Yudhoyono compared his office with those of regents or regional military commanders around the country. "Regents' offices are usually far more luxurious than this. This is like the room of a battalion commander," Yudhoyono said.

Taxation documents obtained by The Jakarta Post show that according to Yudhoyono's 2011 tax return, which was submitted in the first quarter of 2012, he earned Rp 1.37 billion (US$143,000) as President and received a further Rp 107 million in income from royalties.

Prabowo backs gang boss in thuggery case

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – In what may look like emotional outpouring, the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party's chief patron, Prabowo Subianto, is defending former crime lord Hercules Rozario Marshal in the latter's latest criminal case.

The former commander of the Special Forces Command (Kopassus), with whom Hercules said he had an emotional connection with when the two met during the Timor Leste conflict, said on Tuesday that Hercules had pledged to change his bad behavior.

"It is true that Hercules has a [bad] image but he can change it, and he has pledged to do so," Prabowo told the press after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace on Monday. "I hope he keeps his promise. Besides, Hercules has done many good things lately."

Prabowo denied that his ties with Hercules would be utilized to help the latter in his legal proceedings. "If Hercules has done something wrong, he must be like a knight who faces all the consequences," he said.

Hercules, who moved from Timor Leste to Jakarta in the 1980s, made Prabowo, president Soeharto's former son in-law, the head of the advisory board of the New Indonesian People's Movement (GRIB), which he established in May of last year.

Although Hercules has denied that there is a link connecting GRIB and Gerindra, his movement has been aimed at mobilizing mass support for presidential aspirant Prabowo.

Hercules and 49 of his associates were named suspects last Saturday for their alleged involvement in a fight with police in Kebon Jeruk Indah, West Jakarta, the day before.

They are currently being separately detained in six jails, namely at the Jakarta Police headquarters and at the North, East, South, West and Central Jakarta police stations, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told reporters on Monday.

Only Hercules and one fellow detainee, whom Rikwanto did not identify, are being detained at the police headquarters.

Those arrested are likely to face multiple charges under Articles 160, 170 and 214 of the Criminal Code for incitement, violence and resisting arrest, carrying maximum sentences of 18 years' imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Hercules is facing an additional charge for the illegal possession of a firearm, breaching the 1951 Emergency Law, which carries a maximum penalty of death or 20 years in prison.

Rikwanto said investigators were holding a "marathon of questioning sessions" with Hercules and the other suspects in regard to the unlicensed gun possession.

"The FN gun we found was produced by PT Pindad [state arms producer], along with 27 bullets and two full magazine clips," Rikwanto said. "We are coordinating with several parties to understand how, where and when he got the item and for what it was used."

The clash broke out when the suspects allegedly tried to provoke a fight with police personnel who had been dispatched to guard the area after reports that Hercules and his men were actively engaged in extortion there.

Hercules' gang picked a fight with officers at around 4 p.m., breaking windows in stores nearby and attacking a police vehicle. When the men returned about one hour later carrying weapons, the police immediately took action and detained them.

Detectives raided Hercules' house after the arrests and swept the area for evidence, confiscating four machetes, a bow and arrows, seven daggers, two replica guns, the FN pistol, a slingshot, 27 bullets and two magazine clips.

The police also found an intelligence identification card in the car of one of Hercules' associates, which police said was fake and was used to "intimidate people". The name on the card read, "Franky Hercules".

On Monday, several of Hercules' associates also visited him, either to give him support, food or medicine, including close friend and gang leader Daud Kei.

Besides the clash, Hercules and his men were also reported to the West Jakarta Police for extortion, during which they would tell their victims that the money was for security.

Rikwanto said that two companies in the area had reported him for extortion totaling at least Rp 100 million (US$10,328) over the past several months. "We have the report and evidence of this." (fzm)

Police name Hercules, associates suspects

Jakarta Post - March 10, 2013

Jakarta – Police named former crime lord Hercules Rozario Marshal and 49 others as suspects on Saturday for their alleged involvement in a fight with police in Kebon Jeruk Indah, West Jakarta on Friday.

"We have named 50 people suspects, including Hercules, and will have them in jail by this evening [Saturday]," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Rikwanto said the clash started when the suspects allegedly tried to provoke a fight with police personnel who had been dispatched to guard the area after reports that Hercules and his men were actively engaged in extortion there.

"Hercules' group picked a fight with officers at around 4 p.m., breaking windows in stores nearby and attacking a police vehicle," he said. "The men returned about one hour later carrying weapons. We immediately took action and detained them."

Detectives raided Hercules' house after the arrests and swept the area for evidence, confiscating four machetes, a bow and arrows, seven daggers, two replica guns, an FN pistol, a catapult, 27 bullets and two magazines.

Rikwanto told the Post that contrary to early media reports, no shooting had occurred during the incident. "The only shots fired were by the police, into the air to stop the mob. The only gun confiscated was found in Hercules' house."

Those arrested are likely to face multiple charges under Articles 160, 170 and 214 of the Criminal Codes for incitement, violence and resisting an arrest, carrying maximum sentences of 18 years in total.

Meanwhile, Hercules is facing an additional charge for illegal possession of a firearm, breaching the 1951 Emergency Law, which carries maximum penalty of death or 20 years in prison.

Police are also investigating the source of a suspicious intelligence identification card taken from the car of one of Hercules' associates. The name on the card reads Franky Hercules. "We will discover whether the owner printed it himself or where it came from. This can actually be printed anywhere," he said.

The West Jakarta Police, who are assisting in this case, said Hercules and his men had been reported by three companies for extortion.

"They reported Hercules told them the money was for security. One of the three companies was extorted by the former crime lord himself," West Jakarta Police detectives chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hengky Haryadi said as quoted by kompas.com. West Jakarta is notorious for many disputed plots of land. (fzm)

Gerindra speaks out against arrest of Hercules

Jakarta Globe - March 9, 2013

SP/Anastasia Winanti Riesardhy – The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) slammed the Jakarta Police's arrest of former gang leader Rozario "Hercules" Marshal on Saturday, calling the arrest an attempt to divert the public's attention from the nation's current political turmoil.

Hercules, a prominent supporter of Gerindra and party chairman Prabowo Subianto's presidential bid, was arrested by police after he smashed store windows in Kembangan, West Jakarta, following a police order to rid the neighborhood of gang activity.

"[The police] said Hercules was arrested because he broke some windows, but is the arrest really necessary?" Ahmad Muzani, the secretary general of Gerindra, said. "They also said he disrupted public order, but they didn't explain how. This does not make any sense at all."

Police were sent to patrol Kembangan as part of an effort to push back against Hercules' Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia Baru (GRIB) civil society organization, a group they accuse of using intimidation to run an extortion ring in the area.

The police held a public briefing announcing plans to crack down on gang activity in the neighborhood on Friday. The briefing was witnessed by Hercules and his men, who appeared agitated at the police presence and began to smash shop windows with machetes, West Jakarta Police chief of detectives AKBP Hengki Haryadi said. Five men were arrested at the scene.

The National Police later arrived at Hercules' headquarters and arrested 45 others, including the group's notorious leader. He was charged with possession of a sharp weapon, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail, according to Detik.com.

A law and order analyst called the arrest dubious. "So what if he is popular? The police should have used his potential to help protect society," Alfons Loemau said. "They should have embraced him."

Alfons said the arrest was likely meant to divert the public's attention from the scandal-wracked Democratic Party. Gerindra promised to provide Hercules and his men with legal aid.

West Papua

Papua's forest under threat: Greenpeace

Jakarta Post - March 15, 2013

Jakarta – When the government's moratorium on deforestation expires on May 20, forest areas in Papua province will be in peril, activists say.

Kiki Taufik from Greenpeace Indonesia said that Ministerial Decree No. 458/2012 issued in August last year stipulated that around 800,000 hectares of forest in Papua, including protected forest would be converted into productive forest and other utilization area (APL). He urged the government to extend the moratorium and revise the decree.

"By issuing the decree, it seems that the ministry was preparing to open up the forest area for businesses ahead of the expiry date of the two-year moratorium map," Kiki said in a press conference on Thursday.

Teguh Surya, the forest political campaigner for Greenpeace Indonesia, said that the decree would pave the way for the rezoning of 376,535 hectares of forest areas into non-forest zone, as well as the conversion of 392,535 hectares of protected forest into productive forest.

"Even though the decree also stipulates a conversion of around 41,000 hectares of non-forest areas into forest areas, it is not comparable to the protected forests converted into productive forest and APL," Teguh said.

"Moreover, the non-forest area could not replace the function of primary forest, because its destruction could endanger the province's water management as well as ecological system," he added. Papua has 25 million hectares of protected areas followed by Kalimantan with 14 million hectares and Sumatra with 13 million hectares.

Around 90 percent of 31.9 million hectares of land in Papua province is still forest. However, Kiki said, half already have the status of productive forest or APL, which, if the ministry did not revise the decree, would soon be utilized for concessions.

Recently, environmental activists called on the Forestry Ministry to reject the draft spatial planning bylaw proposed by the Aceh administration, that would allow the conversion of around 1.2 million hectares of its existing 3.78 million hectares of protected forests into productive forests.

"Should the government continue with its plan to convert protected forests in Papua, we are afraid it would help the Aceh administration get approval for its new spatial planning draft," Teguh said. "This means Indonesia faces losing a total of 2 million hectares of protected forest within a short period of time."

Separately, the Association for Community and Ecology Based Law Reform (Huma) program coordinator Anggalia Putri said the decree violated the president's commitment to the protection of forests, including the establishment of Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+). She said the forest conversion would trigger conflict between local communities and business practitioners in Papua.

"Around 65 percent of agrarian conflict is linked to the conversion of forest areas into plantations." (nad)

Soldier gets 12 years for murder in Papua

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

The Jayapura Military Court sentenced First Sergeant Irfan to 12 years in prison on Monday for killing his lover Frederika Metalmety, who was six months pregnant.

The verdict was read by Jayapura Military Court presiding judge Let. Col. Priyo Mustiko. The defendant was also dismissed from his unit. The verdict was lighter than the 15 years sought by military prosecutors.

Mitigating factors included the defendant admitting his guilt, an apology issued to the victim's family, the defendants' age and his clean criminal history.

Irfan said he would consider whether or not to file for an appeal, and the judges gave him a week to consider the matter. If he fails to respond within the period, it is regarded that he has accepted the ruling.

The family of the victim did not accept the ruling, deeming it unfair. The victim's aunt Rum Metarmey said that based on the autopsy result obtained from the Boven Digul Hospital on Nov. 21, the victim was six months pregnant when she was killed.

"We have sent a letter to the Cenderawasih Provincial Military Command to thoroughly investigate the case. The defendant has not only killed a mother but also the fetus inside her," said Rum.

Papua governor vows to improve Otsus implementation

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

Nethy Dharma Somba, Papua – Newly elected Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has vowed to improve the implementation of Papua's Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law No. 21/2001. He said improvements were necessary as many Papuans continued to complain about the lack of benefits.

"My first priority is to handle the obstacles. I have informed the President about this," Lukas, former Puncak Jaya regent, said.

Many Papuan activists and students staged a mass rally to protest the lack of prosperity 12 years since the Special Autonomy Law was introduced.

Papua's Provinicial Legislative Council (DPRD) councilor Thomas Songgonauw said he expected Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi to install Lukas so that the Papua administration would have a definitive governor. "The Papua people have been waiting for a governor for two years," Thomas said.

Thomas said the gubernatorial election results had been supported by the Constitutional Court, which ruled in favor of the Papua General Elections Commission (KPUD) declaration that Lukas Enembe and his running mate, Klemen Tinal, had been elected governor and deputy governor, respectively, for the 2013-2018 period.

Previously, the five defeated candidate pairs filed suits with the Constitutional Court, questioning the result of the KPUD's plenary meeting that found in favor of Lukas and Klemen.

Chairman of the Fellowship of Papuan Churches, Reverend Lipiyus Biniluk, has asked every Papuan to stop bickering about the election and focus on how to build a better Papua. "Forget all the differences. Let's build a better future for Papua," he said. (ian/dic)

Rizing for West Papua

Socialist Alternative - March 10, 2013

West Papua, the western territory of island of New Guinea, was placed under Indonesian control in 1963. The transfer of power from Dutch colonialism was supposed to be temporary. Within six years West Papuans were supposed to be given the opportunity to decide for themselves, in an "Act of Free Choice", whether to remain a province of Indonesia or form their own independent nation.

But Indonesia waged a bloody six-year campaign of intimidation in an attempt to shatter any independence movement. There were repeated military incursions and executions; restrictions on political organising were the rule. Prior to the vote in 1969, President Suharto declared that Papuans voting against integration would be guilty of treason.

The UN oversaw an election in which the Indonesian Government chose 1,026 representatives out of a population of over 800,000. This totally undemocratic manoeuvre resulted in a unanimous vote for integration.

Since that time human rights violations have continued and intensified as the previously voiceless have campaigned for an end to Jakarta's domination of their land. Today, the term "silent genocide" is applied to West Papua. Indonesian troops, some trained by Australia, and pro-Indonesian militias destroy villages and kill with impunity, creating disaster zones of suffering.

But the independence movement continues to struggle for basic human rights and to bring the world's attention to the plight of West Papua.

Rize of the Morning Star is a collective of musicians, filmmakers, journalists, publicists and activists that aims to raise awareness about, and contribute to the struggle for, West Papuan independence. Ronny Kareni, independence advocate at Rize, spoke to Socialist Alternative about the role of music in the movement.

Tell us a little about the genesis of the campaign and your role in it.

I was a refugee from West Papua to Papua New Guinea at the age of two. I grew up there for 19 years before coming here to Australia under a program – back then it was the West Papua National Authority program – to take students to educate them in Australia. There were six students who came out here, and I was one of the six, supported by the Australia West Papua Association and also the Sisters of Mercy in Ballarat.

Music had a great influence in my upbringing. I listened to the songs of the '60s and '70s made popular by one of the great musicologists, Arnold Ap. The songs that he collected and wrote really nationalised the independence movement, brought solidarity and unity to the movement.

So coming here with that legacy, that upbringing with music was something I felt strongly that I wanted to pursue. The six students, we would perform at various community events or fundraising dinners. Then in 2006 there was the arrival of 43 West Papuan asylum seekers [who travelled by outrigger canoe; Australia's acceptance of their asylum applications caused a diplomatic row with Indonesia]. They joined us, and that was when the West Papuan community was established in Melbourne. From there, we established a choir in 2007, and then we launched it as a band, Tabura, two years later with Aireleke Ingram, a producer and percussionist based in Melbourne..

