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Indonesia News Digest 30 – August 8-14, 2012

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News & issues

West Java to ban pig farming due to MUI's 'haram' edict

Jakarta Post - August 14, 2012

Arya Dipa and Fadli, Bandung/Batam – The West Java provincial administration plans to close all pig farms in the Muslim majority province following the implementation of a ban on pig farming in provincial draft ordinance concerning animal husbandry and animal health.

West Java Husbandry Agency head Koesmayadi Tatang Padmadinata said the ban on pig farming was related to potential environmental pollution.

"The Indonesian Ulema Council [MUI] edict on impurities states that Muslims are forbidden from coming into contact with any dirt related to pigs. That's the problem," Koesmayadi said in Bandung on Monday.

He added that the regulation to set up a livestock farm was not based on animal type, but it would be different with pigs due to the haram (forbidden in Islam) edict. Koesmayadi said that in West Java, pig farms were mostly located in the highlands area of Cigugur in Kuningan.

In the regulation, pig farms must be located on land with the lowest water flow. "In predominant Muslim West Java, it could be a problem. The farms are located on higher ground, while based on the law of gravity, water flows downward," he said.

Koesmayadi said that the closure of the pig farms in West Java was likely due to low pork consumption. "The non-Muslim population only consumes 87 tons of pork annually," he said, adding that production reached 1,481 tons annually.

Based on data at the West Java Husbandry Agency, meat demand in the province of 45 million stood at 331,363 tons, divided into various kinds, such as poultry (245,743 tons), beef (80,699 tons), mutton (4,835 tons) and pork (87 tons).

"Since the demand for pork is small, it can be brought in from Central Java, where the production is higher," said Koesmayadi.

Regarding the ban, West Java councilor Selly Gantina said the councilors had yet to discuss the matter. "We will also ask for suggestions from the public, because we also know that pork is also a source of protein, especially among non-Muslims," she added.

Meantime, Batam municipality in Riau Islands will also curb pig and poultry farms on Batam Island as they violate the local spatial planning bylaw, which bans the presence of livestock farms on the major island. The Batam municipality denied that the closure of pig farms was related with SARA (ethnic, religious, race and groups) issues.

The pig farms can be found in Sambu, Kabil and Batu Besar subdistricts in Batam, operated by 349 families raising 5,743 pigs. The farmers have been warned since April this year and given a deadline until early October to stop operating, failing which the municipality will destroy the animals.

Batam Maritime, Fisheries, Agriculture and Forestry Agency head Suhartini said on Monday that the presence of livestock in Batam violated the local spatial planning plan bylaw, which stipulated that there should not be livestock farms on the main island of Batam.

Local residents have complained about the unbearable stench from pig farms in the area, which are managed traditionally and are far from hygienic. The farms are to be relocated to other islands, such as Rempang, Galang and the Bulan islands.

"We hope the closure will not be turned into a SARA issue. The closure is purely on the grounds of the environment and zone allocation," said Suhartini.

A pig farmer in Kabil area, Liston Manurung, said the government should have considered and provided a solution for residents there because they had raised thousands of pigs.

Government likely to miss all targets for conversion to gas

Jakarta Post - August 11, 2012

Rabby Pramudatama, Jakarta – The government's highly touted program to convert official vehicles to natural gas from gasoline and diesel fuel is likely to miss all its targets this year.

Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Rudi Rubiandini said that the government was still in the process of procuring 15,000 conversion kits targeted for distribution this year.

The government, in partnership with state oil and gas company Pertamina, was also likely to miss a target to open 33 natural gas stations in Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java, this year, Rudi said.

"We are waiting for more conversion kits, which are still in the tender process by the ministry's directorate general for oil and gas. This is crucial," Rudi told reporters after Friday prayers at the ministry in Central Jakarta.

State-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia, which also manufactures non-aerospace products, could only supply 1,000 of the needed kits, which meant that the government would seek the remainder overseas, Rudi said.

Separately, Evita Herawati Legowo, who heads the oil and gas directorate, told The Jakarta Post on Friday that officials had just begun the tender process.

The government previously announced plans to distribute 25,000 conversion kits for official vehicles this year as part a program to reduce the nation's subsidized-fuel consumption by 300,000 kiloliters, which translates into an estimated Rp 1.5 trillion (US$163.5 million).

Rudi said that budget limits led the government to scale the target down to 15,000 conversion kits. He said the kits would be first installed, for free, on official and public transportation vehicles before the program was rolled out to private vehicle owners.

In June, three Italian firms – Faber Cylinders, Landi Renzo and BRC Gas Equipment – expressed interest in the procurement after the government implemented the conversion program.

Besides planning to provide conversion kits, the government also intends to build filling stations offering compressed-natural gas (CNG) and liquefied gas for vehicles (LGV).

Pertamina previously announced that it would open 30 CNG or LGV filling stations in Greater Jakarta and three in Surabaya. However, until now, there have only been 17 stations providing CNG and LGV in the cities.

Rudi said that Pertamina reported it would open one more online gas station in Jakarta by December, leaving the government 15 stations short of its target for 2012.

The gas station are divided into two categories. First are online filling stations that are connected by pipeline to a gas source, whether a well or floating storage and regasification units (FSRU). There are also "mother/daughter" filling stations that rely on tanker vehicles to deliver fuel from one gas reserve station to another.

Pertamina said in a recent statement that the company would spend up to Rp 2 trillion from the state budget to build needed infrastructure for the program this year.

The firm said it would start construction of five mother stations, nine daughter stations, 14 online stataion and revitalize six existing stations in 2012. The company has also committed to building four additional online filling stations in Jakarta.

The private sector has also been involved in the conversion program. The Association of CNG distributors (APCNG) has announced that association members would spend about Rp 3 trillion to set up the 200 gas stations with a combined capacity of 100 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD).

The Jakarta branch of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) lauded the government's plan. Organda members include taxi, minibus, bus and minivan operators.

Democrats nominate SBY's father-in-law as national hero

Jakarta Post - August 8, 2012

Purworejo, Central Java. The Democratic Party said on Wednesday that it would nominate President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's father-in-law, the late Gen. Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, for a national hero title.

Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum said the party had also decided to nominate the country's second attorney general, the late Kasman Singodimedjo.

"Insha Allah [God willing], in the near future we will nominate Pak Sarwo Edhie as a national hero. The Democrats have agreed to give him the title of a hero," Anas said during a visit to the Central Java town of Purworejo on Wednesday.

"Heroes are people we can learn from and who become our role models. Let's support this nomination," he added, as quoted by Indonesian news portal Liputan6.com.

Anas said Sarwo and Kasman deserved national hero titles because they played significant roles in uniting the country during the early days of its independence. Both of them were born in Purworejo – Sarwo in 1925 and Kasman in 1904. They died at the ages of 64 and 78, respectively.

Sarwo was commander of the Army's Para-Commando Regiment (RPKAD), now the Army's special forces unit Kopassus, from 1965-67. He helped eradicate the Communist Party (PKI) movement, which was largely deemed responsible for the failed 1965 coup attempt. Sarwo was the father of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono. His son Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo currently serves as the Army's chief of staff.

Kasman served as the attorney general from 1945-46. He also served as a junior justice minister and chaired the Central Indonesia National Committee (KNIP), now the House of Representatives. The Democratic Party was founded by Yudhoyono, who is now its chief patron.

Angry crowd burns down police station

Jakarta Post - August 8, 2012

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandar lampung – An angry crowd burned down a police station in Pesawaran regency, Lampung, at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, gutting the building and all its contents, charring documents and several motorcycles parked in its compound.

Aside from damaging the police office, the group, which was believed to have come from two conflicting villages – Hanurabrak and Bandar – in Padangcermin district, also opened up detention rooms to free all the detainees.

The actions of the group, which was involved in a clash with another group of youths, could not be thwarted because the police station was guarded by only three personnel.

The chaos started at 10 p.m. on Monday and lasted until midnight, with police officers from South Lampung Police and Marines only being deployed at 2 a.m., even though the marine headquarters was located only 10 kilometers from the incident.

Lampung Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sulistyaningsih said that the police had detained a man who was believed to have provoked the burning incident and questioned dozens of witnesses who were present at the site.

"The provocateur, identified as Wardana, has been named a suspect. The number of suspects will likely increase, possibly to over 10 people," Sulistyaningsih said on Tuesday.

The police believed that the incident was sparked by the attackers' dissatisfaction with the settlement of a clash involving two groups of youths from the two conflicting villages in June.

"They had actually agreed to make peace. However, this settlement likely led to dissatisfaction and sparked the chaos," she said. Sulistyaningsih added that the Lampung Police had deployed two companies of officers to help maintain security. The case was handled by South Lampung Police officers, she said.

Sulistyaningsih's remarks were approved by National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto, who said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the police office had been a scapegoat for the anger of two groups of people who had been clashing since June.

"It all started early in June when the local police were accidentally involved in a conflict between locals residents of two different ethnicities," he said. "Our members tried to reconcile both groups, but they failed as the groups started to attack one another again in July."

"We tried to mediate again. With public figures and youth community groups in the area, we discussed making an official written pact of peace. However, the people accused us of partiality and decided to take over the situation [and burned down one sectoral headquarters]," Agus said.

Additionally, eight vehicles were also damaged during the assault, while two female prisoners escaped.

The burning of police office buildings has frequently taken place in Lampung. Last January Gedongaji Police post in Tulangbawang regency, for example, was burned down by a large group. The incident was sparked by the death of a resident who was shot and killed by the police.

Lampung Police data shows that between 2009 and 2012 more than 10 police offices in Lampung had been burned by mass groups. Most of them took place in East Lampung, with the largest portion being sparked by dissatisfaction on the part of local residents against the way police settled cases.

Other police station burnings

Bima, NTB, Dec. 24, 2011: Lambu police station destroyed by protesters demanding the revocation of a mining company permit.

Gorontalo, April 23, 2012: A group of unidentified people torched Sumalata Police precinct in North Gorontalo. The fire was allegedly related to clash between police and army.

Bangka-Belitung, June 24, 2012: Pangkal Pinang Police station burned down by an unidentified group attacks apparently disappointed with the police's actions.

West Papua

Police arrest 10 in Papua for raising Morning Star flag

Jakarta Globe - August 11, 2012

Jayapura – West Papua Police have arrested 10 people for raising the banned Morning Star flag, a symbol of Papuan independence, during a rally in Manokwari on Thursday.

Authorities say they were cracking down on subversion against the state, while Amnesty International called on Friday for an investigation into human rights violations perpetrated by the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob).

A reported 100 people joined a long march in Manokwari, the West Papuan capital, to commemorate the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on Thursday, carrying the Morning Star flag and waving it for an hour in front of the local office of the Papuan Customary Council (DAP).

Police reportedly arrested up to 10 people from the crowd, accusing them of being involved in a seditious act.

"You can organize rallies, but don't bring [Morning Star] flags with the intention of opposing the state. That is called subversion," Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Yohanes Nugroho said in Jayapura on Friday. "We have seized the flag as evidence," he added.

Yohanes said police also arrested two men in Serui, the Papua district of Yapen Islands, for raising another Morning Star flag while calling themselves citizens of the Federal Republic of West Papua.

The secretary of the West Papua National Authority, Topan, said police not only seized the flag, but also some documents and electronic equipment.

"They seized all attributes [carried by protesters]. Some were beaten," Topan said, as quoted by Indonesian news portal tempo.co. The Morning Star flag is an especially contentious symbol. Papuan Filep Karma is currently serving a 15-year jail sentence for raising what the government calls the "separatist" Morning Star flag in 2004 in Jayapura.

In a statement issued on their website on Friday, Amnesty International called for an "independent and impartial investigation into reports that police used unnecessary and excessive force to disperse a peaceful demonstration."

Amnesty called the arrests "arbitrary," and said that according to their local sources, "some [demonstrators were] reportedly beaten by security forces during their arrest... Indonesian security forces then fired their guns into the air to disperse the protesters."

"The rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are guaranteed in Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a state party," Amnesty International's website read. "... Amnesty International has documented dozens of other cases of arbitrary arrest and detention in past years of peaceful political activists in Papua."

But Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, said in 2011 that detained Papuan activists are not political prisoners, but criminals who have broken the law. Djoko called the distinction a matter of perception.

Democratic Indonesia still holds political prisoners

Jakarta Post - August 10, 2012

Jakarta – Selphius Bobii may have spent four months in Abepura Penitentiary in Papua on charges of treason after joining the third Papuan People's Congress last October, but he remains convinced that he was not guilty of any crime.

According to Selphius, then leader of the United Front of West Papuan Fighters, what he and members of the organization did amounted to an exercise of their political rights as Papuans, and the central government should have respected it.

"We held the congress peacefully and engaged in no criminal or violent activity," he said on Thursday.

Selphius and six others were found guilty by the Jayapura District Court for violating Article 106 of the Criminal Code for an act of treason by holding the congress and declaring the independence of West Papua.

Before Selphius, dozens of other Papuan political activists had been imprisoned under Article 106 for various actions, ranging from the non- violent hoisting of the Papuan Morning Star flag to the decidedly more serious forceful entry into a police armory.

Data from National Papua Solidarity (NAPAS) claims there are now 45 political prisoners held inside a number of penitentiaries, namely Abepura, Biak, Fak Fak, Nabire, Serui, Timika and Wamena. Although international organizations like Amnesty International and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) categorize Selphius and his fellow activists as political prisoners, the Indonesian government considers them criminals.

"They were charged with acts of treason under articles in the Criminal Code, which means that they are criminals. However, some people consider them political prisoners as their actions were based on a political ideology," said Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana, acknowledging the contentious nature of the prisoners' status.

Following the downfall of the New Order regime in 1998, the government had unconditionally released "all" political prisoners, including individuals jailed since the 1965 anti-communist purges and political prisoners from Aceh and Timor Leste, who were arrested during the administration of former president Soeharto.

Because the Indonesian government does not recognize him as a political prisoner, prison guards treat Selphius and other Papuan activists the same as drug dealers, robbers or murderers. Selphius said that some prisoners were in critical condition and prevented from accessing proper medical treatment.

Filep Karma, a 50-year-old convict who was sentenced to 15 years for raising the Morning Star flag in 2004, suffers from colon cancer but cannot get treatment in Jakarta until he receives government permission.

"We raised money for his medical treatment because he refused to pay them [the prison] but we are still negotiating for [authorization for] him to go to Jakarta," he said.

Another prisoner, Ferdinand Pakage, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder of a police officer in March 2006, under what human rights activists describe as questionable circumstances, reportedly suffered the permanent loss of sight in his right eye and chronic acute headaches as a result of police brutality.

"Ferdinand's family and friends have gathered money for the treatment of his eye, but we can't get the permit for him to go out of the prison," Selphius said.

NAPAS coordinator Marthen Goo said that paying for the medical treatment should be the government's obligation. "However, officials say they don't have the money," Marthen said, adding that if the government refused to take care of them while in prison, the prisoners should be released.

Selphius demanded that the government unconditionally release all political prisoners in Indonesia and start a democratic process in Papua. "How can Indonesia call itself a democratic country if its government bans a very basic right of democracy – the freedom of expression?" Selphius said.

Neles Tebay, an activist with the Peaceful Papua Network, said that the fact that people were locked up for political reasons indicated that there was a political problem in Papua. He called on the government to release the prisoners. "After releasing the prisoners, then we can have a peaceful Jakarta-Papua dialogue," said Neles. (cor)

Papuans arrested for celebrating UN Day of the Indigenous Peoples

West Papua Media - August 9, 2012

On the International Day of the Indigenous Peoples, Papuan people took to the streets to celebrate their continued survival as indigenous people, and called for an end to the Indonesian government's occupation of their land. Demonstrations took place in Manokwari, Serui, Baliem, Jayapura and various other locations around West Papua.

Although the United Nations declaration of 2012 as the year of 'Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices' communicated a sense of optimism to First Nations people around the world, indigenous Papuans continue to experience a media blackout and silencing of indigenous voices by the Indonesian military. Despite the repression of Papuan voices this report demonstrates that local indigenous media activists continue to find ways to circumvent Indonesian government censorship and control of the press.

According to local sources a few days prior to the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, the head of Police in Yapen Island, Roycke Harry Langie, officially issued a letter rejecting a request for Papuans to celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous People's in Serui. In defiance of the Police refusal indigenous Papuan leaders in Serui proceeded to organise their planned celebration.

At around 9:00am (West Papua local time) on August 9, 2012 the combined forces of Brimob (Police Mobile Brigade), Densus 88 and TNI (Indonesian Army) blocked off access to Mantembu District and destroyed several houses.

Local stringers sent SMS messages to West Papua Media that at Anotaurei junction in Mantembu district, peaceful demonstrators were confronted with shots fired into the air by the police. A local source reported that sixteen shots were fired – six to the air and ten at human targets. The shoting generated fear and panic amongst the people and forced many, including local villagers to seek refuge in the nearby jungle.

At midday Australian time, West Papua Media team rang the Head of Police, Roycke Harry Langie but the call was redirected to an interrogation squad spokesperson (Reskrim), Mr Waluyo, who denied that any shots were fired and stated that no arrests had been made.

Despite police claims West Papua Media continued to get reports from several people in Serui who confirmed that eleven people had been arrested including a seven months pregnant woman, Ratna Semboari, who is a Member of State Council of Yapen of the Federated Republic of West Papua, a banned independence organisation. A witness told West Papua Media by phone conversation that Ms Semboari was pushed forcefully into Brimob truck and fell very hard on her belly.

Sopina Pangkurei, wife of Daud Abon, governor of Saireri of the Federated Republic of West Papua was also arrested. Activists told West Papua Media that she stood in agony as he watchd the security forces destroy his house. Local stringers report that police took a printer, a laptop and four banners declaring that 'The indigenous Papuans also support indigenous people's birthday.'

Other people arrested in Serui are:

At time of writing, Kayani, Waremtan, Wainarisi and Maniambo had been released from arrest.

In Manokwari, the celebration was held in front of the Papuan Tribe Council office with up to twelve Morning Star flags flying high in defiance of laws banning the West Papuan national flag. Many other people held smaller flags. Local stringers report that a thousands paraded around Manokwari town. Heavily armed Security forces attempted intimidation on the protest, and confiscated the Morning Star flags but people proceed to continue the march peacefully.

Meanwhile, in Jayapura, the Baliem Valley and other locations across Papua, celebrations were carried out under strict police supervision. In Jayapura the police prevented Papuan protesters from marching. However, protesters proceeded to the Council of Papuan Customary Chiefs to continue the celebration.

