration at the Bank Indonesia offices was organised by around 100 students from the Udayana University Student Executive Council (BEM) and 20 people from the Volunteers of the People's Struggle for the Liberation of the Motherland (Spartan).

Meanwhile 50 activists from the People's Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights demonstrated at the Bali DPRD, where they called on the factions supporting Yudhoyono to come out and meet with them. After a brief period they were met by legislators from all the parties except Yudhoyono's Democrat party.

"At the Century special committee at the national House of Representatives, the Democrat faction is busy making a scene, but in Bali, the Democrats have no voice", said one activist in a speech.

Ardham, which said that Yudhoyono administration was a failure and nothing more than sweet promises, also called for a full investigation into the Bank Century scandal, the eradication of the judicial mafia and an end to legal discrimination against the little people.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

State Palace pelted with coffins and rats

Detik.com - January 28, 2010

Moksa Hutasoit, Jakarta – Demonstrators from the Anti-Corruption Youth Action Committee (KAPAK) and Clean Indonesia Movement (GIB) brought two imitation coffins and a cage full of rats to a protest action at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Thursday January 28.

The protesters however, were prevented from approaching the Palace by a cordon of Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers armed with batons and shields. Unable to break through the blockade, a vehicle carrying a sound system approached to within 1 metre of the cordon and a speaker called on the demonstrators to throw the coffins into the Palace grounds.

Upon hitting the ground, the coffins – on which were written "The late Boediono" and "The late Sri Mulyani" – broke into small pieces. Six rats that the students had brought in cages were also thrown into the Palace. (nik/iy)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Workers in Jakarta oppose ASEAN-China free trade agreement

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Dwi Riyanto Agustiar, Jakarta – Thousands of workers protested at the House of Representatives (DPR) complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, demanding that the government annul the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), which they said would impact badly on workers.

"Reject the ACFTA. A deluge of Chinese products will flood Indonesia, threatening local products, industries will be destroyed and dismissals will occur," said one of the speakers standing on a trick in front of the DPR on Thursday January 28.

The workers, who came from the National Workers Union (SPN) and the Indonesian Automotive Trade Union (SPOI), said they were concerned that the flood of Chinese products will weaken domestic industries and flow on to mass dismissals.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Clash breaks out after protester blockade road in Jakarta

Detik.com - January 28, 2010

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Around 100 students and activists from the People's Bastion of Democracy (Bendera) held a demonstration commemorating the first 100 days of the Yudhoyono administration at the old Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) office on Jl. Diponegoro in the Menteng area of Central Jakarta.

The protesters, who took turns in giving speeches criticising Yudhoyono, also called for a full investigation into the Bank Century case and an end to unemployment and corruption.

At around 4pm, the demonstrators were joined by students from the Bung Karno University (UBK), the Islamic State University and the Salemba Christian University of Indonesia (UKI), who blocked the road in front of the PDI office preventing traffic from getting through.

When police asked them to open the blockade, a clash broke out with students and police pushing and shoving each other. Fortunately the protesters respective rally martials were able to calm the situation and the police retreated to the opposite side of the road. The students meanwhile continued giving speeches and traffic was redirected via a different route. (aan/nrl)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Students demand KPK summon Boediono, Sri Mulyani

Detik.com - January 28, 2010

Reza Yunanto, Jakarta – It was not just the Presidential Palace that was targeted by demonstrators on Thursday. Hundreds of students also protested at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) offices in South Jakarta.

Representing Student Executive Councils (BEM) from the University of Indonesia (UI), the Jakarta State University (UNJ), the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and the Gajah Mada University, the protesters demanded that the KPK immediately summon Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati for questioning.

The students, who arrived from the Menteng area in Central Jakarta on foot, brought flags and banners with messages such as "Uphold the supremacy of the law", "Eradicate corruption in Indonesia" and "Sri Mulyani is a thief, Boediono is a thief".

"Summon Sri Mulyani, Boediono and other related parties that are responsible", said one of the participants. (nik/iy)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

'Good money for just standing around and shouting'

Detik.com - January 28, 2010

Andi Saputra, Jakarta – Demonstrators supporting President Yudhoyono from the People's Alliance for SBY (Arus), who admitted to being paid between 25-30,000 rupiah to take part in the protest, disbanded after less than an hour.

"He, he... there was money (brother), 25,000 rupiah. Not bad, took a break from basking", said Jo, a street musician from Block M in South Jakarta who brought a small poster to the protest in front of the State Palace on Thursday.

Iyah and his son Tono from the Manggarai area of South Jakarta said they took part because they received 30,000 rupiah from the action coordinator. "Nice, brother. Getting money for just standing around and shouting. With my kid, it comes to 60,000 rupiah", said Iyah.

Others were more timid when asked if they had been paid. "What brother. We're genuine unpaid (protesters). We didn't even get any water", said Lely, a cleaning service worker from Manggarai. (asp/nrl)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Students in Jember 'fed up' with SBY-Boediono

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Mahbub Djunaidy, Jember – Hundreds of students in Jember, East Java, demonstrated on January 28 saying that they were fed up with the leadership of the pair backed by the Democrat Party.

The students, who came from the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII), the Indonesian Islamic Students Association (HMI), the Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI), the Indonesian Association of Catholic Students (PMKRI) and the Muhammadiyah Students Association (IMM), held the action near the Jember University campus and the local DPRD.

As well as singing a song titled "We're fed up with SBY- Boediono", the students gave speeches, held a happening art action and set fire to tyres, as well as distributing hundreds of pamphlets and posters protesting Yudhoyono and Boediono's policies.

"100 days that have annoyed and pained the people's hearts. SBY- Boediono should be hung", shouted the action coordinator from GMNI Jember, Andy Wasis.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Jombang students call for Yudhoyono's resignation

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Muhammad Taufik, Jombang – Hundreds of youths and students from the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII), Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI) and the Jombang Student and Youth Union Jombang (SPMJ) protested on Thursday demanding that Yudhoyono and Boediono resign.

The groups said that the 100 day program proclaimed by the government had failed totally. "SBY and Boediono's policies are not pro-people. There are irregularities in the current administration. The eradication of corruption is just a slogan", said one demonstrator in a speech in the East Java city of Jombang.

A number of examples of this failure were given including the high cost of education, growing unemployment, the lack of job opportunities and the high poverty rate. Yudhoyono's rottenness has become even clearer with the emergence corruption cases such as the Bank Century scandal and the criminalisation of the KPK. The protesters also said that the recently signed ACFTA agreement would clearly bring suffering to the people. SPMJ coordinator Syahidan said that the government had been involved in a series of conspiracies to weaken the law, as proven by allowing the continued practice of the judicial mafia. The government has even tended to support the exploitation of the country's wealth by foreigners. "Dissolve the neo-liberal cabinet", shouted Syahidan.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Students in Lhokseumawe call for reform of police, AGO

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Imran MA, Lhokseumawe – A group of students from the Student Communication Forum (FKM) demonstrated in the North Acehnese city of Lhokseumawe on January 28 calling on President Yudhoyono to reform the police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

Action coordinator Rahmat said that a number of cases have yet to be resolved, such as the Bank Century scandal, and that this is because the morality and creditability of the police and AGO were doubtful.

"There are actually many indications of irregularities in these two institutions, but it's difficult for them to be accessed by the people because they are law enforcement agencies. This appears to be the phenomena up until now, and it is here that there are many problems", said Rahmat.

During the demonstration, which began at 10am, the students brought banners with their demands, which included resolving the Bank Century case, the release of jailed Acehnese political prisoners, the enactment of the Law on a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) and the eradication of corruption at all levels.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Protesters say SBY should follow Muammer Qadhafi's example

Detik.com - January 28, 2010

Muhammad Nur Abdurrahman, Makassar – More than 1,000 people demonstrated at the DPRD in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar on January 28.

The protesters were from a number of mass organisations and student groups including the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI), the Indonesian Poor People's Union (SRMI), and National Student League for Democracy (LMND) and the People's Democratic Party (PRD), as well as a number of trade unions.

Taking turns to demonstrate in front of the DPRD, the groups criticised the first 100 days of President Yudhoyono's administration. "Although SBY is a general, he doesn't have the courage to fight capitalism, which threatens the lives of poor Indonesians. Compare this with Libyan President Muammer Qadhafi, whose rank was only that of a colonel," said South Sulawesi PRD activist Ansar.

Prior to demonstrating at the DPRD, the protesters gathered underneath the Urip Sumoharjo then marched around the entry ramp to the Reformasi toll road, which is located close to the DPRD building. The action was closely guarded by police who mobilised four water cannons and a vehicle carrying barbed wire near the gates to the DPRD. (mna/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Public trial in Malang sentences Yudhoyono to death

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Bibin Bintariadi, Malang – Protesters from student, labour, farmer, homeless people and street buskers' organisations sentenced President Yudhoyono to death during a protest action in East Java city of Malang on Thursday. The public trail was in the form of a theatrical action organised by the Pro-People Student Movement (Gempor) in front of the DPRD.

During the trial, the protesters sentenced Yudhoyono to death by hanging and drowning in a puddle of mud. The sentence was handed down because the first 100 days of the Yudhoyono administration had failed to side with the people.

"This is an expression of the people's disappointment", said Gempor spokesperson Robi, adding that the government's failure could be seen from the Bank Century scandal, the judicial mafia and the criminalisation of the KPK. The demonstrators also said they opposed the ACFTA free trade agreement with China, which will inflict financial looses on the people.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Protest in Palu ends in clash, one arrested

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Darlis, Palu – A protest action by an alliance of student and non-government organisations (NGO) the Central Sulawesi city of Palu on January 28 ended in chaos after one of the demonstrators was arrested by police for being an alleged provocateur.

The incident started when around 500 demonstrators set fire to and trampled on posters of Yudhoyono and Boediono. Police moved in resulting in police and students chasing each other. Police also confiscated a flag belonging to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), which they were forced to had back after facing strong opposition from other demonstrators.

Palu mayor Rusdy Mastura was eventually intervened to try to calm the protesters down after one of the students was arrested by police for being an alleged provocateur.

During the action, the protesters called on the government to implement its program properly and in accordance with its promises. "After 100 days there is yet to be seen any results from the government's programs. The people will continue to watch over the government until prosperity can be felt", said action coordinator Albar.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Students and police clash in Pekanbaru, four arrested

Detik.com - January 28, 2010

Chaidir Anwar Tanjung, Pekanbaru – A protest action by hundreds of students and workers in Pekanbaru, Riau, to commemorate the first 100 days of the Yudhoyono administration ended in a class, with four students arrested.

Initially, the protest action proceeded peacefully, but began to heat up when students demanded to be given a chance to read out their demands on the grounds of Bank Indonesia. A scuffle then broke out with police guarding the front gate as the students tried to force their way in calling for Yudhoyono and Boediono to step down.

When police began hitting students with rattan sticks, they became enraged and a clash was unavoidable, with students and police exchanging punches and chasing each other to and fro. The large contingent of police however was finally able to force students in to corner and several were beaten by officers.

Police also tried using tear gas but this failed to reach the students already inside the Bank Indonesia grounds. Eventually reinforcements were called in and they forced the students to retreat, four of which were arrested. (cha/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Protesters calls for tax boycott over Bank Century case

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Sohirin, Semarang – Around 300 demonstrators from the Central Java People's Democratic Party (PRD) held a protest action today in which they called on the public to boycott tax payments as a protest against the Bank Century case that has inflicted financial losses on the state of Rp6.7 trillion.

PRD Central Java chairperson Sunu Pajar Prasetyo said that the funds from the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS) that were used by the government to bailout Bank Century originated from ordinary people's taxes. The money however was embezzled on the grounds of rescuing the bank and to this day the government has been unable to account for it. "Because of this therefore, as a form of protest, the people don't need to pay tax," he said. "Why should [they] pay tax if it's only corrupted?"

The action, which took place in front of the Central Java DPRD, was also marked by the burning of posters in the form of Taxpayers Registration Numbers (NPWP).

Other protest actions in Semarang by thousands of people various different groups also demanded that the government immediately resolved the Bank Century case, eradicate corruption and reject the ACFTA free trade agreement with China.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Solo students want Yudhoyono and Boediono impeached

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Ukky Primartantyo, Surakarta – Demonstrators from a number of different groups held a protest action at the Gladag Surakarta traffic circle in the Central Java city of Solo on Thursday January 28.

The 300 or so people, who came from the Surakarta Muhammadiyah University, the Surakarta March 11 University (UNS), the Volunteers of Democracy in Struggle (Repdem) and the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI), were demanding that Yudhoyono and Boediono resign.

UMS Student Executive Council (BEM) President Mochammad Nur said that Yudhoyono and Boediono should be impeached. "We no longer trust the SBY-Boediono administration. So they should resign", he said during a break in the action.

During the protest, the students set fire to bundles of harvested rice as a symbol of the death of democracy and the Indonesian people's sovereignty. The students also burnt tyres in the middle of the road.

UNS BEM President Bery Nur Arif meanwhile gave Yudhoyono and Boediono's first 100 days a red report card, saying both had failed to fulfill priority targets such as improving people's welfare, resolving cases of gross human rights violations from 1965 until now, investigating the Bank Century scandal and eradicating the judicial mafia.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Actions in Surabaya enlivened by workers from Sidoarjo

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Rohman Taufiq, Surabaya – Protest actions commemorating the first 100 days of the Yudhoyono administration in Surabaya were also joined by demonstrators from other nearby cities such as Sidoarjo and Gresik.

Under police escort, around 200 workers from Sidoarjo for example could be seen entering Surabaya and heading for the East Java DPRD on trucks and motorbikes. Upon arriving at the DPRD they took up a number of issues including opposition to free trade and contract labour. "Because it has been unable to abolish contract labour systems, the government must step down immediately," said action coordinator Sumartono.

At a separate location meanwhile, around 100 people from the People's Democratic Party (PRD) demonstrated at the Hero's Monument in Surabaya. "After gathering here will march to the Grahadi Building," said PRD Surabaya secretary Mohammad Solahudin.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Yudhoyono gets red report card in Yogyakarta

Tempo Interactive - January 28, 2010

Muh Syaifullah, Yogyakarta – Around 300 students demonstrating at several different locations in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta gave Yudhoyono and Boediono a red report card.

"We are giving a red report card to the SBY-Boediono administration to mark the [first] 100 days of the government, we demand an improvement in their performance as state administrators", said Sujatmiko, one of the action coordinators from the Yogyakarta Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) on Thursday.

Aside from giving speeches condemning Yudhoyono and Boediono, the demonstrators also brought posters will messages such as "SBY is a dandy, not a president", "Remove Sri Mulyani, Boediono sep down", "KPK must investigate Century" and "Arrest Sri Mulyani and Boediono."

"SBY is only smart at producing reactive policies to protect himself, without there being any concrete polices to improve the state of the country", said Sujatmiko.

The demonstrators came from a number of different organisations including KAMMI Yogyakarta, the All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI), the Muhammadiyah Students Association (IMM) and the Indonesian People's Opposition Front (FOR Indonesia). "We don't trust the SBY-Boediono administration", said FOR Indonesia action coordinator Agung Sulaksono.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

'Capitalist pigs' join protest action in Yogyakarta

KRjogja.com - January 28, 2010

Yogyakarta – Demonstrators from the People's Challenge Alliance (ARM), who held protest action in the vicinity of the Gajah Mada University traffic circle on January 28, also brought two replica pigs with them.

Attached to the first pig, which had green-coloured stripes, was a photograph of President Yudhoyono. The second, coloured black, wore an Uncle Sam mask with a photograph of Boediono.

ARM is an alliance of several different organisations including the Indonesian Student Union (SMI), the Politics for the Poor- National Student League for Democracy (LMND-PRM), the Indonesian Cultural Society Union (SEBUMI), the Yogyakarta Student Action Front (FAM-J), the Perempuan Mahardhika National Network (JNPM), the Union for the Politics of the Poor (PPRM), the South Sumatra University and High School Students Association (IKPM), Yogyakarta People's Solidarity (SRY), the Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI), the Indonesian Christian Students Movement (GMKI) and LIMAPERA.

The protesters also brought banners condemning Yudhoyono and Boediono along with photographs of figures such as former Indonesian military chief Wiranto, former Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who they said had inflicted financial losses on the state.

According to action coordinator Agus F, the first 100 of Yudhoyono's administration has worsened the suffering of the ordinary people. They are demanding therefore that the SBY- Boediono regime be brought down.

"There are longer any reasons for the people to defend the SBY- Boediono regime because the direction of their political and economic policies does not side with the ordinary people. On the contrary, they in fact worsen the people's suffering," said Agus.

Agus explained that there are several issues that the groups explicitly oppose, including the recent National Summit to launch the government's new 100-day program, the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement and the commercialisation of education. He also explained that they want a reasonable wage for workers and an immediate and full investigation into the Bank Century scandal.

"The political solution is national liberation through a pro- people government, replacing the SBY-Boediono regime, building the people's organisations and uniting the movement as an embryo of a pro-people's government," he asserted. (Den)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Pro-democracy alliance calls on Yudhoyono and Boediono to resign

Harian Global - January 27, 2010

The North Sumatra Pro-Democracy Movement says that the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono, as well as the rotten political elite, have failed to implement the mandate to end the Indonesian people's suffering.

"We are calling on SBY and Boediono to step down from their positions", said North Sumatra Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) litigation coordinator Maruli M. Purba during a break in a North Sumatra Pro-Democracy Movement press conference at the North Sumatra PBHI secretariat on Jl. Sawi Medan on Tuesday January 26. The press conference, which was attended by 34 student groups and non-government organisations (NGO), was held to discuss a protest action that will be held on Thursday January 28.

The North Sumatra Pro-Democracy Movement is an alliance made up of 34 student groups and NGOs including the North Sumatra PBHI, the Witness Protection Coalition (KPS), the North Sumatra People's Legal Aid and Advocacy Foundation (Bakumsu), the North Sumatra Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the North Sumatra Commission for Missing Persona and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the City Social Worker Group (KKSP), Indonesian Rural Skills Cultivation (Bitra), the Coalition for Aid Transparency (Kotib), the Indonesian Student Union (SMI), the Indonesian Independent Trade Union (SBMI), the North Sumatra Trade Union (SBSU), the Indonesia People's Movement (GRI), Andalas Political House, the 1965 Committee for the Victims of Human Rights Violations (KKP-HAM 65), Movement Indonesia (Pergerakan Indonesia), the Union for the Politics of the Poor (PPRM), the Indonesia Youth Scouts (SMI), the North Sumatra Indonesian Buskers Union (SPI), the Indonesian Labour Movement Union Preparatory Committee (KP-PPBI), the Research and Development Center Foundation (YPRP), the North Sumatra Women's Activist Network (Jarak Perempuan), the Association of Women's Trade Unions (Hapsari), the North Sumatra Security Sector Reform Community (SSRC), the Medan chapter of the Indonesian Independent Union (SMI), the National Students Front (FMN), the Democratic Front (Barsdem), the Pro-Democracy Student Movement (Gemaprodem), the Nias People's Front (Barani), the Social Action and Discussion Group (KDAS), Music House (Rumah Musik), the Politics for the Poor-National Student League for Democracy (LMND-PRM) and the Medan chapter of the Indonesian Association of Catholic Students (PMKRI).

According to Purba, the planned protest actions calling for Yudhoyono and Boediono to resign are because they had failed to promote change in the country's fortunes. All of Yudhoyono and Boediono's policies are policies entrusted to them by capitalists. As a result, there has been no significant change over the last five years, both during the administration of Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla as well as the 100 day program of the Yudhoyono-Boediono administration. "This shockingly demonstrates that the SBY-Boediono administration has failed," he said.

During the Yudhoyono-Kalla era there was a 100 day program of reform, however by the end of the administration's term, there had been no change felt by the public, including the problems faced by the people such as the PT. WRP Buana Multi Corpora and the Soechi Hotel employee case. Then there was the enactment of Law No. 25/2007 on Foreign Investment, where the status of employees and workers became that of a slave as a result of the mechanisms of contract labour (outsourcing), enforced days off and arbitrary dismissals.

In the midst of this there is the uncertainty over the Bank Century case that has proven how political power influences legal sovereignty. "This proves that the SBY-Boediono administration has failed to bring about reform in the country. [And] this is just a handful of the problems that the leaders of this country are unwilling to solve," he said.

Because of this therefore, in addressing the government's 100 day program, all components of the people and student movement will take to the streets to demand that the president and the vice president resign. The planned actions on Thursday, which will target the North Sumatra Regional House of Representatives and the Governor's office, are hoped to involve an estimated 10,000 people.

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

New activist alliance says Yudhoyono regime has failed the people

Kompas - January 27, 2010

R.A. Khairun Nisa, Jakarta – The Indonesian People's Opposition Forum (sic) (FOR Indonesia) believes that the first 100 days of the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono (SBY-Boediono) has been a failure. As an initial step, FOR Indonesia, which was established by 36 mass organisations, will hold simultaneous mass actions on January 28.

"The SBY-Boediono regime has failed and will undeniably bring suffering to the ordinary people if it remains in power," said FOR Indonesia spokesperson Nining Elitos at a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday January 27.

The National Summit, which was organised to develop a five-year road map of economic development, will not benefit the people. "The national summit is simply a means to smooth the way for capital domination and is simultaneously a road to the intensification of the people's suffering. This is the reason why the basic issues that are causing the people to suffer more and more, namely the domination of international capital, the foreign debt trap, free trade and capital liberalisation, are precisely what is being strengthened by this national summit", said Nining.

Nining went on to say that FOR Indonesia is offering a solution to overcome the people's dissatisfaction. "National industrialisation under the control of the people, genuine agricultural reform under the control of the people, the nationalisation of vital assets under the control of the people, gender equality for women, the direct participation of the people in all public decision making, and the protection of people's basic rights," she said.

At tomorrow's action, they will also be calling on all Indonesians to participate in this fight. "All of this can only be undertaken by people's power in the form of a people's united government," she concluded.

The action on Thursday will be centered on the State Palace with protesters setting off from their respective offices. Following this, at 12noon, they with gather at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle then march towards the State Palace.

FOR Indonesia is made up of a number of organisations including the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI).

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Demonstrations a chance for some to make a buck

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Arientha Primanita – During Thursday's demonstrations in the capital, the Jakarta Globe sat down with street vendors and scavengers making the most of about 7,000 people raging against the machine.

"I heard about the demonstrations from the television," said Suparjo, who sells sunglasses. "So I came here to make more money," he said, adding that he was adopting a nondiscriminatory approach to his work, selling shades to both protesters and police for Rp 10,000 ($1) a pair.

Suparjo acknowledged that he was unsure what the protesters were demonstrating against. "But if there are many protesters, maybe the government really did make a mistake," he said.

His most pressing concern, however, was not Yudhoyono, but evading 3,500 of Jakarta's notorious public order officers on the prowl for those they consider public nuisances. "Sometimes the public order officials ask us to leave but we've got ways to sneak back," Suparjo said.