In 2012 we launched it again as the campaign Rize of the Morning Star. The idea was to engage other musicians. A lot of our songs speak about the struggle. We thought, "Why don't we ask our close [musician] friends if they would be interested in helping get the word out about West Papua?" Blue King Brown was very supportive, and we played a gig with them at WOMADelaide in South Australia. That was our first appearance. From there we went to Blues Fest and then to Vanuatu and some other small festivals. Then we thought about how we could branch out using established musicians to donate a track for an album. Many have – John Butler Trio, Michael Franti, Grilla Step, Nano Stern, Not Drowning Waving and many others. We digitally released our first CD compilation, Rize of the Morning Star, Vol.1, on 20 February this year – the first anniversary of the campaign's launch – and we're going to launch it on 16 March.

So it's growing. The idea – it is a media and publicity campaign – is to engage musicians, journalists, anyone in the media and entertainment industry, in this movement. That way they can also be the voice, through their fan base or their network, to get the word out about what is going on in West Papua. If our campaign fits with their philosophy, then they can talk about it with their audience.

Why "Rize of the Morning Star"?

The word "Rize" came up when I got engaged with various musicians – in particular Aireleke. The morning star is the national symbol of West Papua. A lot of people have been jailed for displaying it.

I was working with an Indigenous crew here – Djakapura from Arnhem Land and also Albert David, a Torres Strait Islander and choreographer. After talking to them and sharing the same ideas and looking back at the common story [between Aboriginal people, West Papuans and Torres Straight islanders] of struggle, we found that there are also common stories about the morning star.

Tells us about the convoy that is planned from Australia to West Papua

This idea came from Aboriginal elder Uncle Kevin Buzzacott. A few years ago he met with the West Papuan leader Jacob Rumbiak. They found that their traditional stories connected. Millions of years ago the land [Australia and West Papua] was also connected. It was one land and one family. So the idea came up that we should do a convoy back to West Papua, to reconnect.

Part of the focus is on the cultural connection with the land, the people and the stories. Uncle Kevin said "We've seen the West Papuans come here by boat. Why don't we take this same issue back to their land, go and visit them and revisit the time when this land was one?" So we will take back the stories that we want shared. The morning star is one. The story is the same for the people of West Papua as it is for Aboriginal people in the north here in Australia and even in the south. So it is connecting back those stories.

It is also sharing the common struggle that the Indigenous mob here is facing and that the West Papuans are facing: the foreign occupation of the land, the land rights issue, the indigenous rights issue, the human rights issue. That is the objective, the idea behind this.

So on 1 June, there are going to be Aboriginal passports issued to those going on the convoy. That will happen at the Melbourne Aboriginal Youth, Sport and Recreation Co-operative in Fitzroy. Robbie Thorpe and Kevin Buzzacott will issue them. Then on 15 July the convoy will begin at Lake Eyre in South Australia. It starts there because one of the Dreamtime stories says that the water that filled Lake Eyre came from the north, from West Papua. So the convoy will move from the lake to the Dreamtime source of the water. We will be at the lake for a week, and then we will travel to Alice Springs, to Tenant Creek, then up to Cairns.

A flotilla will leave Cairns on 15 August, sailing up the Torres Strait, to Papua New Guinea and then to West Papua. We want as many people as we can get. We are looking for four boats – we have three confirmed, but the more boats, the more people we can get on board, the louder we can be and the bigger the focus on the issue. We are up against the legal system – you know you are supposed to have a proper visa and everything. We don't want anything to backfire on this, but we are trying to get permission from the Australian and Indonesian governments to allow a passage through, not to put up any obstacles. We'll see what their responses are.

The Greens have been supportive. We are looking to get any other support groups to give endorsements and support the convoy. We are looking for journalists and lawyers to come on the flotilla, to document things that are happening on the way.

What do you have planned if and when you reach West Papua?

We are in discussion with our friends in West Papua. They will arrange a cultural welcome as well as a concert. So it's going to be celebration for one or two days – who knows, maybe a week! But we are taking things one step at a time. There are preparations on the other side. However, on this side the government might not even allow the boat to leave the dock. So that's one thing we face. If they don't stop us from leaving, then what happens when we are on the water? There are many things they can do when we are in the water to stop us from landing. There could be a standoff along the way when we are in international waters, before reaching the mainland.

The main aim, whatever happens, is to show the Australian government that there is growing support for West Papua in the wider community – including from the Indigenous mob, who are building solidarity as well. That is a statement we want to make. Just last year Bob Carr said that the handful of Australians who support West Papua's right of autonomy were doing a disservice to Indonesia. It was a shameful thing for the foreign minister to say that those speaking out are not doing a good job for Australia and Indonesia. We live in a democracy; people should be free to express their opinions. That created quite a bit of outrage, so this is one way of making a statement back to them.

Three Papuan civilians allegedly tortured by Wamena district police

Suara Papua - March 8, 2013

Oktovianus Pogau, Jayapura – On 7 March 2013, members of the Wamena District Police reportedly arrested three civilians in Pirime, Lanny Jaya Regency, Papua. The civilians have been named as Tinius Kiwo (23), Wurin Tabuni (46), and Kiwenus Tabuni (30).

The three men were allegedly severely tortured after being arrested, with their skin being sliced open by razor blades. Their whereabouts is not currently known.

Chairman of the Fellowship of Baptist Churches in Papua (PGBP), Socratez Sofyan, confirmed the arrests and torture when contacted by suarapapua.com.

"[The allegations are] correct. The three people arrested are members of the Baptist Church. A report I received last night stated that they have been tortured and their skin sliced with razor blades by policemen," Yoman explained by mobile phone, Saturday (9/3/2013).

Yoman states that he attempted to contact Papua Province Police Chief, Police Inspector General Tiro Karnavian, last night in relation to the arrests. Yoman has not yet received a response.

"I sent the Police Chief an SMS last night. Usually he responds quickly, but even this morning, I have not heard anything from him. The community here is currently searching for the three men arrested by the police," Yoman said.

The chronology of events, according to Yoman, began on 1 March 2013, when the three men left their village of Pirime, in Lanny Jaya District. They were travelling by plane to Sinak, Puncak District.

After nearly one week in Sinak, the men flew to Wamena District, before returning home to Pirime. They were subsequently arrested and taken to Wamena Police Station.

It is not yet clear why the three men were arrested and tortured. (WPM note: Whilst not clear, massive joint military and police sweeps are occurring throughout the Sinak area after the shooting deaths of eight Indonesian soldiers by West Papuan pro-independence guerrillas).

The Head of Public Relations for Papua Province Police, Police Grand Commissioner Adjutant I Gede Sumerta, did not respond to media enquiries.

Aceh

Activists decry Aceh plan to end log ban

Jakarta Globe - March 15, 2013

Environmental activists have condemned the Aceh administration following confirmation that it planned to reverse a logging ban imposed by the previous administration and clear up to 1.2 million hectares of protected forest across the province.

Efendi, a spokesman for the Coalition of People Concerned for Aceh's Forests (KPHA), said at a media conference in Jakarta on Thursday that the provincial administration's special planning committee had confirmed that the Forestry Ministry had approved of "almost 100 percent" of proposed changes to its spatial plans.

This would slash the proportion of protected forest in the province from 68 percent to 45 percent, and cause the loss of 1.2 million hectares of forest.

"Despite our best efforts, communities and NGOs have been completely excluded from the development process of the new spatial plan, which has totally lacked transparency and accountability," Efendi said.

He said the proposed change in status for protected forests "is closely linked to planned expansion of palm oil plantations and mining."

"There is an inevitable belief that the proposal is simply to legalize illegal activities already taking place as several mining and palm oil concessions overlap the areas scheduled for downgrading," he said.

Activists also called into question the claim by the administration that transforming large swaths of forest into mining and oil palm concessions would lead to greater land availability for local communities.

They noted that the area to be allocated to the community was just over 1 percent of the planned new opening of forest area, or 14,704 hectares, while the largest allocations would go toward mining, at just under 1 million hectares, logging concessions (416,086 hectares), and oil palm concessions (256,250 hectares).

They also said that the latter concessions would cover the entire Tripa peat swamp, a protected area that is considered an important habitat for the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan and that has received much international attention due to illegal clearing there by palm oil companies.

The illegal clearing is still being investigated by the Environment Ministry and the police.

'Extremely dangerous move'

The KPHA also warned that in addition to the new "large-scale exploitative industrial developments," the spatial plan also paved the way for the construction of an extensive road network that would cut through currently protected forests, "further disrupting wildlife and watersheds in the region and opening up even more forests for exploitation, both legal and illegal."

"Famously once known as the 'Ladia Galaska' road network, or the 'Spider Web,' for its appearance, the plan is once again being resurrected, despite being rejected in the past by popular demand due to the severe environmental damage it would bring," the group said in a statement.

Graham Usher, a landscape protection specialist previously involved in forest mapping under the previous Aceh governor, Irwandi Yusuf, said: "Areas that had previously been identified as being too high or too steep for conversion, or as having inappropriate soil types and heavy rainfall, so that under existing Indonesian regulations they should be protected forests, have now been identified as targets for logging concessions, roads, mining concessions and palm oil plantations.

"Opening up such forests is an extremely dangerous move. Aceh's people know very well that removal of forests on such steep and unstable soils results in devastating landslides and floods during the heavy rains that Aceh receives every year.

"The plan to clear these forests is a serious mistake that will result in the loss of yet more innocent lives and huge economic losses for the province."

The activists said it was likely that "a number of national laws have been breached" by the administration of Governor Zaini Abdullah in drawing up the proposed changes. Under Irwandi, large-scale logging and forest clearing were prohibited.

'Total obliteration'

Ian Singleton, from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program, said it was not just the iconic apes that would disappear if the spatial plan went into force.

"It is now being proposed that Tripa lose its currently protected status altogether, and for this unique peat swamp ecosystem and all its biodiversity and potentially hugely valuable carbon stock to be handed over to the palm oil companies for final, total obliteration," he said.

"The new spatial plan does not even acknowledge the existence of the world-renowned Leuser Ecosystem protected area or the fact that the forests they intend to 'unprotect' are the last main hope for the long-term survival of iconic Sumatran endemic species such as the Sumatran tiger, elephant and rhinoceros. The future of each of these species, and countless others, will be placed in immediate jeopardy if the plans are allowed to proceed."

Singleton added it was ironic that after receiving tens of millions of dollars from the international community to protect its forests, the Aceh administration "now plans to trash them for roads, new mines, timber and oil palm concessions."

Rudi Hadiansyah Putra, the conservation manager for the Leuser Ecosystem Management Authority (BPKEL), said conservationists had worked hard to protect Aceh's forests, and that what the provincial administration proposed doing would set back all their efforts.

"The community understand very well from previous devastating flash floods that clearing the forests upstream has a direct impact on the river flow and their own safety downstream," he said.

"The people of Aceh are no fools. We know that when these unstable areas are cut, it directly leads to increasing natural disasters. If even the villagers know this, why do the Aceh government's advisers not comprehend this simple connection?"

Aceh draft bylaw risks forests, say activists

Jakarta Post - March 14, 2013

Jakarta – Environmental activists have called on the government to review the draft spatial planning bylaw proposed by the Aceh administration, which they say is putting the province's protected forests at risk.

Farwiza of the Koalisi Peduli Hutan Aceh (Coalition of Aceh Rainforest Movement) said that the new spatial planning bylaw, known as RTRW, would allow the conversion of around 1.2 million hectares of the existing 3.78 million hectares of protected forests into plantations.

The draft bylaw, which was prepared under newly elected Governor Zaini Abdullah, would reduce the total protected forest level from about 68 percent to 45 percent of the total land. The proposal has been submitted to the Forestry Ministry for approval.

Farwiza said the RTRW also included a plan to construct a road network throughout protected forests in Aceh, with a total area of 554,928 hectares of land.

"The road will only connect less than two percent of the population, which mainly lives in the northern part of the region that isn't covered by the road network," Fawriza said in a press conference on Wednesday. "The road network will put the rest of the population at stake."

The coalition's Efendi Isma said the proposed spatial plan failed to consider the interests of local communities.

"The Aceh provincial government urged the central government to approve the bylaw based on the argument that it would boost Aceh's economy, when in fact it is purely to accommodate business interests," Efendi said.

He said most companies, including palm oil plantations and logging concessions that had secured operational permits (HGU) in Aceh, were foreign companies.

Separately, Graham F. Usher, landscape protection specialist of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program, said that the plan also placed the Leuser Ecosystem, the home of terrestrial flora and fauna, under threat.

Gunung Leuser National Park covers an area of 623,987 hectares, taking in both lowland and mountainous forests in Aceh.

"Leuser is the only ecosystem in the world where all endangered species, including orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants, live in one place," Usher said. "The road network will give access to people who want to open up protected forests and hunt endangered species," he said.

Usher said Aceh was Sumatra's last hope of forest conservation and that the current number of rhinos left in Aceh was under 200.

"Aceh has the most complete spatial data, a result of the hard work of international and local aid groups after the tsunami. It's so frustrating to know that the administration has ignored this data and has proposed this plan," he said. (nad)

Dismissed judge still hears cases in Aceh

Jakarta Post - March 14, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Judicial Commission (KY) said on Wednesday that it would launch a probe into a report that a judge, who was dismissed from his position a year ago, continues to hear cases in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam.

In November 2011, an ethics panel comprising both KY members and a Supreme Court justice dismissed Dainuri, a judge from the Tapaktuan Sharia Court in South Aceh district, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, for sexually harassing a woman whose divorce case he was handling.

Apparently, Dainuri ignored his dismissal and worked on three more cases after he had been dismissed. Dainuri presided over a divorce trial on April 24, 2012. His name also appears on two rulings in two other divorce cases dated June 26 and July 17, 2012.

The KY said that it could not impose another penalty on Dainuri as he was a judiciary member. KY commissioner Imam Anshori Saleh said that Dainuri's superior could be punished.

"It's strange that his superior continued to give him assignments despite the fact that he had been sacked by the ethics panel," he said on Wednesday.

The commission will also get information from the Supreme Court to see if it had followed up on the ethics panel's decision to dismiss Dainuri. "We will look to see if the Supreme Court sent a letter to the President [to get a letter to officially dismiss Dainuri]," Imam said.

Imam said that the letter, if it was indeed issued, could have gotten lost amid bureaucratic red tape. The Supreme Court said that it was not to blame for the kerkuffle.

Supreme Court spokesman Ridwan Mansyur, however, said that Dainuri was in fact still employed by the South Aceh Sharia Court. "I just got word from the Sharia Court that he no longer hears cases. Although it is true he remains with the court," he said.

Following the ethics panel's decision, Ridwan said that the Sharia Court stripped Dainuri of his magisterial duties.

"But, the decision was made two months ago, which means it was this year," he said, indicating that Dainuri's three trials could have resulted in legitimate decisions. "Besides, without a letter from the President, the head of the Sharia Court could not tell him to go," Ridwan said.