In the central highlands celebrations were also held at the Council of Papuan Customary Chiefs despite provocation by police, who according to local stringers surrounded the event in full combat gear. A Lani highland chief told West Papua Media by SMS that "the reason the police tried to stop the demonstrations was that they were held by 'unregistered' groups."

What this means," he continued, "is that the Indonesian Government does not respect human rights and universal freedoms."

Local residents blockade Papua airstrip, cite lack of compensation

Jakarta Globe - August 8, 2012

Residents of the Asmat district in Papua have organized a blockade of the local airstrip there, calling for compensation owed for land used in an expansion of the facility, an air transportation official said on Wednesday.

"It has now been two weeks since Trigana Air planes have been able to fly to Ewer due to the blocking of the airstrip by local people," John Rettob, who heads the Air Transportation section of the Mimika district Transportation, Communication and Informatics office, said.

He was quoted by state-run news agency Antara as saying that the blockade is taking place because citizens in the district are demanding reimbursement for land used by the local district authority that was used to extend the length of an airstrip. The goal of the extension was to allow bigger planes to land there.

The airstrip is currently serving flights from Timika and Merauke. Rettob commented that other flights to outlying airstrips using small planes, such as the ones going to Ewer, were mostly unaffected. He said that problems usually arose from bad weather conditions.

"There have been some flights delayed because of bad weather. In one week there are usually three to four flights that cannot proceed as scheduled," Rettob said, according to Antara.

Recent assaults on small airplanes flying to the region have also hindered travel to this remote section of the country. An attack on a Trigana Air Twin Otter airplane on April 8, 2012 in Jayapura left one passenger dead and four others injured, including the pilot and co-pilot.

There are 17 outer routes served by Timika, and three airlines serve these routes,as well – Tribana, Susi Air and Jhon Lin Air. Papua contains a very limited land road network, and thus relies heavily on air transportation to access the hinterland.

KNPB urge police to stop brutality against Papuans

Tabloid JUBI - August 8, 2012

Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) has requested that the security forces not be arrogant in continuing to chase, arrest and interrogate people who do not know anything, without following procedures that are applicable in Indonesia

This statement is conveyed by KNPB Spokesman, Wim R. Metlama. KNPB also strongly condemned the arrest of the former Chairman of the KNPB, Buchtar Tabuni. Buchtar, now the Chairman of the National Parliament of West Papua (PNWP), was prosecuted without legal evidence, and with facts unclear.

Medlama explained that the request is also associated with the arbitrary kidnappings of Doga Tabuni (29 years) and Alex Dagay (25 years) by plainclothes security forces on Monday (6/8) at 15:00 CLT at Housing III Waena, Jayapura, Papua, in Cenderawasih University's Dormitory area.

"They were then subjected to interrogation process under the bridge at New Street. The security apparatus also asked them about who spoke with a few people in the police search listings. They even offer some facilities (inducements) to the detainees if they were able to inform on the whereabouts of people that they are looking for, like (at a) pigsty and a mini kiosk, "said Metlama, accompanied by KNPB activist Tinus Yohame in the press conference in Abepura, Tuesday (7/8).

Metlama also urged the disclosure of the (facts behind the) shooting of Mako Tabuni, including efforts to arrest the new Chairman of the KNPB, Victor F. Yeimo by the police outside the Court trial of Buchtar Tabuni trial. "Thus Spake KNPB to urge that the police to stop brutality outside the legal procedures against Papuan people, particularly the activists of KNPB," he said. (Jubi/Eveerth)

Media & press freedom

Activist, NGO win prestigious awards

Jakarta Post - August 8, 2012

Dina Indrasafitri, Jakarta – An AIDS activist from Surabaya, East Java and a Jakarta-based journalism watchdog have won prestigious awards given by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

AJI announced on Tuesday that Esthi Susanti Hudiono, the Executive Director for the Hotline Surabaya Foundation had won this year's SK Trimurti award for campaigning for gender equality, while the Legal Aid Foundation for the Press (LBH Pers) won the Tasrif Award for its continuing struggle for press freedom.

According to Andy Yentriyani of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), one of this year's judges for the SK Trimurti award, Esthi had earned the award due to her relentless advocacy for the reproductive and sexual rights – as well as the basic human rights – of sex workers.

"Her decision to fight for this cause regularly puts her in a position where she has to deal with challenges from the community and stigma," Andy said.

Esthi's Hotline Surabaya Foundation deals with issues of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The foundation traces its roots to a column that she edits for the Surabaya-based Surya daily.

Her other achievements include initiating and drafting an East Java bylaw on AIDS prevention and mitigation. She is considered as having played a crucial role in the adoption of the ordinance, the first of its kind in the country.

Previous winners of the SK Trimurti award include Masruchah, who is now the deputy chair of Komnas Perempuan, and Maria Farida Indrati, a Constitutional Court judge.

The SK Trimurti award is named after Soerastri Karma Trimurti – a female journalist born in the Dutch colonial era and a former minister of labor in the Sukarno administration. Trimurti's firm stance against colonialism landed her in prison several times and led to her being tortured.

The AJI named LBH Pers winner of the Tasrif award for its role in defending the freedom of the press. The Tasrif award was inspired by Suardi Tasrif, who is considered the author of the Code of Ethics among Indonesian journalists.

This year, the AJI did not give out the Udin award, which is usually given to a journalist who has become a victim of violence. The AJI's Aryo Wisanggeni said none of the country's journalists qualified for the award.

The AJI also named the National Police and the House of Representatives as enemies of press freedom for 2012.

The two institutions share the award for doing nothing to defend press freedom. "Between August 2011 and July 2012, there were 45 cases of violence against journalists... but the police did nothing to take action against the perpetrators," he said.

The House won the award for endorsing the State Intelligence Law, which could allow the government to become less transparent and more secretive.

Political parties & elections

Monarchs remain in control of Yogyakarta under new law

Jakarta Post - August 14, 2012

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and Sri Paku Alam IX, twin monarchs of the Yogyakarta sultanate, will have their positions as governor and deputy governor extended for another five-year term after the government and the House of Representatives endorsed the bill on Yogyakarta's special autonomy status.

In the bill, both sides agree that political leadership of the province will be held by the two royal families through appointment.

Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, 66, and Sri Paku Alam, 74, are expected to be inducted in October soon after the House officially endorses the bill in early September.

The terms for the two leaders officially ended in October 2011 but were extended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, pending the deliberation of key issues in the bill.

Deputy chairman of House Commission II overseeing domestic politics Gandjar Pranowo said that it looked certain that the bill would be endorsed in a plenary session with only small changes from the draft approved today.

"The Sultan and the Paku Alam will be reassigned as governor and deputy governor for another five-year term if they are mentally and physically fit for the job. And if they are deemed incapable, it is the members of the two royal families who will find their successors," Gandjar told The Jakarta Post here on Monday.

Yudhoyono's Democratic Party finally caved in after a meeting between the President and Hamengkubuwono at the Presidential Palace in June.

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi lauded the deal saying that it was an achievement to break the prolonged deadlock between nine political factions and the government, which is backed by the Democratic Party.

The Majority of political parties and the public in Yogyakarta have thrown their weight behind the province's governor being appointed on the basis of royal traits rather than elected.

Chairman of the Democratic Party faction Nurhayati Ali Assegaf declined to comment on why her faction relented. "Our faction does not want to waste time in deliberation. We want a quick endorsement of the bill," she said.

Analysts have said that the Democratic Party's sinking popularity from involvement in graft cases, had made it vulnerable to pressure in Yogyakarta.

Nurhayati said that as a trade-off, the two monarchies are required to groom good quality and well-educated princes or princesses to prepare them for the province's top jobs. "The Sultanate and Pakualaman have to send princes or princesses to quality schools and colleges or provide top-notch education to make them fit for the job," she said.

The Yogyakarta Special Autonomy Bill is only one among a number of bills currently deliberated in the House dealing with local administrations.

Gandjar said that the House managed only to wrap up deliberation on the Yogyakarta Special Autonomy Bill and left out others including bills on regional administration, local elections and village administration.

He said the on-going review of the 2004 regional administration law suffered from too many inputs from the public while the deliberation of bills on local elections and village administration experience delay from bickering among political factions.

Presidential hopefuls bring plenty of baggage: Analysts

Jakarta Globe - August 13, 2012

Ezra Sihite – The list of possible candidates for the 2014 presidential election may be growing, but no one in the lineup has a spotless resume, according to politicians and analysts.

Romahurmuziy, a United Development Party (PPP) legislator, said over the weekend that the would-be candidates all had a past that was clouded with allegations of some kind of dubious conduct.

"Of the prospective candidates we've seen to date, all have some kind of poor record on human rights, business dealings or politics," he said.

The would-be candidate with the most blemishes on his record, according to most recent opinion polls, is Prabowo Subianto, a former commander of the notorious Kopassus, the Army's special forces.

A former son-in-law of former President Suharto, Prabowo has been widely accused of orchestrating the violence and looting that led to the strongman's resignation as president in 1998.

Close to Prabowo is Aburizal Bakrie, a business tycoon and chairman of the Golkar Party. Aburizal's business empire has frequently come under scrutiny, especially on the issue of tax evasion. In addition, a gas exploration company within the group is blamed for triggering a mud volcano in Sidoarjo, East Java, that has swamped entire villages since 2006.

Romahurmuziy blamed the dearth of clean candidates on the fact that only those with the backing, or promise of backing, from a major party could expect to be nominated. "That's why the candidates being put forward don't fit the needs of most Indonesian voters," he said.

Romahurmuziy added that this was a good time for other parties to do the right thing. "Parties that haven't submitted a nominee yet should understand this and put forward a more fitting candidate," he said.

Saldi Isra, a political and legal analyst at Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, agreed that the electoral system was geared to favor politically well-connected candidates over others.

He said that although the law stipulated that only parties or coalitions winning at least 20 percent of the vote in the legislative elections could nominate a presidential candidate, the major parties or blocs never considered nominating an outsider with the right qualifications and track record.

"There has never been a political party chairperson who hasn't wanted to be president themselves," he said. "People are starting to think about alternative candidates, but the parties just don't want to share their tickets."

Romahurmuziy suggested that one way to address this problem would be to allow all the parties that qualify for a seat at the House of Representatives to nominate a candidate.

That way, he said, the "political oligarchy" maintained by the major parties could be broken with the introduction of fresher faces by the smaller parties. "This oligarchy is a very real problem in Indonesia, but it's not too late to fix it through amendments to the election laws," he said.

Indonesia 'too fragile' for police, military vote: Defense ministry

Jakarta Globe - August 12, 2012

Pitan Daslani – The Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that military personnel and police would not be allowed to participate in 2014 elections because Indonesia's political infrastructure was still too fragile to allow armed officers to participate in politics.

Defense ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Hartind Asrin told the Jakarta Globe on Saturday that with the current level of democratic maturity, it is still too risky for military and police personnel to vote or be nominated in elections.

"If we went to the polls now, the country would fall apart immediately," he said, adding that there could be a civil war if military and police troops came to blows over different political views.

The military consists of about 400,000 soldiers supported by some 60,000 civil servants. Meanwhile, the police force consists of 408,000 officers supported by some 30,000 civil servants, Hartind said.

Their family members are allowed to vote, as are retired officers, but as long as officers are still wearing their uniforms, they cannot vote or run for any political offices, he clarified.

Hartind explained that currently Indonesia did not have the appropriate environment to ensure national safety and peace. He particularly mentioned personnel who were considering running for office. In military and police hierarchy, "one cannot suddenly jump to a higher position without climbing the ladder of leadership step by step," he warned.

The same principle must be applied in a democratic civil society, Hartind said. As an example, he said that when it comes to executive leaders such as governors, mayors, and district chiefs, voters should not elect a leader who has a weak or unclear track record.

Yunarto Wijaya, director of research at Charta Politica, has similar views on the subject. In an interview on Saturday, he said that there were two prerequisites for the military and police to vote – the first being that political parties must be mature, and the second that society must be rational.

He added that even today, primitive sentiments are spoiling local elections across the archipelago. "If we allow the military and police to vote, the situation will get worse, and the country will break apart," Yunarto said.

A simple way to determine the maturity of Indonesia's democracy is to take opinion polls on what institutions the public trusts the most, Yunarto said, adding that political parties should be near the top of the list.

Politicians accuse Yudhoyono of lying in Bank Century bailout saga

Jakarta Post - August 11, 2012

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives is expected to set up a new inquiry committee on the Bank Century bailout following a revelation from former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Antasari Azhar claiming that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono played a key role in the decision to disburse Rp 6.7 trillion (US$710.2 million) to save the troubled bank.

Antasari recently told Metro TV news that he was asked to join a closed- door meeting chaired by Yudhoyono in 2009 to discuss what measures should be taken to "save the country" from a possible crisis caused by the collapse of Bank Century.

According to Antasari, several senior government officials attended the meeting including Vice President Boediono, who was then governor of the central bank, former National Police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri, former attorney general Hendarman Supanji, former coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister Widodo AS, former finance minister Sri Mulyani, state secretary Hatta Rajasa, presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng and a member of the presidential advisory team, Denny Indrayana, now deputy law and human rights minister.

Antasari said he briefed Yudhoyono on the possible legal complications that could arise from a government decision to bail out the ailing bank. Antasari said he could understand the government's move but warned about possible legal action being brought against the government by those who deemed the bailout a violation of the banking law.

Lawmakers said they had no prior knowledge about the meeting and lauded Antasari for his bravery in stepping forward and making the claim. Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) lawmaker Fahri Hamzah said Antasari's information would help the work of the House monitoring team, which is investigating the bailout.

"Antasari has given us new facts. From his statement we have learned that the entire bailout scheme was political. The House will set up an inquiry committee to examine the President's role in the matter. It will take a long time but legal action can still be taken long after he ends his tenure as President if so determined in court," Fahri said.

Fahri, who is a member of the House monitoring team on the Bank Century bailout, was part of an inquiry committee set up in 2008.

Contacted separately, lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party said the monitoring team planned to summon the KPK to discuss a new strategy to prosecute the case, so that it could fulfill its promise to resolve it by the end of this year.

"Antasari has revealed a very important fact as it indicates the Presidential Palace was involved in a cover-up. All the officials who once denied Yudhoyono's role in saving Bank Century cannot refute this latest statement," Bambang told reporters.

Responding to Antasari's statement, Yudhoyono said his decision to salvage the ailing bank was made for the sake of the country's economic stability, which had to weather the 2008-2009 global economic slowdown. "The political cost was indeed high," Yudhoyono said in his opening remarks at a meeting in the BRI building in South Jakarta.

He defended the bailout by saying that the amount spent on Bank Century was miniscule compared to what the European Union (EU) had spent on stemming the financial crises in several eurozone states, which could reach Rp 1,000 trillion.

Yudhoyono had earlier said in 2010 that he was responsible for the decision made by the finance minister to save Bank Century. "The policy was a choice of existing options. It was made with authority and undertaken in good faith. Based on the situation, a decision needed to be made quickly," he told bankers at the State Palace.

Ex-KPK boss says SBY was a part of Bank Century deal

Jakarta Globe - August 11, 2012

Arientha Primanita & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The State Palace has denied claims by former antigraft czar Antasari Azhar that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led a high-level meeting in October 2008 to discuss a bailout plan for Bank Century the following month.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said on Friday that the claims made by Antasari on national television a day earlier were groundless.

"It's not true that the president invited Antasari, the head of the KPK [Corruption Eradication Commission] at the time, to discuss how to handle the Century bailout," he said.

He added that the only meeting at the palace around that time involving Antasari was to discuss potential corruption in the wake of the global economic crisis.

In an interview on Metro TV on Thursday evening, Antasari, currently in prison for the murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, said he was invited by Yudhoyono to discuss how to proceed with the bailout, because of the government's concerns about the legal ramifications.

He said others attending the meeting included Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Bank Indonesia Governor Boediono, National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri and Attorney General Hendarman Supandji. All those officials have since been replaced.

In November, the government injected Rp 2.7 trillion ($286 million) into the ailing Bank Century. By July 2009, it had spent Rp 6.7 trillion bailing out the lender.

Antasari's claim has caused a sensation because of the implication that Yudhoyono knew of the potential fallout from the bailout but still proceeded with it. The bailout was denounced from the beginning by legislators, who argued that it was both unjustified and overpriced.

In 2010, the House of Representatives voted to adopt a resolution that the bailout was flawed, prompting the KPK, the Attorney General's Office and the police to launch parallel lines of inquiry into possible violations in the bailout and subsequent flow of money.

To date, though, law enforcement agencies have failed to unearth any signs of corruption. Banking violations have been found, for which bank owners Robert Tantular, Hesham al Warraq and Rafat Ali Rizvi were convicted, but those offenses occurred prior to the bailout.

The House resolution almost led to steps to impeach Boediono, who became vice president in 2009, while the political pressure was blamed for Sri Mulyani resigning as finance minister in May 2010.

In the wake of the bailout, speculation was also rife that the government stepped in to help the mid-sized lender because a number of Yudhoyono's benefactors stood to lose huge sums if the bank folded.

The president acknowledged that the bailout came at a "high political cost" but was also quick to defended his administration for going forward with it.

"Channeling bailout funds of around $600 million to Bank Century had a very high political cost," he said on Friday. "But if we did not take action immediately to resolve the crisis, in a year it would have turned into an even bigger problem."

He warned that if the bank had collapsed, it would have posed a systemic threat to the rest of the country's banking sector that could have seen it crumble in a repeat of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. It was something he was trying to avoid at all costs, he said. He added that he believed that his administration had handled the Bank Century case appropriately.

Legislators on the House team monitoring the ongoing probes into the bailout say Antasari's claims are plausible.

Bambang Soesatyo, a Golkar Party member of the team, said the revelation pointed to a cover-up by the palace, which he said had long claimed ignorance about the policies underlying the bailout. "There have been too many lies covering this scandal," Bambang said.

Ahmad Yani, from the United Development Party (PPP), said the revelation could prove to be Indonesia's "Watergate moment." "If it turns out to be true, there should be an initiative to resign and a legal investigation must follow," he said.

House leaders back simultaneous election

Jakarta Post - August 10, 2012

Several leaders of the House of Representatives (DPR) are backing a plan to hold the presidential and legislative elections on the same day in 2014. House Speaker Marzuki Alie said that the move would be cost-effective.

"It's worth considering. I believe we can save time, energy and money. Voters should not waste their time going to polling stations again and again. They will also be free from incessant political campaigning, " Marzuki told reporters.