Sato, a 60-year-old ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver was also earning a quick buck or two from foreigners and reporters covering the demonstration. By midday, he had already pocketed Rp 50,000, whereas he normally makes just Rp 40,000 for an entire day.

Ojak, 30, was also having a lot of success selling small towels and handkerchiefs to the 500 or so demonstrators gathered outside the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare, saying he would make Rp 400,000, double his regular income.

"That's what I like about Jakarta, there are many demonstrations here," Ojak said, as he was asked to move along by a public order officer.

Anas was seen picking through the garbage littered outside National Monument (Monas) park. He said he could make a killing selling plastic for Rp 3,500 a kilogram.

Rudi, an official from the Jakarta Parks Office, conceded it was always a battle to limit littering, but during demonstrations it was particularly bad. "Demonstrators at the traffic circle always leave trash. Even if the protesters are educated, like students, they still litter."

Jakarta protesters blame police for small turnout

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Anita Rachman – Some observers say today's anti-government rallies are not as big as last month's World Anticorruption Day demonstrations. But they disagree on the reasons why.

The Deputy chief of the Central Jakarta Police, Firli, theorized that the organizations involved didn't have enough money to assemble the predicted crowd of 40,000. "40,000 people they said? How can they manage to get them and pay all those people? It's all about money," he said.

But Abidin, an activist from the Front for the People's Struggle, denied the protesters were only motivated by handouts. "Maybe there are some paid demonstrators, but we all here in the front are here purely pushed by our own will to speak our demands," he said. "Do the police want to bet?"

Abidin in turn blamed the police, saying they were preventing many of his group's members from reaching the demonstrations. "Many of our labor friends from Bogor have detained, stopped by the police," he said. "They don't want us to get here to Jakarta to join the rally."

Jakarta protesters trot out water buffalo

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Anita Rachman – Anti-government demonstrators brought a water buffalo to Jakarta's Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Thursday morning.

"This is the symbol of our leader," Welly, the group coordinator said. "Our leader is like a buffalo, lazy, very easy to get annoyed, and stupid."

The group planned to walk the buffalo around the fountain at the center of the circle, but the police stopped them.

Protesters demanded that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono step down because of the Bank Century bailout scandal. "The Century case proves that the government cannot manage this country and this economy," said one. "The government is never on the citizens' side."

The rally begun at around 8.30 a.m as several groups arrived at the traffic circle to march to the Presidential Palace. Student and labor organizations sent members to the protest.

Rudi Daman, coordinator of the Front for People's Struggle, said that of the 15 priority programs identified by the government in its first 100 days in office, none dealt with labor issues. "Layoffs are everywhere, and there is still no solid protection for our migrant workers," he said.

Aceh

Shariah targets 'common people' only, activists say

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2010

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Two human rights activists said on Sunday that the implementation of Shariah law in Aceh was unfair and discriminatory, as it only applied to the common people, while government officials and wealthy people were never sentenced to public lashings.

The comments follow the public caning of a farmer, Syahrul, 40, in Jantho, Aceh Besar, on Friday, after being found guilty of gambling. Three of Syahrul's more daring associates managed to escape from the Jantho Prosecution Office prison 15 minutes before execution of the sentence.

"This gave the impression that implementation of Shariah in Aceh is a laughable game. Especially as only the common people are sentenced to lashing," said TAF Haikal, a civil rights activist.

"As an Acehnese, I will be ashamed if this situation continues, because Islamic Shariah is great, noble and universal. But in Aceh, it has been reduced to unethical misconduct," he said.

Haikal, a former general secretary of the Aceh NGO Forum, said the perception of injustice comes from the fact that only the common people had been publicly lashed, while convicted officials had not.

"We know of officials that have been arrested for khalwat [unchaperoned romantic or sexual tryst between an unmarried couple], but none of them were caned," he said. "Even more curious, a Shariah policeman was arrested by the public for khalwat last year, but there has been no trial."

He also questioned the caning of Syahrul whose betting bids were Rp 1,000 each, while, "covert gambling operations with millions of rupiah at stake remain untouched by Shariah police raids."

Evi Narti Zain, executive director of the Aceh human rights NGO coalition, also questioned why the four men arrested for playing dominoes in Indrapuri subdistrict on Dec. 28, deserved to be lashed six times.

"The Rp 1,000 stake might have been just for fun. Afterwards, the money might have been used to buy themselves a meal. These things should be considered in the Shariah court," she told the Globe.

Evi said that the case further illustrated the victimization of the lower classes and the absence of justice in the enforcement of Shariah, which was " discriminatory, especially against women." "It's not the Shariah law itself that's at fault here, but the implementation of the law is wrong."

Since the law was put into effect in Aceh in 2001, she said, it had focused on the same issues, "raids against women wearing tight clothing or not covering their head, arrest of people going on a date, common people playing games of chance."

"Meanwhile, there are other aspects relating to public service that do not comply with Islamic law," Evi said.

Teungku Faisal Ali, secretary general of the Aceh Ulema Association, admitted in a separate interview that Shariah had remained at a standstill due to a lack of seriousness on the part of the government to implement it as suggested by the Koran and the hadiths [the sayings of Prophet Muhammad].

"In the last three years, the use of Shariah has taken a step backward because the legal structure is inadequate and the government is not serious in fully applying the law," he said.

Faisal, who also chairs the Aceh branch of Nahdlatul Ulama, said that as a result, the public had come to think of the law as discriminatory and unfair.

"Shariah recognizes no discrimination, because Islam is a blessing for the universe and its occupants. Islam is fair and indiscriminate in the upholding of justice. Those who are guilty should be punished, though in Islam those who repent can also be forgiven," he said. "Islam holds mankind in high esteem, especially women, because it is a great and noble religion."

The use of Shariah was granted during Abdurrahman Wahid's administration, more as an attempt to resolve the conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and the national security forces.

Tight jeans and shorts under attack in Aceh

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Women's tight trousers and men's short pants have become the focus of Aceh's Shariah Police, who have intensified their patrols to get the shameful articles of clothing off the streets.

Teuku Abdulrazak, operations commander of the Shariah Police in West Aceh district, said that patrols were also setting up road blocks and checking the dress of passengers of both private cars and public vehicles.

"Dozens of people were caught. We lectured them and asked them to sign a contract not to wear non-Islamic clothes," Abdulrazak told the Jakarta Globe in a phone interview.

"We also held operations in Meulaboh city and other strategic locations including Teuku Umar Meulaboh University as many students are still wearing tight pants and jeans," he said. "Such tight trousers and jeans cause men to be uncomfortable because women show their curves. This is a breach of Shariah law in Aceh."

He claimed that the religious police's actions had the full backing of the West Aceh population. Some people even tipped them off about possible violations in their neighborhoods.

Abdulrazak said there is a plan to provide long skirts for women caught wearing tight pants so women won't panic when their trousers are confiscated. "That regulation is still being discussed by ulemas and other experts."

He said there were currently 35 cases of Shariah violations being prepared for court by the Shariah police in cooperation with regular authorities. "If proven guilty, the Sharia Assembly will decide whether the violators will get the lash or not."

He added that following the intense operations, the number of women violating Islamic dress codes had fallen to 20 percent of the female population.

West Aceh district head Ramli Mansur had previously told reporters that the plan to force violators to change out of tight pants into long skirts had been delayed pending fuller assessment of the bylaw, which was originally scheduled for implementation on Jan. 1, 2010.

The West Aceh administration has already prepared 14,000 skirts of various sizes in anticipation of the police having the authority to seize offensive pants, Ramli said.

Operations to hem the wearing of tight pants were also being held in province capital Banda Aceh. On Tuesday afternoon, about 200 girls and women wearing dresses that violated the dress code were caught near Syiah Kuala University. Each was advised against wearing those clothes in the future.

"In general, when we raid universities, we usually allow members of the Indonesian Moslem's Student Action Committee to join the operation," said Iskandar, head of the Shariah Police in Banda Aceh. "If Islamic law is to be implemented, we need self awareness."

Syarifuddin, deputy commander for provincial religious police operations, said the force numbered more than 1,500, most of whom were either contract or honorary personnel.

"We will continue the patrols, particularly on Saturday night, to places suspected as being vice-prone areas, such as Ulee Lheue beach in Banda Aceh," he said.

Banda Aceh, Islamic tourist destination

Jakarta Post - January 25, 2010

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – A signboard on Jl. Mister Muhammad Hasan, the main access to provincial capital Banda Aceh, reads: "Welcome to Banda Aceh, Indonesia's Islamic tourism destination." As a place blessed with natural beauty, tourism is one of our main assets to improve our economy," said Banda Aceh vice Mayor Illiza Saadudin.

According to Illiza, Indonesia, as well as the international community, is aware that Aceh implements Islamic sharia law, thus her office is making efforts to form a synergy between tourism and Islamic sharia so it may be able to become a marketable commodity.

"We will not only prepare areas as tourist attractions, we will also make ready the human resources to make the '2012 Visit Aceh Year' a success," said Illiza.

She is optimistic that visitors would still visit Aceh should it become an Islamic tourist destination.

Religious tourism will be one of the city's prime selling points thanks to various historical sites linked to the era of Islam's arrival to the Indonesian archipelago.

"We aim to tailor tourist packages that are different to those of other provinces. One of those is to promote tourist attractions with an Islamic perspective," she said.

The municipality will also promote areas devastated by the 2004 tsunami as tourist attractions. "I'm sure that many people will visit Banda Aceh to learn about Islamic history and the tsunami," she said.

A number of people see the attempt of promoting the province as an Islamic tourist destination as a hindrance to the development of tourism in Aceh.

"The concept is ambiguous, I'm not sure Islamic tourism will bring benefits to the people," said a Banda Aceh resident, Mariansyah Azis.

According to Mariansyah, Aceh apparently enforces sharia law, but that does not mean Aceh has something specific to offer to tourists, especially foreign visitors. "Aceh also lacks a specific culture to offer, as opposed to Bali, which has a clear tourism concept," he said.

Meanwhile, dozens of Muslim students affiliated with the Indonesian Muslim Students' Union, urged the Banda Aceh municipality to immediately promote Banda Aceh as an Islamic tourist destination. "The vision must be executed immediately, not just as a vision or jargon," said Alfiyan Muhuddin.

According to the students, evidence shows that the Banda Aceh municipality is not yet capable of realizing the vision, given that many tourist resorts violate Islamic sharia.

The students also criticized the municipality for failing to uphold Islamic sharia. "We still see a lot of women going out at night with their partners," said Alfiyan.

Illiza said Aceh's vision as an Islamic tourist destination would be realized by 2012.

West Papua

Papuan activist Kaisiepo dies

Radio Netherlands - January 31, 2010

In the Netherlands, Papuan activist VIktor Kaisiepo has died in his home town of Amersfoort at the age of 61.

Mr Kaisiepo devoted his life to the right to self-determination of the Indonesian province of Papua, the former Dutch colonial possession. of Dutch New Guinea. He was spokesperson for the West Papua People's Front, the federation of Papuan organisations in the Netherlands.

Mr Kaisiepo also lobbied the United Nations to promote the rights of his people as well as the rights of other indigenous peoples. He was born in Dutch New Guinea, but his family left for the Netherlands when the territory was handed over to Indonesia in 1962. Mr Kaisiepo's father was also a well-known activist for Papuan independence.

Police embedded to help secure Freeport employees

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2010

Markus Makur and Angela Flassy, Timika/Jayapura – The authorities have increased security measures at mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia by slipping a police officer into each of the buses transporting company employees between work and home.

The measures, which are supported by 1,700 army and police personnel, have been adopted in the wake of repeated shooting incidents along the road from Timika to Tembagapura.

Sporadic shootings by unidentified groups are reportedly distressing passengers on the passing buses, with the recent incident on Sunday leaving nine injured. Among the victims were an American employee and four Mobile Brigade police officers.

Timika police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Muhammad Sagi said Thursday that the police were still investigating the incident. "The police will continue to investigate and we will not speculate about the perpetrators of the shootings."

He said the shooting incident had not affected the employees' commute between Timika and the mining site at Grasberg, Tembagapura.

Meanwhile, a researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences reiterated calls for the police to thoroughly investigate the matter.

"The police must be serious in their investigations in all shooting incidents at the premises of PT Freeport Indonesia," Muridan told The Jakarta Post.

He said the repeated incidents showed the government had failed to provide security. "The police are not resolute enough to uncover what is happening and who are the perpetrators," he said.

"Is there any possibility that it is related to competition over the right to obtain security protections on PT Freeport... or anything to do with gold panning at the tailing area?"

The police have blamed the security disturbance in the area on the separatist Papua Freedom Movement (OPM). OPM leader Kelly Kwalik was killed over a month ago, but the disturbance remains.

The shootings are reported to have happened three times since Kwalik's death.

Ruben Magay, a legislator from Commission A, also urged immediate disclosure for the shooting incidents. "If they can't, just recall them from there," he said.

"President SBY, through the police chief, must address the issue. If possible, he should establish an independent investigative team." He lamented that civilians had been caught in the crossfire.

Thaha Alhamid, from the Papua Presidium Council, said the police deployed to secure Freeport had not been professional, credible nor consistent in the field.

"I believe they face psychological blocks in their duty so that they can't bring this matter to an end yet. "If so, an independent team should be set up."

Papuans rally to gain international support

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2010

Markus Makur, Timika – Around 1,500 Papuans in Mimika staged a rally Wednesday to support the registration of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua and the International Lawyers for West Papua at the European Union in Brussels the same day.

Rally coordinator Mario Pigei of the West Papua National Committee said his organization had been entrusted by the international committee to serve as a domestic coordinator for the movement.

The rally, which started at the Kemah Injili church and ended at the regency legislative council, aimed to gain support for its agenda from West Papuans.

"The international committee calls on the whole components of West Papua from Sorong to Samarai to be serious and to take part in the movement by showing support to the agenda," said Mario, reading out a written statement during the rally. "The agenda is very valuable for the identity of Papuans."

In their speeches, rally participants demanded a referendum to decide the political status of Papua, arguing that the 1969 poll, known as Pepera, was not in line with the international law. They urged the United Nations to review the poll.

"Papuans are always accused of separatism. Many of us have been killed in the name of separatism," Mario said.

He urged the European countries that provided funds for the implementation of special autonomy in Papua to stop disbursing the money, claiming 60 percent of the fund had been spent on military operations.

"Through the national committee for West Papua, Papuans urge the United Nations Security Council to unveil human rights violations in Papua committed during the military operations."

He added that Papuans demanded a dialogue with the international community because they considered Indonesia to have failed to address basic problems in Papua.

"Human rights violations continue being committed in Papua with the killings of Papuan figures including Kelly Kwalik," Mario said, referring to the leader of Free Papua Movement (OPM). "The Indonesian government has to take responsibility for his death."

He called on the Papuan police and military to withdraw their troops from the region and urged the international peace force to reveal those responsible for the latest shooting incident at mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia on Sunday, insisting the incident had not been committed by OPM.

OPM denies responsibility for Papua ambush

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2010

Farouk Arnaz & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Free Papua Movement on Tuesday rejected an accusation by the National Police that it was behind Sunday's ambush in which nine people were injured traveling in a convoy of miner PT Freeport McMoran.

"Baseless accusations have always been directed toward the OPM [Free Papua Movement] when any killings or shootings occur around the mining area. The recent shooting on Mile 60 on Sunday is no exception," OPM leader Otto Ondawame said.

"The OPM has categorically rejected any involvement. The shooting does not help the process of peaceful dialogue in West Papua. On the contrary, this type of crime will only hamper the peaceful dialogue that has made good progress," Otto said.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang has said the attack was most likely the work of the OPM. "Judging from previous attacks linked to the OPM that we have investigated, Sunday's incident has a similar modus operandi," he said.

He also ruled out withdrawing police officers from Timika, adding that police officers were integral to security. "If we leave [Timika], who will actually investigate the ambush? Trust us, please," Edward said.

Papua Police have found 5.56-millimeter caliber shell casings at the scene. Bullets of this caliber are used in M-16, SS-1, Steyr and AK-47 assault rifles, which are issued to the military and police. However, the OPM is believed to be in possession of weapons seized from the police and military since 2003.

In January 2008, the OPM seized at least four SS-1 rifles and ammunition from the police at Tingginambut, Puncak Jaya.

The nine people injured by Sunday's shooting included an American and a South African national working at the Grasberg gold and copper mine, the teenage daughter of a mine employee and four Mobile Brigade (Brimob) police officers on security detail.

Who's the new scapegoat, ask Papuans

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2010

Nethy Dharma Somba and Markus Makur, Jayapura/Timika – The latest attack against mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia in Papua, weeks after the shooting death of separatist leader Kelly Kwalik, has left the authorities without the usual suspects to pin the blame on, local figures say.

On Sunday, a group of unidentified gunmen opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying company employees and security officers, injuring nine people, including a foreign employee and four Mobile Brigade police officers.

The latest incident disrupted a brief period of relative calm, following a series of attacks on the firm's employees, which began in July last year and killed three people, including an Australian worker and a police officer. None of the gunmen have been arrested.

"[Sunday's] shooting incident, which happened after Kelly Kwalik was killed, has made the attacks a mystery," Papua Presidium Council secretary-general Taha Al Hamid told The Jakarta Post in Jayapura on Monday. "[The public is now wondering] who the real perpetrators are, since clearly Kelly has nothing to do with this latest ambush."

Taha called on the Cendrawasih Military commander and the Papua Police chief should unmask the real gunmen and end the speculation.

"What we don't need is a new scapegoat to take the fall for the Freeport shootings," he said. "Kelly was the scapegoat before, and the attacks have continued, so let's not be quick to point the finger."

Taha also urged the police and the government to set up an independent investigation team for the case. "Let's bring the case to light, since it's important to maintain foreign investors' trust in Indonesia," Taha said.

Papua Tribal Council chief Forkorus Yoboisembut also called on the authorities to refrain from blaming any particular group for the latest shooting, urging instead a withdrawal of all armed security personnel from the area.

"Once they're gone, let's see if there are any more shooting incidents," he said. "That way we can find the real perpetrators. If they turn out to be Papuans, then we need to find out where they got the weapons."

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto claimed the authorities had never actually blamed Kelly for the shooting ewincidents along the road to Freeport's giant Grasberg mine between July and September last year.

Kelly was shot dead by police after reportedly resisting arrest. He was wanted for his role in a kidnapping in Mapunduma in 1996 and a 2002 attack on Freeport employees' bus.

Agus said the police still had no leads on the attackers in the latest case, but would continue investigating. "These armed criminals know the terrain and can survive in the jungle, and have thus evaded capture," he said.

He added the scene of Sunday's shooting had yielded up several casings believed to have come from rifle rounds. "At this point we can't say whether these bullets were the ones fired at the bus. We're still looking into it."

Following the incident, an extra 1,500 police and military personnel have been deployed around the Grasberg mine.

Hundreds of Freeport employees, forced to stay in Timika on Sunday, were back at work Monday.

Freeport spokesman Mindo Pangaribuan told the Post previously that workers would continue to be bused to the mine once the authorities had declared the conditions safe enough. "The safety and security of our workers and their families are our priorities."

Blame denials as more shot near Papua mine

Radio Australia - January 26, 2010

Indonesian police are hunting for the gunmen responsible for a shooting near the Freeport mine in Indonesia's majority- Melanesian Papua province. Nine people were injured in the attack – the latest in a series of violent incidents near the mine.

Authorities are blaming independence fighters, and police had hoped the death of Papuan rebel leader Kelly Kwalik last month would improve security in the area.

But observers say the latest attack reinforces the view that it's not the independence fighters, but police and military that are responsible for the violence.

Presenter: Stephanie March

Speakers: Mindo Pangaribuan, spokesman for Freeport in Indonesia; Peter King, conveynor of the West Papua Project at Sydney University

March: Police say six people were wounded in the shooting ambush near Freeport's massive Grasberg gold and copper mine over the weekend. The company however says at least nine people – including a US citizen and a South African – were hurt when an unidentified armed group attacked a convoy cars and buses heading to the coastal city of Timika from mine site. Mindo Pangaribuan is the spokesman for Freeport in Indonesia.

Pangaribuan: There was a shooting fired at security-escorted convoy at around 6:30 am on Sunday. Because of this shooting incident, nine people were injured. Three required hospitalisation for treatment of injuries that are not life threatening, and the other six were released after treatment of minor injuries.

March: It is the latest in a string of attacks on mine workers in the area. Australian Drew Grant was killed in an attack on the road between Timika and the mine last July. The body of a security officer was also found in the area the following day. Police detained a number of Papuans over the incident, but the investigation is still ongoing. Mr Pangaribuan says there is little the company can do to provide more protection for its workers

Pangaribuan: Certainly Freeport is doing assessment but the authority of security is the security taskforce that formed by the government of Indonesia. They are the one who lead, manage and assess the need of additional security personnel to be deployed in the area, that is done by the Indonesian police.

March: Authorities blame the attacks on Papua on Independence fighters for the attacks. Initially police said the death of rebel leader Kelly Kwalik last month would lead to improved security in the region. But some observers say it's not independence groups – like the OPM – but the military and police that are responsible for the violence. Peter King is the conveynor of the West Papua Project at Sydney University.

King: The evidence is simply that the OPM has never had the military capacity which has been shown by these ambush attacks. It's also clear that the arrests of Papuans has done nothing to stop the attacks.

March: Despite measures being put in place by Indonesia, Dr King says the attacks are the result of a turf war going on between the military and police to retain the right to provide security for the mine.

King: Without trouble in West Papua, the military has difficulty trying to justify the large presence it does have – thousands of troops on the ground. That also has to be regarded as part of the long-term military objective – to keep this very powerful military position they have there, but also this powerful possibility for various kinds of extortion and also for activities for like illegal logging.

March: The Freeport mine sits on some of the world's richest gold reserves and it's one of the top tax payers to the Indonesian government, which is also a minority stake holder. Operations at the Grasberg mine are rarely seriously disrupted by the attacks, and tax revenue continues to flow uninterrupted to the Indonesian Government.

Peter King says while the company probably doesn't like the violence, there is little they can do without support from Jakarta.

King: I think the company is blocked in, I mean it doesn't like it's employees being shot but the mine has very little wiggle room and is there at the courtesy, not only of the Indonesian government, but also the military and police. And this status quo looks as though it could go on for some time unless and resolution would take some firm action from Jakarta, from the top, which so far has not been forthcoming.

Papua traditional council wants police withdrawn

Tempo Interactive - January 26, 2010

Cunding Levi, Jayapura – Linked to terror acts that often happen around the mining area of PT Freeport Indonesia in Tembagapura, Mimika Regency, the Papua Traditional Council and the Papua Presidium Board have called for the withdrawal of members of the Indonesian military (TNI) and the police assigned to secure the mining area.