Both Imam and Ridwan agreed that verdicts handed down by Dainuri could be rendered null if they were made after he received the letter from the President or an official letter from the head of the Sharia Court.

Aceh activists lambast blasphemy edict

Jakarta Globe - March 14, 2013

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Activists in Aceh on Wednesday protested a local Islamic council's recent edict accusing a cleric in South Aceh district of blasphemous teachings.

The Care for Sharia Civil Society Network (JMSPS), which comprises several human rights groups, including the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Women's Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Apik), said the Aceh Ulema Consultative Assembly (MPU) issued its blasphemy edict against Teungku Ahmad Barnawi late last month.

The coalition said the edict had prompted the South Aceh district administration to close down Barnawi's Al-Mujahadah Islamic Boarding School in Sawang, forcing students to be sent home and putting its teachers out of work.

"Barnawi does not know the reason his teachings are deemed blasphemous, because the MPU's edict does not specify why," JMSPS spokesman Affan Ramli told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

"If [the MPU] does not revoke [the edict], we will file a lawsuit, because there is not a single law or regulation that gives the MPU the authority to judge whether someone is blasphemous or not."

Affan said he suspected the edict was linked to a land dispute between Barnawi and local villagers. "There are people saying that Barnawi never conducted Friday prayers, but this accusation was never proven," he added.

The chairman of the MPU, Ghazali Mohammad Syam, could not be reached for comment on the matter.

The activists argued that the edict could ignite anger in the predominantly conservative Muslim province of Aceh, paving the way for violent action against Barnawi and his followers.

In November, three people affiliated with a purportedly heretical religious group led by cleric Tengku Aiyub Syahkuban were slain by an mob in Bireuen, Aceh.

The incident occurred after a mob of hundreds arrived at Aiyub's home demanding that he and his cohorts stop an ongoing sermon. The mob burned down Aiyub's house, killing him and a man named Muntasir in the process. Another man, Mansur, also died in the ensuing violence.

"Clerics are supposed to guide society and mediate differences in religious views – not issue a blasphemy edict like this [that will] almost certainly lead to violence," Affan said.

Aceh government removes stoning sentence from draft bylaw

Jakarta Globe - March 12, 2013

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – The Aceh government has removed a provision for the stoning to death of adulterers from its draft of the Qanun Jinayat, a set of bylaws that replaces elements of the Criminal Code with Shariah provisions for Muslims, which was endorsed by the Aceh Legislative Council in 2009.

Syahrizal Abbas, head of the Aceh Islamic Shariah Agency, said on Tuesday that the government would discuss the Qanun Jinayat and the Qanun Acara Jinayat, the criminal code procedure bylaw, with ulema, academics and other related stakeholders to perfect the bylaw of which they had all agreed to revoke the stoning sentence.

The Qanun Jinayat and the Qanun Acara Jinayat were both passed by the legislative council, known as the DPRA, in 2009. The bylaws imposed harsh sentences such as stoning to death for adulterers and 100 lashes for people caught engaging in premarital sex or for committing homosexual acts. It also stipulated a maximum of 40 lashes or 40 months in jail for drinking alcoholic beverages and 60 lashes or a fine of 60 grams of pure gold or 60 months in jail for sexual harassment.

The former Aceh governor, Irwandi Yusuf, had refused to sign the draft bylaw because he was against the stoning and human rights activists also opposed the bylaws.

Since Aceh adopted a form of Shariah law in 2001, the province has implemented four qanun (Islamic bylaws) including one on Islamic propagation, one on khalwat – a bylaw where unmarried couples are punished for being in close proximity – one on alcoholic beverages and one on gambling.

"Actually the Qanun Jinayat draft is a revision of the four qanun, united into one qanun that embodies perfection and some additional points that have not been stipulated in the old qanun," Syahrizal told the Jakarta Globe.

The draft qanun also stipulates a sentence for rapists, molestation, homosexuals, with offenders sentenced to a jail term, a maximum of 200 cane strokes and a fine.

"The two qanun are needed as an embodiment of Aceh as well as to fill the regulation inexistence and weakness in the implementation of Islamic Shariah," Syahrizal said. "The two qanun drafts give wider space for the judges to decide alternate sentences by prioritizing an offender's psychological aspect and the background behind the reasons for violating the bylaw."

Syahrizal said that he expected the bylaw – with alternate sanctions of caning, imprisonment and fines – would improve the behavior of people in Aceh. He added that offenders would not be caned as long as they could still be educated.

"That's why we expect an improvement of the judges quality in terms of ability, knowledge and sensitivity under psychological reasons behind someone who violated the Qanun Jinayat," Syahrizal said.

Shariah police in Aceh arrest dozens in weekend raids

Jakarta Globe - March 11, 2013

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Authorities in Banda Aceh rounded up dozens of people over the weekend, mostly women, for allegedly violating the province's ultraconservative Islamic bylaws on indecent conduct.

The series of raids was carried out late Saturday night and early Sunday by the Wilayatul Hisbah, the so-called Shariah police, with help from regular police and soldiers.

Effendi, a WH official, said two couples were arrested at a hotel in Banda Aceh during one of the raids, and had been taken into custody for violating a bylaw prohibiting khalwat, the practice of unmarried couples being alone together in private.

"The four individuals are still being questioned by our officers," he told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday afternoon. "If they refuse to see the error of their ways, we'll have to charge them under the bylaw, for which they could be punished with a public caning."

In another raid led by Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal, Banda Aceh deputy mayor, WH officers arrested 15 women from a cafe on the outskirts of the city. Officials said the women were arrested for wearing tight-fitting clothes and for being out late at night. No men were arrested in that raid.

A third raid, at a boarding house in a densely populated part of the city, netted one man and three women. Effendi said the man was believed to be a pimp. He said WH raided the house after receiving complaints from residents about "un-Islamic activities" taking place there, but declined to elaborate.

He added that the three women found at the scene were arrested for wearing tight clothing. "We're continuing to question these four people because we have strong reason to believe that the man is a pimp and that the three women are 'comfort women,'?" Effendi said.

Three more women were arrested in a further raid on a late-night eatery in the Banda Aceh outskirts for wearing tight-fitting clothes, forbidden under Aceh's partial adoption of Shariah law.

Effendi said all the women arrested for this violation were released into the custody of their families after promising not to repeat their conduct.

Illiza said the raids were necessary to "keep Banda Aceh clean from the stench of vice". "We're carrying out these raids to crack down on those that are violating Shariah law," she said.

"We raided several places tonight, mostly hotels and cafes. It's very sad that we keep finding people doing these things, no matter how often we conduct these raids. Most of those we caught tonight were committing khalwat, so we hope we can return them to the right path."

Human rights & justice

Parents of stray bullet victim look for justice

Jakarta Post - March 14, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani and Andi Hajramurni, Jakarta/Makassar – For the first time as a young couple, Vicar Munan and Nur Hikmah, took a flight from Makassar, South Sulawesi to Jakarta on Wednesday in hopes that they could finally find justice for their third son, Fatir Muhammad, who died after being hit by a stray bullet on Feb. 1.

Vicar, a 23-year-old manual worker, said his family was frustrated that one month after the incident, the South Sulawesi Police had failed to find those responsible for discharging the fatal bullet.

"I asked the police, how long will the case be open? They said 18 years. That is just too long. If Fatir was still alive, he would have grown up. Is it even likely the assailant will still be alive?" Vicar said during a press conference at the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Nur said she was playing with Fatir and his two siblings inside their home on Jl. Bajigau, Makassar, at 9 p.m., when a bullet came through the ceiling and struck the toddler in the head.

"A soon as I heard the sound of a gun, Fathir's head hit the floor and began bleeding. I rushed him to the Haji Hospital and then the Bhayangkara Hospital, before he received proper medical treatment at the Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital," said 24-year-old Nur.

The bullet damaged the toddler's cerebrum as well as his cerebellum cells and despite undergoing surgery three times his physical condition continued to deteriorate. Fatir died on March 7.

Vicar said that the South Sulawesi Police had not made any significant progress with the case. The police claimed to have questioned a number of witnesses but refused to give any details.

"We told the police that we would report this case to the Makassar Legal Aid Institute [LBH], but the investigators told us not to bother because they claimed to be on the case," he said.

Komnas PA chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait asserted from the proximity of the victims house to a military dormitory (known as the PHB) that the alleged perpetrators could be members of the Indonesian Military.

"The military complex and the house are only separated by a wall," he said. Aris' allegation was supported by the results of a ballistic test conducted by the local police.

"The police said that the bullet was shot from a.30-calliber gun. This is a military standard, not a hand-made device. The family believe it is in general use by soldiers, however, we need clarification of this," he said.

TNI spokesman Iskandar Sitompul declined to comment on the stray bullet incident.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar on Wednesday said he had not yet read the ballistic report and declined to confirm the results of the ballistic test. He also shrugged off the accusation that the police had been sluggish in its investigation of the incident.

Meanwhile, South Sulawesi Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Endi Sutendi said case investigators had hit a brick wall. "We have a little evidence. When the accident took place, nothing major happened in the area, like marksman training or a fight. It is hard for us to determine from where the bullet was shot," he said in Makassar.

SBY suspected of discussing rights abuses with ex-generals

Jakarta Post - March 14, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Headlines – Seven retired but politically wired Indonesian Military (TNI) generals held a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace on Wednesday, discussing the current political, economic and security situation in the country.

The meeting, held only a day after Yudhoyono met with chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto, has led to speculation that the two sides were discussing possible political deals.

The retired generals were Gen. (ret.) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Gen. (ret.) Fachrul Rozi, Gen. (ret.) Subagyo HS, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Agus Widjojo, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Johny J Lumintang, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Suadi Marasabessy and Lt. Gen. (ret.) Sumardi. The retired generals are all alumni of the Military Academy class of 1970, senior to Yudhoyono who graduated in 1973.

"We discussed many issues but the President highlighted domestic politics, the economy and international relations. The political situation ahead of the 2014 elections was also discussed," said Luhut, who served as a spokesman for the group, in a press conference held after the two-hour, closed-door meeting.

Luhut said that members of the group also shared their thoughts with the President. "We also gave our views on some issues. I believe the President has received valuable and constructive input from us as 'market players'," Luhut said, declining to elaborate on the term "market players".

Luhut applauded Yudhoyono's achievements in some sectors such as foreign diplomacy and economic growth. "Nevertheless, there are still shortcomings here and there, including the unequal distribution of the benefits of the economic growth," he said.

Most of the retired generals are known for their affiliation to the Golkar Party and some of them have been named advisors to the party's chairman Aburizal Bakrie. Luhut denied that they served as emissaries from Golkar or Aburizal. "The President and us share something in common. We are all alumni of the Military Academy," he said.

Political analyst from the University of Indonesia Hikmahanto Juwana suspected that the meeting could have discussed past human rights abuses, which have implicated former TNI generals. He also suggested that the same issue could have been discussed when Yudhoyono had his meeting with Prabowo.

One issue that could have concerned the retired generals is the possible ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Court (ICC). A delegation of government officials and prominent rights activists, led by Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana late last week held a meeting with officials from the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, to discuss preparations by Indonesia to ratify the statute.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto recently said that the government was in the final stages of establishing an ad hoc human rights court to hear past human rights abuse cases including the kidnapping and disappearance of pro-democracy activists in 1998. The House of Representatives officially issued a recommendation for the establishment of the tribunal in 2009.

Many believe both courts could try retired generals with records of past human rights abuses including Prabowo and chairman of the People's Conscience (Hanura) Party Gen. (ret.) Wiranto. "Denny visiting the ICC could have an impact on the domestic political situation as 2014 nears. My question is, has Yudhoyono endorsed Denny's efforts?" Hikmahanto said.

"The President may have told Prabowo and the retired generals not to panic on the issues of the ICC and the ad hoc human rights court," he added.

Generals and their last positions

Gen. (ret.) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan

Chief of the Bandung-based Army Education and Training Center
Industry and trade minister in the Cabinet of president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid

Gen. (ret.) Fachrul Rozi

Deputy Indonesian Military (TNI) commander

Gen. (ret.) Subagyo HS

Army chief of staff

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Agus Widjojo

TNI territorial command chief of staff

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Johny J Lumintang

Governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas)
Army deputy chief of staff
Secretary-general of the Defense Ministry

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Sumardi

Head of the Military Education and Training Command

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Suadi Marasabessy

Wirabuana Military commander - Chief of staff of TNI's general affairs

Komnas HAM still no closer to ending rift

Jakarta Globe - March 9, 2013

SP/Carlos Paath – The House of Representatives is still waiting to see if the government's human rights watchdog can resolve an internal dispute before it is forced to take over the body, an official said on Friday.

Al Muzzammil Yusuf, a deputy chairman of House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, said the House had not yet received any report from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) regarding its efforts on ending a leadership spat that began earlier this year.

"We still haven't been able to evaluate their progress because we don't have any reports from them on how they're progressing," he said.

"We'll have to hold discussions with Komnas HAM. If they're prepared to resolve the dispute themselves, that would be ideal, But if not, then we're ready to facilitate some kind of dialogue. We hope, though, that they can finish this quickly because it's really a small problem."

The dispute at Komnas HAM revolves around the length of the term served by the chairman, which some commissioners have proposed should be cut from the current two and a half years to just one year.

Four of the organization's 13 commissioners, including Otto Nur Abdullah, the chairman, have opposed the move, but the nine other commissioners have supported the proposal. The split became apparent in early January when the commissioners met to vote on the proposal. The heated argument that followed the vote devolved into recriminations about the unfairness of the chairman getting a Toyota Camry for the length of his tenure while the other commissioners received less luxurious cars.

Otto and his two deputies, Sandrayati Moniaga and Muhammad Nurkhoiron, resigned from their posts in February, leaving Komnas HAM leaderless since then.

The House had given Komnas HAM until the middle of this month to resolve the dispute or be taken over by House Commission III ahead of the selection of a new batch of commissioners.

Al Muzzammil, from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said he hoped the rights body would be able to resolve the matter on its own and get back to its work of addressing rights issues.

"There are a lot of rights issues in Indonesia at the moment, so we hope the Komnas HAM commissioners can put their differences aside and work together again," he said.

M.M. Billah, an independent rights activist, said separately that the Komnas HAM commissioners were guilty of ethical violations for bickering over their job perks rather than focusing on their actual duties and responsibilities.

"They were selected to Komnas HAM to fight for people's rights," he said at a discussion on Friday. "They're not there to fight over facilities and power. How are they supposed to defend human rights if they can't get past this internal squabbling?"

Todung Mulya Lubis, a renowned human rights lawyer, said he feared that the unrest at Komnas HAM had been sowed for political interests, to undermine the commission's ability to bring past rights abuses to light.