The speaker said that a simultaneous election would also allow the General Elections Commission more time to prepare.

Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso said that the Golkar Party had previously proposed a similar idea. "It will benefit all of us. It will also reduce conflict, as local politicians compete to win the top jobs in their regions," he said.

Another deputy House speaker, Pramono Anung Wibowo, however, disagreed on implementing the system by 2014. "It's not yet the right time to use such mechanism. It's better to stick to the current system while familiarizing voters with the new method," he said.

Political parties cooking books, lacking accountability: NGO

Jakarta Post - August 8, 2012

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – A report on public information requests filed by an NGO in Yogyakarta says several local political parties have been engaged in suspect financial reporting to avoid transparency and accountability requirements.

One such alleged shell game was to submit fictitious receipts to justify spending political aid (Banpol) money from the provincial budget, according Aksara, the NGO that filed the requests.

"The result of our discussions with the political parties shows that the tricks have been common practices among them. It's now our task to push them to be more transparent and accountable," Rani Pribadi, chairperson of Aksara's public information division, told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.

Aksara filed requests under the Freedom of Information Law, asking for financial reports from the local branches of the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI- P), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Democratic Party, the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

"Overall, the information access results from the nine parties were not satisfactory," Rani said.

Although Aksara asked for complete financial reports, seven parties provided a breakdown of Banpol spending only, while the PKS and Gerindra initially did not comply with the requests.

The refusal of the parties appears to violate the Freedom of Information Law, which obliges parties to make available upon request information about their budgets, balance sheets and cash flows.

"Executives from the political parties do not yet understand the Freedom of Information Law and the amended Political Parties Law as the legal basis for party accountability and transparency," Rani said. None of the parties had their finances audited by public accountants, according to Rani.

The deputy treasurer of PAN's local branch, Zairin, said the government had limited the use of Banpol funds by, among other things, obliging them to spend at least 60 percent of the money on political education.

Zairin said that PAN also used the money to pay employee salaries. "But the format of our report is just as required by the Supreme Audit Agency [BPK]," he said.

Zairin said that the party had compiled a report of official travel expenditures, which other parties had not. He also promised to investigate Aksara's allegations of fictitious travel receipts.

Meanwhile, the deputy secretary of Hanura's local branch, Hartanto, said that many parties did not have employees who could keep the books.

Hartanto said that the Banpol money that the party received – Rp 25.3 million (US$2,600) – was too small to cover the party's expenses, leading the party to require its local councillors to give 15 percent of their take-home pay to the party.

Separately, Yogyakarta Information Commission member Surat Jumadal said that it was understandable if party officials did not understand the law on information openness. "The institution itself has only been eight months in existence and has yet targeted political parties in its familiarization programs," he said.

Surveys & opinion polls

Survey shows Prabowo's growing popularity among voters

Jakarta Post - August 9, 2012

Jakarta – Former Army general Prabowo Subianto seems to be the main contender for anyone contesting the 2014 presidential election as a recent survey points to his growing popularity among voters.

Prabowo, who helped found the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, would likely win against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono if a presidential election were held now, a survey has found.

A survey by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) revealed that 44 percent of respondents would support Prabowo while only 18 percent said they would vote for Yudhoyono in a head-to-head poll. Despite high support for Prabowo, more than 30 percent of respondents were still undecided.

"Even though most of the respondents would cast their vote for Prabowo, 31 percent of voters were undecided. This means a lot of people are still in doubt over whether or not to choose Prabowo as a president," CSIS's political and international department head Philips J. Vermonte said at a media briefing on Wednesday.

"SBY's image as a slow and indecisive figure creates opportunities for presidential candidates who have the opposite character," he said, referring to the President by his initials.

The survey, which involved 1,480 respondents in 32 provinces from July 6- 19, also showed that 17.9 percent of voters would vote for Prabowo in the presidential election against other presidential candidates including Megawati (15.3 percent), Jusuf Kalla (11.5 percent), Aburizal Bakrie (10 percent) and Wiranto (4.1 percent).

"The finding of the survey has changed significantly compared to that in February that saw Megawati as a leading candidate with 10 percent of total respondents' support her for president," Philips said, adding that only 6.7 percent of respondents said they would choose Prabowo in the previous survey.

The survey not only questioned respondents about their presidential preference but also their political party choice.

The results show that largest portion of respondents, 18 percent, supported the Golkar Party, followed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) with 11.6 percent, Democratic Party (11 percent), Gerindra (5.2 percent) and the United Development Party (3 percent).

Support for Golkar increased 7.5 percent compared to the CSIS's survey finding in February. The percentage of those supporting PDI-P increased by 3.8 percent. The Democratic Party, however, fell by 1.5 percent from its position in the last survey.

"The Democratic Party keeps on sinking. In the general election in 2009, the party won 21 percent of the vote but according to today's survey, they are supported by 11 percent of respondents," Philips said.

"Golkar and Gerindra are two parties that would likely get support from Democratic Party voters who are not satisfied with the performance of SBY," he added.

The CSIS surveys conducted in February and July show similar linkages between the levels of support for a political leader and the parties' popularity.

"Most of the voters in Indonesia think that all political figures and presidential candidates are not feasible. In other words, the voters were being [preempted] by the parties and presidential candidates. The voters have no other choices," Philips said.

According to Siti Zuhro of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the survey findings showed that the public is not satisfied with Yudhoyono's performance.

"The public is disappointed and not satisfied with the performance of the ruling government, due to the graft scandals that have occurred both in the central and regional government. Those scandals shift SBY's popularity to other presidential candidates," Siti said.

"Prabowo is identified as having a strong leadership style, unlike SBY who is known for his gentleness, which has apparently failed to win people's hearts," she added.

CSIS' findings correspond with the findings of a recent survey jointly conducted by researchers from the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta and the Airlangga University (Unair) in Surabaya, East Java.

The two universities found that several corruption cases implicating Democratic Party politicians and the administration's poor performance would persuade voters to abandon Yudhoyono's political machine. (nad)

Women's rights

'Culture of silence' hinders reporting of violence

Jakarta Post - August 9, 2012

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – The number of incidents of violence against women in Indonesia is not easy to calculate as most victims want to protect their privacy, according to a government statistician.

"Violence against women remains hidden behind a culture of silence. Some people still consider violence an accepted behavior," M. Sairi Hasbullah, the social resilience statistics chief at the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), said on Tuesday.

Sairi made his comments on the sidelines of a workshop on multi-country study methodology developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for collecting reliable data on violence against women.

One report compiled by the BPS as part of the 2006 National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) said that 3.07 percent of Indonesian women had been victims of violence.

Sixty-eight percent of the cases took place at home, 72 percent occurred in rural areas and 55 percent of the cases were perpetrated by husbands in economic straits, the survey said.

"It's the tip of the iceberg. Due to limitations and methodological differences, the data is not comparable with any international data on violence against women," Sairi said.

The survey involved women from 68,000 households who were over 18 or married.

Mechelle M. Viernes of the Philippines' National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) agreed that the'culture of silence' was the principal obstacle in obtaining accurate figures on violence against women in the region.

The Philippines' 9th National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) in 2008, which for the first time included a women's safety module (WSM), did not use words such as 'abuse' or 'violence', Viernes said.

Many victims were reluctant to file reports, she added. "Even women who wanted to speak about their experiences with domestic violence found it difficult to express their feelings because of shame and fear," Viernes said.

According to Viernes, the 2008 survey said that 20.1 percent of respondents over 15 had experienced physical violence.

Labour & migrant workers

Unions call for crackdown on companies not paying THR bonuses

Jakarta Globe - August 13, 2012

Dessy Sagita – The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions has called on the government to crack down on companies shirking their obligation to pay workers their 13th month bonus before the end of Ramadan.

Said Iqbal, president of the confederation known as KSPI, said on Sunday that the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry must carry out spot-checks on companies to see whether they had paid out the bonuses, or THR.

He warned that many companies were avoiding the obligation by hiring workers on an outsource basis, and then terminating their contracts just a week before Idul Fitri. After the holiday, they hire them back, bypassing the obligation to pay the THR, he said.

"This happened recently at a company in Sidoarjo [in East Java]," Said said. "To date the KSPI has received 400 reports of outsourced workers being fired ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday."

He added the real figure could be much higher, but most workers were fearful of complaining because of the risk that they would not be hired back.

Said also said some companies were paying an "inhumane amount" of THR to their workers. He pointed to a recent case of a company in Medan where hundreds of workers went on strike after receiving a THR of just Rp 20,000 each.

"Something similar happened to around 1,000 workers at a textile factory in Purwakarta [in West Java], where they only got Rp 250,000 [$26] each," he said.

Said argued that many companies were being allowed to get away with this because the 1996 Manpower Ministry decree on THR did not specify any kind of punishment for failure to pay the full amount.

"Workers shouldn't just file their complaints with the government, which will only plead with the employers, but also with their unions, because they can bring pressure to bear," he said. "The important this is that the workers must fight for their rights."

Rieke Dyah Pitaloka, a member of House of Representatives Commission IX, which oversees labor affairs, backed the call for companies to pay the THR in full and on time.

Under the ministerial decree, the bonus of a full month's salary must be paid no later than a week before Idul Fitri, which this year falls on or around this Sunday.

Thousands stranded as TransJakarta drivers strike over Idul Fitri pay

Jakarta Globe - August 13, 2012

Lenny Tristia Tambun – TransJakarta bus drivers went on strike Monday morning over unpaid Idul Fitri holiday allowances and what they call an unfair disparity among bus drivers on different routes.

The strike left thousands of commuters stranded for hours along the Blok M to Kota and Cililitan to Tanjung Priok corridors. Service was restored after TransJakarta operator Jakarta Express Trans (JET) diverted 30 buses to pick up the passengers, M. Akbar, head of TransJakarta General Affairs, said.

The company held a meeting with strike representatives and was able to reach an agreement over the disbursement of holiday pay, Akbar said. Service should return to normal Monday afternoon, he added.

"They demanded JET [pay] the holiday allowance as Lebaran is getting near," Akbar said. "There has been a meeting between the operator and drivers and an agreement has been reached, but we don't know the [details] of the agreement. "But for sure, after the meeting, the drivers will return to work and drive the TransJakarta buses again."

The company failed to inform drivers when the holiday allowances (THR) would be paid out, explained Maria, a driver who was on strike Monday morning.

"We were on strike [because] it has not been clear on when [the allowance] would be disbursed," Maria said. "Our children are waiting at home and they want to go to the mall to buy new clothes for Idul Fitri."

The holiday allowance, a standard practice in Indonesia, is equal to one month's salary. The funds are usually disbursed seven days before Idul Fitri.

Abdul Chakim, another driver, said he was on strike to demand equal pay for all bus drivers. According to Abdul, drivers along his route earn as much as Rp 2.8 million ($296) a month, while drivers on other routes take home as much as Rp 5.3 million. "We want our salary increased to the same amount as drivers from other corridors," Abdul said.

The head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency issued an apology to TransJakarta passengers, saying that JET should have paid the holiday allowance on Sunday.

"We apologize for the inconvenience to Jakarta [commuters]," Udar said. "This happened because of internal problem between JET and drivers. I'm really concern that the THR had not been distributed to the drivers by JET. JET should be more professional."

The TransJakarta operator will be sanctioned over the strike, Abdul said. JET said that the company said it planned to disburse the holiday funds three days before Idul Fitri.

"We never forget to pay [the allowance], indeed we also give Idul Fitri gifts for the employees," JET operational director Payaman Manik said after meeting with the drivers. "This year is a bit late, but we ask all the employee not to worry. We will pay the THR, if not later on today, then on tomorrow, or Wednesday."

Environment & natural disasters

Haze shrouds Riau Islands, Sumatra as wildfires expand

Jakarta Post - August 14, 2012

Rizal Harahap and Apriadi Gunawan, Pekanbaru, Medan – Riau Islands province and its surrounding areas were shrouded in a haze that reportedly originated from fires in a number of plantations on Sumatra over the last few days.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Monday opened a Haze Disaster Emergency Field Post at Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru, Riau Islands, as haze in the province worsened.

The BNPB Emergency Response director Tri Budiarto said the post was focused on aerial fire fighting operations, adding that it was designed to help forest and peatland fire fighting operations in Jambi and South Sumatra.

"A similar post has also been opened in Palangkaraya [Central Kalimantan] to cover Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan, which are also prone to forest and peatland fires," Tri told The Jakarta Post after the inauguration of haze disaster mitigation operations in Pekanbaru.

The BNPB, together with the Applied Technology and Research Agency (BPPT), has also opened a Weather Modification Technology (TMC) command post in an effort to mitigate haze, forest and peatland fires.

"The cloud seeding operation with the BPPT will be conducted for 40 days from now. The cost to setting up the TMCs in Sumatra amount Rp 10 billion (US$1.1 million), derived from the state budget," said Tri.

He acknowledged that haze mitigation posts were aimed at making the National Games (PON), held in Riau from Sept. 9 to 20, a success.

"We are referring to the haze threat index. There is a tendency that in the next month the haze will further intensify. This is part of anticipatory measures. The BNPB does not want to be in a position where actions are taken only after conditions are at their worst," Tri added.

Based on satellite images gathered by the Forestry Ministry's Conservation Directorate General, the number of hot spots reached 15,392 as of Aug. 9 this year, concentrated in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Most of the hot spots are found in Riau (3,486 points), followed by South Sumatra (2,359), West Kalimantan (2,105), Jambi (1,341) and Central Kalimantan (978).

In Medan, the haze covering the city and surrounding areas in North Sumatra over the last three days was believed to have been caused by forest burning.

The Data and Information section head at the Medan Polonia Meteorology Station Mega Sirait said the thick haze blanketing Medan and surrounding areas since Aug. 10 had not yet disappeared.

"The haze is caused by forest fires. As long as forest burning activities continue and there is a lack of rainfall, the haze will cover Medan city," said Mega.

Mega said the haze in Medan originated from several provinces in Sumatra. Mega added that in the province, forest burning activities were detected in Padang Lawas, Deli Serdang, Asahan and Labuhan Batu regencies.

According to Mega, the haze in Medan and surrounding areas had currently restricted visibility at Polonia Airport to between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. He added that although it had yet to impact on flights, residents, especially motorists, had been advised to be aware of limited visibility.

New government regulation threatens forest protection

Jakarta Post - August 13, 2012

Jakarta – New central government regulations will allow mining and palm oil plantation companies with regional licenses to buy their concessions in state-controlled forests.

The regulations, No. 60/2012 on forest conversions and No. 61/2012 on forest utilization, stipulate that mining and palm oil businesses that started operation before the enactment of the Law on Spatial Planning and Forest Utilization Permits in 2007 can own their concessions in state forests.

"Plantation and mining companies that have the privilege to acquire forested areas are only those who already have licenses from local governments before the [law] was issued," Tri Joko Mulyono, the director of spatial planning at the Forestry Ministry, said recently. "The new government regulation was issued to deal with the legal confusion caused by the 2007 law that capped how much state-controlled forest can be occupied," Tri said.

According to Tri, the local licenses were previously approved by the Home Ministry and thus were legal. "Just because the government issued this regulation doesn't mean it will stop our efforts to protect the forests. It doesn't mean that those companies can acquire the forests easily," Tri said.

He added that the regulations, signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on July 6, stipulated that companies that wished to buy state forests in a province with a forested area comprising less than 30 percent of its total area would have to provide twice that amount in replacement land.

The Forestry Ministry said that it issued mining permits to operate in 335,751 of the nation's 130.5 million hectares of forest in the first half of 2012.

Separately, Deddy Ratih of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said that the new regulations contradicted the 2007 law.

"[The law] was issued to deal with the spatial issue, so that regional governments could review all permits given to mining and palm oil plantation companies. The new government regulations negate that mandate and show the weakness of the ministry in handling the forestry problem," Deddy told The Jakarta Post.

Deddy said that the regional governments should be given authority to make adjustments to the 2007 law. "It's the regional governments that should have to comply with the law, not the government. This shows that the Forestry Ministry has failed to perform its main function and has now become a conduit for those companies to violate the law," he added.

Deddy said that the Central Kalimantan government, for instance, had issued more than 280 permits for mining and palm oil plantations companies that controlled 3.4 million hectares of mining sites and 3.7 million hectares of palm oil plantations in the province. "Land conflicts in forested areas could escalate under this new regulation," he said.

Dozens of residents have died in clashes between local residents and security personnel deployed to guard mining and plantation activities of both state-owned and private companies throughout the nation.

A 12-year-old boy was reportedly shot and killed in the latest clash between members of a National Police Mobile Brigade special operations unit and residents of Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra. The violence started over a land dispute between residents and state plantation company PTPN. (nad)

It's either orangutans or cheap palm oil: Analysts

Inter Press Service - August 12, 2012

When four men were sentenced to eight months in jail in March for the "murder" of orangutans, it was the first time that people associated with Indonesia's booming palm oil industry were convicted for killing man's close relations in the primate family.

Conservationists were not happy with the "light" sentences handed down by the court in Kutai Kertanegara district, East Kalimantan, on March 18, to Imam Muktarom, Mujianto, Widiantoro and Malaysian national Phuah Cuan Pun.

"As expected, the sentences were light, much lighter than what the prosecutors demanded. Such punishments will not bring any change to the situation of orangutans," Fian Khairunnissa, an activist of the Centre for Orangutan Protection, told IPS.

Indonesia's courts have generally looked the other way as the palm oil industry relentlessly decimated orangutans by destroying vast swathes of Southeast Asia's rainforests to convert them into oil palm plantations.

In April, a court in Banda Aceh dismissed a case filed by the Indonesia Environmental Forum (Walhi) against Kallista Alam, one of five palm oil firms operating in Tripa, and Irwandi Yusuf, the former governor of Aceh, for the conversion of 1,600 hectares of carbon-rich peat forests into palm oil plantations.

The court admonished Walhi, saying it should have sought an out-of-court settlement with Kallista Alam – which never paused clearing its 1,600- hectare concession, granted in August 2011.

Mysteriously, just before the Walhi case was to be heard in court, numerous fires broke out in the Tripa peat swamps, including in the concession granted to Kallista Alam.

Community leaders in Tripa point out that the concessions fly in the face of a presidential moratorium on new permits to clear primary forests, effective in Indonesia since last year as part of a billion dollar deal with Norway to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"The issuance of a license to Kallista is a crime, because it changes the Leuser ecosystem and peat land forests into business concessions," said Kamarudin, a Tripa community spokesman

The Leuser Ecosystem, in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, covers more than 2.6 million hectares of prime tropical rain forest and is the last place on earth where Sumatran sub-species of elephants, rhinoceros, tigers and orangutans coexist.