"Kelly Kwalik was previously held responsible. But now after his death, why are there still shootings?" asked the Papua Traditional Council chief, Forkorus Yoboisembut, who also demanded that the case be investigated until the perpetrator is caught.

Ambush in Papua sparks manhunt

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2010

Farouk Arnaz – Police claims that the killing of Papuan rebel leader Kelly Kwalik last month would improve security in the province's Timika area were dashed early on Sunday when nine people traveling in a convoy of US miner Freeport McMoran were injured in an ambush.

Papua Police spokesman Chief Comr. Agus Rianto said that gunmen fired at two buses and four other vehicles carrying Freeport employees and family members on the highway between the mine and the town of Kuala Kencana, near Timika, where some Freeport staff live.

The injured included one American and one South African national working at the Grasberg gold and copper mine, the teenage daughter of a mine employee, as well as four Mobile Brigade police officers on security detail, he said.

"The incident happened around 6:10 a.m. Papua time [4:10 a.m. in Jakarta] when the convoy was traveling from mile 66 to Kuala Kencana. When the convoy reached mile 61, gunmen opened fire from the left and ride sides," Agus said.

American Howard James Lochart, 59, was wounded in his left eye by glass shrapnel and evacuated to Singapore for treatment, Agus said. Police Second Brig. Budi Santoso, who was shot in his left hand, and Second Brig. Asep Supriadi, who was hit in his left calf, were both evacuated to a police hospital in East Jakarta for treatment, he said.

The other victims included Police Second Brig. Sukarti, who was shot in his left leg; First Brig. Abdullah, who was hit by glass shrapnel in his right arm; driver Raintung James, who was hit by glass shrapnel in his left temple; Zamridhal, a Freeport employee, who suffered a hand wound; and South African Sandra Wilson, 62, who suffered a minor injury to his back.

Cindy Mokodampit, the 13-year-old daughter of Freeport employee Ramang Mokodampit, was shot in the left thigh. Asked whether the attack might have been in revenge for the police killing of rebel leader Kelly Kwalik in a raid on his hideout in Timika on Dec. 16, Agus said: "We don't know as they are still not captured yet. We cannot answer what the motive is before we get them."

He said the Papua Police and the Army were tracking the shooters using sniffer dogs.

Freeport has been regularly targeted by arson, roadside bombs and ambushes since production began in the 1970s. It is also the focus of regular protests by locals who feel they are not benefiting from the extraction of Papua's natural resources.

A string of armed attacks along the road between June and November 2009 left eight people dead, three of them foreigners. Police blamed Kwalik, the charismatic leader of an armed faction of the pro-independence Free Papua Movement (OPM), for the attacks.

But some activists and indigenous groups have accused security forces of staging attacks to justify receiving security payments, and because of a struggle between the military and police for control of illegal mining operations near Freeport.

Mathius Murib, a coordinator for the Papua National Human Rights Commission, said that Sunday's shooting proved Kwalik was not the only person responsible for violence in the Freeport area. He claimed that military and police personnel would benefit the most from insecurity in the region and have long had a rivalry over security payments from Freeport.

"Remember that Kwalik is from a traditional [armed] group that's different from the recent incidents, where the perpetrators were likely well trained and professionals," Murib said. He also said he did not believe that Kwalik's successor was behind Sunday's ambush.

A press release sent to the Jakarta Globe last week and dated Jan. 18 announced that Gen. Jeck Milian Kemong had been selected as the new commander to replace Kwalik.

Spent shells found from Freeport ambush

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2010

Farouk Arnaz – Police in Papua have found shell casings during investigations of Sunday's ambush in which nine people traveling in a convoy of US miner PT Freeport McMoran were injured.

"We are still investigating who the perpetrators are. Crime scene officers found 5.56-millimeter caliber shell casings at the scene" Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto told the Jakarta Globe.

Bullets of this caliber are used in M-16, SS-1, Steyr and AK-47 assault rifles, which are issued to the military and police. However, the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) is believed to be in possession of weapons seized from the police and the military since 2003.

"Please give us time to investigate this case. At this point we do not know the type of weapon used during the incident," Agus said.

In January 2008, an OPM member seized at least four SS-1 rifles and ammunition from the police at Tingginambut, Puncak Jaya. In December 2006, the OPM captured an AK-47 and ammunition from a police officer in Mulia, Puncak Jaya.

During Sunday's incident, the gunmen fired at two buses and four other vehicles carrying Freeport employees and their families on the highway between the mine and the town of Kuala Kencana, near Timika, where some Freeport staff live.

The injured included an American and a South African national working at the Grasberg gold and copper mine and the teenage daughter of a mine employee, as well as four Mobile Brigade (Brimob) police officers on security detail.

The American, Howard James Lochart, 59, was wounded in his left eye by glass shrapnel and evacuated to Singapore for treatment. Two policeman, Second Brig. Budi Santoso, who was shot in his left hand, and Second Brig. Asep Supriadi, who was hit in his left calf, were evacuated to the National Police Hospital in East Jakarta for treatment.

Other victims were policemen Second Brig. Sukarti, who was shot in his left leg and First Brig. Abdullah, who was hit by glass shrapnel in his right arm. A driver, Raintung James, was cut by glass in his left temple, while Zamridhal, a Freeport employee, suffered a hand wound. A South African citizen, Sandra Wilson, 62, suffered a minor back injury.

Cindy Mokodampit, the 13-year-old daughter of Freeport employee Ramang Mokodampit, was shot in the left thigh. Mindo Pangaribuan, a Freeport spokesman, said that the situation was back to normal on Monday. "Freeport's operations were not disturbed by Sunday's incident. All the traffic between Timika and our mining site is normal," he told the Jakarta Globe.

A string of similar attacks last year in the vicinity left three people dead, not eight as reported in yesterday's edition.

Commenting on Sunday's incident, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said that the attack was most likely the work of the OPM. "Judging from previous attacks linked to the OPM that we have investigated, Sunday's incident has a similar modus operandi."

Aritonang also said there were no plans to deploy more security forces to the area. "We believe that we have enough officers there and it's not necessary to add more," he said.

Papua could separate in the next 10 years

Tempo Interactive - January 25, 2010

Sukmawati, Jakarta – The Peace Institute's Board chairman, Ichsan Melik, said that in the next 10 years Indonesia will become susceptible to separatism. The area mostly at risk is Papua.

Ichsan said there are some sources of conflicts in this country that can lead to separatism, namely conservatism and radicalism, religion and ethnicity, sectarian and non-nationalist political parties, natural resources exploitation, and corruption.

"Papua is rife with has these sources of conflict," Ichsan said in the Peace Facilitator's First National Meeting today at the Clarion Hotel in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Also attending the event titled "Synergy of Movements for a Peaceful Indonesia" were South Sulawesi governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo who gave a keynote speech, Baku Mae Maluku Movement peace practitioners, and the Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X.

Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla who was scheduled to attend the meeting had not confirmed his attendance. Other participants of the event came from throughout Indonesia and even Egypt.

Human rights/law

Failure to recognize all faiths draws fire from religious leaders

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2010

Dessy Sagita – Religious leaders on Tuesday criticized the Ministry of Religious Affairs for being against acknowledging religions and faiths other than the six major religions currently recognized by the state – Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

"If the government still wants Indonesia to be called a democratic country it should not limit the number of acknowledged religions, because freedom of religion is a basic human right," Father Dani Sanusi from the Indonesian Bishops Conference told the Jakarta Globe.

Antara News Agency reported that Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali had asked the Constitutional Court to suspend its judicial review of the law on freedom of religion, requested by seven organizations that argued it limited freedom of religion.

Suryadharma was quoted as saying that he had asked the court to push back the review from January to February because the Ministry needed time to evaluate its position.

Suryadharma said a revision of the law would result in an uncontrollable mushrooming of faiths and religions saying, "It could be that in Indonesia, some 100 new religions would appear," Antara reported.

Sanusi said religious affairs should not be the state's concern and should be a matter for society and religious organizations instead.

Nathan Setiabudi, from the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI), said the government should have acknowledged all religions and beliefs instead of limiting itself to a few.

"I think the government limited the number of the acknowledged religions just to make administrative matters easier and more practical, but it means the government is not adequately appreciating the value of religions or beliefs," he said.

Nathan said the government should not forbid anyone from practicing his or her beliefs as long as their religious activities did not violate any law.

"The government should only monitor the practice of the beliefs, not limit what kind of beliefs should be followed," he said.

Said Agil Siradj, head of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization, said that despite the freedom of religion, the government had the right to set up any policy it considered proper and necessary.

"The government should really listen to what its people want, and try its best to find a way to accommodate those demands as long as the faith is not a creed that damages another religion's status," he said.

Nasaruddin Umar, director general for Islamic guidance at the Religious Affairs Ministry, said the issue of the recognition of the six religions was still being debated within the Ministry.

"There are some misconceptions about the law. Just because other religions are not listed doesn't mean they are not acknowledged," he said.

Kontras questions progress in police abuse case

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2010

Jakarta – The coordinator of the politics, law and human rights division of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Edwin Partogi, said Kontras was questioning a progress report from the police's internal affairs division regarding the investigation of a case where a uniformed police officer allegedly beat up a civilian.

Edwin said the internal affairs division chief, Insp. Gen. Oegroseno, told them they should wait until the police completed the investigations.

The incident had occurred on Dec. 14 last year when a Jakarta Police team found Aan Susandi, an employee at one of Artha Graha's subsidiaries, injured with wounds to his stomach and face in a room at the Artha Graha Building.

The police report said in the room with Aan was former lawmaker Viktor Laiskodat, who is now a commissioner at one of the Artha Graha subsidiary companies, and three police officers from Maluku Police office, namely Sr. Comr. John Siahaan, Second Insp. Johni and Brig. Obed.

According to Aan, he was beaten by the police officials because he was suspected to have had ecstasy pills and a gun. Aan later reported the beating to Kontras, who went on to report the case to the National Police.

Refugees/asylum seekers

Indonesia says Aussie activists trespassed

ABC News - January 28, 2010

Stephanie March for PM – Indonesian authorities are accusing two Australian refugee advocates of breaching their visa conditions by trying to make contact with a group of asylum seekers.

The two Australians and one Canadian have been detained and questioned twice by Indonesian immigration officials, who are now holding their passports.

The Indonesian government says it is likely the women will be deported, but it is undecided if charges will be laid against them.

The three activists, including Australians Pamela Curr and Sara Nathan, were first detained by Indonesian authorities on Tuesday at Merak Port in West Java.

The Refugee Action Coalition in Australia says the trio were questioned for almost 11 hours before being released without their passports and told to return to Jakarta.

Once in Jakarta they were sent back to Merak to collect their passports, where they were questioned a second time by immigration officials.

Trespassing accusation

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Teuku Faizasyah, says the trio were caught trespassing.

"As far as my sources say, they violated their visa condition that is for visit, not to conduct activities other than the tourism activities," he said.

"They also entered the area which is restricted for them to enter. They forcibly entered the area through the water, I think, and therefore the water police caught them and they admit their mistake."

Mr Faizasyah says he believes the two Australians have admitted they were in the wrong. "Prior to the incident they were already informed they're not allowed to enter the area," he said.

"They have already prior knowledge they will conduct activities which is forbidden under our law and they have been fully informed about the situation, but they carry on with activities."

Mr Faizasyah says no decision has been made but the normal consequence for a visa violation is deportation. He says he does not know if they will face charges.

Disputed version of events

The activists were at Merak port where more than 240 asylum seekers are in the midst of a stand-off with Indonesian authorities. The Sri Lankans were picked up by the Indonesian navy last October on their way to Australia.

They have since refused to disembark from their boat, citing fears it will take years for them to be resettled in Australia.

Sanjeev Kuhendrarajah, also known as Alex, is the spokesman for the group of asylum seekers at Merak Port. He disputes the claim the three activists entered the restricted area. "Never once did they ever step foot inside the restricted area, nor did they make an attempt to do so," he said.

Alex say the activists did not make contact with any members of his group. "I was about 500 metres away from them and they were in a place where a lot of locals come and view us. We have become a sort of tourist destination, and people just stand on that side of the port and view us," he said.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it is providing consular assistance to the women.

Indonesia to force Sri Lankans off boat

Melbourne Age - January 15, 2010

Indonesia will send up to 500 police and militia members to force Sri Lankan asylum seekers off a boat in Merak, separating their spokesman "Alex" from the group.

For more than three months, 240 Sri Lankans have tested the patience of officials, by refusing to get off the wooden boat into immigration detention in Indonesia.

"The status quo situation can no longer be tolerated," said Harry Purwanto, the head of Banten Immigration Office. "Therefore law enforcement must be applied."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd intervened to have the boat stopped in that country's waters under Opposition fire for losing control of the nation's borders.

"We've been patience for months and it is very normal that there should be a limit to the situation," Mr Purwanto said yesterday. "We cannot spend our time and thoughts and energy only for a group of foreigners who illegally enter our sovereign country. We have obligation to also provide service to our own people."

Police and military numbers would be increased to combat any resistance, he said. "We have to double our men, compared to their number of 240 people. I'm sure that 500 personnel of police and military will be deployed," he said.

Asylum seekers would be taken into one of three holding centres, the Australian-funded detention centre at Tanjung Pinang, a warehouse in Bekasi or an old villa in Anyer. Families would stay together and singles would be grouped.

"I think we will separate Alex from the others," he said. Sanjeev "Alex" Kuhendrarajah was the spokesman for those on board as they demanded a resettlement deal similar to those rescued by customs ship Oceanic Viking.

However, the Australian Government said it would only resettle its share of the group as dictated by normal UNHCR processes.

Barely a hundred beds remain for asylum seekers at Christmas Island as the Australia's people smuggling ambassador prepares for talks in Indonesia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said planning was under way for Peter Woolcott's trip to Jakarta as the Government sought to reduce the flow of people sailing to Australia.

Yesterday, Australia's detention centre on Christmas Island was full, with 237 people sleeping in tents counted among the 1406 men accommodated in the high security centre.

Including other housing options for women, children and families, there are now 1712 asylum seekers – and 11 crew who navigated the journey – detained on the small territory in the Indian Ocean. The island can cope with 1832, a spokesman for the immigration department said.

The Government has said development would boost capacity to 2200 by "early 2010" and the Darwin detention centre would deal with an overflow. A decision on where to take the group will be made today (Friday), Mr Purwanto said.

Labour/migrant workers

Decision to postpone workers' pay hike condemned

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2010

Agnes S. Jayakarna, Surabaya – The East Java provincial administration's decision to allow nine companies to postpone the implementation of the government-set minimum wage would hurt workers, according to a workers' group.

East Java coordinator of the Alliance for the Defense of Laborers, Jamaludin, said on Thursday that the decision severely limited the workers' choices. "The decision, made without offering any solutions for the workers, is a cheap political move," he said.

He urged related groups to continue monitoring the minimum wage implementation across the province.

East Java Governor Soekarwo has earlier allowed nine companies to postpone the implementation of the administration-set minimum wage for this year.

Head of the province's empowerment, transmigration and residential affairs agency, Gentur Prihantono, said that the decision was taken following a bipartite agreement with the companies.

He said nine out of 12 companies proposing the delay were allowed to postpone the implementation of minimum wage due to their poor business performances, which made it difficult for the companies to meet the 2010 minimum wage rate. Currently, there are 30,050 companies operating in the province.

"The (nine) companies have been given between four and 11 months before they can implement the 2010 minimum wage but (the time) will depend on their financial performance," Gentur said.

He said before making the decision, a team, including from the administration and independent auditors, had surveyed the companies.

Out of the 12 companies, the survey decided that only nine that really face financial problem and could not realize raise their workers' payment in line with the 2010 minimum wage requirement.

He said if there were other companies that refused to implement the new wage, they would be punished.

The alliance urged the provincial administration to allocate parts of its budget to help the workers who were paid under the agreed minimum wage. "The administration should be responsible for its decision," Jamaludin said.

East Java governor announced the province's municipal and regency minimum wages in November last year as stipulated by the gubernatorial regulation.

The highest wage of Rp 1,031,500 (US$110) was given to Surabaya municipality, while the lowest wage of Rp 630,000 was given to Pacitan regency.

Currently, of the 38 regencies and municipalities in East Java, only seven have a minimum wage of more than Rp 1 million. They are the municipalities of Surabaya and Malang and the regencies of Malang, Gresik, Mojokerto, Sidoarjo and Pasuruan.

Employers, unions want law changed

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2010

Riyadi Suparno, Jakarta – Both employers and labor unions have come to the conclusion that the controversial 2003 labor law needs to be amended, but they differ markedly in their views on how to do so, making it difficult for them to agree.

Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Sofjan Wanandi said Thursday that the existing labor law had discouraged investment in labor-intensive industries.

"We in Apindo have tried to help attract investment into labor- intensive industries. But investments do not come because of this law," Sofjan said on Apindo's 58th anniversary.

Businesspeople consider the labor law has led to encouraging a high-cost economy, discouraging investment by making hiring and firing more difficult and expensive.

Sofjan said earlier that the cost of severance payments in Indonesia is the highest in the region, as high as 32 times the related monthly salary.

Labor unions said that the law put labor at a disadvantage, with no certainty as to the future.

The Confederation of Indonesian Prosperous Labor Unions (KSPSI) chairman Rekson Silaban argued that the law's rules on contracting and outsourcing had often been misused by employers and thus penalized workers, leaving them with no certainty as to their employment.

Employers apparently prefer to hire labor under contract or by outsourcing rather than by hiring full-time permanent employees. This way, Rekson said, employers could fire workers more easily, and worse still, without severance payments.

"They [employers] want lower severance payments; we also want some articles to be amended. So, both of us want this law to be amended. But we have not yet reached a compromise on how to amend the law," Rekson said.

To break the impasse, Sofjan Wanandi suggested that the government take the initiative to amend the labor law, which according to him, had created labor rigidities in the labor market.

Otherwise, he said, Indonesia will lose out in the era of free trade, especially with the coming-into-full-effect of the ASEAN- China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA).

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar responded that the government would only initiate the drafting of the new labor bill when the employers and labor unions reached common ground on the amendment.

"If both parties can establish common ground, we are ready anytime to amend this law. Hopefully this year," he said during the celebration of Apindo's 58th anniversary, held at Apindo's new office in Kuningan.

To reach such common ground, Rekson suggested that both employers and labor unions should work together to hire a credible independent institution to make a thorough study of the law and its impacts on employment and business development in the country.

"What we have so far is that only one side makes its claims. Employers claim that this law has discouraged investment. But it's their point of view. We also have ours. So, let's have an independent institution make a thorough study and see what the real situation is," Rekson said.

Sofjan said that having an independent institution to make such a study should be acceptable to employers, but he noted that the problem lay with the fact that there was not enough mutual trust between labor and employers. Therefore, Sofjan said, Apindo under his leadership would try to help build trust with the unions and labor side.

"We employers cannot anymore treat labor merely as factors of production but more as our partners. This way, I hope we will build better trust with labor."

1,000 migrant workers died in 2009: Union

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2010

Jakarta – The Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) lambasted the government for failing to protect Indonesian workers overseas, saying more than 1,000 of them had died while doing their jobs last year.

SBMI chairman M. Miftah Farid said more than 6 million Indonesians were now making a living abroad due to the government's failure to provide enough jobs. "Ironically, the government has also failed to protect workers who are forced to find jobs overseas," he said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.

Miftah said according to Migrant Care, a total of 1,080 Indonesian migrant workers died in 2009. The union also recorded at least 150 criminal cases involving Indonesian workers in foreign countries but only a few of them were given legal assistance by the government.

"We have not yet seen any breakthroughs in the government's efforts to improve the protection system of Indonesian migrants," Miftah said, accusing the government of having exploited his fellow workers to achieve its Rp 169 trillion (US$18.08 billion) of foreign exchange target.

30,000 workers to be laid off in Bekasi this year

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2010

Bekasi – The Bekasi branch of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) announced Tuesday it had received reports from 15 companies about their plans to lay off a total of 30,000 employees this year in a bid to streamline operations.

"They are mainly food and beverages companies," Apindo head Purnomo Narmiadi was quoted as saying Tuesday by news portal tempointeraktif.com.

Purnomo said the 15 companies would dismiss workers gradually, starting in February and running until the end of the year.

Narmiadi said factors that forced the companies to restructure their workforce included the rising cost of production, the increasing number of imported products from China and the increase in the regional minimum wage set by the local administration.

Narmiadi refused to name the companies. According to Apindo's data, Bekasi municipality hosts 800 companies that employ around 150,000 workers.

Labor leaders call for police sympathy

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2010

Anita Rachman – Police are forever the friends of industry, and never of labor organizations, much less any single laborer, representatives of the nation's unions told National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri on Tuesday, in a meeting facilitated by Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar.

Nining Elitos, coordinator of the Indonesian Trade Union Alliance (KASBI), said laborers were often arrested because the police consistently remain on the side of industry.

"When we laborers hit the streets and hold a rally, police will beat us, fight with us, and some of us end up getting arrested for no reason at all," said Nining, one of the representatives of 25 labor organizations and union workers.

They were discussing their problems with the police chief in a meeting aimed at strengthening the police's perception of what labor unions and their members face when fighting for labor rights.

"When we file a police report against a company for not paying our social security funds, for instance, police will drop the case over lack of evidence," Nining said.

The meeting comes a week before the ministry is scheduled to formulate a memorandum of understanding with the National Police on labor disputes and police handling of such cases.

Nining said police should treat both parties fairly. "I hope the MoU will not merely be an MoU, but define how they work and defend justice," she said.

Muhaimin hoped that a comprehensive understanding of the issues would mean the police would not immediately bring criminal charges against laborers involved in disputes.

"Ideally workers would not be harassed over matters related to industrial relationships, but of course if they involve themselves in criminal activities, they will be charged," Muhaimin stated on Tuesday.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said the police chief had instructed the force to conclude all its outstanding labor-related investigations as soon as possible.

Muhaimin added that while existing regulations could be interpreted in a number of ways, the majority of labor disputes were civil, not criminal cases, but they often ended up in criminal courts.

Bambang said labor issues were not "black and white," but involved all three parties – industry, the government and laborers.

"We are trying to find the best solution so that everyone can feel that they are being protected [equally]," Bambang said. "We will speed up the MoU discussion between the police and the ministry and will also invite labor organizations to state their opinion."

He added the police would educate officers in the regions to give them a broad understanding of industrial relationships.

Hundreds of textile workers go on strike

Tempo Interactive - January 25, 2010

Muhammad Taufik, Jakarta – About eight hundred workers of a textile company in East Java went on strike on Monday (25/1) to demand better annual rise on their wage this year, and threathened to continue their strike for the next two days.

A worker who has been working for 19 years at PT Mertex on Jl By Pass connecting Mojokerto and Surabaya, Kusno said this year's rise was "only about 4 percent, while workers demand for a 10 percent (rise)."