"These shady powers, by influencing the selection of the Komnas HAM commissioners, have managed to get their people into this position of power. As a result, the Komnas HAM that we see today is just as powerless as that of the New Order regime," he said.

Haris Azhar, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said earlier this week that he believed the issue of shortening the chairperson's term had been raised with the intention of creating a rift in Komnas HAM.

"This proposal had nothing to do with the main issue that Komnas HAM was facing, namely bureaucratic reform," he said on Wednesday. "It was a completely unreasonable proposal that led to the bickering over facilities, titles, and so on, thereby undermining Komnas HAM systematically ahead of the 2014 elections."

IWD 2013

Women continue long battle for rights in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - March 9, 2013

Yohannie Linggasari, Dian Manafe & Yuli Krisna – As the world celebrated International Women's Day on Friday, activists in Jakarta and Bandung held a rally to raise awareness of the violence, discrimination and marginalization of women.

In Jakarta, members of 53 local women's groups marched from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the State Palace.

"In this rally we made eight demands, asking the government to fulfil its promises to protect women in the form of policies that to this day remained unrealized," said Luviana, a coordinator of the rally.

Luviana cited the prolonged deliberations of a bill to help eradicate domestic violence as one example, and also criticized the lack of representation of women in politics and the lack of protection of women.

Violence against women, she said, was a theme of the rally given several recent cases of rape on public transportation and cases of discrimination and harassment of female workers.

"Many companies still discriminate against female workers, particularly when it comes to pay. The men tend to earn more with benefits while women are considered to be secondary breadwinners. Pregnancy leave and menstrual leaves are also problematic with many women not getting to enjoy those rights," Luviana said.

A discussion on women at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Friday agreed that women still faced discrimination in Indonesia.

Dian Kartikasari, secretary general of the Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI), told participants in the "Women Making Indonesia" seminar that only 10 percent to 20 percent of government social programs targeted women.

"As a result, women often lose access to education and health care because the state has arranged for women to be housewives," she said.

While the discussion acknowledged that women had made progress during the post-Suharto reformation era, with some 90 percent of girls now graduating from elementary school, Yuli Ismartono, a senior journalist at Tempo Magazine, said Indonesian women still had a long way to go to eradicate discrimination.

Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, managing director of Sintesa Group, said successful women must help other women through education. "It's a pity that a lot of women are unable to explore themselves because of their role and their position as a wife. My desire is to encourage more women to become entrepreneurs," Shinta said.

Friderica Widyasari Dewi, a director at the Indonesia Stock Exchange, sought to raise awareness among women on the importance of investment.

"Women are responsible for the success of the family. So I have established a 'Women and Investment' program to educate women from Aceh to Papua about investment," she said.

Peter F. Gontha, publisher of the Jakarta Globe, said gender equity in Indonesia was much better than in developed Asian countries such as Japan. But education in Indonesia was still a concern, he said. "Women still need to fight for education. Nobody is taking care of education. We need more NGOs in education," the executive said.

In Bandung, hundreds of women spoke out against domestic violence and rape, demonstrating in front of the West Java governor's office.

Euis Tita Kurniawan, a rally coordinator, said many female workers were denied the rights to take maternity leave mandated by law, and received inferior pay to men. "We want to excel, to be prosperous and to be equal with men," she said.

Activists, women unite to end violence against women

Jakarta Post - March 9, 2013

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – International Woman's Day on March 8 was commemorated differently in a number of regions on Friday but with the same main message of stopping violence against women.

In Yogyakarta, some 100 activists from different local non-governmental organizations staged a rally at the city's Ground Zero area, rejecting all forms of violence against women.

Participating organizations included the Yogyakarta Woman's Network (JPY), the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Indonesian Women's Movement (Gepari), the Alliance of Yogyakarta Difabel Women, Rifka Annisa Women's Crisis Center and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI).

"The practices of polygamy and nikah siri [unregistered marriage] with all their justifications in the end only bring disaster to women and children," Rina Eko Widarsih of Rifka Annisa said, urging the government to be firm about registration of all marriages.

Ika Ayu of JPY, separately, demanded the government issue a clear regulation to protect women and to eradicate the 282 bylaws considered discriminatory against women.

She also highlighted the sharp increase in violence against women, with over 200,000 reported cases in 2012, almost double the number the previous year.

AJI Yogyakarta chair Hendrawan Setiawan called on the mass media not to exploit women in the news. He also called on media companies to fulfill the rights of woman journalists by providing, among other things, menstruation leave and breastfeeding rooms.

After the rally, the protesters marched to the nearby Beringharjo market, the biggest traditional market in the province, distributing pamphlets containing the addresses of organizations dealing with violence against women.

"It's a good campaign. Polygamy indeed is dangerous. We have to prevent men who are arbitrary and like to cheat from doing such things," Ningsih, a vendor, commented on the move.

In a different way of commemorating International Women's Day, the Taring Padi art community held a graphic design exhibition entitled "Jangan Diam" (Do Not Stay Still) at Survive! Garage, Bugisan, Yogyakarta.

"This is our little effort to say no to violence against women," Fitriani Dwi Kurniasih of Taring Padi said.

The Conscience Woman's Crisis Center (NPWCC) in Padang, West Sumatra, demanded the provincial administration be serious in dealing with violence against women. Mittya Ziqroh of NPWCC said that the administration had not been on the side of women who were victims of violence.

"In some cases of sexual violence against female students, what they did was expel the students from their schools because they were considered to have damaged the schools' image," said Mittya as quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

This, she said, was against Article 28B (2) of the 1945 Constitution which stipulates that every child deserves to live, grow and improve and to be protected from violence and discrimination.

"They were victims. They should have been protected and were banned from their rights to receive education instead," she told a discussion forum held on Friday to commemorate International Women's Day.

In Jambi, some 30 women and housewives staged a rally to demand a bylaw on exclusive breastfeeding for newborns.

"We have five recommendations with us. One of which is on exclusive breastfeeding as a follow up for the implementation of PP (Government Regulation) No 33/2012 on breastfeeding," protesters' coordinator Ida Zubaidah said.

She said the importance of exclusive breastfeeding had been beaten by the onslaughts of formula milk producers given in the forms of advertisements in the media and in the form of health aids.

The law and government regulation mentioning breast milk, according to her, had not yet been implemented as they were supposed to. "That's why we are pushing regional administrations to pay more attention to women, especially those who breastfeed their children," Ida said.

Workers call for abolition of all forms of discrimination against women

Sindo News - March 8, 2013

Rakhmatulloh – Women labour activists from the Joint Labour Secretariat (Sekber Buruh) Women's Action Committee held a protest action in front of the Jakarta governor's office at the Jakarta city hall calling on related institutions, central and regional governments to formulate policies that do not harm women.

The thousands of women workers also demanded assurances in relation the formal legal protections for women. "We are asking for concrete implementation of formal laws that regulate protection for women and the implementation of conventions on the abolition of all forms of discrimination against women", said action coordinator Jumisi in front of the city hall on Friday March 8.

According to Jumisi, formal protection for women is already regulated in laws and regulations such as Law Number 7/1984 on the ratification of the UN Convention on the Eradication of all Forms of Discrimination, Law Number 39/1999 on Human Rights, Law Number 23/2002 on the Protection of Children, Law Number 23/2004 on the Eradication of Domestic Violence and Law Number 2/2008 requiring a 30 percent quota of legislative candidates in political parties.

The demonstrators however said that in reality the application of these regulations still overlap with one another and officials on the ground sometimes fail to implement these laws correctly.

"The application on the ground is often not the same as the actual laws. Security personnel [police] also often don't understand the meaning of these laws", she added.

The demonstrators plan to join up with other demonstrating workers at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta after finishing Friday prayers before continuing the action at the State Palace.

"Here today are thousands of women workers, later this afternoon we will join up with other workers at the Hotel Indonesia", she said. (hyk)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

IWD Action Committee submits 'claim for payment' to government

Tnol - March 8, 2013

Safari Sidakaton – International Women's Day (IWD) was commemorated by a variety of different women's communities and organisations that united under the International Women's Day Action Committee (KAHPS), which presented a "Claim for Payment" to government institutions and agencies on Friday March 8.

Among the government institutions that were given the claim for payment were the General Elections Supervisory Board, the State Ministry for Women's Empowerment and the Protection of Children, the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare, the Ministry of Transport, the Communication and Information Ministry, the Constitutional Court and the President.

The claim for payment was because the government has repeatedly promised to protect its citizens, however the reality is that many women still fall victim to violence, are treated in a discriminatory manner in society and the workplace and suffer ill treatment and impoverishment.

Prior to submitting the claim for payment, thousands of women held a carnival and long-march from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta to the nearby State Palace. During the action the demonstrators wore purple coloured armbands as a symbol of women's struggle against violence, discrimination and impoverishment, and in the sprit of the birth of IWD.

A number of organisations and communities joined the action including Perempuan Mahardika (Free Women), the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI), the Confederation of Prosperity Labour Unions (KSBSI), the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI), the Confederation of the All-Indonesian Workers Union (KSPSI) and the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP).

In addition to these, also taking part was the Indonesian Journalist Alliance (AJI), the Cross-Factory Labour Forum (FBLP), the Trade Union Rights Centre (TURC), the Unity in Diversity National Alliance (ANBTI), the New Land Community (NLC), the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), the Women's Alternative Education Circle (Kapal Perempuan), One Billion Rising Indonesia (OBR Indonesia), the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (Pembebasan), the Nusantara Trade Union Alliance (GSBN), the Indonesian Legal Resource Center (ILRC), the National Students Forum (FMN), Migrant Care, the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy (JALA PRT), the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), the Mitra Inti Foundation, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Solidarity Network for the Families of Victims (JSKK), the Health Volunteers (REKAN), the Ardhanary Institute, the Transsexual Youth Studio (SWARA) and the Friends of Indonesian Women and Children Indonesia (SAPA Indonesia). Also joining the action was the Solidarity for Luviana Alliance (Aliansi SOVI), the Jakarta City Social Forum (FMKJ), the National University Student Solidarity for Democracy (SOMASI UNAS), the Foundation for Psychological Recovery and Psychosocial Empowerment (Yayasan PULIH), the Islamic Student Movement (GMI), the Ciputat Branch of the Muslim Students Association Women's Corps (KOHATI HMI Cab. Ciputat), Peace Women Across the Globe Indonesia, the Indonesian Youth Alliance (ARI), the Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI), the University of Indonesia Gender Studies (Kajian Gender UI), the Advocacy Network for the Revision of the Law on the Placement and Protection of Overseas Migrant Workers (Jari PPTKILN) and the Indonesian Social Foundation for Humanity (YSIK).

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator Rieke Dyah Pitaloka also gave a speech. Also participating was the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (HIVOS), the Women's Institute (Institut Perempuan), the Indonesian Women Parliamentarians Caucus (KPPI), Movement Indonesia, the Tarumanegara University Student Executive Council (BEM), the Abolition of Violence against Women and Children Concern Group (KePPaK Perempuan), the Mitra ImaDei Foundation, Caring for Migrant Workers (PBM), the All-Indonesia Workers Union Federation Reform (FSPSI Reformasi), Women's Solidarity (SP), Women Heads of Families (PeKKa) and the Executive Board of the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement Women's Corps (Kopri PB PMII).

Elly Firziliana, the founder of the Street Traders Community, said that what was being done by the thousands of women in commemorating IWD was also a struggle for women. Because, to this day the government has still not been able to provide protection to women workers. An example of this is that when women work outside of the home, there are no guarantees of protection.

"So far the government has only made promises. The implementation of this protection has been very inadequate, currently it is only a discourse", said Firziliana. She added that special train cars for women have not guaranteed protection for women and in other public domains there is no sense of safety for women. "Another example is decent wages for working women that has yet to be resolved and [human] trafficking", she said.

According to Niken Puruhita, a member of the New Land Community (NLC), while there are legal provisions that protect women, many are not understood by the police. For example, when reporting cases of domestic violence (KDRT) many police officers do not understand the articles. "The Law on KDRT does indeed exist but its implementation is inadequate. When reporting to police it turns out that many police officers don't understand. So the KDRT law has not reached into government institutions", she explained.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski. The final section of the article was a short history of IWD and was not translated.]

Women in Mojokerto demand free childcare, 30% representation in parliament

Tribune News - March 8, 2013

Faiq Nuraini, Mojokerto – Scores of women from the Mojokerto Women's Struggle Alliance (APPM) and Perempuan Mahardika (Free Women) Mojokerto took to the streets of the East Java city of Mojokerto on Friday March 8.

Riding motorcycles along the main road and wearing headscarves, the women gave speeches demanding their rights. In addition to calling for women representatives in parliament, they also urged regional governments to provide free childcare facilities.

"Regional governments must pay attention to women and children", said action coordinator Estin Sriwahyuni during the protest at the Mojokerto municipal government offices.

In addition to this, the women also loudly shouted for women representatives, demanding a minimum of 30 percent representation of women on the Regional House of Representatives.

"The KPUD [Regional General Elections Commission] must firmly refusing to allow parties through that do not meet the 30 percent [quota] of women candidates in Mojokerto", said Iis Ratnawati from Perempuan Mahardika.

As of going to print, the protesters were still demonstrating with placards and banners calling for regulations that side with women.

In addition to the Mojokerto municipal and regency government offices, they also held actions at the Mojokerto municipal and regency KPUD offices.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Activists in Aceh hand out flowers, women's poems

Aceh Post - March 8, 2013

Adelia Syahfitri – Scores of women activists from a joint committee greeted International Women's Day (IWD) by holding a peaceful action at the Simpang Lima traffic circle in the Acehnese provincial capital of Banda Aceh on Friday March 8.

Aceh Women for Peace Foundation chairperson Irma said the peaceful action was held to hand out flowers. "Yes, today we will hold an action to hand out flowers and on the stalks are poems about women", she said.

Irma also said the action is part of a series of events reflecting on the women's movement that have been held since March 5.

"This event is a joint activity we are holding to greet International Women's Day. Where, today women's rights can be fulfilled, [where] there is no longer violence against women and other things", she said.

Irma also hopes that today's IWD in Aceh can be more progressive than in previous years. "At least women can become leaders in government, the [demand] for an end to violence and rights for all women [should] be fulfilled", she said. (mrd)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Women activists in Yogyakarta condemn polygamy, unregistered marriages

Kompas.com - March 8, 2013

Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of women activists from the Central Java city of Yogyakarta held a peaceful action on Friday March 8 at the zero kilometer point near to the central post office to commemorate International Women's Day (IWD).

During the action, which took up the theme "Celebrate the Fidelity of Love", the activists voiced their opposition to the widespread practice of polygamy and unregistered marriages.