The survival of orangutans, a "keystone species," is critical for the well-being of other animals and plants with which they coexist in a habitat.

A statement released in June by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme estimated that there are now only 200 of the red-haired great apes left in Tripa compared to about 2,000 in 1990 and said their situation was now 'desperate' as result of the fires and clearing operations carried out by palm oil companies.

During the last five years, the oil palm business has emerged as a major force in the Indonesian economy, with an investment value of close five billion dollars on eight million hectares.

Indonesia plans to increase crude palm oil production from the current 23.2 million tons this year to 28.4 million tons by 2014. This calls for an 18.7 percent increase in plantation area, according to Indonesia's agriculture ministry.

But the price of the planned expansion would be further shrinkage of orangutan habitat by 1.6 million hectares because oil companies find it cheaper to burn forests and chase away or kill the orangutans.

"If you find orangutans in palm oil plantations, they are not coming there from somewhere else... they are in their own homes that have been changed into plantations," said Linda Yuliani, a researcher at the Center for International Forestry Research.

"But plantation company people see the orangutans as the encroachers," she said. "Confused orangutans can often be seen wandering in plantations, and with their habitat gone, they forage on young palm trees," she said.

A joint survey by 19 organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, WWF and the Association of Primate Experts, found that some 750 orangutans died during 2008-2009, mostly because of conflict with human beings.

It has not mattered that Indonesia is one of the signatories to the Convention on Illegal Trade and Endangered Species, which classifies orangutans under Appendix I, which lists species identified as currently endangered, or in danger of extinction.

"Clearing peat land also releases huge volumes of carbon dioxide, similar to amounts released during volcanic eruptions," Willie Smits, a Dutch conservationist who works on orangutan protection, told IPS.

Reckless clearing of peat swamp forests has already turned Indonesia into the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, after the United States and China.

"The government may earn some money from oil palm investment, but there are far bigger losses from environmental destruction," said Elfian Effendi, director of Greenomics Indonesia. "There is a multiplied effect on the local economy and loss of biodiversity."

But, even to some conservationists, stopping the oil palm business in Indonesia – which feeds a vast range of industries from fast food and cosmetics to biodiesel – is impractical.

"What is needed is enforcement of schemes that allow the palm oil business and orangutans to co-exist," Resit Rozer, a Dutch conservationist who runs a sanctuary for rescued orangutans, told IPS.

Palm oil companies that are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a convention to encourage importers to buy only RSPO-certified CPO, see no advantage in the scheme that requires them to set aside a forest block for orangutans within plantations and provide safe corridors for the apes to move from one spot to another.

"US. and several European countries still buy non-certified CPO as the RSPO certificate does not guarantee purchase," Rozer told IPS. "The West told us to practice environmentally-sound business, but they do not buy RSPO- certified CPO because implementation has been delayed till 2015," Rozer said.

"For companies that have invested in RSPO certification, the delay has been a heavy blow. They feel cheated," said Rozer who helps palm oil companies in creating orangutan refuges and corridors.

Politics could exacerbate natural disasters

Jakarta Post - August 9, 2012

Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta – A green group has blamed local politics for contributing to the switft enviromnental degradation that eventually led to more frequent natural disasters.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said that it has recorded an increase in the number of disasters and casualties caused by environmental degradation.

"The cause of this increasing frequency of natural disasters and the numbers of their victims are investment policies which are not environmentally-friendly," Walhi disaster management division head Mukri Friatna said in a recent interview with The Jakarta Post.

Mukri said that investment policies were designed to benefit local leaders who need cash to contest local elections. "The high cost of politics at the local level has encouraged local leaders to abuse their authority, including issuing pro-business policies," he said.

The group has recorded dozens of flash floods and landslides across Indonesia this year, 22 of which killed at least 65 people.

Walhi recorded 452 flash floods and landslides in 2011, killing 371 people. In 2010, 428 flash floods and landslides occurred, killing 635 people. Walhi data also shows that 324 people were killed in 447 flash floods and landslides in 2009.

Mukri said that natural disasters, mostly caused by environment degradation as a result of unchecked business expansions, had also caused local administrations to spend more on relief and recovery efforts.

"For example, material losses caused by a flash flood in Padang [West Sumatra] in July reached Rp 46 billion [US$4.87 million]. That excludes economic losses and the costs of reconstruction and rehabilitation, which could reach another Rp 50 billion. Let's say the amount of the regional budget stands at Rp 150 billion, Rp 100 billion would be used to cover all the costs," Mukri said.

Mukri said that as natural disasters increase, they will affect the distribution of local budgets, especially on education and health.

The flash flood that hit six districts in Padang late last month, damaged innumerable buildings and displaced hundreds of residents. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has estimated that material losses caused by the flash flood could reach Rp 40.66 billion.

Mukri said that despite the severity of these disasters, the government remains in dark over the real causes. "The BNPB always blames the disasters on high intensity of rain. They do want to further explain the root of all the problems – which is environmental degradation," he said.

Siti Zuhro, a political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said that the new political landscape in the reform era had affected on how the country's natural resources were exploited.

"After reform, Indonesian politics are more fragmented. We have gone through multiple multi-party systems and imposed regional autonomy since 2001. Since 2005, we have implemented regional direct elections. Those new episodes have a direct correlation to our natural resources' exploitation," she said.

Siti pointed out that regional autonomy had given power to local leaders to manage their regions and encouraged local leaders to boost locally- generated revenue (PAD), which led to numerous bylaws, most of which were problematic.

"Regional autonomy has given local leaders the confidence to issue regulations, which are not entirely environmentally friendly," she said.

Fishermen suffer from oil spill, activists to file lawsuit

Jakarta Post - August 8, 2012

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Fishermen, who earn a living from catching fish or farming seaweed in the south of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), can only recall the heyday when they sailed into the clean open sea, caught many fish and cultivated fresh seaweed.

Their fortune changed in August 2009 when an oil platform, owned by Thai- based oil rig operator PTTEP Australasia, in the Montara field off Australia's north coast exploded in August 2009, leaking 2,000 barrels of oil a day and polluted Timor Sea and the nearby waters.

A number of fishermen in Kupang acknowledged their catches had drastically dropped because waters in the south of the province that border immediately with Australia have been polluted with oil so the bottom-dwelling fish have migrated to other waters.

"The fishermen have been searching for fish in the north of Timor Island around Batek Island and the Alor island chain and its surroundings over the past year," said Simon Lakona, a fisherman who catches bottom-dwelling fish in Kupang.

"Fish resources in the south of NTT have dropped drastically. Fishermen even have to become construction laborers because their catches have dropped up to 90 percent," he added.

Lakona said that a large number of seaweed farmers in Kupang and Rote Ndao were also facing economic failure after the oil explosion and none of them were engaged in seaweed farming now.

"I still recall the heyday of seaweed production when people could earn between Rp 15 million [US$1,590] and Rp 30 million each harvest. However, none of them grow seaweed now due to harvest failure," said Semin Polin, village chief of Kuanheun in West Kupang district.

According to the care for West Timor Foundation (YPTB), the oil spill has caused ecological damage in the Timor Sea and Indonesian waters, covering south of Timor Island, Sawu Sea, Kupang coasts, Rote, Kupang, Sabu, Sumba and other waters in NTT.

"Seaweed production, bottom and surface-dwelling fish catches have dropped by up to 80 percent over the last three years. The condition has caused coastal communities to suffer from economic failure after the oil spill polluted Indonesian waters," said YPTB director Ferdi Tanoni on Tuesday.

YPTB, along with its network in Indonesia, Australia, Timor Leste and the US, have planned to file a lawsuit at the Australian Federal Court before Aug. 21 against PTTEP Australasia.

The legal measures were taken following the stance of oil company PTTEP Australasia of not compensating the impacts caused by the oil spill since Aug. 21, 2009.

"According to Australian laws, a case is deemed expired after three years, so YPTB and its networks will file for the lawsuit before Aug. 21. Our legal advisors have prepared lawsuit materials and will immediately register at the Australian Federal Court before the case expires," Tanoni said.

The lawsuit material, he continued, is made up of two sections – compensation of material damages amounting at Rp 16.59 trillion for ecological damage in the Timor Sea and Indonesian waters.

The other lawsuit material is demanding PTTEP Australasia to hire an independent team comprising of scientists from Indonesia, Australia, Timor Leste and the US to conduct scientific research to determine the impacts of the pollution in a scientific, transparent and accountable manner.

To support the lawsuit, YPTB has received letters of attorney to represent six regions in NTT, namely Kupang municipality and Kupang, South Central Timor, North Central Timor, Belu and Rote Ndao regencies.

He said based on an initial research conducted by a number of scientists, around 98 percent of the oil spill had contaminated the Timor Sea and Indonesian waters with lead and toxic Corexit 9500.

Health & education

Groups reject tobacco conference

Jakarta Post - August 10, 2012

Jakarta – A coalition of civil society groups under the collective banner MATA has called on the government to withdraw its support for the World Tobacco Asia (WTA) conference, slated for Sept. 19.

The coalition, comprising the Indonesian Consumers Protection Foundation (YLKI), the Jakarta Residents Forum, the National Commission for Mitigation of Tobacco Effects and others, said the planned conference is an insult to the country.

"The conference committee deems Indonesia a tobacco-friendly market with no smoking bans or other restrictions or regulations compared to other ASEAN countries. That is an insult to our nation because it means we are supporting death, and we are urging the government to ban this conference for our dignity," Tulus Abadi of YLKI said on Thursday.

World Tobacco Asia is an annual international tobacco conference that offers the tobacco industry a forum to demonstrate their products and services to the Indonesian, Asia-Pacific and Australian tobacco markets.

Tulus said that at this year's conference, cigarette makers were hoping to reach 8 million new tobacco consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, of which 6 million would be from Indonesia.

"Indonesia is hosting the conference for a second time, even after MATA staged protest at the conference's venue, the Jakarta Convention Center [JCC], two years ago," Tulus said.

Chairman of MATA Tubagus Haryo Kuntoro said that the organization expected the government to take action this year after its failure to do so two years ago.

"The government could ignore our protest, but we do hope that at least for this year's event that government ministries do not support the conference," Tubagus told reporters.

Tubagus said that the group planned several actions including a protest in front of the Presidential Palace on August 13 and a protest at the conference venue.

Data from the Health Ministry said that in 1995 there were 34 million active smokers in Indonesia. In 2010, that number had more than doubled to 80 million in Indonesia, a fact that members of the NGO coalition opposing the conference found deeply disturbing.

Talus said that tobacco consumption not only affected the health of smokers but also adversely impacted their finances.

"Data from the Central Statistics Agency [BPS] said that cigarettes are the second most important household item after rice among people from the lower income bracket in the country. They spend around 12.4 percent of their wages on cigarettes," Tulus said.

"It's their purchasing power that should be taken away from them, so that they could use the money for buying something else," he added.

In addition to standing against the conference, the ad-hoc group of anti- tobacco activists hopes to push the government to ratify World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

"The FCTC stipulates that the government should impose higher taxes on cigarettes, order tobacco companies to put health warnings on cigarette packaging, and reduce cigarette ad campaigns," Tubagus said. (nad)

Refugees & asylum seekers

Indonesia arrests 150 Australia-bound migrants

Agence France Presse - August 13, 2012

Bogor – The police on Monday arrested 150 Afghan and Pakistani nationals who planned to take a dangerous boat trip to Australia, a police chief said.

Sonson Sudarsono, the chief of criminal investigations, said 148 men and two women were nabbed in a housing complex in Babakan Madang, Bogor district, some 60 kilometers south of Jakarta.

"They arrived in the housing complex on Sunday evening. They intended to stay there for a while before traveling by boat to Australia," he told AFP, adding that the police had received a tip-off from local residents before the arrests.

He said preliminary police investigations suggested the migrants planned to take a boat from Pelabuhan Ratu beach in a neighboring district.

Australia is struggling to deal with a steady influx of asylum seekers arriving by boat, with many using Indonesia as a transit hub, boarding leaky wooden vessels there after fleeing countries such as Afghanistan and Iran.

The latest boat, carrying 60 asylum seekers, arrived on Australia's remote Christmas Island on Sunday. It was the third to land in two days. Some 300 asylum seekers have died en route to Australia in the last seven months.

Graft & corruption

Witness seeks protection in police graft case

Jakarta Post - August 13, 2012

Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has tread carefully in its investigation of the graft allegations related to the procurement of driving simulators, which has implicated two generals from the National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas).

Amid reports that one key witness in the case has sought protection from the Witness and Victims Protection Agency (LPSK), the KPK opted to withhold information about the interrogation of witnesses in the case.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said that the antigraft body had questioned 15 witnesses in the case, but he remained tight-lipped on their identities and personal information, marking a departure from the KPK's typical pattern of announcing the names of suspects and witnesses and the dates of their questioning.

One key witness in the case, businessman Sukotjo S. Bambang, was previously sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for fraud and is currently serving his sentence in Kebon Waru Penitentiary in Bandung, West Java. He filed a request with the LPSK to arrange a transfer to another correctional facility.

"We are currently waiting for approval from the Law and Human Rights Ministry's directorate general of corrections before relocating Sukotjo. [Sukotjo] told the LPSK that he was concerned about possible efforts to silence and intimidate him," LPSK chairman Abdul Haris Semendawai told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

"The LPSK and the directorate general of corrections will discuss the matter and make a decision on where Sukotjo should be relocated," he said.

Sukotjo's lawyer, Erick Samuel Paat, confirmed that his client had made the request. "If the LPSK approves my client's request, we can suspect that something is wrong. I can't give you the details for the sake of my client," Erick said.

"My client will be questioned inside the prison as a witness against Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo on Monday by members of the police's Criminal Investigation Division," Erick said referring to the former deputy chief of the National Police Traffic Corps who was recently named a suspect in the case by both the KPK and the National Police.

Sukotjo is the president director of PT Inovasi Teknologi Indonesia, the company that was subcontracted by the tender's winner, PT Citra Mandiri Metalindo (CMM), to provide the police with hundreds of driving simulators.

When his company failed to deliver the equipment to the police, the West Java High Court convicted Sukotjo of fraud and sentenced him to three years and 10 months in prison.

Prior to his sentencing, Sukotjo filed a report with the KPK alleging that the project was marred with mark-ups that inflated the price up to Rp 100 billion (US$10.6 million) at the request of officials in charge.

According to Bambang, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, who was then the chief of the National Police Traffic Corps, Didik and the officer overseeing the project, Adj. Sr. Comr. Teddy Rismawan, accepted kickbacks that CMM and his company paid to win the tender.

The KPK named Djoko a suspect in the case on Aug. 1 after investigators raided the Traffic Corps' headquarters in South Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the KPK deputy chairman Busyro Muqoddas said that suspects in the case could be charged with money laundering. "If there were any elements of money laundering, we will then used the Money Laundering Law," Busyo said.

KPK goes it alone in simulator case

Jakarta Post - August 12, 2012

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said it will go ahead with its investigation into the graft case in the procurement of driving simulators involving senior National Police officers.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said on Saturday that while waiting for a new agreement between leaders of the anti-graft body and the National Police, investigations would continue with the case. Johan said officials from the two institutions had met twice to discuss how best to approach the case, but no consensus had been made so far.

"We will go ahead with our investigation. The KPK and the National Police have yet to come up with a plan of how to work together, both need to meet again to discuss the definition of joint investigation of the simulator graft case that we have already discussed," Johan said.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad and National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo agreed that the two institutions would have a joint investigation on Aug. 1, into the Rp 200 billion (US$21.2 million) procurement at the National Traffic Police Corps (Korlantas) headquarters. In spite of the agreement, the KPK and the National Police are locked in a struggle which one has the most authority to investigate the case.

The National Police Criminal Investigations Directorate (Bakreskrim) launched its own investigation into the scandal shortly after the KPK launched its probe.

Bareskrim has named four officers, including Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, the former Korlantas chief who had been named suspect by the KPK, and three others – National Police Traffic Corps deputy chief Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo, Adj. Sr. Comr. Teddy Rusmawan, the head of the procurement project and Traffic Corps treasurer Comr. Legimo.

It has also detained the four suspects at the National Police Mobile Brigade detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java.

Johan said the biggest problem with the KPK investigation was the fact the suspects in police detention should have been questioned by the KPK. For the time being, the KPK would work on the dossier on Djoko.

He said the KPK investigators had so far questioned 15 individuals outside of the National Police, including Bambang Sukotjo, the president director of PT Inovasi Teknologi who was already convicted in the case. "We have intentionally not disclosed much about the progress of our probe," said Johan.

The KPK also requested the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) to look for suspicious transactions involving bank accounts of those implicated in the graft case.

Head of the PPATK Muhammad Yusuf said on Friday he had already handed the result of PPATK's investigations into the individuals' accounts to the KPK. "There was a suspicious cash flow worth more than Rp 10 billion ($1.06 million) to one bank account belonging to one of the suspects in the case," Yusuf said.

Yusuf also said the National Police could have become aware of possible irregularities in the driving simulators project by requesting the same analysis of a number of their officers in 2011. "But, the request of the National Police chief was to investigate another person's bank account," he said after visiting the KPK chairman.

Timur said on Friday that his institution would support the KPK in solving the case.

Indonesian Police Watch chairman Neta S. Pane said the National Police should just hand over the case to the KPK. "No law allows the two institutions to conduct a joint investigation," Neta said.

Neta also urged the KPK to press ahead with its probe. "Besides, the public does not trust the police any more because of its dismal performance so far," he said. (cor)

KPK-police conflict continues to escalate

Jakarta Globe - August 12, 2012

Pitan Daslani – Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission Abraham Samad vowed on Saturday to continue fighting corruption, even if he and his four deputies have to face the worst possible consequences.

Leaders of the antigraft organization, known as the KPK, "have surrendered our lives for this cause. We have prepared our bodies for wakaf [sacrifical legacy]," Samad said, in a short text message to journalists, indicating that they were ready to risk their lives as they battle the police to investigate the controversial driving simulator graft case.

The KPK has named Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo a key suspect in the case that has reportedly caused at least Rp 100 billion ($10.6 million) in losses to the state treasury. But since Djoko was named a suspect, police have exhibited a seemingly defensive posture, arguing that they have the right to lead a probe into the case instead of the KPK.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held a three-minute impromptu meeting with Samad and police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo on Thursday evening. Yudhoyono said that the two institutions should work together for the sake of upholding the law.