Another worker, Kasiono, who has work for 30 year protested the thin gap between his pay rise and that of the newer workers.

Workers argued that the inflation rate moved un-proportionally compared to the wage rise rate, making it hard for the workers to cover their living costs. Workers at PT Mertex were paid between Rp1.8-2 million per month.

Workers said to occupy the production facility for three days and brought the matter to the regional labor office.

Environment/natural disasters

Activists blast government over inaction on Timor Sea oil spill

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2010

Eras Poke & Fidelis E. Satriastanti, Kupang – Months after thousands of barrels of crude oil spilled into the Timor Sea, Indonesia has yet to file a formal complaint or request compensation with the Australian government.

On Sunday, a local activist blasted the national team set up three months ago to handle the oil spill, saying it was dragging its feet and was not serious in carrying out its duties, as it hadn't even visited the site.

Ferdi Tanoni, the chairman of West Timor Concern Foundation (YPTB), said his organization had already sent a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asking for clarification over a statement by Minister of Transportation Freddy Numberi, in which he said the national team did not have the specific technology needed to confirm that the Timor Sea was polluted by the spill.

"Does it really make any sense that this vast country does not have the experts or even the technology [to confirm the oil spill]? Apart from that, we have never seen the national team go to Kupang [the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara] to check it out for themselves," Ferdi said.

A leak from an oil well operated by PTTEP Australasia is estimated to have sent about 500 million liters of oil into the sea over a 10-week period from Aug. 21, polluting more than a third of Indonesia's section of the Timor Sea, according to a study by YPTB released early in December.

The YPTB tests, conducted by a laboratory affiliated with the chemistry department at the University of Indonesia, showed that 38.15 percent of Indonesian territory in the Timor Sea was now polluted by crude oil.

Based on a survey conducted by YPTB, fish catch had dropped by at least 50 percent, even 70 percent in a number of locations, before plummeting to 80 percent by the end of December.

Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta has also said the government was ready to seek compensation from Australia.

"We have finished calculating our material loss due to the Timor Sea's contamination and will ask the Australian government for compensation soon," the minister said on Dec. 30.

However, the State Ministry for the Environment said last week that it was still waiting for laboratory results to confirm that oil found in Timor's waters came from the Montara oilfield.

"While waiting for the lab tests, we have recommended the use of satellite imaging devices belonging to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry for further action. This is to prove that the oil spill did originate from Australia," Masnellyarti Hilman, deputy for environmental damage control at the Environment Ministry, said on Thursday.

Masnellyarti said her ministry was providing data and research support to back up Indonesia's claim but any legal action would be handled by the Foreign Ministry, since the issue involved three countries – Indonesia, East Timor and Australia.

"They only asked for our help around early January, so, that's why it's not finished," she said.

Sato Bisri, director of the Coast Guard unit at the Transportation Ministry, said the unit was still awaiting official results from the laboratory as well.

"We can't actually just claim that there was contamination or pollution without any laboratory findings," Sato said. (Additional reporting from Antara.)

Forests trashed by mining not easily healed, activists say

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2010

Fidelis E. Satriastanti – Even if the seemingly unchecked mining that is destroying the forests of Kalimantan were stopped today, it would still take another 30 years to fully rehabilitate the affected areas, the Mining Advocacy Network says.

Siti Maimunah, national coordinator of the network, also known as Jatam, said recovering the soil of the mined areas was not only a matter of planting trees but also required a sustained effort to clean up toxic chemicals.

"We are not just talking about a physical rehabilitation, but the need for the recovery to consider the social and economic wellbeing of the local people," Siti said.

Mining activities in Kalimantan have been in the spotlight for a week now following a report that almost 200 mining concessionaires are operating in conservation areas, leaving massive environmental destruction in their wake.

In East Kalimantan alone there are 1,212 coal mining operations, permits for which were issued by local administrations as authorized under the Regional Autonomy Law, with an additional 32 permits issued by the central government. In neighboring South Kalimantan, there are around 400 mining operations.

The reports have also forced Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan in to reviewing the mining permits of companies operating in conservation areas.

The mining authorizations given to mining companies by the ministry contain a clause that requires them to rehabilitate the areas they work in. But those issued by local government often do not contain this requirement and this appears to be the case in the 200 mines currently active in conservation areas.

Siti said that a crucial step in the rehabilitation process was for the government to stop issuing mining authorizations, or KPs, to companies before a complete environmental assessment could be carried out.

"The system is becoming chaotic because the rehabilitation plan should be in one package with the authorizations and the companies should guarantee that they will be able to rehabilitate [the areas] as soon as possible," she said. "Instead, the rehabilitation budget is an afterthought based on the amount of coal that can be dug out. So, there is never any serious focus on rehabilitation in the first place."

Ari Sudianto, a deputy for environmental impact assessment at the Environment Ministry, said that as important as it was to start talking about rehabilitation, it was doubly so to fix the issuance of future mining authorizations.

"Apart from technical issues, the top priority right now concerning mining activities in Kalimantan is how to tidy up the mining authorizations," Ari said. "Many companies cannot cover the rehabilitation costs because their [financial performances] are below par."

Ari said these small companies often don't use geologists.

"They tend to just dig based on their intuition and if they don't find minerals, they just move on."

Nuclear power back on Indonesia agenda

Radio Australia - January 29, 2010

The idea to develop Indonesia's first nuclear energy plant has been around since the 1970, but the project has gone in and out of fashion as political factions have come and gone. After backing off from the proposal during his re-election campaign, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Government appears to be again pressing forward with the power plant plan. However, local opposition to the proposal is strong, and there are considerable risks to consider.

Presenter: Beverley Wang

Speakers: Lilo Sunaryo, hotel manager and environmental activist; Dr Hudi Hastowo, chairman, BATAN; Professor Richard Tanter, Nautilus Institute

Wang: Though the idea has been around for decades, local opposition and a shifting political landscape have kept nuclear power from advancing in Indonesia. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono supported nuclear power development during his first term in office. But he distanced himself from the proposal as he campaigned for re-election last year.

Following his victory and inauguration, government officials began renewing their calls that four, 1,000 megawatt plants be built. But local opposition to the nuclear power reactor, which would be built on plantation land in Jepara province on the north coast of Java, has drawn together business, environment and religious groups, including Nahdlatul Ulama, one of the largest Islamic groups in the world. Lilo Sunaryo is a hotel manager and local environmental activist in Jepara.

Sunaryo: The waste of NPP (nuclear power plant) is plutonium. Until now in the world, nobody, no government, can resolve the problem of plutonium. So I explain to the people around Muria here, the NPP get electricity but the other they have the waste which very dangerous for the people around where the NPP built.

Wang: Dr Hudi Hastowo, is chairman of Indonesia's national nuclear atomic energy agency, BATAN. He says increasing the electricity supply is vital to Indonesia's development, and that nuclear energy is a key part of the plan.

Hastowo: Could you tell me what kind of the alternatives if we recognise that we also have to reduce the CO2 emissions? This is very difficult for us because we are almost 240 million people. We will develop geothermal, we will develop all kinds of resources that we have, but we may say that nuclear power plant is inevitable.

Wang: The doctor says a previously stated goal of 2016 has now been abandoned, but he's still aiming for before the end of the decade.

Hastowo: I think between 2018, 2019 it is still possible.

Wang: Professor Richard Tanter of RMIT's Nautilus Institute has written extensively about Indonesia's nuclear energy plans, and says the government must consider the risks of building a nuclear power plant in an earthquake-prone location.

Tanter: Java and Sumatra as we know from the tsunami two years ago they are really part of the ring of fire it's a tectonically highly active part of the world. The Muria site was selected because it was probably the best amongst a very, very poor set of options. And recently seismic surveys have uncovered yet more seismic faults in the area. So this is giving experts some real concern.

Wang: Further, he says though Indonesia's burgeoning democracy has taken the right steps in splitting its national nuclear atomic energy agency, BATAN, from its national nuclear regulatory body, BAPETEN, the country's history of corruption in government must be taken into account.

Tanter: Indonesia has followed the appropriate advice from the IAEA and has ratified all the important agreements preparatory to starting an nuclear power plant. The difficulty is that corruption is very serious in Indonesia and it's made much more serious in this case following a corruption case inside BAPETEN itself two years ago when two senior officials along with a member of parliament went to jail for five or six years for a serious issue. So in other words there are real doubts about the regulatory of BAPETEN and other parts of the Indonesian system.

Wang: Radio Australia contacted BAPETEN's chairman, Dr As Natio Lasman, for an interview but he was not available. However in an interview last month with local media he was quoted as saying monitoring systems would refer to procedures of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Lasman: (translation) The monitoring system would consist of the monitoring of radiation facilities and nuclear installations. The entire system of supervision conducted by BAPETEN always refers to the procedures issued by the IAEA. However, the most important thing is that the community should not be exposed to its negative impacts.

TNI 'deeply involved' in forest destruction: Report

Agence France Presse - January 29, 2010

The Indonesian military is deeply involved in the trade in illegally felled timber that is destroying vast tracts of pristine forest and contributing to global warming, researchers said Friday.

The report comes days after the government revealed plans to ask foreign governments to contribute to a billion-dollar "green investment fund" to help it cut greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable infrastructure projects.

Environmentalists argue that the government could go a long way towards meeting its target of cutting emissions by 26 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 simply by stopping rampant, unchecked illegal logging.

But the new study by the Center for East Asia Cooperation Studies (CEACoS) at the University of Indonesia has revealed how difficult this could be given the military's involvement in the illicit trade.

CEACoS executive director Tirta N. Mursitama, the head researcher in the project, said the military acted as a coordinator, investor, facilitator and middleman for the illegal loggers in forests bordering Malaysia.

"Military personnel from low ranked soldiers to territorial commanders were involved in the practice of illegal logging in the border areas," he told AFP.

"The military personnel acted as coordinators, investors and people who deliberately failed to monitor the flow of logging transport."

The study covered the period between 1999 and 2006 in East Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo where forests are being stripped for timber products and palm oil plantations faster than anywhere else in the world.

Mursitama said some high-ranking officers received kickbacks from subordinates involved in illegal logging, while others fostered close relationships with the "cukong," or godfathers of the business.

Other levels of involvement included direct investment in logging companies, and taking bribes for arranging logging permits from the forestry ministry.

A military spokesman said he had not seen the study and could not comment, but promised to "follow up" on its findings.

Women & gender

New law to call for gender equality

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2010

Nurfika Osman – A new law on gender equality currently being drafted is expected to serve as a legal reference to ensure that all government policies are gender sensitive, State Minister for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Linda Amalia Sari said on Friday.

"This law will give us a strong base from which to push all ministries and local governments to implement gender-sensitive policies," Linda told the Jakarta Globe.

"This law is important as we are currently relying on a presidential decree issued in 2000 to push for gender mainstreaming in the country, and yet this decree is not as strong as a law in the legal context," Linda said. "The bill being drafted will replace the presidential decree."

She said the new legislation would act in the interest of both sexes and that a gender-responsive budget system – expected to be implemented across all ministries by 2011 – would help to achieve this.

Ida Rowaida, head of the gender studies department at the University of Indonesia, welcomed the government initiative.

"I feel this law is both relevant and urgently needed. We have long used the phrase 'gender equality,' but now we can attach real values to that term," Ida said.

She agreed that the main barriers in overcoming the lack of equality between the sexes was traditional views on gender. "Disparities continue to exist in education, particularly in rural areas, in the economy and also in politics," she said, adding that the rate of illiteracy among Indonesian girls stands at 5.4 percent compared to 2.7 percent among boys.

Masruchah, a commissioner of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) said drafting new legislation was not the answer to overcoming gender bias in society.

"If the substance of the new law is similar to the 1984 Law on Discrimination Against Women, it would be better if we just promoted the existing law instead of drafting a new one," Masruchah said. She said the current law seemed weak only because it was not being implemented more aggressively.

Gender discrimination, Masruchah added, was one of the factors behind the steep rise in the number of domestic violence cases. She said there were 154 bylaws across the country that were considered discriminatory.

Masruchah cited a bylaw in West Sumatra's Pesisir Selatan district that requires female employees and high school girls to wear Islamic clothing.

Health & education

Many poor people denied free medical care, ICW says

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2010

Ulma Haryanto – Indonesian Corruption Watch has found that some hospitals still discriminate against poor families who are entitled to free medical treatment, the watchdog group's public health researcher said on Tuesday.

Ratna Kusumaningsih said the finding was part of a recently concluded 2009 survey of 23 private and state-owned hospitals in Greater Jakarta carried out by the group, which is also known as ICW. The survey was conducted in November 2009 at five private and 18 state-owned hospitals. ICW also sent a list of the most "delinquent" hospitals to the Health Ministry, but the names were not disclosed.

"Among the findings, we discovered that some hospitals still charge patients or ask for a down payment even though they are Jamkesmas [state health insurance] card holders," Ratna said during a meeting with officials from the ministry.

The survey was conducted of 738 patients who were using state health insurance cards to obtain treatment. By showing the card, a patient is supposed to receive free treatment under the state scheme.

The watchdog found that 78.3 percent of female patients felt they were being discriminated against, as opposed to 70.3 percent of male respondents.

Common complaints included "unfriendly" hospital staff, a lack of discipline on the part of doctors and the requirement for a down payment despite having a health card.

Other problems that were identified included families having to pay for their insurance cards, patients being denied hospital treatment and poor standards in health facilities.

Ratna said ICW was keen to pass on the survey results to the ministry in order to ensure compliance with the Health Law. Under t he law, the ministry has the authority to give written warnings or even to revoke hospital licenses if government rules are not followed.

"Hospitals must be more transparent and accountable in treating their patients and complying with minimum service standards. The ministry must urgently create a body to supervise and monitor the conduct of hospitals, as stipulated in the law," Ratna said.

Responding to ICW's claims, Usman Sumantri, head of the ministry's health financing and insurance unit, said he was certain that the future insurance scheme for state health coverage would encourage hospitals to improve their performance.

"The planned scheme will also be more efficient in purchasing new equipment and prescribing medicines," he said.

Indonesia earns poor marks for child malnutrition

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2010

Nurfika Osman – At least 7.6 million Indonesian children under the age of 5 – or one out of every three – suffer from stunted growth, a primary manifestation of malnutrition in early childhood, according to a United Nations Children's Fund report released on Monday. The report ranked Indonesia as having the fifth largest number of children under 5 suffering from stunted growth worldwide.

"If we can ensure that every child is exclusively breast fed for the first six months and then given appropriate complementary feeding and continued breast feeding until 2 years of age, we will significantly reduce stunting by about 15 percent and also reduce by almost 20 percent the deaths that occur among children under 5," Angela Kearney, Unicef's Indonesia representative, said on Monday at a discussion focused on malnutrition at a Jakarta hotel.

Nina Sardjunani, deputy head for human resources and cultural affairs at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), said the government was working toward reducing the percentage of children under 5 suffering from stunting from 37 percent in 2007 to 32 percent in 2014.

"The government recognizes that overcoming malnutrition among children is critical in advancing Indonesia as a country," Nina said in a statement. "Without good nutrition, the quality of our human resources is compromised," she added.

Normal heights for Indonesian children under 5, according to Minarto, chairman of the Indonesian Nutritionist's Association (Persagi), were 81.7 centimeters for a 2-year-old boy and 80 centimeters for a 2-year-old girl, and 88.7 centimeters for a 3- year-old boy and 87.4 centimeters for a 3-year-old girl.

Soekirman, head of the Indonesian Fortification Coalition (KFI), a public nutrition organization, said that nutrition involved more than just quality food.

"Indonesians should realize that nutrition is about many issues, such as education, agriculture and religion," Soekirman said. "If nutrition problems are not addressed, there will be the potential of weakened generations in the future."

He added that Indonesia had not paid enough attention to nutrition over the past 15 years. "Since the reform era in 1998, nutrition has not been an important point in the development of Indonesia," he said.

The UN report pointed out that 90 percent of the developing world's chronically undernourished children lived in Asia and Africa, and that 80 percent of them lived in just 24 countries.

Ranking first on the list is India, with over 60 million children under the age of 5 suffering from stunted growth, followed by China with 12.5 million, Nigeria with 10.15 million and Pakistan with 9.87 million.

War-torn Sudan is ranked No. 15 on the list with 2.3 million children under the age of 5 suffering from stunted growth, a 40 percent prevalence rate.

At Monday's meeting high-level state officials and the UN representatives convened to take more serious steps toward controlling malnutrition among children in Indonesia.

"We will also coordinate with non governmental organizations and local communities to reach the targets," Minarto said.

Bank Century inquiry

Have KPK investigate Century, analysts demand

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2010

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Febriamy Hutapea – Responsibility for investigating the Bank Century bailout scandal should be transferred from the unfocused and biased House of Representatives special committee to the Corruption Eradication Commission, analysts said on Sunday.

Yanuar Rizki, an independent financial and market analyst, said the respected antigraft agency, known as the KPK, should have the full authority to determine if the Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) bailout was legal, and what happened to the money.

Speaking during a discussion on governance, Yanuar said the focus of the House committee was "too wide" and that he was concerned lawmakers were biased.

The heads of both Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati are on the chopping block with the Golkar Party and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) holding the ax. The House committee is nearing its Thursday deadline to release its findings on the legality of the bailout and who was responsible.

Boediono, however, is standing firm, telling the Jakarta Globe through a spokesman on Friday that he had no intention of resigning and "there is no way a few politicians can undo the electoral process."

Echoing Yanuar's comments, Indonesia Corruption Watch also asked that the KPK and Constitutional Court be given the authority to investigate.

Speaking at a news conference in Jakarta, ICW researcher Febridiansyah said it was likely that the House would resolve the case through secret meetings and transactions among the warring political parties, even though there were indications that parties that had stood behind President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party-led coalition were wavering in their support.

"It will lead to antipathy and distrust, which will eventually erode the legitimacy of the SBY-Boediono government," Febridiansyah said.

"To avoid such a scenario, it is better to dissolve the House's special commission and hand its findings over to the Constitutional Court, which will check and decide whether the president or vice president was involved in the case."

Febridiansyah said any investigation into allegations of criminal actions during the bailout process should be fully handed over to the KPK.

He said it was important that the National Police and the Attorney General's Office were not the lead investigators. "We can count on the KPK to conduct legal enforcement, and to coordinate the police and the AGO in a settlement of the case," Febridiansyah said.

There are at least nine entry points for the KPK to investigate the case, he said.

"Like the merger process that created Bank Century, which was conducted without considering the law and without significant supervision from the central bank," Febridiansyah said. "There are allegations of legal violations and abuse of power from that process."

The opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said over the weekend that there was a "very likely" possibility that one or both officials could be removed from office.

Tjahjo Kumolo, PDI-P faction leader in the House, told Tempointeractive the PKS faction in the House had agreed that there had been criminal violations during the bailout, including indications that could lead to the ouster of Boediono, who was Bank Indonesia governor at the time, as well as Sri Mulyani.

If Golkar votes against the wishes of Yudhoyono, as is expected, and the special committee forwards its recommendations to the full plenary session of the House, the way the PKS votes will be crucial to the decision on whether to forward the investigation to the Constitutional Court. That will determine what course of action follows.

Century news 'improves' political awareness

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2010

Bagus Budi Tama Saragih, Jakarta – Infotainment TV audiences have switched to the news to watch live broadcasts of the hearings at the House of Representatives' inquiry team on the Bank Century case, raising political awareness among the public, a survey reported.

The recent survey by AGB Nielsen Media Research revealed that the live broadcasts had apparently boosted the percentage of news TV audiences.

According to the study, January's audiences of special news programs including the live broadcast of the inquiry team hearings skyrocketed from 3 percent to 12.6 percent of total viewer share.

In comparison, the inauguration ceremony of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last October only received 10.5 percent of viewer share.

The survey showed that the total duration of news programs in January was 116 hours, 128 percent higher than in the previous month.

Nielsen also found that the adult male audience above 40 years old watched special news TV programs for an average of three hours a day, up 30 percent on December 2009.

J. Kristiadi, a political analyst from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), praised the coverage by the two TV stations airing the inquiry hearings, tvOne and Metro TV.

Apart from the political movements and polemics surrounding the case itself, which involved a bailout that cost the state Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million), the live broadcast has certainly raised the political awareness of the public, he said.

"People who previously had no idea about what the legislature really looked like, or what the legislators they had elected actually did at the House, are now aware: 'Oh, that's how they do hearings at the House'," Kristiadi told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The shows had also provided the audience with coverage of heated debates among members of the inquiry team.

"Maybe not all of the audience understood the debates. But at least the public are more aware of politics," he said. The debates could also "inform" the public that differences of opinion are healthy and positive.

A member of the Press Council and deputy director of the Science, Aesthetics and Technology (SET) Foundation, Agus Sudibyo, also noted the programs' contribution.

Agus said the media must follow up the improvement in public awareness of politics by "investigating" the case itself and revealing the facts behind the bailout of the ailing bank.

Like earlier scandals, he said, the case might remain a mystery once media attention faded.

Golkar backs down on Boediono impeachment

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2010

Bagus Budi Tama Saragih and Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – The Golkar Party backed down Friday in its attempt to impeach Vice President Boediono over the Bank Century Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) bailout, saying the move was too costly for the country.

The second-largest party in the House of Representatives reaped criticism after its legislators said Thursday that Boediono, who headed Bank Indonesia, played a pivotal role in the ailing bank's bailout and that the party would move to impeach him. Critics said the move would be too hasty because the legislative inquiry into the case was far from over.

Golkar executive Priyo Budi Santoso said Friday that using impeachment to resolve the Bank Century case would be "too costly for the country".

"We have yet to see the urgency for an impeachment, unless the inquiry committee finds gross violations against the Constitution and a betrayal of the state," he said.

On Thursday, Golkar chairman Setya Novanto said that BI, the Financial System Stability Committee, the Capital Market and Financial Institution Supervisory Agency and the Deposit Insurance Corporation were organizations that were responsible for the bailout fiasco.

"We will recommend that Boediono be impeached," Novanto said as quoted by Koran Tempo newspaper. But he clarified his statement Friday. "No Golkar members have mentioned anything about Boediono's impeachment. We are not targeting certain people," he said.

Priyo, also a House deputy speaker, said Golkar politicians in the inquiry team did not have reasons to justify impeachment. Besides, Golkar would not interfere in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's prerogative to reshuffle his Cabinet if his aides were implicated in the case, "including (Finance Minister) Sri Mulyani," he said.

Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie said on his Twitter account, "(Impeachment) is not an option. Besides, (impeaching) would not be easy."

Golkar is Yudhoyono's largest coalition party along with smaller Islamic-based United Development Party (PPP), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Coalition party politicians reiterated their opposition to impeachment. PPP party chairman Hasrul Azwar said, "Our party has never considered impeachment."