Several organisations took part in the action including the Indonesian Women's Movement (GEPARI), the Yogyakarta Different Abilities Women's Alliance (APDY), the Rifka Annisa (Women's Friend) Women's Crisis Center, the Yogyakarta Women's Network (JPY) and the Yogyakarta Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

Rina, the head of the NGO division of the Annisa Women's Crisis Center explained that discriminatory actions such as polygamy trigger acts of violence against women, both physical and psychological.

"Who wants' to be relegated to second place? Because of this polygamy is one of the forms violence against women and nikah siri (unregistered marriage) is a vehicle used to smooth the way for polygamy. So we explicitly reject it", asserted Rina.

Rina explained that many of those who justify such behaviour fail to see the impact this has on their partners. The example being cases of partners (wives) in unregistered marriages that are still underage, which obviously violates children's rights.

"In cases of nikah siri there is a kind of scam played on women, both on the legitimate wife as well as the unregistered wife, and this is often done by men", revealed Rina.

According to Rina, it would be beautiful if people had one of the characteristics of the bird of paradise, which symbolises absolute fidelity. "Let use together take on the character of the bird of paradise that is always loyal without hurting its partner. Let us be people who have commonsense and reject and fight acts of violence against women", shouted Rina.

Speaking separately, APDY general coordinator Novita Winahyu said that cases of violence against women, particularly in Indonesia, have risen sharply. Based on data from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), in 2011 there were 4,377 cases of sexual violence out of a total number of 119,107 reported cases.

"The state as a power structure should be able to protect women. However this hope has yet to be realised to this day. This can be seen from the increasing number of violence acts that are taking place", said Winahyu.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Ambon activists call for women to leave the home, get organised

Moluken.com - March 8, 2013

Ambon - Student activists from the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN) held a protest action on the main road in front of the Sirimau Sectoral Police Headquarters (Mapolsek) in Ambon, Maluku, on Friday March 8.

During the action, the students called for women's rights in the context of commemorating International Women's Day (IWD).

A number of important points were conveyed during the action, including among others, that the state must fully investigate cases of rape, including past sexual crimes committed by the military. Second, they demanded the repeal of all regional bylaws that discriminate against women. Third, that justice and rehabilitation be provided to victims of sexual violence. Fourth, for an end to all forms of negative labeling against victims. And fifth, that it is time for women to leave the home and build an organisation and movement to create a government that is democratic, just and equitable.

After giving speeches for around one hour, the demonstrators then held a march along Jl. AY. Patty.

According to data from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), between 1998 and 2010, rape has been the predominant form of sexual violence against women, occurring in 4,845 out of 8,784 cases. And more than three-quarters of all cases of sexual violence, as many as 70,115 out of 93,960 cases, are committed by people close to the victims such as fathers, husbands, older brothers, uncles, grandfathers and boyfriends. (Tiar)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Women workers in Bandung demand extended pregnancy leave

Kompas.com - March 8, 2013

Putra Prima Perdana, Bandung - Commemorating International Women's Day (IWD) 2013, some 150 workers, the majority of which were women from the Independent Trade Union Federation (FSPM) and the Bango Soy Sauce Independent Trade Union, held a protest action in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung on Friday March 8.

The demonstrators demanded that all companies that employ women provide and increase the length of pregnancy leave, from three to six months.

"Giving birth is the right of all women, but there are still many companies that discriminate. Because of this we are demanding that all companies not only provide three months of pregnancy leave, but six months. Two months before and two months after giving birth", said SPMKB Women's Committee Coordinator Euis Tita Kurniawan when speaking with Kompas during a break in the action in front of the Gedung Sate building (governor's office) on Jl. Diponegoro.

Law Number 13/2013 on Labour regulates a pregnancy leave of only three months, but International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention Number 183/2000 in fact states that pregnancy leave for working women should be 14 weeks.

In many ways, continued Kurniawan, women often encounter discrimination in the work place, such as equal rights and wage disparities.

In addition to the issue of pregnancy leave, the workers who arrived at the demonstration on foot also took up the problems of widespread exploitation and sexual harassment against women.

"We want to raise the dignity and rank of women. As we know, women are still the object of exploitation and that there is also widespread sexual harassment in the workplace. At this moment we hope, that in the future the West Java governor elect will at the very least provide legal protection to women", she asserted.

Based on data provided by the groups, Indonesia's population currently stands at 237,641,326. Out of this total, 49.7 percent are women, or as many as 118,010,413. "So accordingly, they should have a role that is equal to that of men", said Kurniawan.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Labour & migrant workers

Factory workers demand higher wages

Jakarta Post - March 8, 2013

Tangerang – Hundreds of factory workers grouped under the Indonesian Metal Workers Labor Union Federation (FSPMI) staged a rally on Jl. Raya Serang kilometer 17 in Cikupa, Tangerang regency, on Thursday to [protest the] lower the monthly wage policy applied by the factory management.

The rally paralyzed traffic in both directions between Serang and Tangerang, with queues reaching 5 kilometers as workers gathered outside the factory compound.

The workers said their employer, PT Elena Indonesia, had ignored their rights and breached the Banten Gubernatorial Regulation on the 2013 minimum wage.

Wahyu, one of the protesters, said the company management had signed an agreement with the workers in February that it would pay them in accordance with the minimum Rp 2.2 million (US$226) monthly wage as set by the administration in December.

"The company management broke the agreement and only paid each worker Rp 1.8 million per month instead," he said. The company had yet to comment.

Political parties & elections

Lame-duck SBY seeks protection as 2014 nears

Jakarta Post - March 15, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been holding a series of meetings with several prominent figures as he approaches the tail end of his time in office amid waning popularity and as his ruling Democratic Party is ravaged by corruption scandals and political infighting.

Analysts said the President, who is barred by the Constitution from seeking a third term, was trying to consolidate support from various people, including his opponents, to make sure that his remaining year in office would be free from political jolts and that he could live safely after he stepped down next year.

On Thursday, Yudhoyono met with representatives of 12 Islamic organizations grouped under the Islamic Organization Friendship Body (LPOI). Among them were the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Islamic organization; the Indonesian Islamic Preaching Council DDII, the Islam Union (Persis), and Al-Irsyad al-Islamiyah.

To these religious figures, Yudhoyono explained the challenges he had been facing, both in his administration and his Democratic Party, in a move that appeared to be aimed at attaining sympathy.

"We understand that the President's burden has become heavier lately, but we have assured him that we will not be tempted to get involved in political games. We, these Islamic organizations, will be behind the President until 2014," said NU chairman Said Aqil Siradj during a press conference after the one-hour closed-door meeting.

On Wednesday, Yudhoyono's special guests were seven retired generals who are mostly known for their affiliations with Aburizal Bakrie and his Golkar Party. They were Gen. (ret.) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Gen. (ret.) Fachrul Rozi, Gen. (ret.) Subagyo HS, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Agus Widjojo, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Johny J Lumintang, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Suadi Marasabessy and Lt. Gen. (ret.) Sumardi.

The meeting occurred only two days after Yudhoyono talked with former commander of the Special Forces Command (Kopassus) and chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto, at the former's office.

Yudhoyono's meeting with Prabowo is thought to have been aimed at exploring potential political deals between the two and their respective political parties. The former's Democratic Party has faced difficulties in picking a presidential candidate thus far while it has suffered from internal turmoil centering on the race for a new party chairman after Anas Urbaningrum, now a graft suspect, quit the position, last month.

Prabowo, who has topped many survey lists on the most popular presidential candidates, has been seen as Yudhoyono's most prospective "safe house" after 2014.

But the seven retired generals were said to be in opposition to Prabowo, prompting speculation that Yudhoyono was attempting to gauge their responses after his meeting with Prabowo two days earlier. Luhut Panjaitan said they had given names of potential presidential candidates to Yudhoyono and claimed that the President told him that he did not support Prabowo.

Jakarta State Islamic University political analyst Burhanuddin Muhtadi said Yudhoyono was trying to keep his enemies closer to keep his administration safe before and after the 2014 polls.

"He is now trying to politically embrace his enemies. Those who have met him are expected to act nicer and softer," he said, adding that his opponents would also benefit from such meetings.

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Pramono Anung, asked the public not to overreact to the meeting. "As the President, he has every right to meet whoever he wants to meet. I don't see any hidden agenda behind it. I encourage all of us to not overreact. Let's focus on efforts to prepare for the upcoming elections," he said.

KPU to allow former convicts to run in regional legislative elections

Jakarta Globe - March 14, 2013

Former convicts will now be able to run in regional legislative elections, a commissioner from Indonesia's election commission said on Thursday.

Ferry Kurnia Rizkiansyah, a commissioner from the General Elections Commission (KPU), said former convicts could join the legislative elections for the provincial and district level as long as they were willing to issue a statement declaring that they would not commit any more violations.

"The statement must be published in the media so public know about it," Ferry told Indonesian news portal Inilah.com on Thursday.

Ferry added that former convicts must also attach a letter from the penitentiary where they were detained so that the commission could verify what kind of violation they had committed.

The commissioner added that the KPU would also allow legislative hopefuls from political parties who did not pass the final verification stage to contest in the elections, as long as they could obtain a recommendation from a political party that had passed the final stage.

"They also have to obtain a letter from their party's chairman stating they are permitted to run in the election through another political party," he said.

Opposition growing to centralized power within parties

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang – People react differently to authoritarian leadership. Some put up with the pressure before bowing out quietly, while others choose to fight back, sometimes with great fanfare.

Realizing that he had no future in the newly founded National Democratic (NasDem) Party, media tycoon Hary Tanoesoedibjo decided to leave the party for the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) early this year, following his rift with NasDem's founder, Surya Paloh.

In a fight against Hary for control of the party, Surya took over the leadership from Patrice Rio Capella earlier this year. Surya feared that Hary would use his wealth to buy influence within the party, which Surya had personally set up as a splinter faction from the Golkar Party in February 2010.

With his decision to take over the party's leadership, Surya followed the footsteps of patrons of major political parties in the country like President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Megawati Soekarnoputri and Gen. (ret.) Wiranto in shutting down democratic processes within their parties in favor of unchallenged leadership.

It remains to be seen if Hary will meet a similar challenge from Wiranto, the chairman of Hanura.

Hary joined Hanura soon after leaving NasDem and now serves as chairman of Hanura's board of patrons. For now, Hary's position seems secure, with his financial contribution giving a new lease of life to the party.

"Pak Hary uniting with this party will be a strategic boost for us in the elections because we will have a wider opportunity to introduce Hanura to the Indonesian public through his media companies," Wiranto told The Jakarta Post recently.

The campaign to challenge the domination of Yudhoyono as the Democratic Party's chief patron was waged by the former party chairman Anas Urbaningrum.

Anas has publicly challenged Yudhoyono, the party's chief patron, ever since he was officially named a graft suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) last month, a decision that Anas believes was politically motivated.

Anas left the party following his decision to sign an integrity pact, Yudhoyono's idea, which included a pledge from the signatory to resign from the party at any level if named a suspect for any criminal act including corruption, drug abuse or terrorism.

Anas is now fighting back by mobilizing his supporters at the local level to vote a for new party chairman who will form an alliance with the former chairman.

Many have said that the endgame for the battle could be that Yudhoyono will lose his party just as former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid lost the National Awakening Party (PKB) to a splinter faction led by Muhaimin Iskandar.

Yudhoyono certainly did not want to see Anas taking over the political party that he set up as a vehicle for his presidential candidacy in 2004. Particularly after seeing the man he backed for the party's leadership in 2010, Andi Mallarangeng, lose to Anas.

Many have linked Anas' departure to his growing influence within the party. "Yudhoyono was the reason for the establishment of the Democratic Party. He is the 'sun' of the party, and he will remain the center of power. No second sun is allowed," political analyst Hanta Yuda from the Poll Tracking Institute said.

Soon after Anas left his position, Yudhoyono moved quickly to install his supporters; deputy chairmen Max Sopacua and Jhonny Alen Marbun, his son Edhie "Ibas" Baskoro Yudhoyono, who is also the party's secretary-general, and party executive director Toto Riyanto, as the party's interim leaders pending an extraordinary party congress to elect a new chairman. Democratic party leaders insisted that this was a type of democracy that the party had been practicing.

"The Democratic Party is indeed a democratic party, whatever people might say out there. Just let us take care of ourselves," Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, the leader of the party in the House of Representatives said.

Years into reform, Indonesia political parties controlled by oligarchs

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

Fifteen years after the start of the Reform movement, the call for a return to an authoritarian system has ironically been promoted by the country's political parties, which should have served as the backbone for the democracy. The Jakarta Post's Margareth S. Aritonang looks into how political parties dangerously fail to promote democracy within their own institutions.

The existence of political parties is the basic prerequisite for any democracy and many would expect that a healthy democracy could only work with political parties applying basic democratic principles in their day-to-day affairs.

Fifteen years after the ushering in of democracy, political parties in this country are not only getting more corrupt, with some of their leaders being locked up by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the parties have applied non-democratic principles in performing their basic functions such as electing new chairmen, presidential and legislative candidates.

One need look no further than at the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to find evidence of authoritarian practices working within the party.

Despite the adjective "democratic" in its name, when asked about who would run as the party's candidate in the 2014 presidential election, all party members have set their sights on party chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Party leaders and members at the local level may deliberate on who will represent the party in regional elections, but Megawati has the final say on who will run in the presidential election. Most party members like to call approval from Megawati a "blessing".

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party is no different. Leading politicians from the ruling party could have bickered over the best strategy to lift the party out of its slump following the KPK's decision to name Anas Urbaningrum a suspect in a graft cases, but at the end of the day it was Yudhoyono who had the last word.

A kingmaker who leads the party's board of patrons, Yudhoyono made it clear during the Anas imbroglio that the party belonged to him and that when it was time for Anas to go, the young politician had to pack up and leave the party.

The official reason for Anas' departure was his alleged involvement in a graft scandal surrounding the construction of a sports center in Hambalang, West Java, but many felt that Anas' growing clout within the party was a challenge to the supreme authority of Yudhoyono.

Such an authoritarian tendency is not unique to established political parties. The same problem also plagues new political parties like the Great Indonesia Movement [Gerindra] Party.

Established in 2008, the party has rarely held a congress or national meeting to select party leaders or deliberate party programs.

Although Gerindra's chief patron Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto has been the perennial choice for presidential candidate, no one remembers when exactly that decision was made.

"Who would dare to challenge Prabowo? He set up and finances the party. Gerindra is practically his," researcher Wawan Ichwanuddin from the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI) told The Jakarta Post recently.

But Prabowo is not the only politician to consider a political party their private property.

Wawan regards party leaders such as Megawati, Yudhoyono, Prabowo, media baron Surya Paloh, who recently took over the leadership of the National Democratic (NasDem) Party and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie as oligarchs, individuals who have the ultimate control over their political parties.

Quoting Chicago-based Northwestern University's expert on Indonesian politics Jeffrey Winters, Wawan said that these oligarchs had reigned supreme over the country's democracy for the past 15 years.