But Samad was not satisfied with that meeting, because the president "only talked in [a] normative tone," he said, adding, "Normative means there is nothing special."

The legal row between police and the KPK has divided the political elite and legal experts.

Former justice and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra has said the police will win if the KPK takes the case to the Constitutional Court. Another noted expert of law, Indriyanto Seno Adji, said the police cannot legally stop the investigation, but they retain the right to handle the case.

But on the other side, noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis led a delegation of legal experts to meet with Samad to express their support for the KPK in the matter.

Over the past week, newspapers and websites have featured appeals from various circles for police to stop investigating the case and to allow the KPK to continue its job. Many argued that police would not be objective if they handled a case involving their own generals.

Amidst the heated debate, the KPK leader reiterated over the weekend that the KPK would soon name more police generals as suspects in the case.

"Just wait for that day. It will surely come, in due time," he said. "Everybody is equal before the law. We uphold the principle of equality before the law. Here, whether you have stars or not, it does not matter. Everybody is equal."

The same statement about nobody being above the law was echoed by Bambang Widjojanto, one of the KPK's four deputy chairmen. Apart from Samad and Bambang, the KPK leadership also includes three other deputies: Zulkarnain, Busyro Muqoddas and Adnan Pandu Praja.

On Saturday, former police general Sisno Adiwinoto said a way to settle the dispute is to take it to the district court and to use the criminal code as the basis of judgement. This would weaken the KPK's authority to deal with the issue. Sisno made the remark amid appeals for a total review of the KPK Law by the Constitutional Court.

But Sadli Isra, a legal expert from Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, said on Saturday that the KPK Law should not be reviewed now because people might try to take advantage of it while the KPK is busy with the police issue.

In a related development, deputy chairman Bambang has said that the KPK would start arresting ministers as suspects in graft cases in the next few months, but he declined to mention any names.

Previously, the KPK has interrogated Youth and Sport Minister and former presidential spokesman Andy Mallarangeng, Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and former House of Representatives speaker Agung Laksono and Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, in connection to different graft cases.

Andy was interrogated as part of the investigation into the Hambalang sport center project in Bogor. Muhaimin was allegedly tied to irregularities in an infrastructure project in Papua, while Agung was connected to a case of bribery with the Riau national sporting event, also known as PON. Suryadharma was interrogated over a corruption case involving a supply of Koran holy books.

With the KPK now going after high profile figures, political observers say that the government only has two options left – support the antigraft body, or lose its credibility in front of a society that is already fed up with the large number of corruption cases.

Police knew of simulator graft case in 2011: PPATK

Jakarta Globe - August 11, 2012

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & SP/Novianti Setuningsih – The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center said on Friday that it submitted a report on suspicious transactions linked to a driving simulator graft case to the National Police last year.

Muhammad Yusuf, chairman of the monitoring body known as the PPATK, said the agency gave a full report on the suspicious transactions, occurring from 2010 to 2011, to the National Police.

"It was first [given] to the National Police. We just didn't specifically mention it was the simulator project," Yusuf said during a discussion in Jakarta on Friday.

The PPATK submitted the report to the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) in May this year, and two months later the antigraft body named Djoko Susilo, a former director of the National Police traffic corps, as a suspect in the case.

Yusuf said the report clearly showed fund transfers from the simulator project's tender winner to a National Police official. "The one that we submitted showed a significant amount of fund transfers from the party involved to a police official."

Djoko and two other National Police members stand accused of taking bribes in exchange for ensuring that "the party" referenced by Yusuf, Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi, won the simulator contract.

Meanwhile, the KPK admitted to having questioned witnesses in the case. "There are investigations related to the driving simulator case. But for the sake of the investigation, they were not made public," spokesman Johan Budi said on Friday. Johan said investigators had so far questioned more than 10 people in the case.

The KPK and National Police have locked horns over the probe, with the National Police's detective unit head, Sutarman, claiming that the police were investigating the case before KPK moved against Djoko. He accused the KPK of violating a memorandum of understanding between the two agencies and threatened to charge it with obstructing its investigation.

But the National Police chief said on Friday that his men were ready and willing to work with the KPK on the case, apparently heeding recent calls for cooperation from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"Our commitment to uphold the law includes upholding the law related to corruption cases," National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said on Friday. He also said his commitment meant "whoever committed corruption should be strictly punished according to the law, including members of the National Police."

The cooperation pledge comes after Yudhoyono spoke to Timur and KPK chief Abraham Samad on Wednesday. Yudhoyono said a day later that he had urged the two men to resolve the dispute.

"The two of you are the men I can count on, my best men in the fight against corruption," he said on Thursday, quoting his own words to Timur and Abraham. "The KPK has a very significant role, and the National Police and the attorney general should also carry out their work. I hope [you] can collaborate to combat corruption."

Miranda Goeltom's largesse revealed in court

Jakarta Globe - August 10, 2012

Rizky Amelia – Graft suspect Miranda Goeltom offered up to Rp 500 million ($53,000) each for legislators' votes in her selection in 2004 as senior deputy governor of Bank Indonesia, a witness revealed at her trial on Thursday.

Agus Condro Prayitno, the former Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator who blew the whistle on the Rp 24 billion bribery scandal, testified at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court that he had learned about Miranda's alleged offer from Tjahjo Kumolo, a senior PDI-P politician.

He said that in a meeting with other PDI-P legislators serving on the House of Representatives' vetting committee for the central bank post, Tjahjo told them that the party had decided it would vote for Miranda.

"Tjahjo said that Miranda was prepared to pay us Rp 300 million each. But if we pushed for Rp 500 million, she wouldn't say no," Agus said. He added that among those who attended the meeting were Emir Moeis and Panda Nababan.

Panda was later convicted and jailed for taking a bribe in the case, while Emir and Tjahjo have never been charged. Emir, however, was recently named a suspect in another corruption case.

Agus, who also served time for his role in the case, said that after the meeting all the members of the vetting committee were invited to meet with Miranda at a hotel to discuss her candidacy.

He said that during that closed meeting, Miranda asked them not to bring up the issue of her divorce during their public questioning of her on June 8, 2004.

Just hours before the questioning, Agus continued, he was called into Emir's office and handed a brown envelope by Dudhie Makmun Murodh, the PDI-P treasurer at the House, containing Rp 500 million in traveler's checks.

He said he suspected all along that the money was for voting for Miranda. "I'd also heard rumors that she was definitely going to win the appointment," he added. Dudhie was another of the 28 legislators convicted of taking bribes.

Miranda tried to cast doubt on Agus's testimony, asking why he had not declined the money. She also questioned why he had not brought up the issue with her at the time.

"And your repeated use of the expression 'as I remember it' is dangerous and can lead to an innocent person being put on trial," she said. "I never told Tjahjo I would give Rp 300 million or Rp 500 million."

Miranda faces corruption charges that could see her face up to five years in prison if convicted. Despite being the person at the center of the scandal, she was only named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) this year. But her associate, Nunun Nurbaetie, was convicted in May.

KPK warned of fallout

Jakarta Post - August 10, 2012

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – In spite of growing support for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in its prosecution of prominent politicians and high-ranking officials, the latest being the Democratic Party patron Hartati Murdaya, many are concerned about the possible fallout from the bold move.

Members of the House of Representatives have advised the KPK against overreach, arguing that the antigraft body could lose its focus in prosecuting major graft cases.

Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) reminded the KPK that its bickering with the National Police over the handling of the driving simulator procurement case could drain its resources from investigations into other major graft cases, such as the Bank Century bailout and the graft case surrounding the construction of the Hambalang sports complex in Bogor, West Java.

"I'm afraid that the rivalry between the KPK and the police is being engineered to save the major actors in these other cases. It appears to me that the KPK is reluctant to dig deeper into cases that have links to the Presidential Palace," Eva said.

A fellow member of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs, Ahmad Yani of the United Development Party (PPP), warned the KPK not to behave like a bully, following the announcement by KPK deputy chairman, Bambang Widjojanto, that it would soon be naming a sitting minister as suspect.

"He [Bambang] must remember that the KPK is a state institution and not an NGO. Therefore, its commissioners must behave properly and not intimidate people, like common thugs," Ahmad told reporters.

As if to respond to criticism that the new batch of KPK commissioners had been compromised following back-room deals at the House during their selection process earlier this year, the commission, under the leadership of Abraham Samad, has moved aggressively in handling high-profile cases and naming as suspects politicians from almost all the major political parties.

After detaining senior politicians, like Democratic Party lawmaker Angelina Sondakh, and the politically connected former senior deputy governor of the central bank, Miranda S. Goeltom, the KPK recently named Police Academy head, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a suspect in the multibillion rupiah corruption case surrounding the procurement of driving simulators at the National Traffic Police Corps.

While the controversy over the handling of the case still raged, the KPK named Hartati a suspect on Wednesday in a bribery case involving Buol regent Amran Batalipu.

Many are chafing at the KPK's aggressive move, however. A House member, who wished to remain anonymous, said that some lawmakers were taken aback by the KPK's pursuit of significant figures and planned to pound the KPK leadership in the next sitting session. On the other hand, the KPK's succession of bold moves has won plaudits from civil society organizations.

"The KPK is fulfilling its job description: to seek out and punish corruptors, whoever they are. The commission must continue doing its job to win more public support," said Agus Sunaryanto, coordinator of Indonesia Corruption Watch's (ICW) investigative team.

Agus said the KPK was now the public's only hope for eradicating corruption. "The National Police and the Attorney General's Office [AGO] are not supported by the public because they are corrupt," he said.

Lawmaker Martin Hutabarat of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party said the KPK needed to retain its privileges to make it more effective in prosecuting graft cases.

Martin said the authority accorded to the KPK to wiretap phone conversations by possible graft suspects was one such privilege. He identified wiretapping as the key to determine Hartati's involvement in the Buol bribery case.

"Therefore, we must do our best to ensure that any revision of the KPK Law does not strip the commission of that authority; to do so would weaken the antigraft body," Martin told The Jakarta Post.

SBY may have told Timur to back down

Jakarta Post - August 9, 2012

Bagus BT Saragih and Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The leadership of National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo is being put to the test in how he handles the rift between his force and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Leading what is widely regarded as the country's most corrupt institution, Timur has been labelled by several of his generals as lacking influence and authority within the force.

This has forced him into a dilemma between complying with public demand for reform and confronting a possible revolt within the police's top ranks from those who are pushing to maintain the status quo.

During a meeting with former police chiefs on Monday, according to a participant who demanded anonymity, Timur acknowledged that he had secretly received orders from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to comply with the KPK and immediately end the standoff.

"Timur told the audience that the President had ordered him to comply with the KPK. However, his stance remains unclear," said the participant. "Former police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri [Timur's predecessor] even told Timur that he should be aware of the consequences if the President had given the order."

Yudhoyono did not make his order public due to his Javanese-style politeness and his concern of losing the support of the police.

The rift between the police and the KPK centers on the agency's historic move late last month to raid the National Police Traffic Corps' headquarters in South Jakarta and declare an active two-star general, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a graft suspect. The case revolves around the procurement of driving simulators worth Rp 198.7 billion (US$24 million).

Defying public calls for the investigation to be solely handled by the KPK, the police have forcibly taken over part of the antigraft body's probe into the case. The police only allowed the KPK to investigate Djoko Susilo, while the case file on three of his subordinates has been taken over the by police.

"I told the police chief that he should comply with the President and the law to end the standoff, and he responded positively," said former National Police chief Gen. (ret.) Awaluddin Djamin, who was present at the meeting.

Awaluddin ended his tenure as National Police chief in 1982. He is now considered one of the most respected retired police generals.

Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam did not deny reports of the order Yudhoyono issued to Timur. "Let's just follow the existing regulations," Dipo said on the sidelines of a breaking-the-fast gathering at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Wednesday.

During the event, Yudhoyono was seen talking with KPK chairman Abraham Samad and Timur while holding their hands, though the topic of their discussion remains unknown.

A meeting between Timur and Abraham late on Monday did not yield a final solution, but Abraham said both institutions had agreed to "cool down" over the issue. According to a source, Timur was seeking a decent exit strategy by demanding more time during his meeting with former police chiefs.

He basically agreed to comply with the KPK but sought a way to save face while simultaneously avoiding infighting or revolt within the National Police over his decision.

"He was seen as a weak figure by the other generals. His decision to comply with the KPK would reinforce that belief. And this will make things worse internally as more generals will defy his orders for his failure to protect the corps," the source said. Timur is slated to retire in July next year.

Top lawmaker backs KPK in police probe

Jakarta Post - August 8, 2012

Sita W. Dewi and Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – A senior lawmaker is coming out in support of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in its probe of an active-duty two-star police general in a procurement scandal.

"No one likes the KPK – but the KPK was not established to please anyone," Deputy House Speaker Pramono Anung Wibowo said on Tuesday. "There is no room for negotiations," Pramono, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said during a media discussion at the KPK's headquarters in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

In an apparent jibe against the National Police's parallel investigation of the Rp 200 billion (US$21.2 million) procurement scandal at the Traffic Corps, Pramono said that the Corruption Law clearly defined when the KPK could instigate or supersede existing corruption investigations. "All parties should respect the law", he said.

Former KPK deputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, who also spoke at the discussion, encouraged the commission to press ahead. "Let the President be busy with his own business. He won't make any decision on this case. Just do what you can do and go ahead," Erry said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's spokesman, Julian Aldrin Pasha, declined to comment when asked if the President had ordered the National Police to turn over its probe to the KPK.

"The President's directives have been delivered to leaders of the Polri [National Police] and the KPK via Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto," Julian said.

The police and the commission have been at loggerheads on the handling of the case, which involves kickbacks allegedly paid to former National Police Traffic Corps chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo to award contracts for driving simulators.

The National Police Criminal Investigations Directorate (Bakreskrim) opened its own investigation of the scandal shortly after the KPK launched its probe. As previously reported, a police general who declined to be named said that Bakreskrim's probe was launched so that suspects could be detained and "contained" by the National Police and not the KPK.

KPK chief Abraham Samad and National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo agreed to a joint investigation on Aug. 1, after the KPK's raid on Traffic Corps headquarters ended in a standoff, with KPK investigators prevented from leaving the headquarters by police officers. The KPK declared Djoko a suspect immediately before the raid.

The National Police later advised the Attorney General's Office that it had launched its own investigation, naming five people as suspects and detaining four of them, including Traffic Corps deputy chief Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo.

The police have detained three police officers as suspects at the Mobile Brigade's detention center in West Java, while the head of the company implicated in the scandal has been held at Bakreskrim's detention unit.

Meanwhile, KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto confirmed on Tuesday that a meeting took place between the leaders of the KPK and the National Police on Monday evening, a few hours after Timur met with several of his retired predecessors.

"Several KPK and National Police leaders have been communicating to discuss the investigation. The discussion is still ongoing," Bambang said, declining to elaborate. KPK investigators were still focusing on questioning witnesses, including Djoko, Bambang said.

Bambang declined to state when the KPK would detain Djoko, although the commission has asked the immigration office to impose a ban on his overseas travel. Djoko was removed from his last assignment as the head of the Police Academy in Semarang, Central Java, last week.

KPK should assume control of police detainees, antigraft group says

Jakarta Globe - August 8, 2012

Rangga Prakoso, Farouk Arnaz, Ezra Sihite & Arientha Primanita – The Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society has filed a pretrial motion against the National Police at the South Jakarta District Court over the detention of four suspects in the Rp 197 billion ($21 million) driving simulator scandal.

"The detention is invalid because the police's investigation is not valid," the chairman of the group, known as MAKI, Boyamin Saiman, said on Tuesday.

Boyamin said the investigation by the National Police on the case was invalid because it contradicts Article 50 of Law No. 30/2002 of the Corruption Eradication Commission. The article states that other institutions are not authorized to carry out an investigation if the KPK has already investigated the case.

According to Boyamin, the KPK had already investigated the case and named former head of the National Police's traffic division, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a suspect.

"We will sue the National Police chief, KPK and the attorney general," Boyamin said. "These people will have to prove, in court, the time when their probe into the case began."

If the pretrial motion is accepted and the four suspects are released from detention, Boyamin will ask the judges to hand over the suspects and the case to the KPK.

The National Police have detained Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo, the current deputy chief of the traffic division, as well as Adj. Sr. Comr. Teddy Rismawan, Comr. Legimo and Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi director Budi Susanto.

The KPK's investigation into the corruption claims surrounding a Rp 197 billion purchase of driving simulators has drawn controversy from the beginning.

Police reportedly prevented the KPK from seizing documents related to the project from the traffic division's office in East Jakarta, a standoff that ended only after an agreement between the two law enforcement bodies was reached.

The antigraft body charged Djoko with allegedly receiving Rp 2 billion in bribes from the two companies that were awarded the lucrative tender for the simulators. The KPK has also charged three other officers in the case.

Police said they started investigating the case before the KPK, and accused the antigraft body of interfering.

Three lawyers asked the Constitutional Court on Monday to provide a definite legal interpretation on the KPK Law, especially Article 50, Paragraph 3. The lawyers hope a court ruling will clearly establish the KPK's jurisdiction.

Although it has detained several suspects, the National Police's anti- corruption directorate has yet to detect any payments to them.

The police said the suspects were only suspected of violating the law to "amass wealth for other people."

"We haven't been able to reveal the flow of funds to them [the suspects] from the winning vendors. The corruption aspect can come in the form of violations of the law, amassing wealth for oneself or others, and incurring a state loss," National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said on Tuesday.

Boy said the case emerged because there was an aspect of amassing wealth for other people because the driving simulators were bought at a price that enabled the vendors to gain huge profits.

"We can suspect an irregularity in this process," Boy said. "But whether they [won] because of bribery or conspiracy, we haven't found that yet." Boy said that the project value for two-wheel vehicle simulators was Rp 127 billion, and Rp 45 billion for four-wheel simulators.

A deputy speaker at the House of Representatives, Pramono Anung, said the police had a vested interest in the case and should bow out. President Susilo Yudhoyono has vowed to not get involved.

Terrorism & religious extremism

Are terrorists getting their sentences reduced?

Jakarta Globe - August 13, 2012

Farouk Arnaz – Justice and Human Rights Deputy Minister Denny Indrayana clamped down last year on sentence reductions and parole for convicts involved in terrorism, narcotics and corruption, but there is some question about whether that policy is still in place.