Fahri Hamzah from the PKS said that impeachment would be possible if the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) found Boediono guilty of criminal acts in his decision to salvage Century.

The strongest opposition to impeachment came from Yudhoyono's Democratic Party. "We respect those pursuing impeachment, but our common sense says it's irrelevant," Anas Urbaningrum, a member of the inquiry committee from the Democratic Party, said.

Opposition Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P), meanwhile, stated that the inquiry team would focus first on finding irregularities and violations instead of naming people who should take responsibility.

"Besides, the inquiry is still in progress," PDI-P inquiry team member Ganjar Pranowo said. "Recommending an impeachment is jumping to conclusions."

"We must focus on the case and make sure we do not politicize it. We do not have vested interests in the case. We want to get to the truth of the bailout," Ganjar said.

Parties back criminal findings in bailout

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Febriamy Hutapea – In a potentially devastating blow to the fortunes of Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, two political parties indicated on Wednesday that they would find that crimes had been committed in the bailout of PT Bank Century, setting the stage to impeach Boediono.

The news means that the House of Representatives special committee probing the costly bailout will likely send the findings to the full House to vote on whether to forward them to the Constitutional Court. That body issued guidelines outlining the procedures for impeachment late last year.

Andi Rahmat, a legislator from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which holds four seats in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's cabinet and is a key member of the ruling Democratic Party-led coalition, said four government bodies were responsible for the bailout: the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK), the Coordination Committee (KK), the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS) and Bank Indonesia.

Boediono was a member of the KSSK when it approved the bailout in 2008 with Sri Mulyani at the helm. He was also governor of Bank Indonesia at the time.

Andi said that although the PKS had not made an official decision, the party had found 18 violations during the bailout process. "The indications are that crimes were committed," he said.

The central board of the party also appeared to support that stance, indicating that Boediono and Sri Mulyani, both respected technocrats without the backing of political parties, were in the firing line.

PKS secretary general Anis Matta said those involved in the "legal problems" surrounding the bailout decision were professionals, so the party's stance could not be linked to the ruling coalition.

"This has nothing to do with loyalty to Pak SBY [Yudhoyono] or the government," he claimed.

The Islamic-based PKS was a vocal critic of Boediono's appointment as Yudhoyono's running mate ahead of last year's presidential elections, questioning Boediono's – and his wife's – Islamic credentials.

Boediono, said to be the driving force behind the bailout because of what he called a systemic threat to the banking sector, was responsible for issuing a controversial central bank regulation in 2008 that made the bailout possible.

Lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party, which aligned with Democrats before Aburizal Bakrie was appointed Golkar chairman, said his party's conclusion would be similar to that of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), which found nine indications of criminal wrongdoing during the bailout.

It is no secret that Bakrie, a controversial business magnate, has long had reformer Sri Mulyani in his sights. Bakrie has been called one of the driving forces in the attempt to unseat the finance minister because of her role in an ongoing investigation into allegations that his companies were involved in tax evasion totaling Rp 2 trillion ($218 million) in 2007.

House Democratic faction chairman Anas Urbaningrum stuck to the party line, arguing that the bailout policy had saved the nation's banking sector from the worst impacts of the global financial meltdown. He said Sri Mulyani and Boediono had made a bold decision. "It's a successful policy."

Susno allegation piles pressure on Boediono

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2010

Hans David Tampobolon, Jakarta – Former police chief detective Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji has submitted to parliament a statement implicating Vice President Boediono in alleged wrongdoing in the Bank Century bailout, a legislator announced Tuesday.

The Prosperous Justice Party's (PKS) Andi Rahmat, also a member of the House of Representatives' inquiry committee into the bailout, said Susno had handed the 12-page statement to the committee during his questioning on Jan. 20, 2010.

On the last page, Andi said, Susno had noted that there had been "special consideration" and "policy from the police" to not prioritize the investigation into Century.

"The consideration was that there was someone within the KSSK [Financial System Stability Committee] who at the time was running as a vice-presidential candidate in the election [of July 2009]," the Nov. 29, 2009, statement read in part.

"This revelation, of course, would have had severe repercussions if the investigation had gone ahead at the time."

The reference is to Boediono, who was the central bank governor and a KSSK member at the time of the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) bailout in November 2008. The KSSK was chaired by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

Boediono was questioned by the House committee on Jan. 12, and calls have mounted for both him and Mulyani to be axed for their roles in the bailout.

Susno, currently on minor pilgrimage in Mecca, said his statement would form part of a book he was writing, A True and Loyal Officer, set for publication soon.

National Police chief detective Insp. Gen. Ito Sumardi said Wednesday he had sought clarification from Susno, and had concluded that the statement was simply the latter's own assessment or assumption.

Legal expert Irmanputra Sidin said Susno's statement was "a strong clue" for the committee to take up in its inquiry into the case.

A committee member from Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, Benny K. Harman, said the statement was "just Susno exercising a bit of creativity in writing his memoirs."

Vice-presidential spokesman Yoppie S. Hidayat said Susno's statement did not constitute an official testimony.

Boediono impeachment unlikely after 'ineffective' investigation

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2010

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – The House of Representatives' investigation of the Bank Century bailout was unlikely to result in the impeachment of Vice President Boediono, political analysts said on Tuesday.

"I'm afraid the House special committee has played too many political games, thus rendering the investigation ineffective," said political expert Maswadi Rauf of the University of Indonesia.

He also noted that the House was dominated by the Democratic Party's ruling coalition. Maswadi said the House's special committee would not dare to conclude that the government's decision to use Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) to bailout the bank was illegal, even if the Constitutional Court had recently issued guidelines outlining the procedures involved in impeachment.

Constitutional Court expert Refly Harun also expressed doubt that Boediono could be impeached, admitting however that the House may initiate a motion of impeachment against Boediono for "conducting a disgraceful deed" such as violating his vice presidential oath, or simply being dishonest when grilled by the House special committee. "It may sound petty, but this is politics," Refly said.

The statements by Maswadi and Refly come a week after the National Mandate Party (PAN) – armed with just two votes on the 30-strong special committee – provided a boost to the government coalition by reversing its previous position and stating that the failure of Bank Century would have posed a "systemic" threat to the country's financial system in 2008, therefore warranting the bailout.

Fahmi Badoh, coordinator of the political division of Indonesia Corruption Watch, said the investigation of the bailout must continue, and that people would pressure the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to maintain its independence in its own ongoing investigation. "Justice must prevail," he said.

Maswadi said he could only expect the KPK to investigate whether or not the law was broken in the disbursement of the funds to bail out the troubled bank, and prosecute those deemed responsible. But he said its investigation wouldn't necessarily trigger an impeachment of Boediono.

"There will be one or two who will be punished, but not the vice president. It could be the finance minister [Sri Mulyani Indrawati] or others," Maswadi said.

Sri Mulyani approved the bailout, along with Boediono, as chairwoman of the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK) in November 2008.

Yudhoyono sells bailout to military leaders

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2010

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Zaky Pawas – Amid rising tension, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday issued a strong defense of the controversial Bank Century bailout in a speech to military officials.

"The objectives [of the bailout policy] were to avert a banking crisis in our economy and to prevent an economic crisis from happening like in 1998," Yudhoyono told 158 top military officials from around the country.

The leaders were gathered at the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) headquarters in Cilangkap for a meeting to evaluate the TNI's performance during 2009 and prepare strategies to face threats ahead.

Yudhoyono also said the government would fully support the ongoing House of Representatives inquiry into the bailout, but he urged the legislature to stay away from any efforts to manipulate the situation for their own political interests, including efforts to impeach him.

"If the purpose of the inquiry is kept straight, then citizens will also be calm," Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono's speech came three days before protests planned to mark his 100th day in office and aimed at calling for his ouster for "failing to improve the people's welfare."

Siti Zuhro, a political observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said he believed Yudhoyono's speech was designed to enlist the military's support.

"The president is aware that the people, especially urban people, understand politics well. Therefore, he is seeking the TNI's help to remain behind him in facing the various political problems and to safeguard the stability of development," he said.

Siti said that instead of trying to enlist support through speeches, "what the president should really do is to take real action, considering that the political condition is currently at an uncertain point."

During the speech, Yudhoyono called on the military to work with other law enforcement agencies to provide security and stability, saying that's what was required to bring all of the government's programs over the next five years to fruition.

"I hope the military could contribute to the programs," Yudhoyono said. "In order for the three agendas to go well, we need a safe and stable domestic environment."

The president also described his meeting last Thursday with heads of seven state bodies in Bogor, at which the topic of his impeachment was raised.

"At the meeting, we agreed that although the national situation could be very dynamic, national stability must be kept, whether political stability, social or security, it must be stable," Yudhoyono said.

"For what? So that all national development programs can be brought to shape, can be enhanced. We need citizens to feel safe to engage in their everyday lives."

Monday's speech touched heavily on political issues, deviating from the president's usual comments to the military, which are generally limited to defense-related issues.

However, military spokesman Air Vice Marshall Sagom Tamboen said the officers did not find it strange that the president talked about political issues with them.

"It doesn't mean that we would be involved in politics. We need to know the real political situation, so we can take the correct position and make anticipations," Sagom said. "The TNI must know the political stance of the government. But in operation, the TNI is regulated by the law."

Last month, a day before protests planned to mark Anticorruption Day on Dec. 8 that allegedly included efforts to undermine Yudhoyono's presidency, the president also came out strongly in a speech in which he declared "jihad" against corruption.

Ahead of Thursday's rallies, Military Chief Gen. Djoko Santoso said the TNI would be ready to assist the police if requested.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said 10,000 officers were being prepared for the day.

Boy said personnel would be deployed to safeguard several main areas where protest rallies were expected, including the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the State Palace and the House of Representatives.

Students and activists have said that massive rallies were expected in cities and towns around the country on Thursday.

Indonesian president blasted over Century speech to military

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2010

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Questions are being raised over President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's timing in addressing the controversial PT Bank Century bailout case during the opening of the leadership meeting of the Indonesian Armed Forces at its headquarters in Cilangkap on Monday.

"The Century case certainly has nothing to do with the military. Why didn't he speak about government assistance to improve military equipment or how to support the military protecting the remote areas of Indonesia?" said Ikrar Nusa Bakti, a political analyst at the Indonesia Science Institute (LIPI).

In his speech, Yudhoyono told high-ranking military officials that the government should not face criminal charges over its decision to bail out Bank Century as the rescue was aimed solely at safeguarding the national economy from the global financial crisis.

"I consider that the real policy could not be charged [criminally]," said the president, repeating his call for the people to take into account the condition of the economy at home and abroad when the decision to throw Bank Century a lifeline was made in 2008.

The president also urged the House of Representatives lawmakers to refrain from manipulating the situation to advance their political interests. "If the purpose of the inquiry is kept straight, it will make the citizens calm," Yudhoyono said.

But Ikrar called the president's speech "reckless" and said it could spark allegations that the president was seeking protection from the military.

The speech comes after talk that the president could be impeached over the bailout scandal and three days before protests planned for Thursday to call for his ouster. "That could be translated into an attempt to drag back the military into politics," Ikrar added.

During Suharto's dictatorship, the military was not only a security force but also a political power that helped him retain a tight grip on power for more than three decades.

Under the military law passed in 2004 and a number of other legal codes, active military personnel are barred from political activities, including participation in political events and serving as campaign volunteers.

However, the military's territorial command presence, which brings it into close contact with local communities across the archipelago, has often been used to influence people's choices during elections or to retain stability.

However, Arya Bima, who chairs the Charta Politika political consultancy, argued that there was nothing wrong with the president's speech.

"The Bank Century case could go anywhere. It has incited mass rallies and all that may affect the security situation. I think it's a good idea for the military to get first-hand information from the president," he said, adding repeatedly that Yudhoyono's speech was "normal."

Haris Rusly, an activist from Petisi 28, the group planning Thursday's mass rallies to demand the ouster of the president over what he calls "failing to improve people's welfare," strongly condemned the head of state for "attempting to seek protection from the military."

"The military's main job is to protect the state and not the government. The Bank Century case is none of the military's business. We will continue to exercise our rights to go to the streets," he said, adding that the demonstrators were not afraid to rally as freedom of expression was guaranteed by the Constitution.

Haris added that he was disappointed with Yudhoyono "for claiming to be a true follower of democracy but doing otherwise."

KPK declares bank bailout money belonged to the state

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2010

Febriamy Hutapea – The Corruption Eradication Commission on Monday contradicted earlier statements by several government officials over the source of the Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) used to bail out PT Bank Century, by declaring the money state funds.

"According to the Anti-Corruption Law, the bailout money is considered state funds," Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, interim chairman of the commission also known as the KPK, said on the sidelines of a meeting with the House of Representatives.

Tumpak said that even though the funds did not originate from the state treasury, the rescue package disbursed by the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS) consisted of government money.

Other officials have said the rescue funds were not state money because they came from premium payments by private banks. If the funds were property of the state, they would have been under increased government oversight, while private funds would have been more loosely controlled, possibly opening the door to malfeasance.

Tumpak argued that the LPS was established with initial capital from the government, and that the LPS had to coordinate with the government through the House if it was short of funds.

His statement echoed former Vice President Jusuf Kalla's testimony this month before the House special committee probing the rescue. Kalla told lawmakers that the LPS funds used to salvage Bank Century belonged to the state.

"The LPS answers to the president and undergoes an audit by the BPK and its start-up fund was taken from the state budget, which means [LPS funds] amount to state assets," Kalla said.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati had told the committee the money could not be classified as state money because it had been collected from other banks.

"Other laws might stipulate different things, but the antigraft law says that state money comes from the state treasury" and from sources outside the treasury, Tumpak said.

Lawmakers have agreed with the Supreme Audit Agency's (BPK) report which categorized the LPS funds used to bail out Century as state money.

Also on Monday, two legal experts gave differing opinions when testifying before the committee.

Banking expert Erman Rajagukguk said the money disbursed by the LPS was not state money because it was separate from the treasury. Even though the funds were audited by Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), Erman said, one could not automatically assume the money belonged to the state.

A former Constitutional Court justice, Ahmad Syarifuddin Natabaya, said the LPS fund was state money according to the law. "It's why BPK has the authority to audit it," he said.

Tumpak declined to say whether the bailout had caused the state to suffer losses. "That's still under investigation."

During the hearing with House Commission III overseeing law and security, the KPK said it had intensified its investigation into Bank Century by summoning several state officials.

KPK Deputy Commissioner Chandra M Hamzah said the KPK had summoned 14 Bank Indonesia officials, seven LPS officials, 13 Bank Century executives and two officials from the Finance Ministry. "We have received additional documents from the related institutions," he said.

Chandra denied accusations that the KPK had softened its stance in probing the bailout. "We want to collect strong evidence during the investigation process to avoid character assassinations of the people we have summoned," he said.

Indonesian public sees bailout as work of Boediono, Sri Mulyani

Jakarta Globe - January 24, 2010

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – A national survey released on Sunday shows the public squarely identifying Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati as behind the decision to bail out PT Bank Century, a decision currently being investigated by a special committee of lawmakers.

Only 10 percent of respondents to the survey – conducted by the private research institute Indo Barometer – said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should be considered responsible for the controversial Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) bailout. More than 53 percent said they believed he did nothing wrong.

About 46 percent of respondents said they considered Boediono primarily responsible for the bailout, while 43 percent pointed to Sri Mulyani. Both have testified before a House of Representatives special committee that they acted because Bank Century posed a systemic risk to the country's banking system.

Boediono was central bank governor at the time. As finance minister, Sri Mulyani chaired the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK), which approved the bailout on Nov. 21, 2008. "Boediono has been hurt deeply by this case," said M Qodari, who leads the survey group.

The survey, taken from Jan. 8-18, involved 1,200 respondents in 33 provinces. Respondents were selected based on multiple-staged random sampling, with a margin of error of 3 percent.

Respondents were asked whether they felt Yudhoyono, Boediono and Sri Mulyani "were guilty" – without mentioning any specific crime. The results showed that 46 percent of respondents believed Boediono was guilty, 43 percent felt Mulyani was guilty, and 25 percent thought Yudhoyono was guilty.

"I don't know why, but there is a huge gap between public opinion toward Boediono-Sri Mulyani and toward SBY," Qodari said, referring to the president.

The survey wasn't all good news for Yudhoyono, however. More than 77 percent of respondents said they had been closely following developments in the House investigation of the bailout, while only 49 percent knew about the government's first-100-days program.

The survey said that nearly half of respondents believed Yudhoyono's image had suffered as a result of the investigation, which is also trying to determine whether bailout funds were illegally diverted to the 2009 election coffers of his Democratic Party.

In an earlier survey, Indo Barometer reported that the president's popularity had dropped from 90 percent when he was sworn in in October to 75 percent this month.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said the survey showed that Yudhoyono's popularity remained high. "The president was not worried by the surveys as he is committed to fulfilling his duties and implementing the programs that have been set," he said.

Conflicting report expected from house committee on Century

Jakarta Globe - January 24, 2010

Febriamy Hutapea – The House of Representatives special committee is today expected to deliver tentative recommendations based on its investigation into the PT Bank Century bailout and outline its progress to a House plenary session.

But conflicting conclusions, which are expected from the committee, would likely force the House plenary session to put the issue to a vote.

"A House plenary will determine which recommendations will be taken," special committee Deputy Chairman Gayus Lumbuun said over the weekend.

He said there might be three possible conclusions taken by the lawmakers in the committee probing the bailout – accepting the policy, rejecting it or a mix of both.

"It could be black, white or grey," he said, adding that this reflected the current stance of the parties.

He said the different recommendations from a political institution like the House were normal. However, he said he believed committee members still had a strong commitment to investigate the Century case thoroughly.

Democratic Party faction chairman, Anas Urbaningrum, said he was optimistic members of the Democrat's ruling coalition would follow the coalition line.

"The special committee has not concluded anything yet, but I believe that coalition parties will be rational and look at the case clearly," Anas said.

He said Democrats had come to the conclusion that the bailout policy was an urgent decision aimed at saving the country from a possible banking crisis. Several coalition parties have considered giving their blessing to the bailout engineered by Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The National Mandate Party (PAN) recently reversed its position and pledged to support the government's view that the bank resuce was necessary.

Taufik Kurniawan, PAN secretary general, said earlier that his party now agreed that the failure of the troubled bank in November 2008 would have posed an unacceptable "systemic" threat to the country's banking system and economy, in essence agreeing that the Rp 6.7 trillion bailout was needed.

PAN is a minor party, with only two votes on the 30-strong special committee investigating the bailout. But those two votes could swing the committee's final recommendation to the full House in Yudhoyono's favor.

Although the position taken by Golkar and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), both members of Democrats' coalition, was still unclear, Anas said that he believed they would also fall in line with the coalition.

"Indonesia survived the economic, banking and financial crisis because of the government's quick decisions in facing the crisis," Anas said.

Gayus said the House special committee would now undergo an in- depth review and discuss the testimonies given by state officials and experts so far.

If it was deemed that the committee needed additional time to seek clarification from state officials, Gayus said the committee could conduct confrontational sessions whereby two or three officials would be summoned to appear at the same time.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction chairman, Tjahjo Kumolo, said that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) should take over the investigation because there were indications of crime and power abuse revealed by the special committee.

"KPK should follow up the investigation because it has been disclosed based on the testimonies [of state officials]," he said.

Graft & corruption

Case brokers duping corruption suspects, KPK chairman says

Jakarta Globe - January 29, 2010

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Legal case brokers claiming to be acting on behalf of the Corruption Eradication Commission have allegedly scammed suspects of antigraft investigations, the commission's interim chairman said on Friday.

"Results of our current investigations have revealed that there are case brokers claiming to be working on behalf of the commission [KPK]," Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean said following a meeting with members of the presidentially-appointed Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force. He said that those results had been handed over to the task force.

Investigations were launched after Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD reportedly forwarded to the task force allegations that the KPK had extorted Rp 20 billion ($2.1 million) from a witness.

Since the KPK was established in late 2003, more than 100 people have been arrested for claiming to be officials of the agency in order to extort money.

Denny Indrayana, secretary of the task force, said on Friday that they had accepted the KPK's investigation report in regard to Mahfud's allegations.

"We have asked the KPK to continue their investigations," Denny said, adding that the meeting also featured presentations on how the KPK plans to eradicate possible judicial mafia practices within the commission.

"We will meet with the KPK again this month to discuss developments on a number of issues, including their five programs to prevent judicial mafia practices," he said.

Denny said recently that numerous people had impersonated KPK officials in the past and that he did not rule out the possibility that it was still happening. The task force, he added, would closely examine Mahfud's report before taking any concrete action.

The task force, headed by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, has met with a number of law-enforcement agencies – including the National Police and the Attorney General's Office – and other state agencies to discuss the judicial mafia problem.

It also has met with officials from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Affairs in relation to the task force's unannounced inspection of the Pondok Bambu Women's Penitentiary, where it found certain high-profile inmates, including convicted case broker Artalyta Suryani, enjoying special privileges.

The existence of case brokers was confirmed when the KPK arrested a senior AGO prosecutor, Urip Tri Gunawan, for accepting $660,000 from Artalyta in 2008 in return for stopping a major embezzlement case.

The power and influence of these case brokers was publicly revealed when the KPK was ordered by the Constitutional Court to play 67 wiretapped conversations between a suspected case broker and several law enforcers allegedly involved in a bid to fabricate testimony against two antigraft commission deputies.

The court session was televised and prompted the government to declare the eradication of case brokers a top priority.

Officials name the 100 worst tax-dodgers

Jakarta Globe - January 29, 2010

Dion Bisara, Janeman Latul & Ardian Wibisono – Indonesia's 100 worst tax-dodgers, including a slew of state-owned enterprises and some well-known private and listed companies, owe the state nearly $1.9 billion in back taxes, the Finance Ministry revealed on Thursday.

"As of December 2009, the 100 top tax-dodgers [owed] Rp 17.5 trillion," Tjiptardjo, the ministry's tax chief, told a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission XI, which oversees finance.

"First we will send a warning letter, then we will force them to pay or we will confiscate their assets. Lastly we will freeze their bank accounts. The point is they have to pay," he said.

Tjiptardjo revealed that state-owned enterprises on the list owed Rp 7.6 trillion in unpaid taxes at the end of last year. "In 2009, the total balance of taxes owed by state-owned companies was Rp 8.1 trillion. There were also new tax arrears of Rp 2.3 trillion. They paid Rp 2.8 trillion in 2009, so there is still an outstanding balance of Rp 7.6 trillion," he said.

A Tax Directorate General document distributed to lawmakers showed state oil and gas company PT Pertamina sitting at the top of the list, followed by its subsidiary, Karaha Bodas Co., private pulp and paper firm PT Industri Pulp Lestari and the defunct Indonesian Banking Restructuring Agency.