This oligarchy has apparently destabilized the institutionalization process in political parties and prevented the parties from growing into modern organizations that promote transparency and fair distribution of power, Wawan says.

The oligarchy not only damaged the internal affairs of political parties but also compromised the country's democracy as all decisions concerning the country's laws and public policies would always involve political parties, said analyst Hanta Yuda from the Poll Tracking Institute.

"The oligarchs exercise their power in all decision-making mechanisms within their parties, including decisions taken by their representatives at the House of Representatives and in government agencies," Hanta said.

"These politicians serve as representatives of their political parties rather than the people because their policies mostly benefit their parties," Hanta added.

A 2012 study conducted by LIPI reveals that the public consider themselves powerless when dealing with the country's political system due to the absence of access given to them in influencing public policies.

In the survey, only 12.8 percent of the 1,700 respondents considered that their opinion mattered in the country's decision-making process. The study concluded that the low level of enfranchisement in the political system has become an obstacle to the consolidation of democracy in the country.

In his seminal work "Indonesia's Accountability Trap: Party Cartels and Presidential Power after Democratic Transition", analyst Dan Slater of the University of Chicago said that the grouping of political parties had created a so-called cartel that used the state's resources to maintain their position within the political system.

This party cartel can be seen in the distribution of seats in the Cabinet, favoring those parties that will likely bring political benefits to the ruling party and getting rid of those that are deemed threats.

"Political parties have to change if we want to see democracy being fully adopted, I personally think that we will not see this in the near future because parties have secured all access and nurtured oligarchy by setting their own rules," Hanta said.

Islamic hard-liners may be potential voters

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – As pollsters predict a grim outlook for Islamic parties in the 2014 legislative election, some parties are making an effort to appeal to fringe Muslim groups in the country.

The United Development Party (PPP) recently decided to nominate Munarman, controversial spokesman of the vigilante Islam Defenders Front (FPI), as one of its legislative candidates.

In February, PPP chairman Suryadharma Ali, who is also the religious affairs minister, went so far as to announce that his party was open to members of the Islamic Dakwah Indonesia Institution (LDII) and the Al- Zaytun boarding school, two institutions that are seen by many as radical.

The party's goal was to translate Islamic principles into an Islamic constitution, PPP secretary-general M. Romahurmuziy said. "Therefore, for instance, we do not accept non-Muslim legislative candidates," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He admitted that the presence of prominent Muslim figures would enhance the electability of Muslim-based parties.

"If we shift to the center or to the left, people will perceive us as inconsistent in upholding our values," he said. "And, if they [the fundamentalist groups] have no place to channel their aspirations, they will become more savage."

He later criticized pollsters for being "premature in assuming Islamic parties face a bleak future". He said that although Islamic parties had seen their support fluctuate, an average of 30 percent of the country's voters would be ready to vote for them in an election.

In 1999, Islamic parties collectively won around 36 percent of the vote. They obtained 38 percent in 2004, and 25 percent during the 2009 election.

Political analyst Arie Sujito from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM), however, said it would not be easy for Islamic parties to win votes from hard-line groups.

"It's a political strategy, but these Islamic parties must realize it won't be easy to win votes from hard-liners as corruption has damaged their credibility," he said. Ary said that when it came to corruption, both secular and Muslim-based parties were in the same quandary.

He said that some parties, like the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), were aware of the difficulties in shifting completely to become fundamentalist parties. "They are trying to build an Islamic image while at the same time launching pragmatic programs. For instance, the party [PKS] once declared itself an open party at a meeting in Bali [in 2008]," he said.

Senior PKS politician Hidayat Nur Wahid had earlier said that the party would now focus on improving the party's image following the arrest of former chairman Luthfi.

However, the party has also made overtures to some of the country's hard- line groups. The PKS is now leaning toward conservative Islamic groups in the ongoing deliberations of the Mass Organizations Bill, a move interpreted as an attempt to attract new voters.

The PKS said that the current draft of the bill needed amending to better protect Muslim organizations in the country and to lessen the influence of foreign groups and their local affiliates.

Not all Muslim parties are attempting to make themselves more attractive to fringe groups, however.

The National Mandate Party (PAN), which is affiliated with the country's second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, said it planned to be more inclusive to get more voters in the 2014 political campaign season. The National Awakening Party (PKB), which is connected with the country's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, has also said it aimed to increase the number of its non-Muslim members.

PAN central board member Bima Arya Sugiarto said his party would only focus on promoting the ideas of its chairman, Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa. "He has good ideas that we believe can reach all elements of society; perhaps even the fundamentalists," he said.

Is Prabowo's domination stunting Gerindra's growth?

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang – The chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto, is known as a strong- willed military leader.

Friends and enemies alike have told stories of his legendary temper, the most famous incident being a heated exchange with then president BJ Habibie over the latter's decision to sack him from the leadership of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) in May 1998.

Prabowo may have recently joked that he should have launched a coup d'etat, but his reputation remains long after his military days.

Analysts have said that Prabowo, even when he set up Gerindra on Feb. 6, 2008, has remained a strong-willed leader.

Little has been heard about internal dynamics within Gerindra, that is until last year when the public were made aware that Halida Hatta, daughter of the country's first vice president, had decided to leave the party.

Believing that she shared the party's vision, to bring equality and prosperity to more people, Halida had joined Gerindra in 2007 and helped set up the party's internal rules together with other executives, including deputy chairman Fadli Zon and secretary-general Ahmad Muzani.

Many believed that Halida's inclusion on the party's executive board would give a feminine touch to a party that had, thus far, been dominated by military figures such as Maj. Gen. (ret.) Muchdi Purwoprandjono, an ally of Prabowo and former deputy chairman of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) and Lt. Col. Eddhy Prabowo, a middle ranking officer with the Indonesian Army, who now serves as House of Representatives Commission VI on state-owned enterprises.

It was also expected that Halida would improve the profile of the party, which is now marred by the association with human rights abuses.

Prabowo himself has been accused of involvement in human rights abuses during his stint in East Timor (now Timur Leste) as well as an alleged role in the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists in May 1998.

Muchdi was tried for his involvement in the murder of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib in 2004. He was cleared of all charges. Muchdi left Gerindra to join the United Development Party (PPP) in early 2011 due to a "personal conflict" with Prabowo.

No details were available as to why Muchdi decided to leave the party, but Fadli said later that Muchdi's deeply regretted the decision and he hoped that Muchdi, who was then a close ally of Prabowo, would "get what he wants" in PPP.

As for Halida, she stated clearly that she had resigned from the party because there was no decision making mechanism to speak of.

Soon after she announced her resignation from Gerindra in July last year, Halida said she was forced into the decision because she was excluded from the decision making process within Gerindra.

Halida also lamented the party's arbitrary decision to transfer the votes that she won in the election to other candidates, without her consent. Citing the incident as an indication of a "critical communication" problem within Gerindra.

Moreover, Halida has not been the only one to go. In March last year, during the party's extraordinary meeting, Prabowo announced the dismissal of the party's head of science and technology, Fami Fachrudin, which many party members said was the pinnacle of an internal rift within the party. Fami later issued a statement criticizing the party's culture.

"The military clique [in Gerindra] has led to an abuse of power, which prevents criticism of the leadership," Fami said through his Twitter account.

Supporters of Prabowo said that democracy prevails within the party. "Nothing is wrong with Pak Prabowo's leadership. He leads us according to our internal regulations," secretary-general Ahmad Muzani told The Jakarta Post recently, adding that the resignation of some party executives were of a personal nature.

"Regulations have granted Pak Prabowo the authority, as the chief patron, to make decisions concerning the party. You fill find the same mechanism in other parties," Muzani emphasized.

Prabowo, SBY deal looking more likely

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The widely publicized meeting between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto has led to speculation that the two have struck a deal for a political alliance ahead of the 2014 presidential election.

The meeting between Yudhoyono and Prabowo appeared to have been stage- managed to get the widest media coverage possible, with the schedule for the meeting being distributed hours before the meeting took place.

Prabowo, who is a former commander of the Special Forces Command (Kopassus) and a friend of Yudhoyono from his military college days, was accompanied by Fadli Zon, his party's deputy chairman.

According to Fadli, the two discussed "substantial matters" which included Yudhoyono's latest trip to Europe and some domestic political and economic issues.

Fadli however declined to give more details of the meeting, especially on the issue of Prabowo's presidential bid in 2014, saying that he was asked to leave the room when Yudhoyono and Prabowo had a 20-minute closed-door private meeting.

Prior to the meeting, Prabowo did not rule out the possibility that he and Yudhoyono could talk about a potential alliance ahead of the 2014 election. "Politics is dynamic. We'll see," he said.

After the meeting, Prabowo also was tight-lipped over his presidential bid. He only confirmed that he would run in 2014 but did not respond when asked about forging an alliance with Yudhoyono's Democratic Party. "The President said in the meeting that anyone planning to run for president must be down-to-earth and listen to the people's wishes," he said.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said the media had read too much into the meeting. "Both men are old friends. They have met numerous times in the past," Julian said.

Analysts, however, suspect that the meeting was part of Yudhoyono's "political survival" and "exit strategy". Because the Constitution prevents Yudhoyono from running for a third term, it would be necessary for him to ensure that all scandals implicating him or his family are swept under the rug when his tenure ends in 2014.

And as his Democratic Party has not picked a presidential candidate, the possibility of backing Prabowo's candidacy is now greater with his electability rating continuing to rise. "SBY may see Prabowo as the most prospective 'safe house' after 2014," Freedom Institute political analyst Yudi Latif said.

Several politicians have been reportedly endorsed by Yudhoyono for the 2014 presidential election. They include State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan, Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto, all of whom are regularly overshadowed by Prabowo in opinion polls.

Another politician who is also believed to have been endorsed by Yudhoyono is Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, who is chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN). But Hatta's overtures to the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) chairman and former chief of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Gen. (ret.) Wiranto has led many to speculate that the two could prepare a presidential ticket for 2014.

The possible alliance between Yudhoyono and Prabowo has concerned human rights activists, who have long campaigned against Prabowo's presidential bid.

Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Haris Azhar said Yudhoyono could have offered not to endorse efforts to investigate the May 1998 human rights violation, which could implicate the former Kopassus chief, as an incentive to Prabowo.

"It is impossible for Yudhoyono not to be aware of Prabowo's past record. In politics, the calculation is easy; what will I get in return and what I will give to you? In this sense, we are really concerned that enforcement of human rights is being used as a political commodity," he said.

Opposition to a Yudhoyono-Prabowo pact also came from within Yudhoyono's Democratic Party. Young politicians within the party including former rights activist Rachland Nashidik and Ulil Abshar Abdalla said that part of the mission of the party was to prevent Prabowo from becoming the country's next president.

Grim outlook for Islamic parties

Jakarta Post - March 11, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The electability of Islamic parties is expected to plunge further in the 2014 general election, with major parties like the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) embroiled in a corruption scandal and the National Awakening Party (PKB) being split by a power struggle.

Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra from Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UNI) said four Muslim-based political parties eligible to contest the 2014 legislative elections, namely the PKS, the PKB, the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), would have a hard time convincing voters of their commitment to clean government.

He said the meat importation graft scandal that has implicated former PKS boss Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq would make it difficult for the party to gain support from voters.

"Although the PKS was quick to address the situation, the impact will linger. The party could suffer another blow if any member of its board of patrons is implicated in the case," Azyumardi said, referring to the PKS' chief patron, Hilmi Aminuddin.

Late last month, investigators from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned Hilmi's fourth son, Ridwan Hakim, over his involvement in the importation graft case.

Azyumardi said the recent victories of PKS candidates in the West Java and North Sumatra gubernatorial elections did not reflect public perception toward the Islamic party.

"The party won because it nominated incumbents. Voters nowadays tend to have emotional connections with candidates rather than political parties," Azyumardi said.

Pollsters had earlier predicted a slump in popularity for Islamic parties in the 2014 general elections.

The Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) found that, if the general elections had been held in October 2012, major Muslim-based parties, including the PKS, the PKB, PAN and the PPP, would have collectively garnered a mere 21.1 percent of the vote.

Last year, Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting (SMRC) concluded in a survey conducted between Sept. 5 and 16, that the PKS, the PKB and the PPP would only have won 3 percent of the vote, respectively.

PAN would have finished fourth with a meager 2 percent of the vote if an election had taken place during that period. SMRC political consultant Marbawi A. Katon said that Islamic parties would suffer in the 2014 elections as voters were now concerned with party programs and performance.

"Our voters are becoming more rational. Their choices are based on the programs offered by political parties, not their ideology," he said.

The last election also indicated that PAN and the PKB were losing their grip on their traditional support base, Azyurmardi said.

"PAN is losing Muhammadiyah because the party leaders fail to communicate with Muhammadiyah figures," Azyumardi said, referring to the country's second-largest Islamic organization, which provided PAN's original members when the party was founded.

The PKB could no longer count on its affiliation with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization, while the battle to get NU votes had torn the party apart, he said.

"Nahdliyins [NU members] have spread in different directions. Some follow Yenny Wahid, although her political party [the National Archipelago Prosperity Party [PKBN] was disqualified by the KPU. Other NU members have built political careers elsewhere, like Nusron Wahid of the Golkar Party," he said.

Yenny is the daughter of former president and NU leader Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, while Nusron is the chairman of NU's youth wing, the Ansor Youth Movement (GP Ansor).

Sohibul Iman, PKS politician and deputy speaker at the House of Representatives, said that his party could turn the situation around.

"We still retain our commitment to be a clean political party. As for the one member of our party who is allegedly involved in a graft case, we should wait for the legal process to conclude," he told The Jakarta Post.

Prabowo meets with Yudhoyono, praises him for economic management

Jakarta Globe - March 11, 2013

Ezra Sihite – Former military general and founder of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto on Monday commended President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his management of Indonesia's economy.

"I am grateful that Mr. President was willing to give us a briefing. I think we have to admit that under his tenure, the management of our economy has been relatively good," Prabowo said Monday following a two-hour meeting with Yudhoyono.

Prabowo said that Yudhoyono explained the government's economic programs and added that the meeting was part of the president's efforts to reach out to political party leaders and disseminate his administration's policies further.

He noted that he and Yudhoyono shared a lot in common, especially in regard to corruption eradication efforts. "Fortunately, the government has been listening to our critiques. Because of that, we have in the past three to four years seen many problems solved," he said.

When asked about his presidential aspirations, Prabowo frankly stated that he wished to replace Yudhoyono as the nation's leader. "God willing, I do want to be his successor, but it's up to God and the Indonesian people," he said.

Previously, analysts have said that Prabowo inadvertently severed his ties with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) by glorifying his role in last year's Jakarta gubernatorial election, thereby damaging his chances of being selected by Megawati as her party's candidate.