Achmad Michdan, coordinator of the Muslim Defenders Team (TPM), which often represents Muslims involved in terrorism cases, said some of his clients serving time in prisons in Medan had been granted sentence reductions. "But I need time to provide the data," he quickly cautioned on Saturday.

Denny couldn't be reached for comment but he said last year that the policy was not new. He pointed to a government regulation from 2006 that sets the terms for remissions, including stricter conditions for prisoners serving sentences for corruption, terrorism, narcotics and organized crime.

There are two types of remissions, general and special. The general remission is given every Independence Day, while special remissions are granted every major religious holiday, such as Idul Fitri and Christmas.

There have been cases of terror convicts who were granted remissions returning to terrorist activities once they received early release or parole.

Abu Tholut received an eight-year prison sentence in 2001 for his role in the bombing at the Atrium Plaza shopping mall in Senen, Central Jakarta. He was granted a sentence reduction and only served four and a half years.

He was rearrested in December 2010 and received another eight-year jail sentence in 2011. He was found guilty of terrorism activities, specifically taking part in militant training in Aceh.

Freedom of religion & worship

Village head denies permit application for Bogor church

Jakarta Post - August 14, 2012

Theresia Sufa, Bogor – The origin of the St. Johannes Catholic church's closure last week in Bogor, West Java, can be traced to one thing: its failure to the signature of Waru village head, where the church is located.

The church's spokesman, Hendrik Masan Hena, said that the church, which is sealed off due to lack of a permit, had tried to obtain the permit for years, but the village chief refused to sign the application.

"We have been able to collect 204 signatures from villagers living near the church, but the chief always turns down our request," he said on Sunday.

Waru village head Toing Haryanto admitted that he was reluctant to sign the application letter. "I admit that there are people who agree with the presence of the church, but there are others who don't, such as Islamic clerics in the area," he said. "So I'm confused as to whether to sign the letter or not. To avoid public uproar, I decided to not do so."

Heads of neighborhoods in the village, however, said that their residents had no objections whatsoever to the church. One neighborhood head, Syahrudin, said that as many as 60 families in his neighborhood agreed to give their signatures as support to the church.

"The church doesn't cause any harm to residents, and the land where it is located belongs to the church," he said.

Yayang, another neighborhood head, said his residents were not disturbed by the church. "They have given their signatures many times for the church's building permit," he said. "I'm dumbfounded why [the administration] have to make it difficult for them to worship. They have never disturbed us."

The church will keep fighting for the permit, because it has obeyed all the rules and followed all the procedures, according to the church's priest, Father Albertus Simbol Gaib.

"We've done what we supposed to do, but the administration prevented us [from getting the permit]," he said. "We beg the government to help and guide us."

The trouble started on Monday of last week, when officers from the Public Order Agency sealed the church after warning letters from the administration had been ignored. The administration demanded the church obtain a permit before holding services.

Such cases are not new to the regency. Since 2010, Taman Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) have been barred from conducting services because the city administration revoked a permit it had previously approved.

Reviewing the case, the Supreme Court ruled against Bogor, ordering the reopening of the church. However, Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto remains defiant.

In 2010, Bekasi regency closed the Filadelfia Congregation of Batak Protestant Church in Tambun, West Java, after local residents objected to its construction.

Islam & religion

Mass exodus set to test government to the max

Jakarta Post - August 14, 2012

Nurfika Osman and Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – With approximately 16.5 million holidaymakers throughout the country beginning their journeys home for the Idul Fitri holidays, the government said all preparations had been finalized.

Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said major roads across the country, including those that ran across the northern coastal region of Java (Pantura) and the Trans-Sumatra highway, were 90 percent ready.

Djoko said that during the past two months, the ministry had expedited work to fix potholes and construct more bridges. "Preparation for the Idul Fitri exodus has become a national issue because millions are expected to travel home. We are committed to providing the best road conditions for travelers," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the ministry's spokesman Bambang S. Ervan said that airports across the country had extended their operating hours to anticipate a surge in the number of homeward-bound passengers. He said that the ministry had ordered the airport to extend its operating hours to between two and five hours depending on the number of passengers.

"Longer hours during the Idul Fitri holiday are very important because almost every airline provides extra flights based on strong demand. The extra hours will help airports better serve passengers during the exodus," Bambang said in Jakarta.

The ministry said that the main gateways: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten; Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali; Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java; Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi; and Polonia Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, would all operate on a 24-hour basis during the holiday.

The ministry predicts the number of airline passengers to reach almost 170,000 during peak days. Data from the ministry indicated that domestic carriers such as Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Indonesia AirAsia and Merpati Nusantara were set to provide 515 extra flights, equal to 189,528 extra seats, from Aug. 13 to 26.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Health Agency head Dien Emmawati said on Monday that her agency was providing free health services during the Idul Fitri holiday for homeward-bound travelers in the city.

She said the city had set up 43 health posts throughout Jakarta and would place 52 ambulances on standby. "The services have been running since Sunday and will wrap up seven days after Idul Fitri," Dien said.

For this year, the government decided that bus operators were only allowed to increase fares during the holiday season to 30 percent from regular rates. But passengers have complained that some operators have jacked up prices by more than 100 percent.

Dewi Sri, a bus operator in Tangerang, said that it had raised the price for a Pemalang, Central Java-bound ticket from Rp 40,000 to Rp 80,000 for the holiday period. "We can't argue. The most important thing is that my family and I can get home safely," said Saliman, a passenger in Tangerang municipality.

[Multa Fidrus, Andreas D. Arditya, Panca Nugraha and Slamet Susanto contributed to this report.]

Soon to be launched Islamic social networking site offers halal content

Jakarta Globe - August 13, 2012

A new Islamic social networking site will be launched in Indonesia in November, and will offer "better protection" for young Muslims from "harmful content." The Beta version of the site Salamworld is currently being tested by some 1,000 users worldwide.

"Salamworld is a global social network platform which is built on Islamic values that aim to show the potential of Muslims worldwide uniting," brand manager of Salamworld Erol Toksoy said in a press conference, as quoted by Antara news agency on Monday.

"This social network will eliminate the barriers between Muslims in the world. With God willing, by November we will launch it globally," Erol added.

While other global social networks sites such as Facebook and Twitter focus on individuals with personal profiles, Salamworld will present postings based on group interests, such as architects, cars, paintings and businesses, just to name a small variety of topics.

"The [users] don't have to waste the time seeing content they don't want to see, because users can choose according to their interests," Erol said, pointing to the news feed feature of Facebook. "We don't want to replace Facebook, but we want to present something new," Erol said.

Salamworld will allow users to share ideas, business opportunities, or simply help those who are seeking friends. There will be several applications available on the sites, including online counseling, library, education modules, city guides, games and many others.

The users of Salamworld will also be able to link to their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Salamworld also offers a social network that allows only Halal content, or material allowed under Islamic law, ensuring that the the site will "be free from dangerous or indecent content such as sex or illegal drugs."

The chairman of the Salamworld board of directors called his site the "cleaner version of Facebook," according to arabnews.com.

"By filtering out harmful content and ensuring that its pages uphold and respect family values, Salamworld can be described as 'Halal Facebook,' the new social networking phenomenon," the chairman noted. "Some 300 million Muslims use the Internet, and about half use social networks. Unfortunately, none are managed by Muslims."

Ahmad Azimov, deputy chairman of Salamworld, said they wanted Muslims to engage with technology instead of cursing it as an evil. "As a Muslim, religion and businesses are not separable... whatever you do for business has to be in line with your religious principles and values," he said.

Erol said that besides Muslims, non Muslims can also join the social network as long as they respect Islamic values. The site will set the minimum age for users at 15 years old. The sites will be available in eight languages including English, Arabic, Turkish, Urdu and Russian.

Sex & pornography

Google, YouTube to join Indonesia's anti-porn crusade

Jakarta Post - August 13, 2012

Jakarta – The Communications and Information Ministry says that it will collaborate with Internet search giant Google and video-sharing site YouTube to block pornographic websites.

Azhar Hasyim, the business director of the ministry's directorate general for applications and information, said that the ministry had talked with YouTube about the plan and expected to include Google.

Azhar said that with Google, the ministry would provide keywords that the search giant could use to block sites promoting pornography. "We haven't talked with Google, but we have with YouTube," Azhar said as quoted by kompas.com.

The Communications and Information Ministry previously reported that more than 2 million pornographic websites could be accessed inside Indonesia and that 1 million sites, most of which were run by overseas providers, had been blocked on orders from the ministry as of early this month.

Twelve major local ISPs have each reported 2.5 million attempts to access pornographic websites a month, according to the ministry, which claimed it had also received "100 million" public complaints on Internet pornography.

Google declined to respond to a query sent by The Jakarta Post.

Land & agrarian conflicts

Police to blame for Ogan Ilir shooting: Komnas HAM

Jakarta Post - August 14, 2012

Ansyor Idrus, Palembang – An investigation by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) found that the South Sumatra Police were responsible for the shooting of civilians during a land dispute in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, late last month.

Komnas HAM said in its report on the incident that the South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Dikdik Mulyana Arief Manysur gave the order to members of the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) to resort to extreme measures when necessary.

"We found evidence that the South Sumatra Police chief ordered Brimob to carry out persuasive and repressive measures in dealing with local residents in Ogan Ilir," Nur Kholis of Komnas HAM said on Monday.

Nur Kholis said that penalties should be given to the highest ranking officer in South Sumatra police, not just officers on the ground. "Sanctions should be imposed not only on the Brimob officers who are found guilty, but also to their commanders and the South Sumatra Police chief," he added.

A 12-year-old boy, Angga Prima, died in a clash between locals and security personnel during a land conflict between state-owned plantation company PTPN VII Cinta Manis and local residents in Ogan Ilir on July 27. Four other residents were injured in the incident while nine residents were arrested for allegedly possessing sharp weapons.

According to Nur Kholis, investigators have found bullets and shell casings at the site, which undermined the testimony by the regional police that they only fired rubber bullets. "Our findings are supported by doctors of the National Police who found that wounds on Angga's head were caused by live rounds," Nur Kholis said.

He said that one of the survivors of the incident, Rusman, 36, had his left arm amputated. "The forensics team said that rubber bullets wouldn't break bones like that," he said.

Another victim, Farida, 44, had a bullet pass through her upper left arm, which was very unlikely to happen if rubber bullets were used, Nur Kholis said.

National Police spokesman Anang Iskandar said that the police investigation team would need more time to determine if the projectiles were from live rounds.

"The police standard operating procedure is to first preempt and prevent before finally taking action, based on the conditions on the ground," Anang Iskandar told The Jakarta Post.

"We are currently investigating 120 Brimob officers, six of whom have to go through further investigation. Those who are found guilty will be punished based on the law," he added.

Anang said that the Brimob officers are not entirely to blame. He said that some witnesses said the villagers were attacked the Brimob officers. The National Police haven't come up with evidence to corroborate the statement.

The Komnas HAM said that members of the Brimob took extreme measures in dealing with the protesters.

"Some witnesses said that Brimob officers fired warning shots, followed by the shots that killed Angga and injured several others. We can't find any evidence to back up the claim by the police that they were attacked by the local residents first," Nur Kholis said.

Separately, the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) said that local residents in Ogan Ilir are still dealing with post-traumatic shock. "Women are afraid to go back to work and children reluctant to go to school," Desti Murdijana, Komnas Perempuan deputy chairperson said.

The majority of Ogan Ilir residents work as farmers, woodcarvers and blacksmiths and songket (South Sumatran traditional fabric) weavers.

She said that male residents were reluctant to leave their houses for work as they were still facing threats from the police. "Rumors abound that after Idul Fitri holiday the police will arrest more people," Desti said. (nad)

New land rule set to be ineffective

Jakarta Post - August 11, 2012

Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – The much-awaited presidential regulation on land acquisition, which has taken more than six months to draft, failed to impress businesses looking forward to an acceleration in infrastructure development.

Signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Aug. 7, the regulation is supposed to serve as the legal basis for the implementation of the Land Acquisition Law, passed by lawmakers late last year.

Both the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) expressed on Friday their disappointment with the bill.

Contention over the regulation centers on the failure to help ongoing infrastructure projects that have ground to a halt due to land problems, according to Kadin deputy chairman, Didie Suwondho.

"Investors who have financed these ongoing projects are now facing difficulties in acquiring land. This should have been covered in the regulation," Didie said.

However, the regulation will only cover new projects that are yet to be endorsed by the government. Among the stalled projects are 24 toll roads, including sections of the Jakarta outer ring road project and the trans- Java toll roads. The entire project, which will cover 605 kilometers, is worth around Rp 160 trillion (US$16.96 billion).

The infrastructure and regional development deputy for the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister, Luki Eko Wuryanto, said the regulation would only cover ongoing projects if the investors failed to find concrete solutions to their land problems by 2014. "It will not be until 2014 that the stalled projects will be covered under the regulation," Luki said.

Another cause for dismay in the regulation is the 583-day maximum time limit to complete an acquisition of land; considerably longer than the 400 days proposed by business associations.

Apindo chairman Sofjan Wanandi said the regulation showed that the government had no clear understanding of the importance of accelerated infrastructure development.

"Just imagine, under the regulation, it will take almost two years to complete the process of acquiring land for infrastructure. This shows there is too much bureaucracy involved during the process," said Sofjan.

"This doesn't include talking about building infrastructure on the land, which may take another three years. So, developing one public infrastructure project could take five years or more. It's just illogical. There's no sense of urgency."

Indonesia's economic development has been stalled primarily by the lack of infrastructure, such as roads, seaports, airports, power plants and railways. Economists believe the country cannot grow by more than 6.5 percent annually if infrastructure is kept at minimum capacity.

Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa remains upbeat about the regulation, however, saying there will be more new investment in the infrastructure projects covered by the regulation.

Hatta has pioneered the so-called Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Development (MP3EI), an ambitious program that has infrastructure development at its core.

Under the program, the government plans to construct massive infrastructure projects in six corridors throughout the archipelago, including the trans- Kalimantan highway, and the development of roads and seaports in Papua.

The development of the corridors is expected to garner at least Rp 4,000 trillion in investment in various projects within a 15-year period, spanning from 2011 until 2025.

To attract this much-needed investment, the government had pledged to provide a more business-friendly environment. "But with such a regulation, these projects will remain on paper," said Sofjan.

Wijaya Karya's corporate secretary, Natal Argawan, said the regulation would at least provide legal certainty over land acquisitions and their fixed time frames for the future. He argued that the regulation was "better than having nothing at all. But I do hope the government will somehow improve the regulation in the future," he said.

Other key points in Presidential Regulation No. 71/2012

Police deterring free assembly in Ogan Ilir: Walhi

Jakarta Post - August 10, 2012

Ansyor Idrus, Palembang – A local NGO wants the police to reduce their presence in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, following the crackdown after a boy was killed in a standoff with law enforcers over a land dispute.

Police officers had been frequently meeting with local leaders "to influence them not to continue their demand for land and to oversee the activities of residents," Anwar Sadat the director of the South Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said here on Wednesday. The heavy police presence might spark additional outbreaks of violence, Anwar said.

Angga bin Dharmawan, 12, was killed and four others were injured on July 27, when officers from a National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) special operations unit intervened in a riot caused by a prolonged land dispute between the residents of 21 villages in Ogan Ilir and state-owned plantation company (PTPN) VII Cinta Manis.

Angga was reportedly shot dead in the mayhem, although the police maintain that no bullet was found during the autopsy of the boy.

Anwar said the government should resolve the land dispute through negotiation not through the deployment of police officers.

Meanwhile, Andri Meilansyah, the lawyer representing the Ogan Ilir residents in the dispute, said his clients had been afraid to meet or assemble following what he said was continuous police surveillance.

"The residents are disturbed whenever they gather. The security officers always intervene and question the objectives of their meeting," Andri said.

However, South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Dikdik Mulyana denied on Thursday that his subordinates had caused restlessness among the residents. "It's our duty to safeguard state facilities," Dikdik said in Palembang.

Dikdik said that the presence of the police officers was aimed at preventing any fresh outbreaks of violence between residents and PTPN VII Cinta Manis.

Separately, the secretary-general of the National Security Council (DKN), M. Daulay, met on Thursday with representatives of the South Sumatra provincial administration, the South Sumatra Military District Command and South Sumatra office of the National Land Agency.

The meeting was aimed at gathering input to be brought to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before so he could make a decision on the conflict, which arose more than a decade ago, according to South Sumatra administration representative Mukti Sulaiman.

Jakarta & urban life

Jokowi hurls tomatoes at Jakarta's ills, in a new online game

Jakarta Globe - August 14, 2012

Liberty Jemadu – Gubernatorial candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is throwing exploding tomatoes at corrupt politicians in an effort to root out Jakarta's evils and save the city in a new online game.

"Selamatkan Jakarta" ("Save Jakarta"), which was launched on Saturday, has attracted thousands of players on the desktop and Facebook versions of the game.

The 30 level game features a cartoon Jokowi in his iconic checkered shirt hurling tomato bombs. The object is to target the "enemies" of Jakarta such as corrupt entrepreneurs, while avoiding good citizens.

As players advance, there are more targets, and more warga yang baik (good citizens) to avoid. Several photos appear in the transition between levels, such as the slogan "new Jakarta without violence."

"There are now 11,300 people playing the desktop version and 596 who play via facebook," Irvan Fauzi, the programmer of digital art studio Metric Design, said on Monday, adding that the game is still being developed and currently in it's Beta version.

PKS throws support behind Fauzi for runoff

Jakarta Globe - August 11, 2012

Ronna Nirmala – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) announced on Saturday that it will throw its support behind incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo for September's gubernatorial runoff to, citing similar ideologies.

The Islamic party's support for Fauzi and his running mate Nachrowi Ramli was declared during an event at the PKS headquarters in South Jakarta. Hidayat Nur Wahid, the former speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and a candidate that the PKS backed for the gubernatorial election, was also in attendance along with Fauzi and Nachrowi.

The head of the Jakarta chapter of the PKS, Slamet Nurdin, said the decision to support Fauzi was based on the same Islamic ideals shared between Fauzi and the PKS. "We make the ummah unity our priority," Selamet said, using the word for a community of Muslims bound together by ties of religion.

Selamet admitted the campaign teams of both Fauzi and Hidayat made verbal attacks against each other ahead of the first round of the election on July 11. "But both parties have apologized to each other, and agreed to ask all our supporters to prioritize on the ummah unity," Selamet said.

He also said the PKS would mobilize its members and supporters to vote for Fauzi in the upcoming election runoff on Sep. 20, when the incumbent faces off with Solo Mayor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his running mate Basuki T. "Ahok" Purnama.