Also on the list were state lender PT Bank Negara Indonesia, shrimp producer PT Central Proteinaprima (CP Prima), state train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia, plantation company PT Sampoerna Agro, miner PT Kaltim Prima Coal, cement company PT Holcim Indonesia and flagship air carrier PT Garuda Indonesia.

The document did not reveal how much tax each company owed, nor did it confirm that the ranking was based on the amount owed.

Muhammad Said Didu, secretary for the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, questioned the figure, saying similar claims were made last year but that the amounts owed turned out to be smaller.

"We need to meet the tax office first to clarify their numbers," Didu told the Globe. "They tend to miscalculate, [mixing up] the numbers of unpaid taxes with disputed taxes."

He said the Finance Ministry had agreed not to levy tax on some unprofitable SOEs undergoing restructuring, such as PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines, until they return to profitability.

In response, CP Prima's corporate communications manager said he was surprised by his company's presence on list and had no knowledge of it. Garuda Indonesia president director Emirsyah Satar claimed Garuda "never has any tax arrears."

BNI president director Gatot Suwondo speculated that the bank's inclusion on the list might be due to confusion over taxation on a Shariah unit.

Bank Bukopin director Tri Joko Prihanto echoed Gatot. "Bukopin is a good tax payer, and the tax we paid is huge," he said.

A September 2009 revision of the law on the value-added tax prevented a double-taxing of murabahah, Islamic trade-finance transactions involving a purchase and deferred-payment resale. But the law's retroactive effects may have confused tax officials when calculating the tax owed, Tri said.

Melchias Markus Mekeng, a Commission XI deputy chairman, said the House would form a working committee to scrutinize how the tax office recorded such huge tax arrears and "how far it has dealt with it."

Hatta Rajasa's wealth grows Rp 5 billion during tenure

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2010

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) found an increase in Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa's wealth during his previous five years as state secretary in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first term.

The KPK recorded that as of Nov. 23, 2009, Hatta was worth Rp 14.8 billion (US$1.56 million), Rp 5 billion more than five years ago, when he was worth Rp 9.6 billion.

Hatta, a politician with the National Mandate Party (PAN), attributed the increase to the growth of the tax-based value of his property.

"The increase came mostly from the increase in value of my properties," Hatta was quoted as saying by Antara news agency. Most of his wealth also came from his time as a businessman, from 1983 to the 1990s, he went on.

The KPK also disclosed the assets of Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro and State Research and Technology Minister Suharna Surapranata.

KPK said Purnomo's wealth as of Dec. 8, 2009, reached Rp 9.66 billion and US$173,000 in foreign reserves, up from Rp 5.85 billion and $172,000. Suharna's wealth stood at Rp 11.1 billion and US$29,000 as of Nov. 9, 2009.

Antigraft efforts losing steam: Watchdogs

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2010

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The first 100 days of the Yudhoyono administration have seen it flagging in the fight against endemic corruption and falling short in strengthening law enforcement, watchdogs said Tuesday.

Transparency International Indonesia (TII) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) said the government had not worked hard enough to restore public trust in law enforcement.

TII chairman Todung Mulya Lubis said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who won re-election last October on a strong antigraft platform, had doubled back on those efforts by adopting laws to the contrary.

"On the one hand, we already have several laws and regulations supporting transparency, such as the corruption eradication law and the witness protection law," Todung said.

"But on the other hand, the government keeps pushing for the deliberation of the state secrecy bill and the lawful interception bill, which both have the potential to undermine the antigraft campaign."

The Yudhoyono administration, beset by a series of corruption- linked controversies but still enjoying a high degree of popularity, will on Thursday mark its first 100 days in office.

TII secretary-general Teten Masduki said the conflicting legislation demonstrated Yudhoyono's half-hearted approach toward eradicating graft.

"We fear the government is only paying lip service to the campaign, rather than truly rooting out corruption and reforming the bureaucracy," he said.

TII noted that even though under Yudhoyono's second term the country's corruption perception index had improved to 2.8 in 2009 from 2.6 in 2008, the administration had been slacking off.

Teten said establishing the taskforce against judicial corruption last month would prove useless because the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was already doing the same job.

In a statement made available to The Jakarta Post, the YLBHI pointed out that the taskforce had done very little to fight the graft deeply entrenched in the judicial system.

In other areas, TII lauded the administration for shortening the time needed to process business permits, from 70 days to 17 days, in a bid to cut red tape.

TII also praised the government's efforts to promote online business procedures to improve transparency and minimize corruption.

"But in reality, we still have investors complaining about having to fork out extra money to be able to do business in Indonesia," Teten said. "Thus the real issue is the bureaucrats' will, rather than the string of regulations."

The YLBHI noted that in its first 100 days, the Yudhoyono administration had not made any breakthrough in dealing with major long-standing problems such as justice for the poor, corruption eradication, resolving past human rights abuses and land disputes.

"We expected that over those first 100 days, the government would make efforts to lift people's hopes," the statement read.

Critics say embassy case shows AGO 'soft' in face of money, power

Jakarta Globe - January 24, 2010

Heru Andriyanto – Graft suspects might prefer to have their cases prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office, where there is always a good chance their cases will be dropped, activists say. On the other hand, the Corruption Eradication Commission has never failed to send its accused to prison.

Consider the cases of three former Bangkok Embassy officials. The AGO revealed on Friday that it was considering dropping the embezzlement charges against the three, not because of a lack of evidence, but "primarily because the money has been returned," Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Marwan Effendy said.

He added that it had originally been used in the "interests of the state," but was later forced to acknowledge that some of the money was used for personal gain by the suspects.

Those excuses ignore suggestion from state auditors that state losses were incurred and an article in the anti-corruption law that clearly states returning stolen state assets doesn't wipe out a crime.

The case is the latest example of what anti-corruption activists call a practice of cherry-picking that continues to earn the AGO notoriety.

The AGO's plan immediately drew strong opposition from Indonesia Corruption Watch, which said it would be "more than happy to mail the anti-corruption law book to the deputy if he doesn't have one." Now ICW has officially asked the anti-graft commission, known as the KPK, to take over the embassy case.

"Part of the embassy budget had been used to play golf, pay personal expenses and buy souvenirs. Can we say these things are in the interest of the state?" said Emerson Yuntho, deputy head of ICW.

According to an audit by the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP), the state suffered losses of more than $160,000 as a result of the embezzlement from the embassy in Thailand.

The Jan. 14 audit document, a copy of which was obtained by the Jakarta Globe, details how Ambassador Muhammad Hatta and two embassy staffers collected "tactical funds" to finance non- budgetary spending.

The report said the methods to raise the money included collecting fake receipts from local travel agencies to claim official trips; taking fees from companies who won embassy maintenance and renovation projects; and inflating the allowances of embassy staff and teachers.

"These funds were not put in the state coffers. Instead they were spent on the personal needs of the ambassador and on other expenses either consented to or instructed by the ambassador," the document says. It enclosed a spending list that also included 75,000 baht ($2,271) on golf days and 100,000 baht on "souvenirs for Jakarta."

Nevertheless, Marwan said such expenses, including the golf, were used to entertain the embassy's diplomatic guests because the official budget didn't cover them. "The money was used in the interests of the state," he said.

Such explanations are earning the AGO a reputation as prone to dropping cases against the wealthy and well-connected.

When asked in 2008 why the graft case relating to a 1988 fraudulent oil refinery project against former Energy Minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita was dropped, Marwan replied that the case had expired according to the law and had to be halted.

He referred to the criminal procedures code stating that a corruption case punishable by a life sentence had to be prosecuted within 18 years, or be dropped. However, the records showed that the AGO first charged and Ginandjar in 2001 and dropped the charges in 2004.

Last August, the AGO freed Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of the late former president Suharto, on corruption charges related to monopoly practices and unfair state subsidies in the clove industry because the suspect had supposedly repaid all state debts.

In a similar move favoring former state enterprise minister Laksamana Sukardi, the AGO said last year it was unable to prove that state losses were incurred in the secret sale of two large tanker ships belonging to state-run oil firm PT Pertamina because there was no firm benchmark to judge whether the tankers were sold below the market price. The case against Laksamana was dropped.

Not so fortunate were suspects prosecuted by KPK, who, after becoming an active player in the country's fight against graft in early 2004, has never failed to convict a suspects, with the exception of one who died during his trial and another who was freed for insanity.

Unlike the KPK, the AGO has the authority to drop a graft case midway into an investigation.

"When the KPK successfully uncovered graft cases at embassies in Malaysia and Singapore, the AGO was under pressure to get into the same game by initiating probes in Beijing and Bangkok. But while the KPK has put former envoys behind bars, what progress has the AGO made in their embassy cases?" said Boyamin Saiman, chairman of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (Maki).

"The KPK must take over the Bangkok case. As for the AGO, it doesn't surprise me that they plan not to proceed with the Bangkok case because when it comes to political power and money, prosecutors become very soft," he said.

"Remember when the AGO prosecuted the corruption case at [state postal firm] PT Pos Indonesia? Because its former executives only had small bank accounts, they were detained immediately," he said.

Islam/religion

NGOs request judicial review of religious blasphemy law

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2010

Bagus Budi Tama Saragih, Jakarta – A group of NGOs concerned with religious freedom and democracy has filed a judicial review request at the Constitutional Court, asking the judges to review articles of the 1965 Blasphemy Law, which they deemed to discriminate against certain religious groups.

The group, calling themselves the Advocacy Alliance for Freedom of Religion, comprises seven organizations; Imparsial, the Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), the Indonesian Human Rights and Legal Aid Association (PBHI), the Institute for Studies on Human Rights and Democracy (Demos), the Setara Institute, the Desantara Foundation, and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI).

Also included in the group filing the lawsuit were several individuals, such as the late Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, Muslim activist M. Dawam Rahardjo and noted Islamic scholar Ahmad Syafii Maarif.

A lawyer for the group, Choirul Anam, told The Jakarta Post on Friday that Law No.1/1965 on Prevention of Religious Abuse and Blasphemy had raised a public outcry and triggered sectarian conflicts as the law required people to accept only the five official religions – Islam, Catholic, Protestants, Buddhism and Hindu. Confucianism was recognized later, thanks to Gus Dur.

"The law 'considers' those with different faiths to be heretics. This is discriminatory and against the democratic spirit adopted by the country today, which should strongly protect the freedom of faith," Anam said.

"Our constitution guarantees religious freedom. All religious groups deserve equal treatment. Therefore, this law, which gives the government the power to intervene in religious matters, must be annulled.

"The law may have been relevant (when it was signed during the Sukarno era) but isn't anymore." The alliance asked the panel of judges at the court to review three out of five articles on the law.

"We consider the articles not to be in line with the amended 1945 Constitution, Articles 28 and 29, which guarantee the equality of all citizens, including those with faiths outside the six religions," Anam said.

Article 1 on the law stipulates that no one is allowed to make interpretations deviating from the official religions' teachings.

"This is not right. Interpretations of certain religions are people's rights," Anam said. "The government should guarantee such freedom. Instead, the government creates policies that have the potential to 'justify' conflicts against certain religious groups."

Anam said the government should accommodate any sects or faiths in the country, "instead of using its arms, like the MUI (Indonesian Ulema Council)", to prohibit such religious groups.

The Constitutional Court may revoke the reviewed articles if the trials in the future prove them to be in conflict with the constitution.

The first trial will be held Feb. 4, hearing opinions from representatives of the government and the House of Representatives.

A sect that has frequently fallen victim to a number of horizontal conflicts is Ahmadiyah. Many mosques where Ahmadis pray have been burned down and followers in the West Java's Bogor, Sukabumi and Kuningan, and Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, have been displaced.

The MUI has claimed Ahmadiyah to be a religious sect whose teachings are heretical.

Direction of Mecca wrong at 20 percent of mosques: Ministry

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Indonesia's religious ministry says there are errors in the direction worshipers face, or qibla, at 20 percent of the country's mosques.

The ministry's director for Islamic religion and Sharia law, Dr Rohadi Abdul Fatah said in a statement on Thursday that the problems occurred in mosques in quake-hit areas such as Yogyakarta, West Java and West Sumatra.

The ministry has founded a team to check the qibla in various areas of the country using compasses or GPS devices. Dr. Rohadi suggested mosque caretakers simply correct the direction worshipers pray toward, instead of renovating the whole building.

Islamic scholar named Mutoha Arkanuddin claimed a few weeks ago that 80 percent of mosques and Muslim graves in Indonesia did not reflect the correct direction of qibla. Qibla is meant to indicate the direction of Mecca.

Administration & government

'Fair' mark in governance a 'warning for democracy'

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2010

Jakarta – Indonesia is showing less-than-impressive performance in good governance, despite approaching one of the most critical stages in its steps toward full-fledged democracy, experts say.

The 2008 Partnership Governance Index, which rates governance, showed the average index for all Indonesian provinces was a middling 5.11 on a one-to-10 scale, with the median at 5.5.

The index was produced by the Partnership for Governance Reform in 2007, using data from various sources, including the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), regional budgets, and input from local experts. It features profiles of governance performance for all of the country's provinces, and the rank of each one.

Paramadina University rector Anies Baswedan said Thursday at a lecture on measuring democratic governance that the country was currently going through its third phase of democratic transition, which began in 1998 with the downfall of Soeharto's New Order.

During the third and fourth phases of democracy, Anies said, citizens began judging whether democracy was actually working for them.

Poor performance in governance and bureaucracy might influence the people's judgment, thus deterring further steps toward full- fledged democracy, he said. "It could easily fall back to the pre-democratic phase," Anies said.

He added that a democracy in progress was a vulnerable system. "A democracy under construction runs the risk of dying for good," he said.

The index revealed that of the country's 33 provinces, Jakarta showed the best performance, topping all others with a rating of 6.51. East Java and West Sumatra were next with 6.06 and 5.98.

However, Thursday's lecture in Central Jakarta pointed out that the capital's performance was not necessarily something to celebrate. Jakarta's score ranks as "fair" on the index's normative scale.

"The index shows so much variability among the provinces. That is not good for a lot of things," said Partnership's Abdul Malik Bismar.

He added disparities in public satisfaction between different areas could pose a threat. "People everywhere report different experiences, and this disrupts the solidarity," Abdul said.

One of the reasons for this is that different provinces allocate different amounts in their budgets for key sectors, such as health-care and education, he added. The index revealed the provinces allocated an average Rp 14,004 (US$1.50) for health services per resident per year.

However, provinces such as North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and West Java allocated less than Rp 4,000.

The index also showed provinces allocated an average 6.3 percent of their budgets for education, despite the Home Ministry demanding that they allocate 20 percent.

Abdul said such numbers implied the country still had much to do to improve, including on the issue of decentralization.

"It's not that the people have stopped believing in decentralization, but there are still misperceptions about decentralization," he said. (dis)

Governance Index

Top five: Jakarta 6.51, East Java 6.06, West Sumatra 5.98, Bali 5.87 Lampung 5.82

Bottom five: North Sumatra 3.55, West Kalimantan 4.15, North Maluku 4.29, West Sulawesi 4.36, West Papua 4.37

Yudhoyono hails first 100 days, pundits not all that enthusiastic

Jakarta Globe - January 27, 2010

As President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono prepares to go into overdrive to trumpet the successes of his first 100 days in office, political observers are not viewing the government's alleged achievements with quite the same enthusiasm.

The overwhelming majority of analysts spoken to by the Jakarta Globe on Thursday not only said Yudhoyono's cabinet had failed to deliver on its much-hyped 100-day program, but had also failed to outline just exactly what it wanted to achieve in the first place.

Fajar Nursahid, a researcher with the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information (LP3ES), took another view altogether, saying that while he believed the government was overpromoting the program, most observers were expecting too much.

"Frankly, the programs are not that easy to measure, although they are catchy," Fajar said. He added that issuing claims that could not be proven only led to confusion among the public. "They need proof not words," he said.

Fajar, who labeled the 100-day program "overrated," said it was more important that the government used the momentum it had secured after Yudhoyono's landslide victory in both the legislative and presidential elections last year to form a solid basis for what it hoped to achieve in its five-year term.

"It is also important for the government to raise hopes for the people. But that's about it," he said.

Many analysts said the government seemed to have taken a step backward over the last 100 days as it struggled to overcome the fallout from a number of embarrassing scandals that may have toppled other governments in more developed nations.

Chief among them are the Bank Century bailout scandal and the controversial arrests of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah,

Both controversies have tarnished Yudhoyono's image as a graft fighter, though other critics suggest the image was undeserved and that corruption, which Yudhoyono pledged to address during both his 2004 and 2009 election campaigns, remains as rampant as it ever was, despite the limited successes of the KPK.

Patra M Zen, chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), said the government was far from achieving the eradication of the judicial mafia, which Yudhoyono told the nation was his top priority after the alleged conspiracy involving senior law enforcement officials and case brokers to bring down the KPK emerged. No government official has ever been charged in connection with the scandal that rocked the country.

"I expected the government to issue a number of policies to lay down a strong legal foundation [to fight the endemic graft within law enforcement bodies], but apparently it is still far from meeting the people's expectations," Patra said.

Teten Masduki, secretary general of Transparency International Indonesia, was even more scathing, saying that efforts to eradicate the judicial mafia had instead "been declining over the last three months." He called the government's statements and eradication attempts superficial.

The government's pledge to reform the education sector is seen as another example of the cabinet's vague 100-day pledges. Suparman, coordinator of Education Forum, a nongovernmental organization, said the government had failed to reform the education sector.

"I don't see any of Ministry of National Education programs that are reform-orientated," Suparman said. "They did not even touch on the most debated issue at the moment: the national examination."

He said the ministry had chosen to focus on such 100-day initiatives as empowering school principals and supervisors, awarding scholarships, boosting the number of teachers in remote areas and promoting the nation's culture and traditions.

Ade Irawan, of Indonesia Corruption Watch, said the government's education programs were superficial and did not address basic problems. "It's OK to have the Internet in schools, but why don't they look at the schools first? Many of them are close to collapsing."

Controversies hold back SBY's ratings

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2010

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – As the administration approaches its 100th day in office, yet another polling body has given the President a middling approval rating amid a slew of controversy.

The study by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), to be published Wednesday, rates President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's popularity at 68.9 percent.

The report comes on the heels of a finding by another polling body, Indobarometer, which gave Yudhoyono an approval rating of 75 percent – a 15 percent drop from its August 2009 survey.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political analyst Arbi Sanit said the President had steered clear of the Bank Century fallout, since the investigation into the bailout was still underway.

"There are indications [he may be implicated], but the evidence isn't strong enough," he said. "He hasn't been proven guilty."

Yudhoyono, he added, had also struck a chord with the public by reinstating Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah, who had been suspended for alleged bribery. "There were doubts, but he managed to remove them," Arbi said.

Indobarometer suggested the framing of Bibit and Chandra, the murder case implicating former KPK chief Antasari Azhar and the Century case contributed to the slight fall in Yudhoyono's popularity, with 69 percent, 79 percent and 77 percent of the people they interviewed followed the cases.

LSI senior researcher Burhanudin Muhtadi said the President's performance in the first 100 days of his second term had been clouded by the three scandals, which had hogged the media spotlight during that time. "Those cases caused his public approval rating to decline, though not too sharply," he told The Jakarta Post.

Burhanudin added this decline was most marked among middle-class respondents, a segment he said comprised urban and educated people with access to media, and who tended to be more critical of the government. He indicated most of those satisfied with the President's performance were from the grass roots.

Careful handling of the Century case would be needed if Yudhoyono wanted to stay popular, he warned.

"The middle class, though small in number, could cause instability for Yudhoyono," Burhanudin said. "Should he fail to address this issue, they could stir up social movements at the grassroots level."

The question of whether to retain Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati will also weigh on Yudhoyono's standing, the pollsters suggest.

Indobarometer's survey showed 43 percent of respondents believed the minister and former Bank Indonesia governor Boediono, now the Vice President, should be held responsible for the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) bailout of Century. By contrast, only 10 percent believed Yudhoyono was culpable.

A parliamentary inquiry into the bailout is currently underway, with legislators set to issue their findings as soon as next week.

Burhanudin said he believed Yudhoyono would have to put his popularity on the line to protect the finance minister and Vice President.

"I believe there'll be a trade-off," he said. "If he thinks he has enough political capital, he may choose to keep Mulyani and Boediono. "It wouldn't hurt his rating much, I don't believe; it'd still be above 50 percent."

Blasts from the past tapped for SBY advisory council

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2010

Camelia Pasandaran – A number of former ministers – including a few controversial ones – found themselves back in the government's inner circle on Monday as members of the newly appointed presidential advisory council.

Perhaps most notorious among the nine top political figures sworn into the council, also known as Watimpres, at the Presidential Palace on Monday is Ginandjar Kartasasmita. The 69-year-old former energy minister was once declared a graft suspect and implicated in a fraudulent oil refinery project.

Under the helm of Marzuki Darusman in 2001, the Attorney General's Office declared Ginandjar, a senior member of the Golkar Party, a suspect in two separate graft cases, one linked to a gas project at Pertamina in 1988 and another to a geothermal project in the Dieng area of Central Java in 1997. Neither case went to trial.

Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Marwan Effendy told the Jakarta Globe that based on the criminal procedure code, the cases had expired and should be halted. The code states that a corruption case punishable by a life sentence must be prosecuted within 18 years or be dropped. However, records show that the AGO first charged Ginandjar in 2001 and dropped the charges in 2004.

Another controversial official coming back into the government's fold is Siti Fadillah Supari, who was health minister during Yudhoyono's first five-year term. In the new cabinet, she was replaced by Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, whom Siti demoted in 2008 for allegedly carrying a virus specimen overseas without consulting her – a charge the new minister has denied.

"I had been told before that I would become a Watimpres member. [Coordinating Minister for the Economy] Hatta Rajasa told me months ago that I would not be health minister again, but would be selected for Watimpres," Supari said.

"Four days ago, I was called and offered this position officially," she said, adding that it came as a surprise since she considered herself to be of a "different color" from the current administration.

The others in the council include former top security minister Widodo AS, former Constitutional Court chief Jimly Asshiddiqie, former Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda, former Environment Minister Emil Salim and Indonesian Ulema Council deputy chairman Ma'ruf Amin.

Political expert Andrinof Chaniago of University of Indonesia said that since the council makes suggestions to the president, its members must be solution-oriented and intellectually tested. "Some of the members meet the criteria," he said.

The new council

Ginandjar Kartasasmita (Former energy minister)
Siti Fadillah Supari (Former health minister)
Widodo AS (Former coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs)
Jimly Asshiddiqie (Former Constitutional Court chief)
Meutia Hatta Former women's empowerment minister
Emil Salim (Former environment minister)
Ma'ruf Amin (Head of the Indonesian Council of Ulema's fatwa body)
Hassan Wirajuda (Former minister of foreign affairs)
Ryaas Rasyid (Former state regional autonomy minister)

Civil service & bureaucracy

Government shrugs off outcry over pay increases

Jakarta Globe - January 29, 2010

Camelia Pasandaran & Arti Ekawati – The government on Friday shrugged off criticism of its spending priorities, justifying the need for salary increases for officials and stating that it was going to push through with a plan to buy a new presidential plane.