Political experts have noted that Prabowo may have to persuade Yudhoyono to allow his Democratic Party, which won 20.8 percent of the vote in the 2009 election, to support him in order for him to make a successful bid for the presidency.

Women crucial to cleaner politics in Indonesia, politicians and experts say

Jakarta Globe - March 11, 2013

Carlos Paath & Yohannie Linggasari – While several female politicians, including former legislator Angelina Sondakh, have been embroiled in graft cases recently, politicians and experts are upbeat that an increased number of women in the House of Representatives will boost the legislature's performance and standing.

Women account for 18 percent of legislators, holding 101 of 560 seats after the 2009 legislative election. That figure is up from 61 out of 550 seats after the 2004 election, but is still well short of the government's target of 30 percent women's representation in the House.

As Indonesia marked International Women's Day over the weekend, female politicians expressed hope that more women would become legislators after the 2014 election.

Jana Sjamsiah, a deputy secretary general of the National Mandate Party (PAN), said her party would continue to push for more female House members.

"Women's presence in the legislature should bring better changes in terms of the legislative process, budgeting and supervision," she told reporters during a training session held by the party for its female members on Saturday.

The PAN issued a decision to include a 30 percent quota for women in the party's daily management at the central, regional, branch and sub-branch levels. The PAN's affirmative action policy is expected to provide an opportunity for women to play a bigger role in the party.

"Women have become more meaningful for the PAN because 43 percent of our voters in the 2009 general election were women. This shows that women are one of the groups of people that need to be approached and empowered so that they will vote for the PAN in the upcoming 2014 general election," Jana said.

Welya Safitri, head of the PAN's women's empowerment unit, said the party would continue to improve the quality of its female legislators.

Separately, Dewi Aryani, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said more women in the House would boost public trust.

"You see, most legislators arrested in corruption cases are men, while only one or two women are involved in graft scandals. I don't think these two graft-implicated women have ruined the image of female legislators as a whole," she said, referring to the Democratic Party's Angelina and Wa Ode Nurhayati from the PAN.

Nurul Arifin, a Golkar Party legislator, said that most female legislators were honest and worked hard at their jobs. "Increasing women's involvement in politics will ensure a more transparent and accountable process. One or two corrupt legislators can't ruin [our] work," she said.

Several surveys by the World Bank have found that women's involvement in politics has helped reduced corruption.

According to a report by TrustLaw, India has seen changes since a 1993 law reserved 30 percent of seats on village councils for women. The World Bank's annual World Development Report this year credited this change for increasing the provision of clean water, sanitation, schools and other public goods in the villages, and for lower levels of corruption.

Also quoting the World Bank report, TrustLaw reported that bribes paid in Indian villages headed by women were 2.7 to 3.2 percentage points lower than in those led by men. When men control all the levers of power, researchers say, money is more likely to be invested in big-ticket construction projects such as road building where corruption is rife, rather than in schools or clinics.

During a discussion on "Women Making Indonesia" at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Jakarta on Friday, all speakers agreed that women should be more active in the country's decision-making process.

The event, organized by commercial law firm Oentoeng Suria & Partners, featured Melba Pria, the Mexican ambassador to Indonesia. Pria said women should master public speaking, strategic thinking and results-based management to widen their role in decision making, rather than simply thinking: "How can I get a rich husband?"

Ani Sucipto, a political researcher from the University of Indonesia, said the reduced number of political parties in 2014 would help more women get elected.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has decided that only 10 parties are eligible to field candidates in next year's election, down from 38 in 2009.

"Too many parties won't benefit women. It will be easier for women to get voted in if there are fewer parties," Ani said.

Local wins boost PKS morale amid scandal

Jakarta Post - March 9, 2013

Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said on Friday its victories in two recent gubernatorial elections had boosted its confidence amid predictions it was losing public support following the arrest of its former top leader on graft charges.

Senior PKS politician Hidayat Nurwahid said that most political pundits had been proven wrong when they said the Islamic party's electability rate would decline significantly after its former chairman, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in January.

"It turns out it was all just nonsense. It was just analysis that is true theoretically but is not based on the political reality in the field," Hidayat said.

The PKS has claimed victory in the North Sumatra election, which was held on Thursday.

According to several quick counts the PKS-backed candidate, Gatot Pujo Nugroho won between 32 and 33 percent of the vote, some 6 percent more than his strongest rival Effendi Simbolon, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate who garnered around 26 percent. According to the regulations, a candidate needs to secure more than 30 percent of the vote to win an election.

In West Java, the local poll body has declared Ahmad Heryawan governor- elect of the country's most populous province. Aher and his running mate, Deddy Mizwar, gained 32.39 percent of the votes, followed bv Rieke Diah Pitaloka and Teten Masduki with 28.41 percent and Dede Yusuf and Lex Laksamana with 25.24 percent. Rieke and Teten were backed by the PDI-P, while Dede and Lex were backed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.

Rieke has rejected the decision and will bring the dispute to the Constitutional Court.

Hidayat said the party managed to mobilize its core supporters to get the vote out despite media reports on corrupt practices in the national beef import program that has implicated several PKS politicians.

Ahmad Fathanah, the main suspect in the beef graft case, is reportedly Luthfi's close aide. The case also took place within the Agriculture Ministry, which is now led by PKS politician Suswono. The KPK has also slapped a travel ban on Ridwan Hakim, the fourth son of the party's chief patron, Hilmi Aminuddin. KPK investigators have questioned him as a witness in the case.

"[Our victory] shows that the public still trusts the PKS and its members. We will work harder and more effectively to show the public that we deserve their trust," the former chairman of the People's Consultative Council said.

PKS chairman Anis Matta claimed that North Sumatra resembled Indonesia in a way that its people were religiously and culturally diverse. The party's victory, he said, had given hope for a strong showing in the 2014 polls. "This is our victory in a plural society," he said.

An analyst, however, attributed Gatot's victory to his ethnicity and the fact that he was the incumbent. "The majority of votes won by Gatot didn't come from PKS voters but rather because people know he has a Javanese background," lecturer Faisal Mahrawa of North Sumatra University said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the PDI-P said it would evaluate the party's performance after being beaten consecutively by the PKS in two local elections. In North Sumatra and West Java, the party brought in its political big guns during the campaigns, including party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. The fact Jokowi is currently the most popular governor in the country apparently failed to help Rieke and Effendi win the elections.

PKS politicians have scoffed at the PDI-P for failing to exploit Jokowi's popularity. "We are not afraid of Jokowi," PKS executive Yudi Widiana said.

Gender & sexual orientation

Constitutional Court justice apologizes for remarks against gay marriage

Jakarta Globe - March 13, 2013

Dessy Sagita – A constitutional court justice issued an apology after making a statement against gay marriage during a fit and proper test at the House of Representatives.

"I apologize if my opinion offended the gay community. I will ask for God's forgiveness," judge Arief Hidayat said in a statement on Wednesday.

During a fit and proper test in front of the House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, a commission member asked Arief about his opinion on gay marriage. He replied that he was against it because it was unconstitutional and against his religious values.

Hartoyo, a gay rights activist and the secretary general of Ourvoice, an LGBTQ advocacy organization, posted an open letter in reaction to Arief's statement on the group's website. In the letter, Hartoyo wrote about his struggle as a gay Muslim living in Indonesia.

He detailed an incident in which he and his partner were assaulted in Banda Aceh in January 2007. After a group of men forcefully entered his home, they took the couple to the police station, where they were forced to strip down and were physically beaten.

Six police officers abused Hartoyo and his partner verbally with a number of homophobic slurs and then proceeded to take them outside to spray them with cold water. Hartoyo added that his homosexuality was something he was born with and not a product of Western culture.

"I have never been to any Western countries and I have fallen in love with men even before I understood what Indonesia and Islam were. I have been a homosexual even before I knew that homosexuality is considered to be a sin by many religious teachings," the letter read.

"Mr. Arief: if gay marriage is part of Western culture then how would you explain the fact that gay marriage is still disputed in Western countries – such as the United States – even today? Will those who are against gay marriage in those countries then argue that homosexuality is an eastern, southern or northern reality? History in fact proves that when western countries criminalized homosexuality, it was us who actually celebrated sexual diversity in our culture," Hartoyo wrote.

His letter was featured internationally by several media outlets, including dot 429 Magazine, an online periodical based out of San Francisco.

Following the publication of the letter, David Mills, an openly gay judge from Massachusetts, wrote an e-mail to Arief encouraging him to answer Hartoyo's letter. "Mr. Arief replied to my e-mail shortly after judge Mills wrote to him," Hartoyo said on Wednesday.

Arief said that even though he meant no harm to the country's gay community, he stood by his stance that based on the Constitution, marriage was only legal between a man and a woman. He went on to say that gay marriage was in violation of the state's official ideology Pancasila.

"However, as a citizen of the country, you and your community should be protected from violent acts," he wrote.

Graft & corruption

Indonesian transparency forum levels bargaining accusations on budgets

Jakarta Globe - March 11, 2013

Novianti Setuningsih – The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) has described the process of allocating development funding as a highly politicized process.

Maulana, an advocacy coordinator for the independent watchdog known as Fitra, said over the weekend that there were strong suspicions of bargaining between the House of Representatives' Budget Committee and the Finance Ministry's Directorate General of Budgeting to get certain allocations approved.

He said the directorate general played an important role in matters related to the budget, making it appealing for the House Budget Committee to approach it.

"The Finance Ministry's Directorate General of Budgeting is like a little king due to its important role in drafting budget allocations and deciding the amount of funding to assign," Maulana said.

He alleged that such budget negotiations took place during the budgeting process for the Regional Infrastructure Adjustment Fund (DPID) as well as the Accelerated Fund for Regional Infrastructure Development (DPPID).

"The DPID and DPPID cases occurred because adjustment funds were not recognized under the law on the financial balance of the state budget," he said.

Maulana claimed the adjustment fund was actually a disguised pork-barrel fund for legislators, after the Finance Ministry rejected an earlier pork- barrel fund following public condemnation.

The number of regions eligible to receive the 2011 DPID budget of Rp 7.7 trillion ($795 million) apparently did not match data recommended by the ministry, Fitra said. Around 100 regions did not receive a DPID budget although the ministry had recommended them eligible for the fund.

Fitra also accused the directorate general of wasting Rp 16.7 billion since 2011 on paying for an application system for ministries and government institutions to report working and budgeting plans.

However, the application system format changed from year to year, thus making it difficult to compare the plans.

"System changes occurred, for instance in the account codes or subcomponent formatting and this causes a mismatch in the code and the system, allowing the budget to be blocked [by legislators]," Maulana said.

Legislators would mark a budget proposal with an asterisk if they considered it unimportant or illogical. Maulana called on House Commission XI, overseeing financial affairs, to cancel the budget for the application system.

Lawmakers could be complicit in Korlantas graft case, says ICW

Jakarta Post - March 11, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Prominent antigraft watchdog Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) says the House of Representatives could be complicit in a multi-million graft case at the National Traffic Police Corps (Korlantas) centering on the procurement of vehicle simulators.

ICW investigator Tama S. Langkun said the questioning of five high profile lawmakers by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as witnesses in the graft case could serve as a strong indication that the House as an institution could be implicated in the case.

"The House must have known the allocation and budget amount earmarked for each ministry and state institution [including the National Police]," he told The Jakarta Post.

Earlier this month, the KPK summoned five lawmakers, Bambang Soesatyo and Aziz Syamsuddin of the Golkar Party, Herman Hery of the Indonesian Democratic Pary of Struggle (PDI-P) and Benny Kabur Harman and Dasrul Djabar of the Democratic Party, as witnesses in the Korlantas graft case.

The five lawmakers served as members of House Commission III on law and human rights, which oversees the work of the National Police.

The five lawmakers have vehemently denied their roles in the simulator graft case. The lawmakers said the project was never deliberated at the House. Bambang even went as far as saying that he was ready to face a firing squad if the accusation that he had been involved in the case was true.

Bambang, however, admitted that he once met former Korlantas chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a main suspect in the case, at a restaurant in Senayan, South Jakarta. Bambang, however, said the simulator project was not discussed at the meeting.

While the project proposal was not discussed at the House, it would have had to be approved by the House before the National Police could execute the project, Tama said.

"If it said it did not know about the budgeting process of the simulator project, then we have to heavily criticize the House because it meant that it did not do its job properly," he said.

Finance Ministry budgeting directorate general Herry Purnomo concurred with Tama, saying that the National Police needed approval to use funds from non-tax revenues.

Bambang, Azis and Herman were dragged into the case after former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin accused them of being complicit in the graft case.

Two of Nazaruddin's companies took part in a tender for the procurement of the vehicle simulators but lost to PT Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi (CMMA) which belonged to Budi Susanto. Budi has also been named a suspect in the graft case.

The tender of the project drew bids from five companies. Among them were PT Digo Mitra Slogan and PT Kolam Intan Prima, which were allegedly controlled by Nazaruddin. The KPK has named former Korlantas chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo and his deputy Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo and director of PT Inovasi Teknologi Indonesia Sukotjo S. Bambang, as suspects in the case.

The state allegedly lost Rp 100 billion (US$10.33 million) in the Rp 198.7 billion procurement fraud.

The House was further dragged into the case when lawmakers from Golkar, the Democratic Party and the PDI-P reportedly received a total of Rp 10 billion from National Police top officials in return for allocating certain sums from the state budget to the vehicle simulator project.

The Democratic Party and the Golkar Party reportedly each received Rp 4 billion, while the PDI-P received Rp 2 billion in kickbacks.

Terrorism & religious extremism

D88 blasted for using terror to fight terror

Jakarta Globe - March 14, 2013

Yeremia Sukoyo – The National Police's counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, should not use its success in fighting terrorism as justification to violate human rights, a rights activist says.

"Just because [they're] police, they can't treat suspects as though they're not citizens. That's just like the colonial police," Mardjono Reksodiputro, the secretary of the National Law Commission, said during a discussion on Wednesday on whether Densus 88 should be disbanded. "Densus 88 should not use its success to justify violations of human rights."

Mardjono said that Densus 88, as a special unit of the National Police, was not part of the military, and its members were given special authority to carry weapons and are entitled to use force only when necessary.

"However, they still have to conduct themselves in line with the law. Densus 88's attitude [toward suspects] has created quite a stir. The violence [they have] committed in their anti-terror activities is excessive," Mardjono.

Although he agreed that acts excessive violence had been committed, Mardjono said that the idea to disband Densus 88 was too radical, saying that the torture occurred because members of Densus 88 failed to follow procedure.

"The idea to disband Densus 88 is too radical. We consider [the human rights violations] a mistake committed by Densus. The police should consider this as criticism that it should listen to," Mardjono said.