Hidayat said the PKS had also communicated with Jokowi for a possible partnership. "But... Pak Jokowi hasn't shown, hasn't clarified his stance," Hidayat said, as quoted by Indonesian news portal kompas.com.

The PKS show of support for Fauzi is expected to boost votes for the incumbent, as the Hidayat-Didik J. Rachbini ticket that the party backed earlier finished third in the first round, securing 11 percent of the vote. (BeritaSatu/JG)

Fauzi's blunder could come back to haunt him: analyst

Jakarta Post - August 9, 2012

Jakarta – A recent remark made by the current Jakarta Governor and candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election, Fauzi "Foke" Bowo, during his visit to fire victims was a "blunder" for his election campaign, a political analyst said.

A video from a TV news channel footage circulated virally on YouTube, showing Fauzi visiting fire victims in Karet Tengsin, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.

During his visit, he asked some evacuees: "Now who will you choose? If [you] choose Jokowi, then you better rebuild your [homes] in Solo [Surakarta]." Surakarta Mayor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is Fauzi's rival in the runoff election, scheduled on Sept. 20.

"I personally consider Fauzi's statement as a blunder. He did not intentionally do it but he should be aware because it might damage his image," said Burhanuddin Muhtadi from the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI).

Burhanuddin said such a blunder would only make people think that Fauzi was still unable to accept his loss to out-of-towner Jokowi in the first round of Jakarta election in July. The blunder would also reinforce perceptions that Fauzi's was a hot-headed person, he added. "His campaign team should tell Fauzi to be aware of his own image in the future," Burhanuddin said.

Last week, a controversial sermon was delivered by famous dangdut singer Rhoma Irama. He allegedly made disparaging comments against the religious beliefs of Jokowi's running mate, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, before congregations at a mosque in West Jakarta. The incumbent Fauzi was also in attendance.

Burhanuddin said that Fauzi should reduce his "controversial activities" if he still wanted to gain the public's trust. "I myself cannot predict whether or not such a blunder and this controversial activity will see the incumbent return less votes in the runoff," he said. (riz)

Armed forces & defense

TNI soldier reportedly beats train staff over ticket disagreement

Jakarta Post - August 13, 2012

Cirebon – A ticket collector was attacked aboard a Jakarta-bound express train on Sunday after he allegedly told a member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) that he wasn't allowed to sit in business class without first purchasing a ticket.

Train operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has requested an investigation into allegations after an unidentified solider struck the ticket collector in the face.

"[The] Cirebon express train was traveling from Tegal to Jakarta, and every time it passed a station there were ticket checks," Lukman, the ticket collector, told Antara. "When I asked the military member for the ticket, he hit my nose and left cheek."

Lukman had already warned the soldier that he did not have a ticket for business class, he said.

Incidents of violence instigated by members of the TNI are a common occurrence aboard Indonesian trains, KAI Cirebon branch spokesman Sumarsono said on Monday.

The ticket collector underwent a medical examination after the attack, Sumarsono said. "Lukman has been hospitalized after being examined," he said. "He hopes that such abuses won't happen to him again."

The case should be investigated, said KAI Cirebon vice president Berlin Barus, citing the fact that KAI has agreement with the TNI to give ticket give a 50 percent discount to all members of the military.

"It lightens their burden, but regulation that they should buy ticket should be obeyed," Berlin said.

Soldiers may face dismissal over alleged assault

Jakarta Post - August 10, 2012

Iman Mahditama, Jakarta – The Jakarta Military Command said Friday that the military police had arrested two soldiers for reportedly assaulting a man near the entrance gate of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) in East Jakarta on Sunday.

"We have to act firmly toward undisciplined soldiers. We will dismiss them if necessary," said Military Commander Maj. Gen. Waris. Waris, however, declined to disclose the soldiers' identities.

Waris said that the assault took place at 12:30 a.m. and was triggered by a misunderstanding between the soldiers and a group of civilians who were hanging out near the TMII gate.

Reports said that 15 soldiers carrying a machete wrapped in newspaper approached the civilians, who were playing guitar, and shouted at them. A soldier allegedly assaulted one of the civilians with the machete, inflicting a slash wound on his back and one of his temple. (lfr)

Police & law enforcement

National police awarded for traffic and driver's license services

Jakarta Globe - August 10, 2012

Despite an ongoing graft investigation into their traffic division, the National Police received government awards on Friday for their traffic management and driver's license services.

In an award ceremony for public service units, the National Police's traffic management center was honored as one of the 10 "most progressive" public service units.

The Jakarta Police, which was categorized as part of the National Police, also received awards for their driver's license administration, which was honored as one of the "most progressive" and "most favorable" public service units.

The awards came as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigates senior officers in the police's traffic division in a bribery case surrounding the Rp 197 billion ($21 million) procurement of driving simulators. During the award ceremony, Vice President Boediono recognized the police's efforts to consistently improve their public services.

"People need to sincerely appreciate that the National Police have tried to improve their services," Boediono said at the Vice Presidential Palace on Friday, as quoted by Antara state news agency. "[They] need some more improvement in their internal [organization], and I support that to serve the public." Boediono said the National Police had helped develop a better, more transparent democracy.

"If [we] want continuous democracy, the platform is good governance and good communication between the public and the government," he said.

Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of the Presidential Working Unit for Development, Supervision and Oversight (UKP4), said the government organized the award ceremony to show support for the country's public service units.

Sixty two public service units from 34 ministries and state institutions were considered from April to July. "Generally, government institutions have been improving their public services, mainly after the public becomes critical and forces better service," Kuntoro said.

Nation's top cop gets short shrift from other generals

Jakarta Post - August 9, 2012

Amid pervasive corruption and illegal shootings, the National Police have come under the spotlight for forming a "brown line" to stonewall investigations into their integrity. The Jakarta Post's Dicky Christanto, Sita W. Dewi and Rendi A. Witular explore the internal intrigue and politics within the force. Here are the stories:

More than a dozen retired police generals assembled on Monday for a meeting called in haste by National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo.

In attendance were four retired four-star generals – all former National Police chiefs: Widodo Budidarmo and Awaloedin Djamin from the 1970s and 1980s; Suroyo Bimantoro, who left office in the early 2000s; and Timur's immediate predecessor, Bambang Hendarso Danuri.

The principal item on the agenda was the latest standoff between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the National Police, which critics say have continued to stave off internal and external attempts at reform.

Surprisingly, the generals – according to a source at the meeting who requested anonymity – were mostly in favor of ordering the rank-and-file to comply with the commission in order to kick start reforms of the National Police, which has a reputation as one of the nation's most corrupt institutions. According to the source, Widodo and Bimantoro even told Timur to think deeply about how reform could be carried out within the force.

"During the meeting, Timur acknowledged that SBY [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] actually ordered him to comply with the KPK and immediately end the standoff," the source said.

"Bambang Hendarso, who was at the heart of the initial rift between the police and the KPK, even warned Timur, although in soft tones, that there would be consequences if he defied SBY's orders," the source said.

The latest confrontation between the police and the KPK began after the commission's unprecedented move in late July, when it raided the headquarters of the National Police Traffic Corps in South Jakarta and declared an active-duty police general, former traffic police chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a graft suspect.

The case revolves around a kickback allegedly accepted by Djoko Susilo to award a Rp 198.7 billion (US$24 million) contract for driving simulators to a particular company.

Despite calls for the investigation to be entirely handled by the KPK, the police have launched their own investigation into the allegations focused on police suspects, in what another senior police source said was an attempt to block the KPK's probe.

The police agreed to limit the commission to investigating Djoko Susilo's role in the scandal, while detectives would investigate his subordinates.

The move, according to legal experts, might violate the KPK Law, which authorizes the commission to take over graft cases handled by the police or the Attorney General's Office (AGO). It also highlights the police's continued recalcitrance to purge the force of graft and extortion.

Timur, according to the source, thanked his predecessors for their input at the end of the meeting, declining to say how he would end the standoff with the KPK.

The source said that Timur was eager to avoid a repeat of the so-called Cicak vs Buaya standoff in 2009, which cast the commission as a cicak, or underdog gecko, and the National Police as the buaya, a much larger and more rapacious crocodile.

The standoff in 2009 began when the police declared two KPK commissioners criminal suspects after the KPK tapped the phones of the National Police's detective chief when investigating a bribery scandal. It ended with scorn heaped on the police and the exoneration of the KPK commissioners.

This time, however, Timur lacks the influence to garner support within the force, particularly from three-star and two-star generals, to comply with the President's orders.

University of Indonesia (UI) criminologist Bambang Widodo Umar said that Timur's leadership was weak. "Timur has no roots within the force. Most of the generals are looking down at him," Umar, a former police officer, said.

"He was appointed National Police chief for his total loyalty to the President, rather than for his leadership or other qualities. His predecessors [Sutanto and Bambang Hendarso] were known for their firmness in campaigning against gambling and terrorism – and racked up many achievements because of that, despite failures to address corruption. Timur has offered us almost nothing," Umar said.

Timur was not among the candidates for the top-cop slot proposed by Bambang Hendarso. Neither did the three-star generals comprising the National Police's board for high-ranking promotions and transfers favor Timur in 2010.

Bambang and the board proposed selecting either Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna, currently National Police deputy chief, or Comr. Gen. Imam Sujarwo, head of the Security Maintenance Division.

Nanan, who has also been implicated in the current scandal, graduated from the Police Academy in 1978 with Timur. The pair are said to have been long-time rivals. Yudhoyono, however, rejected appointing Nanan or Imam as top cop, selecting Timur, who was then Jakarta Police chief, to lead the force.

The move surprised observers, who said that seniority, not performance, typically drove promotions within the police. Seniors act as patrons, grooming juniors (anak buah) who are loyal to them as their power base and eventual successors.

The six three-star generals on the promotion board hold the most prestigious and powerful positions within the National Police. Most come from the Police Academy Class of 1978.

The chief of the Education and Training division, Comr. Gen. Oegroseno, also graduated in 1978. The three generals all have their own anak buah holding critical positions on the force.

Nanan and National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Sutarman, for example, were both proteges of Bambang Hendarso, according to another source – a three-star general who declined to be named.

Sutarman, from the Class of 1981, has been leading opposition to the KPK's investigation. Another influential general is Imam Sujarwo, Class of 1980, and a close friend of Army chief Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo, Yudhoyono's brother-in-law.

"These influential generals are going their own ways, and at some stage, are refusing to show their loyalty to Timur," said the general. "To make it more complicated, these generals know the dirty laundry of their rivals – and are ready to make them public if they don't protect one another," he said.

According to police sources, Timur has been grooming former East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Badrodin Haiti, Class of 1982, as his operations assistant; West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Putut Eko Bayuseno, a former adjutant to Yudhoyono; and Timur's old patron, Jakarta Police chief Untung S. Radjab, Class of 1977.

The ill will directed at Timur has spawned dissatisfaction and rivalries among the National Police's senior leaders at headquarters and at the helm of the nation's 33 provincial police forces.

Observers have attributed the recent unsound police shootings in several land and civil disputes throughout the nation to a lack of discipline stemming from the lack of unity among the generals.

Police expert Alfons Loemau said the current standoff showed how ineffective leadership could create rivalries that might further tarnish the reputation of the police. Obeying and supporting "seniors" was now more important than upholding the law, Alfons said.

"From bottom to top, the police are taught one thing when it comes to their career: how to keep their bosses happy. With this kind of mentality, what do you expect them to do?" he said.

Bad cops

March 2011 – West Java security budget

National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji is sentenced to 42 months' imprisonment for embezzling Rp 27.7 billion from the security budget for the West Java governor's election. His appeal is pending.

April 2010 – Gayus saga

Police remove Brig. Gen. Edmond Ilyas as Lampung Police chief and Brig. Gen. Raja Erizman as economic crimes chief for complicity in the money laundering and tax evasion case implicating taxman Gayus H. Tambunan. Neither are prosecuted, although four junior officers are imprisoned for their roles.

June 2010 – Suspicious "fat" bank accounts

Tempo magazine says seven high-ranking police officers are hoarding billions in their bank accounts deposited by third parties. The police never followed up allegations that the balances were suspiciously large, given the salaries of the officers.

July 2012 – Djoko Susilo case

April 2012: Bandung District Court sentences Sukotjo Bambang to two-and-a- half-years' imprisonment after he testified that executive Budi Santoso paid a Rp 2 billion kickback to the then commander of the National Police Traffic Corps, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, to win a contract.

June 2012: On appeal, the West Java High Court adds 12 months to Sukotjo's sentence.

July 30, 2012: KPK investigators raid Traffic Corps headquarters in South Jakarta and name Djoko as a suspect.

Aug. 2, 2012: In a parallel investigation, the National Police's Criminal Investigations Division name five suspects in Djoko's case, including another police general, two other police officers and businessmen Sukotjo Bambang and Budi Susanto.

Aug. 3, 2012: National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Sutarman alleges that the KPK behaved "unethically" in its raid on July 30.

Aug. 4, 2012: Police remove Djoko as head of the Police Academy and suspend the three other police suspects while the case is under investigation.

Aug. 5, 2012: Unidentified people try to enter the facility where the KPK is storing evidence in Djoko's case.

Aug. 6, 2012: Deputy National Police chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna denies involvement in the Djoko scandal when he was head of internal affairs.

Police violence

December 2011: Two residents of Lambu in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, are shot dead when civilians and police clash at Sape Seaport over gold mining exploration licenses.

February 2012: Five are injured and five others arrested after officers fire at protestors when land disputes turned violent in Tambusai and Rokan Hulu in Riau.

July 2012: Police reportedly shoot dead a boy and injure four more while containing a clash between the residents of Limbang Jaya I, II and III in Tanjung Batu in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra.

Economy & investment

Only the richest 20 percent benefiting from economic growth

Kompas.com - August 9, 2012

Jakarta – Economic growth, which reached 6.4 percent in the second quarter of 2012, is largely being enjoyed by the middle- and upper-class, because it is not quality growth.

Economics professor Mudrajad Kuncoro, from the Gadjah Mada University Faculty of Business and Economics, said that economic growth has risen and per capita income (PCI) has reached 3,540 US dollars annually.

However the indications of an imbalance are visible from the results of the current national development process. This can be measured by the imbalance in distribution of income that is steadily widening as reflected by the gini coefficient (a measure of inequality), which rose from 0.33 in 2002 to 0.41 in 2011.

"The irony is, there has been a decline in the [share] of the national cake enjoyed by poorest 40 percent of the population, which has been accompanied by an increase in the [share] of the national cake enjoyed by the richest 20 percent", said Kuncoro when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday August 7.

Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) general chairperson Sofjan Wanandi is of the view that economic growth is only being enjoyed by the middle- and upper-classes, while lower-class society is being ground down by various obstacles and is simply trying to survive.

"Even though [they] benefit, the lower-classes' gains are becoming smaller because they have to deal with the high price of materials and have to face high bank interest rates", said Wanandi.

Wanandi confirmed that current economic growth rates are being sustained by people's consumption during the fasting month and Idul Fitri holiday celebrations. On the questing of increased investment, Wanandi said this is not something new.

Wanandi said that current investment, particularly by foreign investors, appears to be sustained, and represents a process that has been going on for two years. It is not the pace of investment that has recently been ventured, such as the investment by Foxconn from Taiwan, which is still struggling to find industrial land.

Not much change

Fishing communities and trade unions admit they have felt little impact from the high level of growth in the second quarter.

Cornelius Mahuze (32), a traditional fisher from the Marind Kampung Mbuti ethnic group in Merauke district, Merauke regency, Papua, concedes that his life is not heading in a better direction. "Yeah, it's just like this, [I] can only net prawns. [I] don't have a boat, don't have any capital", he said on Tuesday.

Every day Cornelius works netting prawns on at the Mbuti beach. If it is the prawn season, he can catch 10-20 kilograms a day. Prawns sell for 15,000 rupiah a kilo. If it's not the prawn season, he can only catch 1-2 kilograms a day. "If it's the hot season or big wave season, [I] don't have any income", he said.

Laurensius Mahuze (50), another traditional fisher from the Mbuti village, also relies on netting prawns from the beach because he does not own a motor-boat to catch fish at sea. His income depends upon the season. "If it's not prawn season, I just sell young coconuts for 5,000 rupiah each", he said.

Meanwhile according to Jamaluddin, a labour activist from the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya, economic growth has yet to raise workers' living standards and only provides profits to business and employers. This is reflected in the growth in the number of outsourced workers so that benefits that company owners are obliged to provide, such as the right to a pensions, healthcare allowance and children's schooling costs, are in fact non-existent.

"Workers' wages in Indonesia are the lowest compared with Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia. Meaning that economic growth is not directly proportional with workers' incomes, never mind farmers or fisherpeople", he said.

Meanwhile, an economic observer from the Airlangga University in Surabaya, Subagyo, said the gains from all this are actually being enjoyed by foreign investors who already control shares in almost all business sectors. "Economic growth is not impacting directly on the little people, but rather the owners of capital", he said.

National Planning and Development Minister and National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) chief Armida Alisjahbana said that economic growth in the second quarter of 2012 is being driven by growth in domestic consumption and investment. The government is targeting an investment growth of 11 percent, which could realistically reach 12 percent.

"How to maintain the momentum and minimalise declining exports. So as to get the best contribution for the agricultural sector. That will be the driving force. Our hope is, all of this can be translated into ordinary people's living standards and reducing unemployment", he said. (RWN/ETA/EVY/ATO/OSA/IDR/BEN)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Analysis & opinion

Australian-funded soldiers policing West Papuan activists

Direct Action - August 14, 2012

James Balowski, Jakarta – The killing of a leading pro-independence activist in West Papua during a raid reportedly led by members of the Australian-funded and -trained counter-terrorism unit Detachment 88 (Densus 88) raises serious questions about how Australian workers' tax money is being used in Indonesia.

West Papua National Committee (KNPB) deputy chairperson Mako Tabuni was shot dead near the provincial capital Jayapura on June 14, causing rioting and a security crackdown. Police claimed Tabuni resisted arrest and was shot trying to escape.

Eyewitness accounts and an investigation by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) cast serious doubts on the police version of events. Kontras executive coordinator Haris Azhar said that, according to its findings, three cars approached Tabuni and fired at him directly, in an incident bearing all the hallmarks of a police hit.