"Don't get emotional, relax," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told journalists after a seminar titled Feed the World at the Jakarta Convention Center, referring to the outcry over revelations that the salaries of the president, vice president and ministers would be increased by up to 20 percent in March. She reminded journalists the plan had long been approved by the House of Representatives and that it had yet to be implemented.

"What has been decided in the national budget will be implemented," she said. "Concerning public officials, there have been discussions about how to adjust it. However, it has not been decided because there are some things that have not been completed."

She said that the salary increase has been planned with the State Administrative Reform Ministry.

Separately, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi justified the need for a pay hike.

"If we want to be honest, the salary of a district head of Rp 6.3 million ($674) is equal to salary of a driver in Jakarta," he said. "If it is increased by 20 percent, is that too high?" He also said the basic salary of a governor, Rp 8.7 million, equated to the salary of the head of a bank branch.

"A minister's salary is Rp 18 million," he said. "Meanwhile, the salary of a director in a private institution might reach Rp 50 million. The salary of a minister is low compared to a private institution head, especially when comparing the work loads."

The planned increase, the first since 2004, will apply to the basic salary, but government officials receive several allowances for things such as transportation, housing and communications that equate to a total pay packet of as much as Rp 60 million to Rp 70 million per month.

The president's basic salary is about Rp 30 million, the vice president's is Rp 20 million and the House speaker's is Rp 5 million.

State secretary Sudi Silalahi, meanwhile, continued to argue that it was the House that had approved purchasing a presidential aircraft, even though the budget item had been listed in the "other spending" category, normally meant for disasters and other unforeseen expenditures.

Goernment receives activists' ire over salary increases

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2010

Emmy Fitri & Kinanti Pinta Karana – The government faced criticism on Wednesday for its decision to increase the salaries of state officials while millions of people live in poverty.

The criticism came as details emerged that the House of Representatives had voted to increase the salaries of senior state officials by 10 to 20 percent – with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and members of his cabinet among the beneficiaries.

The issue is compounded by the existing controversy over upgrades to legislators' houses, the allocations of luxury saloons for ministers and the proposed private jet for the president.

Yuna Farhan, secretary general of the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra), said salaries for politicians and civil servants, including the police and military, were now the most expensive item in the budget – replacing subsidies for fuel, electricity, generic drugs, fertilizers and seeds.

In total, salaries, including the recent increases for civil servants, would now cost taxpayers Rp 160,364 trillion ($17.16 billion), more than the Rp 157,820 trillion allocated for subsidies in 2010, Yuna said.

Yuma said politicians' priorities should be public service, not self-enrichment, and said there was no merit to the argument that pay rises would lessen corruption.

"They are not taking money from the public purse because they are hungry, or because their children need to be fed," Yuna said. "Most state officials already have billions of rupiah in personal savings – they are not paupers looking for pennies."

Yuna said Fitra would prepare a lawsuit to the Constitutional Court to stop the pay rises, which take effect from March.

In the 2004-2009 period, the president received a base salary of Rp 30.2 million, plus allowances of Rp 32.5 million. These will rise by 20 percent in March.

Achsanul Qosasi, deputy chairman of the House of Representative's Commission XI, which oversees the budget, said cabinet ministers would also receive a 20 percent salary hike.

"The decision to raise the salary is to improve their work and service to the public. We are talking about efficiency and productivity here," Achsanul said.

Part of the argument in favor of the increase was that the House had already increased the state budget from Rp 132 trillion to Rp 158 trillion – the government proposed Rp 165 trillion.

Danang Widoyoko, coordinator of Indonesian Corruption Watch, said the pay rises would not combat corruption.

"That's a misconception," Danang said. "Customs officials are good examples of why it doesn't work. Their salaries were raised but when the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] raided the office, they still found evidence of corruption."

"It's sad how the government spend so much on lavish things. There's no sense of crisis," he said. "It would be better if the budget were used for other sectors, such as education or health."

Media & journalism

New set of standards for journalists

Jakarta Globe - January 27, 2010

Ismira Lutfia – After five years of deliberation, media practitioners on Tuesday agreed to endorse journalists' competence standards as guidelines to improve professionalism in the industry.

Representatives from major media outlets and associations such as the Association of Private Indonesian Television Stations (ATVSI), the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI), the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Indonesian Local TV Association (ATVLI) were present at the Press Council office to officially endorse the manual.

The competence standard will come in a set of press regulations along with three other press manuals; a journalistic code of ethics, newspaper publishers' standards and guidelines for the protection of journalists, which will be officially recognized by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on National Press Day celebrations on Feb. 9 in Palembang, South Sumatra, Press Council deputy chairman Leo Batubara said.

"These guidelines are important for [media practitioners] because journalists have been criticized for lacking competence standards and people who say that it's an easy profession to enter," Leo said. "The standards are not made by the government but are made by us for us."

The council first raised the idea of competence standards in 2004 in response to the proliferation of media outlets and journalists in the wake of the reform movement that swept through the country after the downfall of former President Suharto in 1998.

Seasoned journalist and former Press Council chairman Atmakusumah Astraatmadja told the Jakarta Globe that the competence standards were needed to provide the public with a better concept of who could qualify to be a journalist.

"There has been sharp public criticism of this profession as a result of journalists' abusing their powers and exaggerating news reports," Atmakusumah said.

Press Council member Wina Armada brushed aside doubts that the competence manual would limit the number of people who chose to become journalists.

"These competence standards aim to put a stop to journalists abusing the profession and aim to act as a reference in evaluating a journalist's performance," he said.

"What we regulate in the manual are the qualifications and the competence levels of those who want to pursue careers as journalists." Wina said.

He added that the standards would not interfere with a news organization's internal policy and the level of journalist's competence in the manual need not correspond accordingly to the hierarchy in the organizational structure of a media outlet's newsroom.

Ethnic & religious conflicts

Residents close down sect's place of worship

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2010

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Residents in Mirring village in West Sulawesi's Polewali Mandar regency forcibly closed an alleged heretical place of worship on Saturday.

The closure followed the arrest of seven residents on Friday for allegedly spreading heretical teachings in the village. The seven were held at the police station for questioning.

One of the seven, Syamsuddin, a 26-year-old alumnus of Alauddin Islamic State Institute in Makassar, was identified as the group's leader. He claimed to be the prophet Haedir, who was born after the prophet Muhammad.

The sect reportedly named its teaching Puang Malea, taken from the name of a mountain in the area.

During Friday's arrest, police confiscated evidence against the sect, including three copies of the Koran and their translations, one of which was written in the South Sulawesi local dialect Lontara, along with scores of other religious-themed books.

Polewali Mandar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. I Gusti Ngurarai Mahaputra said Saturday the arrests were made following reports from residents unsettled by the group and their activities.

"The suspects prevented (other residents) from passing their place of worship, despite it being located near their farms," Mahaputra said.

He said the suspects might belong to a heretical sect as their teachings varied from mainstream Islam.

"An investigation conducted by the regency's religious affairs office deemed the group's teachings to be heretical," Mahaputra said. "But we're still investigating (the group). The religious affairs office will also talk to them and other residents who are their followers."

The teachings recognize Friday prayers only as obligatory, and not the five prayers daily; in the sect, prayers are directed south, rather than to the west as in mainstream Islam.

The prayers, which are conducted bare-chested, usually take place in the hills or on a nearby riverbank.

The sect does recognize the Koran but teaches from a combination of four holy books – the Koran, the Bible, the Zabur and the Taurat/Torah – with claims their teachings are perfect. The sect reportedly has around 20 followers.

Ethnic and religious issues no longer main conflict: ITP

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2010

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – The source of conflicts in the country has shifted from ethnic, racial and religious issues to those concerning politics, natural resources and corruption, and conflicts in general are no longer found at the communal level but at the elite level of administration, according a recent study.

The findings were shared by Titian Perdamaian Institute (ITP) head Ichsan Malik during the three-day national conference for peace facilitators, organized jointly by ITP, USAID and Serasi in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The national conference, which runs through Wednesday, was attended by more than 100 participants, who were mainly peace facilitators from 15 provinces and NGO activists. The forum is expected to yield a recommendation on conflict resolution in the country.

Despite the findings, Ichsan warned the government and the peace facilitators to remain alert to conflicts sparked by religious and ethnic issues, as they could instigate radicalism and conservatism.

"After 10 years, the source of conflict in Indonesia has shifted from religious and ethnic issues to political, natural resources and corruption issues. But we must remain alert to lingering conflicts as they could still re-emerge."

He said political issues were deemed as a source of conflict because political parties have focused on their personal and party identity, creating sectarianism and neglecting issues on nationalism.

Natural resources can trigger conflicts due to unfair management, such as the case at Freeport in Papua, while corruption takes other people's rights, thus instigating massive protests.

A lecturer at the Driyarkara School of Philosophy, Karlina Supelli, was of the same opinion.

Apart from politics and natural resources, she found that regional autonomy was also one of the issues deemed as a source of conflict, as the fight for power and business interests had potential to initiate conflicts.

She added while conflict was inevitable, its management remained vital. "There's always conflict, such as those between children and their parents. but the thing is, how do we resolve conflict without using violence and the loss of lives?"

Ichsan said peace facilitators must observe the situation in order to prevent conflicts from breaking out, so that the mass conflict in the late 1990s, which spread to regency and municipality levels, would not be repeated.

Conflict, he said, no longer took place at the communal level, but at the elite level, such as the feud between the government and the House of Representatives, which had formed a special committee on the Bank Century bailout.

Karlina, however, argued that people were smarter and more critical now and would not easily be influenced by conflict at the elite level.

'Government complicity' lets religious conflict go on

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2010

Jakarta – A damning report on freedom of worship in Indonesia has blasted state agencies and government officials for complicity in violating this fundamental right.

The Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace released Wednesday its Report on the Condition of Religious and Faith Freedom in Indonesia, revealing 200 violations against freedom of worship throughout 2009.

The institute claimed state agencies had been involved in 139 of the cases – 101 of the cases saw "active" involvement by state officials, while the 38 others were by omission.

"Over the last three years, we have found that violations against freedom of religion remain rampant," Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said at a press conference. "This is mostly because the government is half-hearted in its upholding of the right to worship."

State institutions outed by the report include the police, which Setara claimed were involved in 48 cases, the Religious Affairs Ministry (14 cases), mayors (eight cases), regents (six cases) and courts (six cases).

"State agencies often prohibit certain groups from praying or building a place of worship," Hendardi said. "We also found government officials discriminated against other groups, prohibiting them from using public facilities."

He added that in many cases of attacks by Muslim mobs on congregations of other faiths, the authorities turned a blind eye and sided with the offending majority.

An attack against supporters of the Ahmadiyah sect in Jakarta, for instance, led to arrests of Ahmadiyah members, and not their attackers. The police claimed they did this to protect the Ahmadis.

Setara also categorized 86 cases in their findings as crimes that should have been dealt with by law enforcement officials.

The violators in 29 of these cases were the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the hard-line Islam Defenders Front or FPI (nine cases), and the Forum of Islamic Community or FUI (six cases).

"The Ahmadis remained the most persecuted community, falling victim in 33 separate cases during 2009," Hendardi said. "Christians were next with 12 cases, then followers of the Satria Piningit Weteng Buwono sect with 10 cases."

The number of cases last year was lower than in 2008, when Setara highlighted 265 violations.

The most prominent case in 2008 was the attack on Ahmadiyah supporters by the FPI and other hard-line Islamic groups at a pro-tolerance rally at the National Monument in Jakarta.

In 2007, Setara recorded only 135 violations of freedom of worship.

The institute monitors freedom of worship in 12 provinces: North, West and South Sumatra; Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Bali, West and East Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku.

West Java had the highest number of violations, with 57 cases, followed by Jakarta with 38 cases and Banten with 10 cases.

With violations on the rise from three years ago, the Setara Institute urged the government to pass legislation on religious tolerance as soon as possible.

"We also ask the government to integrate lessons on tolerance and pluralism into the national education curriculum," said deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos. He also called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to make good on a campaign promise to revoke all bylaws violating freedom of worship. (bbs)

Art & literature

New act plays to the Max

The Australian - January 27, 2010

Bernard Lane – Max Lane is multiplying. There was a young Australian diplomat by that name, posted to Jakarta in 1980. He was soon sent home for introducing the English-speaking world to a remarkable writer.

Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesian author of the Buru Quartet, was a leftist and unacceptable to the archipelago's rulers, both the colonial Dutch and General Suharto.

It was undiplomatic of Lane to become his translator. But Pramoedya's epic of love, conflict and the birth of an island nation, is still in print and readers are grateful.

So much so that one has performed a very unusual act of homage. Safuan Johari, a composer of electronica in Singapore, makes music under the name Max Lane.

"I was quite blown away by the history of Pramoedya," Johari says. "He wrote [some of the quartet] by reciting it to his fellow prison inmates because he was banned from using any writing materials."

Johari likens the sombre tones of his music to the suffering and "dark history" of Pramoedya and his works.

His three-track album, The Mim Project, cuts up and recovers old recordings of Malay and Indonesian music as well as snatches from an interview with Pramoedya.

The necktie-like character Mim, from the old Jawi script of the Malay language, is a nod towards Johari's heritage. He is ethnic Malay and both his grandfathers were Javanese.

Although Malay and Indonesian are close, it was English, Johari's other language, that unlocked the words of Pramoedya for him.

Max Lane himself is not surprised by this. "English is becoming the actual first national language of Singapore but still, among all of the races, they sense that they are somehow Southeast Asian," he says.

He believes Singapore has "the single biggest concentration" of those who read the Buru Quartet in English. "They tend to pick up books that are set in Southeast Asia and are trying to say something serious about it."

Max the elder and Max the younger have been in touch thanks to another link in an intriguing cultural chain. Charanpal S. Bal, a Singaporean in Fremantle, heard The Mim Project, liked it, and gave it a spin on Unpopular Radio, a web radio station. Bal happens to be doing his PhD at Murdoch University's Asia Research Centre. Lane is a research associate there, as well as at the University of Sydney.

The club of Indonesianists is a small one. Soon enough, he was being teased by a fellow member: "Have you become a DJ now?"

Safuan Johari performs next at Home Club, Singapore, on February 6. Max Lane's next outing is at Gleebooks in Sydney for the February 18 launch of his new book, Unfinished Nation: Indonesia Before and after Suharto.

Visit Max Lane's blog at http://maxlane2009.wordpress.com

Armed forces/defense

Move to try soldiers in civilian courts

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2010

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the House of Representatives were urged on Sunday to include the revision of the Military Tribunal Law in the national legislation program.

Haris Azhar, deputy chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said the current Military Tribunal Law was contrary to ongoing legal reforms.

The People's Consultative Assembly decrees No. 6 and No. 7 in 2000 had mandated the revision of the law, which stipulates that soldiers accused of criminal offenses be tried in military courts, he said.

Military courts often handed down lighter sentences than civilian courts, Haris said.

He said the Military Tribunal Law contributed to a climate of impunity for soldiers and did not provide for transparency when cases were tried. "It must be immediately revised by entering it to the national legislation program," Haris said.

The government had earlier announced that it would prioritize deliberations on several laws, including a bill to revise the Military Tribunal Law. However, the House of Representatives has not yet announced whether the bill would be included in its legislation program.

The national legislation program is a collection of bills to be deliberated by the House over the five-year term. The bill was actually included in the 2004-2009 national legislation program but was not deliberated by the House.

In 2006, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued a statement saying his administration supported the bill's basic principle that soldiers accused of criminal offenses should be tried in civilian courts. However, it was stalled when the Defense Ministry, led by former Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono, and the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) insisted that any soldiers suspected of a civilian crime be questioned by military police instead of civilian police.

Choirul Anam, from the Human Rights Working Group, said there were many reasons for the government and the House to revise the law this time. The current law led to ambiguity, he said.

For example, a recent case involving controversial retired Brig. Gen. Herman Sarens Sudiro, involved a case of alleged misappropriation of Army property, Choirul said.

There was an ambiguous situation, and it was unclear whether Herman should be arrested by military police, or by the police, as urged by his family, he said.

"The authority of who should investigate any criminal cases must be made clear through a revision to the law," Choirul said.

Military spokesman Air Vice Marshall Sagom Tamboen said any request to accelerate a revision of the Military Tribunal Law should be directed to the government. "The military is always ready to follow any policy made by the government, including revision of the law," Tamboen said.

However, he said he thought the current law was sufficient to regulate the military and that time should not be wasted in revising the law. "Because the Military Court is now under the structure of the Supreme Court, it means the military is now in accordance with the civilian system," Tamboen said.

Legal & judicial system

Executions stalled as judicial-review question unanswered

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2010

Heru Andriyanto – The absence of executions in 2009 was the result not of an intentional moratorium but because the Supreme Court has failed to provide a specific timeframe within which death row inmates are allowed to request a judicial review, the Attorney General's Office said.

The AGO last year proposed that the top court issue a ruling to limit the period, to prevent inmates from buying time. But Supreme Court Chief Justice Harifin Tumpa sent the request back to the AGO to let prosecutors decide, with a suggestion that the period be restricted to 180 days.

"There is no ruling from the Supreme Court that provides us legal standing to execute inmates who have yet to take a stance [on whether to ask for a judicial review] within a certain period," AGO spokesman Didiek Darmanto said.

Inmate Gunawan Santosa has exploited the weak point. The Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence for Gunawan for hiring Navy officers to kill his father-in-law. Gunawan has notified the AGO he would ask for a judicial review, but has continuously delayed doing so.

"Why should he hurry? There is no law that limits our time to ask for a judicial review so we take our time," said Alamsjah Hanafiah, Gunawan's lawyer.

Under Indonesian law, after a Supreme Court has rejected an appeal, the death row inmate has two possible extraordinary measures to escape the death sentence – judicial review and presidential pardon.

Requesting a judicial review by the Supreme Court requires the inmate to provide new evidence supporting his innocence. Asking for a presidential pardon must be preceded by an admission to the crime.

Alamsjah said he would refer to the case of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who also hired someone to murder a Supreme Court judge but was sentenced to just 15 years in prison.

"Many death row inmates don't use their rights to extraordinary legal options, but at the last minute might request presidential clemency or a judicial review," Didiek said. "In addition, carrying out the death sentence costs us a huge amount of money," he said.

Last year's execution hiatus was a sharp contrast to 2008, when the AGO ordered the execution of 10 inmates – a record in the post-Suharto era.

The flurry of executions started after a humiliating bribery scandal rocked the AGO in March 2008. Prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

International human rights group Amnesty International noted that the executions in 2008 totaled only one less than the 11 recorded in the "entire preceding decade."

Amnesty International strongly criticized Indonesia for voting against a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions.

According to the AGO, the country has 107 inmates on death row. Including Gunawan, six have been declared ready to face the firing squad.

The five others include drug trafficker Meirika Franola and convicted murderers Bahar bin Matsar, Jurit bin Abdullah, Ibrahim bin Ujang and Suryadi Swabhuana.

The AGO also said six death-row inmates – Irwan Sadawa Hia, Taroni Hia, Dody Marshal, Jufry, alias Muh Dahri, Imran Sinaga and Rambe Hadipah Paulus Purba – had escaped from prison and were at large.

Although no inmate was put to death in 2009, the number of inmates on death row has fallen from 112 last year. Two condemned inmates, Banged Siahaan and Edith Yunita Sianturi, died of natural causes while in custody, and three other inmates had their death sentences commuted to life in prison by the Supreme Court following judicial reviews.

The three were Australian nationals Matthew Norman, Thanh Duc Tan Nguyen and Si Yi Chen, members of the so-called Bali Nine. They were arrested in April 2005 for attempting to smuggle heroin out of Bali.

"The death sentence is cruel and inhuman. It fails as a deterrent so we need to take a lesson from other countries who have abolished capital punishment but at the same time successfully reduced crime and corruption," said Usman Hamid, the chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a human rights group.

Prank case sheds light on poor legal system

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2010

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – Having to stand trial for a prank involving a bee sting and the sudden media attention was too much for a nine-year-old third grader to handle.

The boy was forced to stand trial at the Surabaya District Court allegedly for placing a bee on his classmate's cheek, a case that highlights the country's poor juvenile justice system that continues to fail underage offenders, with critics pointing to the number of underage children who are tried in regular criminal court and detained in adult prisons.

The boy's mother, Eny Sulistyawati, said that ever since the March 3, 2009, incident began to be probed by police, media attention has been high, causing the elementary school student to become a recluse. "He is ashamed of being asked about the case," Eny said.

The second of three siblings is being tried in absentia. The trial began last Monday, with the next hearing scheduled for Monday.

Prosecutor Syahroni said earlier the boy was charged with severe abuse leading to an injury to his schoolmate and could face a maximum sentence of 32 months in prison. At his home in the Tandes area in Surabaya, the boy said that when he grew up, he did not want to be a policeman, not because he was upset with the girl's father, police Comr. Supardi Astiko, who brought the case to court, but because he considered the job a tough one.

"A cop always leaves his family to conduct his duty. I would like to become a businessman like my father since he always has time to play with me everyday," he said, referring to his father, Seno Pranggono, who sells basic necessities in his store.

Among family members and neighbors, the defendant is known as a diligent, sociable and smart boy who helps his parents take care of his six-month-old sister as the family does not have a maid.

At school, Eny said her son is known as a cheerful boy who likes to joke with his classmates. He also plays the trumpet in the school's marching band and often represents the school in big festivals.

She said her family apologized to the girl's family and asked them not to take the case to court, but were turned down. The girl's family insisted on proceeding with the case, arguing that the girl was often a victim of pranks by her classmates.

"Supardi said he was hurt to learn his daughter was often teased by classmates while the school never punished her tormentors. He said that by bringing the case to court, he could give others a lesson," she said.

Eny and her husband still hoped their son did not have to appear at court, saying he was too young to handle the pressure. "We don't want him to be traumatized by the trial."

Asked for a confirmation via his cell phone, Supardi said based on the 2002 law on child protection, the media should have differently handled the coverage of a child facing a legal case. "As a law-abiding citizen, I don't want to comment," he said and hung up.

The case is not the first of its kind. In 2006, an eight-year-old boy was sent to an adult prison in North Sumatra for fighting with another student, but was later returned to the care of his parents.

The trial and detention of children as adults violates the 1997 law on children's courts, the 2003 law on child protection, the 1999 law on human rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Indonesia is a signatory.

Constitutional Court wins honors for most transparent judiciary

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2010

The much-respected Constitutional Court on Monday received an award from the Malang-based Brawijaya University for being the most transparent judicial institution in the country.

"Judiciary processes in the Constitutional Court have been carried out openly and accountably," university rector Yogi Sugito said.

Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD said the court had received a number of awards from various institutions and would probably receive even more in the future because of its achievements.

"These awards force us to continue our accomplishments and to do our best to improve the court's ability to produce rulings that fulfill the public's sense of justice," he said.

This month, the Constitutional Court received a similar award from the Islamic University of Indonesia in Yogyakarta for "its consistency and its role in the judicial sector for the betterment of the nation."

Emerson Yuntho, who heads the judicial division of Indonesia Corruption Watch, said the awards were nothing new to the court as it has been able to maintain its reputation as a clean and professional establishment.

"So far, the court should be considered the best state institution due to its transparency and professionalism," he said.

The Constitutional Court had also received awards from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) for its budget management transparency and from the Republic of Indonesia National Archive (ANRI) for its work managing state records.

Established in 2004, the court is seen as one of the most successful institutions to come out of the country's reform movement. Unlike regular judiciaries, the Constitutional Court does not charge parties who appear before them. The court has also managed to set up an online registration system. Its verdicts can be downloaded from its Web site, unlike regular courts, whose decisions often take months or years to be announced.

Amid the controversial dispute last year between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on one hand and the Attorney General's Office and the National Police on the other, the Constitutional Court revealed the wiretapped phone conversations that pointed to an apparent plot to frame two KPK deputies.

That court session was widely televised and prompted the government to declare eliminating case brokers as a top priority. (Antara, JG)

Rich inmates 'improve general conditions'

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2010

Jakarta – While it is an unspoken truism that most penitentiaries in the country face the enduring problem of overcapacity and lack of funding, the arrival of certain inmates is having a significant impact on the lives of other prisoners.

The new boys, or girls, are those with fat wallets, and when they set foot in their cells, for other inmates it could mean better meals or rewarding jobs.

Findings by the judicial corruption eradication task force earlier this month confirmed a public secret: Rich inmates paid for and received special treatment. But a discussion on Tuesday showed that other inmates have benefitted from this as well.

"Prison food is nutritionally very poor. But when a cukong (patron) appears, the menu soon changes and prisoners can enjoy (fried) fish," Ruhut Sitompul, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal affairs, said.

When he was chairman of youth organization Pemuda Pancasila, Ruhut spent nearly two months at the Jakarta Police detention center in the 1990s. He also said that when rich inmates received air-conditioned cells, other inmates would get better cells.

"I firmly believe that when Artalyta was moved, the other inmates at Pondok Bambu (Correctional Facility) missed her. When she went, so did their benefits," he added, referring to Artalyta Suryani, who was relocated to Tangerang penitentiary on Jan. 15 after the task force found the corruption convict living in a spacious air-conditioned cell, furnished with a large-screen LCD TV and receiving regular beauty treatments. She also had a spacious karaoke lounge.

The finding led to the axing of several officials at the Pondok Bambu penitentiary and at the regional office of the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.

Pondok Bambu Correctional Facility chief warden Sarju Wibowo was replaced by Catur Budi Patayatin earlier this month. Minister Patrialis Akbar also said Tuesday that he would reassign several officials at the ministry's Directorate General of Prisons in early February.

It was later reported that in Tangerang Penitentiary, Artalyta refused to eat and cried, complaining about the small cell she had to share with two other inmates.

But the classic problems of penitentiaries remain and the ministry's response to them seems little more than a quick fix.

"Police, prosecutors and judges continue to imprison people who don't necessarily belong there," University of Indonesia sociologist Imam Prasodjo said.

He cited the case of Mak Minah, a 55-year-old woman who had to serve more than a month in prison for stealing three cacao beans late last year.

"A prison is a place where all kinds of criminals are placed together and even share the same cell; they have white collar criminals and blue collar criminals interacting with one another when the correctional method for the two should be different," he said.

Ruhut pledged the House would prioritize the deliberation of the new Criminal Code. The bill has been stagnating at the House for the last 10 years. "I will also fight to increase the budget for penitentiary management," he said.

The Directorate General of Prisons received a budget of Rp 111 billion (US$11.1 million) in 2009, down from Rp 149 billion a year earlier. The budget for this year is Rp 114 billion. (adh)

Police/law enforcement

National police move away from military terminology

Jakarta Globe - January 27, 2010

Farouk Arnaz – The National Police on Wednesday vowed to present a friendlier face to the public, including abandoning terminology associated with the military.

"As soon as possible we will change the term National Police Headquarters to National Police Head Office, which sounds more civilian," National Police chief detective Ito Sumardi said while inaugurating a new media and complaint center.

"And the Provincial Police Headquarters will be changed to Provincial Police Regional Offices," he said, adding that authorities hoped the change of the new terminology would have an impact on police behavior.

For more than three decades under the Suharto regime, the role of Indonesia's National Police was overshadowed by the strong military, which the dictator used as a tool to maintain power.

The National Police were integrated into the Armed Forces under the Ministry of Defense, led by an Army general. As such, the police force was obliged to report to the military chief, and to use military procedures and techniques.

One goal of post-Suharto reforms was to separate the security forces so that the military would focus on national defense and the police on domestic security.

"Please don't judge us as unprofessional just because a few of our 400 thousand officers make mistakes," Sumardi said.

"There are so many good police around us who work without even thinking of themselves and their families. At this time my antiterror teams are trying to catch terror fugitives in East Java and Sulawesi," he said, refusing to elaborate.

Economy & investment

Indonesia's economy on track, says World Bank

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2010

Nani Alfrida, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy has returned back on track following a period of lower growth last year due to the global economic crisis.

World Bank economist Timothy Bulman said in Jakarta on Thursday that the country's economy is almost ready to return to the boom conditions prior to the 1998 financial crisis, when GDP growth often reached between 7 percent and 8 percent.

"The real economy has returned back to solid growth," he told a seminar of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF).

The World Bank estimates the growth rate would increase to 5.6 percent this year, and to 6 percent in 2011 up from 4.5 percent in 2009. The bank is also upbeat that the country's anticipated export volume is expected to return to pre-crisis levels during 2010, as the world economy gradually recovers and commodity prices rise.

Timothy suggests Indonesia creates a more conducive investment climate to attract both foreign and local investors, so that investment activities could contribute more significantly to the country's economic growth.

"Indonesia has to be more aggressive in facilitating domestic and foreign investment." Timothy said.

According Timothy, besides investments, Indonesia is ready for and needs breakthroughs like easing transport and logistic bottlenecks and connecting Indonesia's domestic market and the regions.

Speaking at the same event, Ikhsan Modjo, the executive director of INDEF, agreed that the Indonesian economy had almost fully recovered from the crisis.

But, he warned much work still had to be done by the government to maintain upward trends, because inappropriate policies would undermine progress.

Ikhsan mentioned that wrong handling of negative impacts from the much criticized ASEAN China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) could drag down GDP growth.

"The government had to lower its entry barriers and operating costs. It has also to improve trade facilitation as well as to control the proliferation of non tariff barriers," he said.

The government expects the GDP growth to increase to 5.5 percent this year. However in order to achieve the target of bringing economic growth up to above 6 percent per year within the next five years, the government had to take more positive steps.

The government has finished drafting the second National Middle Term Development Plan (RPJMN) for 2010-2014. The blue print will be officially launched on Feb. 3.

Analysis & opinion

Scaled-back expectations in Indonesia

Asia Times - January 29, 2010

Sara Schonhardt, Jakarta – An estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people gathered across Jakarta on Thursday to mark the 100th day of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second term in office. Waving banners and shouting into bullhorns, students, workers and activists lashed out against the former general's failure to curb high-level graft in government.

Their numbers at present pose little real challenge to the second-term president. While many here criticize him as weak and ineffectual, his leadership still represents a significant improvement on past heavy-handed military and incompetent democratic leaders.

Leading Indonesia through five years of relative political and economic stability helped Yudhoyono win a landslide re-election in July. With an even stronger mandate headed into his second term, for which he was sworn into office last October, Yudhoyono set out an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days, including vows to eradicate corruption, take action to help curb global warming, and move to revitalize the security forces to better combat terrorism.

Three months later, critics say the president has done little other than draft policy blueprints. Court battles over a failed bank bailout and corruption allegations that followed have stymied his early efforts to achieve substantial action. Kevin O'Rourke, a political analyst at Reformasi Weekly, said it was politically risky to take on such an ambitious agenda in such a short timeframe.

He said reforms on the economic front have progressed, with more than 50 of the 130 action items aimed at the economy completed. O'Rourke said there is still an off-chance that Yudhoyono could still sign off on a flurry of new regulations before the government's 100-day marker, which falls on Monday.

At the outset of his term, Yudhoyono's decision to pad his cabinet with reformist technocrats, such as Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and the creation of a presidential unit tasked with removing development bottlenecks, seemed to bode well for his reform agenda. Analysts hoped he would leverage the support of his ruling coalition, which controls three-fourths of the seats in parliament, to push through early amendments to the labor law, which faced stiff resistance during his first term.

But his perceived commitment to fighting graft has ebbed amid an investigation into the US$715 million bailout of failed lender Bank Century. Yudhoyono has denied accusations that he funded his re-election campaign with money siphoned from the bank's rescue, which critics have noted amounted to nearly $575 million more than the finance ministry originally projected.

So far no evidence has surfaced to implicate the president in foul play. But Al Araf, the program director for security issues at human-rights monitor Imparsial, blames the bad publicity surrounding the Bank Century case for the president's failure to address more serious problems, including military reform.

With its image suffering, the government has continued to point to its relative success in weathering the 2008 global financial crisis. But Irwan Omar, director of political risk firm iNusantara, said the rhetoric has raised expectations at a time when government spending programs have been slow to trickle down to the grass roots level.

Thursday's protests sought among other things to counter government claims about marked economic improvements. "It's not fiscal policy that has helped the economy but people adapting to the structural pressures of economic development," said Irwansyah, vice chairman of Perhimpunan Rakyat Rekerjam, or Working People's Association, which led protests under a People's Opposition Front (FOR) banner in 20 cities across Indonesia.

Irwansyah referred to studies by international aid group Oxfam and other non-governmental organizations that have shown how Indonesian workers took their own initiative to adapt to the economic crisis. Around 70% of Indonesia's total work force is employed in the informal sector, according to Irwansyah.

He claims that most have not been trained to deal with increasing global competition and are likely to be hit hard by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-China free-trade agreement (FTA), which came into force this month and could lead to an influx of cheap Chinese goods such as textiles and footwear into Indonesian markets.

Yudhoyono has played down those concerns, saying that the FTA will benefit local businesses that can now export more goods to China. But Irwansyah and others believe those comments underscore the notion that Yudhoyono's government is too outward-looking in the implementation of his economic policies. "It's not a success story for the Indonesian people," the labor leader said, referring to statements from the United States and elsewhere that applaud Yudhoyono's efforts to root out terrorism and boost economic growth.

For its part, FOR is pushing for full transparency in government, especially in the notoriously graft-ridden judiciary and police. Other groups have more extremely called for Yudhoyono's impeachment, but Irwansyah said the goal among the workers and trade unions he represents is to change the system by showing that the government is no longer legitimate.

"Only through these [corruption] scandals do people have information about how easy it is to manipulate policymakers," he said. "It's about getting people to see we no longer trust him."

Erwin Usman, deputy director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Wahli), also took part in Thursday's demonstrations to protest against government policies that he claims prioritize international investment over the welfare of local communities. "The government allows capital from multinational companies to control how it manages its natural resources," said Erwin, explaining that indigenous people are often deprived of their land in favor of companies involved in mining or palm oil plantations.

Despite the street-level criticism, editors at the English- language Jakarta Globe newspaper penned an editorial on Wednesday calling Yudhoyono "our best choice as president of Indonesia and also the people's clear choice as the best man to lead this country".

While Yudhoyono's popularity has dropped from the 90% recorded just after his re-election, nearly 70% of the population still supports him, according to a recently released poll by the Indonesian Survey Institute. When compared with other leaders in the region, including in Thailand, which competes for foreign direct investment while enduring revolving-door governments, Yudhoyono has had success in pushing reforms.

Significantly, Indonesia's recent political hiccups, including recent street protests, have not undermined foreign confidence in the country's direction. Credit rating agency Fitch upgraded Indonesia's sovereign credit rating on Tuesday to its highest level since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. That's at least one vote in favor of Yudhoyono's first 100 days in office.

[Sara Schonhardt is a freelance writer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She has lived and worked in Southeast Asia for six years and has a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.]

Popular, but not leading

Jakarta Post Editorial - January 28, 2010

Don't be deceived by the loud protests and criticisms that we have been hearing these days as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono marks the first 100-days of his second term in office on Thursday. Marred by two major controversies, the new administration may be struggling to get off the ground, but two new independent surveys show the President remains hugely popular.

Indobarometer's survey indicated a 15 percent decline in Yudhoyono's approval rating from the time after he was elected in August, to 75 percent last week. The Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) found his popularity at 68.9 percent.

In contrast, US President Barack Obama, marking his first year in office last week, enjoyed a 57 percent job approval rating among Americans, according to a Gallup poll. Obama was also hugely popular when he was elected in November 2008, but his strong popularity, in spite of the troubles with his healthcare bill, may be due to the fact that he is a first term president where the honeymoon usually lasts longer.

Yudhoyono's standing among his people today would be the envy of any democratically elected leader anywhere in the world. Bear in mind this is his second term in office, so the honeymoon is short. If we go by Indobarometer and the LSI surveys, there is no reason not to believe them, Yudho-yono is still the people's President.

But his obsession with his popularity has probably become his biggest problem. He has not done much in the first 100-days other than fend off criticism by skirting his way around big controversies. He has not provided the leadership that many people hoped to see when they voted for him in July, and still do not see today after more than three months since his inauguration.

How much leadership he provides to this nation can be gauged by the number of times he has appeared on the front pages of mainstream newspapers or become a top TV news item. We have not seen much of that lately. When we did, it was mostly to respond to criticism.

Admittedly, making newspaper headlines is not a good measure of his leadership, but the infrequency of his appearances indicates a President that is not really in control of the country's direction. Instead he has allowed others, including his own close aides, to wrestle most of the initiatives away from him and determine the national agenda.

National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri stole the limelight from the President's National Summit to launch the government's new 100-day program in October, when he arrested the deputies of the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK), and made sure that he got into the headlines for the next few days and weeks. News about

Yudhoyono's summit, and the substance of the 100-day program got buried or was lost.

The KPK controversy died down after his somewhat belated intervention, but another one is still brewing, with Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati facing a parliamentary inquiry over their role in the 2008 bailout of Bank Century. The House's politicians have used the inquiry as a "bully pulpit" and have made a name for themselves in doing so.

This is the story of a president who is powerful yet somewhat powerless, almost a repeat of 2004 after his first term election. Like five years ago, this time the President came into the office with so much political capital with more than 60 percent of the votes. He has even cobbled together a formidable coalition that technically enjoys 75 percent of support in the House. But as in 2004, he appears to be squandering the opportunities presented.

Any president serving his last term (since by law he cannot run again in 2014) would use such a huge support base to start building a legacy. He would dispense with any notion of trying to remain popular and expend the huge political capital he has (and he still has most of it three months into office) on doing what is right for the country and for the people, and not simply doing what is popular.

Let's hope the third album of the nine new songs he composed, titled Ku Yakin Sampai Di Sana (I Believe I will get There), which he released last week, will be his last until after 2014. Mr. President, it's time to retake the wheel and steer this ship, which has been drifting aimlessly, in the right course. Only then can we believe that we will all get there.

'Dirty dancing' or 'The sound of MUI-sic?'

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2010

Julia Suryakusuma, Jakarta – Remember Johnny Castle? I'm sure the clerics from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) think him the devil incarnate, but you probably remember him better as actor Patrick Swayze (who died in September 2009) in his role as the sexy working-class dance instructor in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.

The story is set in 1963 in a US Catskill Mountains resort. It revolves around the hackneyed theme of girl-meets-boy-from-the- wrong-side-of-the-tracks.

Baby, the 17-year-old daughter of a well-to-do family develops a crush on Johnny, and they become lovers. He introduces her to working-class "dirty dancing": the mambo and other Latin naughtiness. When Johnny's usual dance partner gets knocked up by her boyfriend, he trains Baby to replace her.

Much of the film involves hot dancing scenes, packed with hip- thrusting, pelvis-grinding, close-body contact and other steamy moves that would horrify the clerics. The result?

The movie sizzles, and it became a massive box-office hit. And that is a good reminder that in their time, almost all forms of American pop dance and music – from the foxtrot to tango – have scandalized the older generation, including in the United States!

Now fast forward half a century to 2010 in Bandung, where four women and two men were arrested for "dirty dancing" in a cafe on New Year's Eve. Under the pornography law they could be imprisoned for up to 15 years.

Their crime? Wearing clothes that were too sexy and "doing 'pornographic' movements. that could arouse sexual urges". It probably isn't much consolation to the dancers, I know, but they're in good company: many of the most successful performers in history were also banned for being vulgar and immoral, including Elvis, the Beatles and Madonna.

The Bandung cafe raid is the first time that anyone has been charged under the pornography law, which was pushed through parliament in October 2008 by Muslim conservatives who seem to have appointed themselves guardians of the morality of our nation.

So, ignoring for the moment countless ugly instances of hard- liner hypocrisy such as the three sharia police officers in Aceh who recently raped a university student, let's take a deep breath and see what other creative ideas our moral protectors have come up with in their crusade to save us all.

First off, I see that the MUI's edict commission has banned rebonding. What's that? A sadomasochistic sexual practice? No, it's merely the name for hair-straightening – the opposite of a perm.

Perms are also banned, of course, as are punk dos, funky haircuts and even dreadlocks. The reason? These hairdos could "invite moral danger"! Really?

And then there are calls to ban pre-wedding photos (yes, that's right, portrait shots of engaged couples) because they are maksiat – in violation of god's law, immoral, sinful and wicked. Bizarre, maybe, but you have to give the clerics full points for imagination.

They also want to ban women from being either drivers or passengers of ojek (motorcycle taxis) because that would put them in close proximity to members of the opposite sex.

I'd give that idea three points out of 10 for imagination because the link is too obvious, whereas the rulings on hairdos and pre- wedding photos are totally wild!

I mean, who would have thought that everything that's wrong with our country could be brought home to salons and wedding photographers?

Who would have thought that coiffure reform would be the key to national salvation?

I thought only countries like Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan got so worked up about hair and hip-wriggling.

Now it seems the MUI want Indonesia to become more like these places. What a great idea, boys!

Such prosperous and happy nations, full of people with smiles on their faces because, of course, it's more important to have sharia implemented than to have full bellies, education for the kids, shelter, proper health, sanitation or water, let alone a peaceful, stable democracy enjoying economic growth (like the one we've got here in sinful, well-coiffed, dance-crazy Indonesia).

Perhaps the MUI hasn't noticed that implementing conservative visions of sharia that target women doesn't seem to be working. After all, more than half of the world's poor are Muslims – the poorest of the poor being women – as are 75 percent of refugees.

In fact, Muslim countries are among the world's poorest, weakest and illiterate, despite the fact that some are rich in resources. Although Muslims make up 22 percent of the world population, they produce less than 5 percent of global GDP.

In 2005, the combined GDP of 57 Muslim countries was less than US$2 trillion, but the United States alone – home of dirty dancing and dodgy hairdos – produced goods and services worth $10.4 trillion.

China manages $5.7 trillion, Japan $3.5 trillion, India $3 trillion and Germany $2.1 trillion. Yes, Saudia Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar collectively produce goods and services (mainly oil) worth $430 billion, but the Netherlands has a higher annual GDP, while Buddhist Thailand produces goods and services worth $429 billion.

Even more worrying, Muslim countries' GDP as a percentage of global production is going down. The Arabs, it seems, are especially badly off, despite their religious conservatism and insistence on covering women's hair.

The UN Arab Development Report tells the story: "Half of Arab women cannot read; one in five Arabs live on less than $2 per day; only 1 percent of the Arab population has a personal computer, and only 0.5 percent use the Internet; 15 percent of the Arab workforce is unemployed, and this could double by 2010. Average growth rate of the per capita income in the Arab world was only 0.5 percent per annum, worse than anywhere but sub- Saharan Africa."

So Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation, needs to make a choice: Patrick Swayze, or our hair-brained (sic) clerics? Please tell me that's a no-brainer!

[The writer is the author of Julia's Jihad.]

Stop church burning

Jakarta Post Editorial - January 26, 2010

We bet most people are not happy about the burning of churches in North Sumatra on Friday night. As a Muslim-majority nation, we are a proud democracy. And we have had enough Christian-Muslim conflicts in the past, notably the Ambon and Poso conflicts. We are also an emerging multicultural nation with a proud legacy of religious pluralism. However, the trajectory of a nation toward its maturity is often difficult to fathom.

Our minds promptly turn to religious leaders and the many interfaith dialogues that have been held. We are afraid that they might have only churned out sweet talk and exacerbated such conflicts.

We are also concerned that there is a big gap dividing religious leaders and those at the grass roots. The question is how to close this gap.

Past experience has taught us that religious conflicts often mask the real issues beneath them.

One of the causes of the previous Ambon conflict between Christians and Muslims in Ambon that began in the late 1990s is understood as a perceived shift in the makeup of the bureaucracy. What was once a Christian-heavy civil service in the predominantly Christian community, slowly gave way to a majority Muslim one when Soeharto played the Islamic card in attempt to stay in power.

This was also related to the similar follow-up conflict in Poso that turned the once beautiful town of Central Sulawesi into a ghost town following the hellish destruction. Blood and tears were shed in both communities. Thousands of lives perished in the wars and a sustained suffering of immense proportions has since haunted the communities.

Small-scale tensions between Christians and Muslims, like the rash of attacks against churches in Jakarta in recent years, have often stemmed from trivialities such as disputes over the control of parking fees, but they have been reported as religious conflicts nonetheless. The media is partly to blame for this as it is often too lazy to report the real issue.

It is a public secret that in some cases unscrupulous elements treat plans to construct churches as a potential way to extort bribes. These elements do not oppose church construction as such; they just identify the cash benefits behind it. Still, however, the public sees it as an affront against Christians.

It is with such cautiousness that we have to view the North Sumatra incident, where two churches and a pastor's home were set on fire, allegedly by a Muslim mob. We know that dealing with such a geographically diverse area such as the predominantly Muslim South Tapanuli and its neighbor, the predominantly Christian North Tapanuli, requires sensible handling. Particularly as this was the first time such attacks have occurred in the region.

Learning from the past, we cannot rule out the intrusion of outsiders in Tapanuli. There will always be elements that will take advantage of religious conflicts for their own political interests.

Unfortunately, too often people will take the law into their own hands in such circumstances. To prevent this from happening, we need a professional police force that will not take sides. The way the police have handled the incident in Padang Lawas regency in Sibuhuan, where not a single perpetrator was held days after the arson attacks, is not a good example.