According to the independent Australian-based West Papua Media (WPM), Tabuni was shot by police as they stormed an area outside student dormitories at the Cenderawasih University. WPM said that it confirmed independently that the Densus 88 troops were in command of the raid. Tabuni was campaigning for an investigation into a spate of mysterious shootings in May and June that left at least 16 dead. Police subsequently accused Tabuni and the KNPB of being behind the violence.

Waning threat

Densus 88 was created in 2003, supposedly in response to the 2002 Bali bombings. It is equipped and trained in large part by the US and Australia, which provide training in communications interception, close combat, forensic sciences, surveillance and intelligence gathering and analysis. It has a facility at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation, set up in 2004 with almost $40 million of Australian funding. According to the centre's website, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) still run most of the seminars. Densus 88 also benefits from $16 million in annual funding allocated to the AFP to combat terrorism in South-East Asia. It has around 400 members attached to its command in Jakarta and hundreds more in the country's 33 provinces.

The threat of major terrorist attacks in Indonesia began to wane after the second Bali bombing in 2005, with only minor incidents occurring, such as the bombing of a market in Central Sulawesi and ambushes of law enforcers in Maluku. It was not until 2009 that Indonesia suffered another major attack, when two suicide bombs were detonated at the JW Marriott and Ritz- Carlton hotels in Jakarta.

Following the death of major terrorism suspects Noordin M. Top in 2009 and Dulmatin in 2010, and with figures such as Jemaah Islamiyah spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir behind bars, Densus 88 stepped up its engagement in non-terrorism issues. According to Jakarta Globe journalist Nivell Rayda – who has been investigating Densus 88 – there has been a marked shift toward policing "separatism" instead of terrorism.

"Detachment 88 being somewhat of an elite unit, being funded and trained by foreign countries... they just lay dormant – their resources, their equipment and their tactical abilities, and investigation techniques just lying dormant for years", Rayda told the Australian independent magazine New Matilda on March 5.

"In 2009 we had another major attack, but since then we've arrested nearly all the major players and terrorism suspects... there haven't really been any major terrorism events taking shape, and... the pattern seems to repeat itself: Detachment 88 has been engaging once more in non-terrorism issues, including separatism", he said.

Widespread abuses

Unlike West Papua, where foreign journalists are restricted from reporting freely and humanitarian organisations such as the International Red Cross were ordered out in 2009, Densus 88's operations in the Maluku islands of eastern Indonesia have come under close scrutiny.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International have reported widespread and institutionalised torture and ill-treatment of political prisoners by Densus 88 there, where a pro-independence movement has existed since 1950.

A report by HRW in June 2010, based on more than 50 interviews with political prisoners between December 2008 and May 2010, detailed the arrest and prosecution of activists for peacefully raising banned symbols, such as the Papuan Morning Star and the South Maluku independence flag. The report described the treatment of activists during their detention, especially by Densus 88 in the Maluku capital of Ambon, noting that allegations of torture by Densus 88 have been consistent and detailed.

In August 2010, Amnesty warned that activists arrested by Densus 88 in Ambon ahead of a planned protest during a visit by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono were at serious risk of torture. Amnesty noted that in June 2007, 22 activists in Maluku were arrested by Densus 88 and beaten, forced to crawl on their stomachs over hot asphalt, whipped with an electric cable and had billiard balls forced into their mouths in an attempt to force them to confess.

In 2008 the US quietly instituted a training ban on Densus 88 members involved in the 2007 abuses in Maluku. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Jakarta, Paul Belmont, said the ban remained in place and had been extended to new members of the unit associated with the abuses in August 2010. "We have been critical of alleged human rights abuses against separatists, in particular in Papua and Maluku", Belmont told the Sydney Morning Herald in September 2010.

While the Australian government said it was "aware and concerned", an embassy official denied that it was investigating the allegations. "An embassy officer visited Maluku recently as part of a regular program of provincial visits", a spokesperson told the Globe in September 2010. "In that context, publicly available reports of allegations against the Maluku unit were raised with local government officials and NGOs. Any investigation is a matter for Indonesian authorities."

West Papua

Indonesian officials have neither denied nor confirmed Densus 88's involvement in Tabuni's killing, and have made conflicting statements about the unit's operations in West Papua. On June 16 Tempo Interactive quoted a senior official as saying the unit would be sent to reinforce military and police in Papua.

Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) said this would worsen the conflict. "Due to the escalating tension in Papua, there are some efforts now by some elites in the national police to intensify the role of Densus 88 in the land of Cenderawasih [West Papua]", IPW chairperson Neta S. Pane told the Globe on June 16.

The national police denied Densus 88 would be sent to Papua. "Densus will be deployed if terrorism occurred there", national police spokesperson Saud Usman Nasution – who is a former Densus 88 chief – told the June 20 Jakarta Post. This contradicts an earlier statement by Nasution to the Globe confirming that Densus 88 officers were already in Papua and justifying their presence.

Media reports suggest that the unit has been operating in Papua since 2009. According to the Globe, in 2009 Densus 88 was involved in the arrest of 15 people in connection with a series of attacks in the vicinity of the Freeport Indonesia gold and copper mine in Timika, which left three dead and dozens injured, including Australian national Drew Grant, killed in an ambush on July 11, 2009.

The following day, assailants opened fire on vehicles at the mine carrying security officers. National police spokesperson Brigadier General Sulistyo Ishak confirmed there had been an exchange of fire, saying police had deployed reinforcements. "After the incident, our counter-terror unit, Densus 88, engaged in a skirmish with an unknown number of gunmen", Ishak told the state news agency Antara. National police chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri told the Jakarta Post that 60 additional personnel – including Densus 88 officers – had been sent to Papua.

Densus 88's presence in Papua was confirmed by the Herald in a June 2010 interview with Brigadier General Tito Karnavian, the former commander of Densus 88 and planned replacement of the current Papua police chief. Karnavian said that the unit had a legitimate role in countering separatism and would remain in Papua, pointing to the killing of Grant as evidence that separatists were using "tactics of terror". "Any group using violence against civilians must be seen as a terrorist group. It's not just Islamic groups", he told the Herald.

Densus 88 members were sent to Papua in August last year after four people died in Nafri, near Jayapura, in an ambush by alleged armed separatists. "We have dispatched crime scene investigators and Densus 88 officers to Nafri to help Papua police hunt for the perpetrators", police spokesperson Inspector General Anton Bachrul Alam told the Globe in August 2011.

According to witnesses and a video posted on the WPM website, Densus 88 also took part in an attack on the Third Papuan People's Congress in Abepura on October 19 last year, in which at least six people were killed, scores wounded and around 300 arrested.

In November 2011, Densus 88 officers reportedly raided homes in Paniai regency during a stand-off with armed separatists. "The police officers in Paniai were different from Brimob [paramilitary police], although police say they were Brimob", Paniai priest Oktovianus Pekei told the Globe on March 5. "These officers wore ski masks and heavy combat gear and helmets. They also carried sophisticated weaponry and state-of-the art equipment."

In August it was reported that Densus 88 joined the local police in Nafri to investigate the shooting of a public minivan. The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy said 15 people were arrested – including two under- age-girls – after the police stormed the Horas Skyline village, kicking, beating and threatening local residents with pointed guns. All but two suspects were later released for lack of evidence.

Elaine Pearson, the deputy director of HRW's Asia division, said she is deeply troubled by Densus 88's presence in Papua. "There is a long history of counterterrorism forces in Papua conflating nonviolent political expression with criminal activity, and arresting political activists on dubious treason charges", she told the Globe on March 5. "Densus 88 has an appalling human rights record, and without serious government oversight and with continued restrictions on access to Papua, any abuses by the force are likely to go unchecked", she added.

'Not up to our standard'

Coinciding with the release in October 2010 of a graphic video showing two Papuans being tortured by Indonesian soldiers, the head of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, Dennis Richardson, admitted that the conduct of Indonesia's security agencies was sometimes "not up to our standard". Richardson said Canberra would continue to cooperate with the agencies because of the overriding objective of protecting Australian lives amid a continuing terrorist threat in Indonesia.

"In working with Indonesian agencies you can get tension between the responsibility you think you owe to your own citizens... and the conduct of some Indonesian agencies that are not up to our standard", he told the Herald. "We make representations we think we should and condemn human rights abuses."

A former head of ASIO, Richardson made the comment at a Senate hearing after being asked about alleged abuses of activists in Maluku. When asked whether Australia, like the US, had banned cooperation with Densus 88 members who served in Ambon, Richardson said they had not.

Reiterating Canberra's recognition of Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua, Australian embassy spokesperson Ray Marcelo said that Australia does not support Densus 88's involvement in non-terrorism activities. "The sole focus of Australian engagement with Densus 88 is in combating terrorism", he told the Globe on March 5. "Australia does not provide any support to Densus 88 or any other unit in relation to any activities directed at combating separatist groups."

Equal parts tolerance and extremism in Indonesian Islam

Inter Press Service - August 9, 2012

Jakarta – Scattered across 17,000 islands on the Indian and Pacific oceans, the world's largest Muslim country has found its own blend of Islam: equal parts religion, secularism and contradictions.

Add to that an extract from the Koran that says, "To you your religion, and to me mine," and you have Indonesian Islam in a nutshell.

Abdul Mu'ti of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah – the second largest Islamic civil society organization in the country, embracing 30 million people – told IPS that Indonesian Islam is completely unique to the country, and does not easily find comparisons in the Muslim world.

When the holy Ramadan fast began on July 21, it arrived almost unnoticed in the country. Loudspeakers that usually blast prayers starting at dawn have been turned down as a courtesy to believers of other faiths, there are no ostentatious displays of piety and eating in the streets is not prohibited, as it is in most other Islamic countries.

In a nation of 240 million people where 90 percent are Muslims and most observe the fast, many customers are still seen sipping cafe lattes at Starbucks outlets in Jakarta's glitzy malls or bustling around food courts at lunchtime.

This is a completely different scene than in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, where officials have warned non-Muslim expatriates that eating, drinking or smoking in public during the holy month risks deportation.

The Indonesian government has, however, imposed some restrictions in an effort to ensure that Muslims comply with the principle of sexual abstention during Ramadan by blocking one million Internet porn sites. "We'll intensify [efforts to] block porn websites," Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring told local media.

Still, "Indonesia has a maritime culture which is more democratic, open and very different from the Arab culture of the desert," Nasaruddin Umar, the deputy minister of religious affairs, told IPS.

"[I believe] Indonesia has the right to interpret the Koran according to its own culture," said Umar, who based his doctoral thesis on a study of gender equality in the holy books and firmly believes the Koran prescribes parity between men and women.

"The Arab cultural interpretation of the Koran has been very dominant. But, according to the Koran there is no need to use chador [a robe that covers women from head to toe] or jilbab [a headscarf many women wear in Indonesia]," he told IPS.

Indonesia's public space has a distinct flavor that sets it apart from most other Muslim countries: Indonesian girls in miniskirts walk together with others wearing headscarves, men and women hold hands in public and concerts and television programs often feature women in headscarves dancing in a very suggestive manner.

Contradictions abound

However, there are limitations to religious acceptance. On official identity cards, Indonesians are forced to choose between only six accepted religions in the country.

Also, atheism is illegal according to the country's constitution, and just last June an Indonesian man was sentenced to two and a half years in jail for propagating his atheism on the Internet.

Blasphemy, also considered a felony, earned a Shiite cleric a two-year prison term in July for causing "public anxiety" because his teachings deviated from the mainstream Sunni Islam practiced in Indonesia. His arrest came amid anti-Shiite attacks that rights groups say were led by Sunni Muslims.

Members of the minority Ahmadiyah sect who, contrary to mainstream Muslims, do not regard Muhammad as the last prophet, are often attacked. The most recent incident took place last month when a mob attacked the homes of six members of the Ahmadiyah community while a group of journalists was attempting to shoot a documentary about them. Four people were injured in the brawl.

Some Christian churches have been forced to close under pressure and last May a group of radical Muslims in West Java prevented a Christian congregation from holding a service by hurling sewage and frogs at them, according to a parishioner quoted by a local newspaper.

"On paper, Indonesia respects and protects the religious and ethnic diversity of its citizens. But this beautiful 'social contract' between the state and its people unfortunately means almost nothing on the ground," said Bona Sigalingging, spokesman for the GKI Yasmin Church. "It is a manufactured image being sold to the international community," he added.

Umar insists the government is working very hard to prevent similar incidents of communal and religious strife. "The Ministry of Religious Affairs has deployed a special task force to contain radicalism," said Umar, author of a book on the radicalization of Koranic interpretation.

He says radical Islam, which peaked with the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly Western tourists, has largely been brought under control following a police crackdown on perpetrators and a process of re-educating extremists.

"The Government has 60,000 penyuluh, or religious advisers, distributed all over the country and their function is to [educate] on the moderate aspects of Islam. They use my books and programs," Umar noted.

And though Indonesia has introduced 79 Islamic laws since the beginning of its democratic process in 1999, many of them have never been enforced, Mu'ti told IPS.

"Shariah or Islamic laws are a product of political propaganda by local leaders who do not represent the aspirations of all Muslims [here]. So, many laws passed by local administrations are not fully implemented," he stressed.

Only in the autonomous province of Aceh, which is believed to be the place where Islam was first established in Southeast Asia, is there mandatory implementation of Islamic laws such as caning for imbibers or flogging for adulterers. But few officials want to see this practice repeated throughout the country.

"I disagree with attempts to establish a Muslim state in Indonesia because it will exclude other religions," said Mu'ti, hinting at the fact that Christmas, the Chinese New Year and a host of other religious holidays are today celebrated throughout the country, particularly in the larger cities.

Despite optimism, tensions in some regions continue to boil over. This patterns of intolerance, if allowed to continue, could risk souring Indonesia's unique blend of Islam.

A week after the start of Ramadan, a bar in South Jakarta was ransacked by a mob of more than 100 people for serving alcoholic drinks, local media reported. The local news website kompas.com quoted the mob's alleged leader, Habib Bahar, 33, as saying: "It is usual for me and my followers to raid sinful places during Ramadan."

Prabowo leaves human rights inquiries unanswered

Jakarta Post - August 9, 2012

Fitri Bintang Timur, Singapore – What makes certain countries great while others are not? In his recent public lecture in Singapore, former Indonesian Army strategic reserve command chief Prabowo Subianto argued that countries that are brave enough to face challenges are those which prevail.

Prabowo, founder of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), identified four obstacles that might cripple Indonesia's future. First is the depletion of energy resources. Prabowo predicted that Indonesia's crude oil would be exhausted in 12 years, gas in 34 years and coal in 79 years if the current consumption of fossil fuels remained unchanged.

The solution Prabowo offered was to explore geothermal, hydropower, solar and wind energy resources. He suggested that "in 30 to 50 years, Indonesia must develop nuclear power."

His idea of investing in nuclear energy is of some concern as despite the energy being relatively clean compared to fossil fuels, the hazard aspect is high, especially due to Indonesia's location in the "Ring of Fire", the arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Second, Indonesia is facing the danger of a baby boom if its current population of 240 million is not effectively addressed through family planning while food supplies remain inadequate. This will result in instability, upheaval and disintegration.

The third problem is inefficient, weak and corrupt government. Prabowo admitted that this claim is "difficult to quantify, but nonetheless very real and factual". He pointed out that government inefficiency is responsible for rampant corruption and might lead Indonesia to becoming "a weak or even failed state".

Prabowo based his argument on the number of authoritative governing bodies that Indonesia has, amounting to 497, compared to India and China that have 35 and 33 respectively. Prabowo continued by stating that 13 out of 33 governors are in jail, on trial or under investigation for corruption; and around 30 percent of Indonesia's senior public figures face corruption charges.

Despite the data, it is necessary for us to note that the rampant corruption shows, not the frail nature of the governance system, but rather the failure of the people that fill the positions.

If the graft cases justify a political move to revoke direct election of local leaders, regional autonomy will be negated and the country will return to New Order-style centralized government. We should not be naive, we should be aware that the high number of corrupt government officials is a result of press freedom; in the old days more money went astray without anybody daring to report it.

Fourth and lastly, Prabowo lashed out at the inequalities created by the structural imbalance of the Indonesian economy. Sixty percent of money circulates in Jakarta and more than 95 percent of Indonesians save less than Rp 100 million (US$12,000) as against those 0.1 percent that have savings of more than Rp 2 billion (Bank Indonesia, 2011) and only 0.17 percent of Indonesians control 45 percent of the country's GDP, Prabowo feared this situation would create social tensions and a sense of dissatisfaction.

As chairman of the Indonesian Farmers Union (HKTI) Prabowo said solutions to the problems included bolstering the agricultural sector, including use of biofuels produced from cassava and corn.

This advice ignored the length of time Indonesia would need to switch from conventional fuels to biofuel. At the other end of the spectrum, Indonesia has sparked international criticism for destroying rainforests for biofuel palm-oil plantations (The Cost of the Biofuel Boom, Yale Report by Tom Knudson, 2009). Not only the environmental impact, land conversion to profitable palm-oil plantations has resulted in 280 cases of social conflict in 2008-2011 according to green group Walhi (Indonesian Forum for the Environment).

Apart from flaunting Indonesia's problems and weak governance, Prabowo's lecture in Singapore aimed to win the heart of Singaporeans. He mentioned his admiration for Singapore's founding father and first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. Prabowo has great respect for Lee's achievement of "turning a third world country into a developed country", his model of the People's Action Party that has managed to win every Singapore national election since 1959, and even his white short-sleeve shirt style that Prabowo has replicated for Gerinda.

Conversely Prabowo mentioned the importance of good relations between national leaders as a solid base for the future of international relations. He recalled the great cooperation between former president Soeharto and Lee in establishing the regional institution ASEAN. Prabowo criticized the current Indonesian foreign policy approach of "zero enemies, a thousand friends" which he said was no more than being nice to everybody. While being nice is good, further action needs to be taken.

Prabowo came under scrutiny over his political and economic standing. He denied allegations that he embraced socialism and was against Chinese and non-Muslims, citing his support for Basuki Tjahaja Purnama as candidate for Jakarta vice-governor.

Prabowo seemed confident of becoming the next Indonesian leader, yet, on that day, nobody was given an opportunity to ask about his views on past human rights abuses. It would be interesting to hear his opinions on bringing to justice perpetrators of crimes against humanity, accusations of which have dogged him for many years, and whether a good human-rights track record should be mandatory in selecting national leaders.

Clarification on these issues is what many Indonesians would like to hear from Prabowo before the 2014 presidential election.

[The writer is an associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. This opinions expressed are her own.]


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