He added that Densus 88 officers who were proven guilty of committing violations should be given heavier punishment that regular police officers accused of similar offenses. He said this was necessary because Densus was a force that carried out a special task for the state.

The National Police have faced mounting pressure to disband Densus 88 following the emergence of a video recording that showed members of Densus 88 tying up, shooting, trampling on and verbally insulting a suspected terrorist. However, police said they would not bow to the pressure until Indonesia was guaranteed free from terrorists.

"The National Police chief will definitely disband Densus if somebody can guarantee that the country will be free from terrorists," said National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar, who also attended the discussion.

He said police had examined the video and confirmed that the incident did take place in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in 2007. But Boy defended the National Police, who, he said, were at the time the video was taken enforcing the law after terrorists had decapitated three local schoolgirls.

"We already knew about the incident [in the video footage]. Poso has long become a hotbed of conflicts. Dozens of victims have died. The law had to be enforced to provide protection for other groups of the community," Boy said.

Din Syamsuddin, the chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country's second-largest Islamic organization, called on the National Police to change their approach to fighting terrorism.

"The fight against terrorism has been stigmatized as [a fight against] Islam. That's why a change is needed to prevent human rights violations from being committed," Din said in Lamongan, East Java.

He also asked the National Police not to use terror in fighting terrorism and called on the force to be more professional and to involve the people in the fight against terrorism.

Din said he did not want to get into a debate with the police about the taped incident. "The best thing for the National Police to do right now is to admit they made a mistake and change their approach toward fighting terrorism by not using terror," he said.

The Central Sulawesi Police have detained five of their personnel over the alleged torture of the suspected terrorists after the video was uploaded to YouTube.

Komnas HAM investigates alleged Poso violations

Jakarta Post - March 11, 2013

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has begun analyzing a video of the alleged violence committed by authorities against terror convicts in Poso, Central Sulawesi, widely circulating on Youtube.

The Komnas HAM confirmed the matter directly from victims currently under the custody of the Petobo penitentiary in Palu. The alleged victims include Ustadz Hasanuddin, Wiwin alias Tomo, Tugiran alias Iren, and Iin alias Brur.

According to Komnas HAM Investigation and Observation commissioner Siane Indriani, the inmates who were involved in the Poso conflict are victims of violence who were caught on the video.

"Wiwin stated that the violence recorded on the video was committed by the police's Densus 88 counterterrorism unit in Tanah Runtuh, Poso city, on Jan. 22, 2007," Siane told reporters at the Petobo penitentiary recently.

She was accompanied by Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) legal division head Zainuddin Ali, Law and Legislation Commission secretary Rofiqul Umam Ahmad and Teguh Sudarsono from the Witness and Victims Protection Agency (LPSK).

Based on Wiwin's accounts, added Siane, the residents were involved in a gunfight with Densus 88 and police Mobile Brigade members then. When one of them was shot, Wiwin went to rescue the victim. Wiwin opened his shirt and raised his hands to surrender, but he was still beaten and shot.

"With the presence of the video, like it or not we will reopen the case, which took place in 2007, as part of several data which we have collected. They are victims of the conflict, so we must be more careful and proportional," said Siane.

Siane said Komnas HAM would raise the status of the case if possible, because there were indications that gross human rights violations had taken place. Komnas HAM will base the case on Law No. 26/2000 on basic human rights.

Regarding follow up actions from the investigation, Siane said Komnas HAM has a jurisdiction of issuing a recommendation. It also has the opportunity to form an ad hoc team to conduct further investigation, results of which would be handed over to the Attorney General's Office to investigate by forming a human rights court.

"For cases taking place before 2000, an ad hoc human rights court will be set up. A human rights court will be established for cases taking place after 2000," said Siane.

She added Komnas HAM recommended that there should no longer be shooting to death of people still suspected as terrorists. Shooting is tolerable in direct gunfire.

The Poso conflict broke out in 1998 and intensified until 2000. Some 2,000 people were killed or reported missing. The government, facilitated by then vice president Jusuf Kalla, held a peace meeting in Malino, South Sulawesi, from which a peace pact called Malino Declaration was reached.

Police arrest five officers for alleged Poso torture

Jakarta Globe - March 8, 2013

Farouk Arnaz/AFP – The Central Sulawesi Police have detained five of its members over the alleged torture of militants after a video posted on YouTube showed a suspect being shot and others abused.

The blurry 14-minute video posted by several Islamic groups on their websites and YouTube depicts officers forcing a man to strip to his underwear before they shoot him, apparently in the chest.

"We arrested five policemen today and others are still being questioned," national police detective chief Sutarman said in a text message, without giving further details.

The then-suspected terrorists were arrested for their purported involvement in the shooting of four members of the police's mobile brigade (Brimob) in Poso – dubbed a hotbed of terrorism – during December of 2012.

They were held for a week before police released them due to a lack of evidence. However, they left their detention with bruises and other injuries sustained all over their bodies.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Dewa Parsana said the five officers, who were detained on Wednesday, would be charged under Article 351 of the Criminal Code on assault.

The police's move came just a week after an incriminating video was leaked onto YouTube. The video sparked outrage among activists and Islamic groups, and there are concerns about retaliatory attacks in Poso, where two officers investigating an alleged militant training camp in October were found buried with their throats slit.

A consortium of Islamic organizations on Thursday called for an evaluation and audit of the elite unit, which it accused of torture and extrajudicial killings.

"If these steps are not carried out, then the unit should be dissolved. We're concerned Indonesian Muslims will become sympathetic to terrorists if such police action continues," Din Syamsuddin, chair of the country's second-largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, told reporters.

The video was earlier thought to concern the alleged instances of torture that took place in December 2012, but it was later determined that some of the footage was from January 2007 and showed the arrest of terrorist suspect Rahman "Wiwin" Kalahe and several others.

Wiwin, along with some of his cohorts, was proven guilty of beheading three female high school students and shooting two others in Poso in 2005. He was sentenced to 19 years in jail by the South Jakarta District Court in 2007.

Sutarman said earlier that the video was a compilation of the 2007 and 2012 incidents.

Freedom of religion & worship

Bekasi pastor charged with assaulting member of intolerant group

Jakarta Globe - March 13, 2013

Camelia Pasandaran – Bekasi police have charged a local pastor for allegedly assaulting a member of an intolerant group on Christmas Eve last year.

"I got the letter summoning me as suspect yesterday," HKBP Filadelfia pastor Palti Panjaitan, told Jakarta Globe on Wednesday. "I'm charged with article 352 and 335 of the criminal code on assault and unpleasant conduct."

Palti said that on Dec. 24, 2012, he felt threatened when Abdul Aziz, a religious figure in Jejalen village in Bekasi, approached him in Bekasi near Palti's church.

"He was about to attack me," Palti said. "I went off the motorcycle to maintain my safety. He approached me and I held him with my hands. Police separated us, and there was no problem afterward. If I hit his chest as [Abdul has] reported to the police, I would have been detained that night. The Bekasi police chief was there, and many police officers."

Palti said that Abdul is a member of an extremist Muslim group in the area, and that Abdul had previously intimidated him in a separate altercation. Palti filed a report to the police on Apr. 20, 2012, which said that Abdul was threatening to kill him.

"The dossier [for the case] has been completed at the prosecutor's office," Palti said. "The police probably want to make [a case against me to] balance [the upcoming case against Abdul]. As Abdul's case will soon go to court, they'll force this case to go to court as well. I can see that the police are afraid so they victimize me by naming me as a suspect in order to prevent backlash from the intolerant group."

The secretary of the Indonesian Church Union (PGI) Reverend Gomar Gultom told Jakarta Globe that the state and the police failed to be neutral on Palti's case.

"The allegation was fabricated," Gomar said. "What really happened was the congregation members were about to conduct a service, but there was mass provoked to prevent the service. We wonder why such allegations were quickly responded by police, but [church] services disturbed by intolerant group were left unprotected."

A similar case happened in embattled GKI Yasmin, a Protestant church in Bogor. A church member named Jayadi Damanik was charged with assaulting the head of the Bogor public order agency (Satpol PP), Bambang Budiyanto, in October 2011. Bambang later revoked his report.

Prior to the case, Bambang was reported to the police by GKI Yasmin officials for preventing people from worshipping.

"What happened with Pastor Palti is a pattern of state terror against the victims by the police," Bona Sigalingging, GKI Yasmin spokesman, told Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

The GKI Yasmin congregation has been locked out of its church since 2008 by the municipal authorities, in direct violation of two Supreme Court rulings and an order by the Indonesian Ombudsman to allow them back in.

Bogor officials' initial pretext for revoking the church's permit was that the signatures required to obtain it were fake. It now says that its refusal to abide by the rulings of the highest court in the land is based on residents' opposition to the church.

The HKBP Filadelfia congregation is the victim of a similar injustice. Since 2007, members have been forced to worship on the street outside the church in Bekasi as district authorities continue to deny the church a permit.

"By naming Palti a suspect, police show that they're not siding with the court's ruling that is legally binding, but siding with the siding with pressure from the intolerant group," Bona said.

PGI's Gomar said beside Jayadi and Palti, there is also another case in Bandung, in which a pastor named Bernard Maukar was arrested for conducting services in a building without a permit.

"I can see the future scenario is the state being used by intolerant group to criminalize people who want to perform religious worship," Gomar said. "In my opinion, this is very dangerous. I will ask the government, especially the president, to see this problem."

Palti could face more than a year in prison if he is found guilty of the charges against him. "The first questioning is on Wednesday, March 20, at 10 a.m.," Palti said.

Traditional believers' quest for recognition in Indonesia

Straits Times - March 11, 2013

Zakir Hussain – Dewi Kanti, 37, has known only one faith all her life. But it has never been recorded on her identity card.

She follows Sunda Wiwitan, a traditional folk belief indigenous to West and Central Java that incorporates meditation and thanksgiving rituals, among other things.

But when she was 17, the registration official automatically listed her as Muslim. It took more than a decade before she could replace that space on her identity card with a dash, and later, traditional believer.

The housewife from Kuningan, West Java, now campaigns for the right of those with minority beliefs like hers – practiced here centuries before Islam, Christianity, Buddhism or Hinduism – to identify themselves accurately and openly.

"Our ancestors, followers of the original religions of this country, let new religions sink roots," Dewi said. "But now they are expanding freely, followers of these religions disregard and even try to wipe out our beliefs."

This quest for recognition and equality comes as incidents of discrimination and violence against religious minorities have increased in recent years, denting Indonesia's reputation as a tolerant nation.

Civil society and human rights groups recorded more than 250 cases last year, including attacks on churches and Shi'ite and Ahmadiyya Muslims. Muslim groups such as the Wahid Institute have also expressed concern at these violations. Culprits are lightly punished or not at all.

But the plight of traditional believers like Dewi, once little heard of, is also starting to get noticed.

Human Rights Watch highlighted her case at the launch of its latest report on institutional and legal shortcomings that facilitate abuses against minorities.

Last week, think-tank Setara Institute and several minority groups, including the Coordinating Body for Indigenous Faith Organizations, or BKOK, called on the government to uphold the constitutional right to freedom of belief and review laws that discriminate against religious minorities.

Indonesia's founders explicitly recognized six religions, but many bureaucrats misinterpret this as license to lump minority believers into one of them, despite their protests, or place a blank white stripe across the religion column on their identity cards.

Many were, to their discomfort, listed as Muslim, Christian, Catholic or Hindu. Buddhism and Confucianism are also recognized religions, with some 1.5 million and 230,000 followers respectively.

The 2010 census shows 270,000 Indonesians with their religion listed as "others", but followers of minority faiths and observers say their actual number adds up to several million.

Some even consider themselves to be either Muslim or Christian, as well as traditional believer, for instance. However, many classify themselves under another religion, in order to join the army or civil service, or to avoid being discriminated against.

More troublingly, a number of these traditional believers have been convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to jail terms. For some others, the growth of radical groups is a worry.

Dian Jennie, a BKOK secretary, said several families of traditional believers in East Java had to bury their dead kin in their backyards after being turned away from nearby cemeteries for not having a religion.

In one case, radicals armed with knives forced a family to dig up a freshly buried corpse, she added. "Life for them is hard enough, but even death is difficult," said Setara director Hendardi, calling on the authorities to take tough action against abuse and violence.

The BKOK, which was formed in the late 1990s, brings together 240 traditional belief groups.

Dian, 39, who lives in Surabaya and practices Sapta Darma, a Javanese spiritual belief, told The Straits Times many face difficulties registering their marriages with local bureaucrats, who insist they pick a religion.

Their children also cite discrimination from classmates and teachers, who say they are godless.

Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Nazaruddin Umar told reporters recently the government was concerned about intolerance and was doing its best to tackle it. "One principle of all religions and traditional beliefs is the same, that is upholding peace," he said.

But Human Rights Watch deputy director Phelim Kine said lax law enforcement against perpetrators of abuse, and a government that seems reluctant to get tougher on radicals, are key problems that need to be fixed, as these send a signal that abuse and intolerance are acceptable.

Dian agreed. Ultimately, she said, the religion column on identity cards and official documents and forms should be dropped altogether. "If we are to be honest, this is a source of much discrimination and bias."

SBY urged to take radical steps in final year of office

Jakarta Post - March 8, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must use the final year of his second term to take radical measures to end discrimination against religious minorities, an NGO advocating religious freedom says.

"The President's stern actions to address the issues of intolerance in the country could boost the waning public trust in him," Setara Institute chairman Hendardi told a press conference on Thursday.

Setara had conducted a consultation meeting with members of religious congregations who have been persecuted and discriminated against due to weak law enforcement and the absence of legislation to protect their rights.

The meeting produced nine recommendations that were forwarded to Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister on Thursday.

In their recommendations, the groups asked the President to scrap existing regulations which they said were discriminatory, such as the Blasphemy Law, the joint ministerial decree regulating the building of houses of worships and the joint ministerial decree on Ahmadiyah.

"The government must create a law that guarantees freedom of religion," Hendardi said, explaining that while the Constitution guaranteed religious freedom, the existing legislation did not.

He argued that without a special law on religious freedom minorities would continue to suffer. He cited as an example the frequent hate-speech made by leaders of dominant religious groups and public officials. "This problem will go on as there is no legal instrument to regulate it."

The groups also call on the government to rehabilitate the rights of the victims of religious violence and take action against public officials who have failed to enforce court rulings arbitrating religious disputes. They also demanded that the government prosecute perpetrators of religious violence and stop criminalizing victims of intolerance.

"Minority groups which have been targets of violence and abuse, have been seen as the ones who triggered violence. Shia cleric Tajul Muluk, for example, was sent to prison for blasphemy last year," Hendardi said.

President Yudhoyono has been criticized for being lethargic in ending the plight of persecuted minorities such as the Ahmadiyah and Shia followers.

In its report released last week, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Yudhoyono had been inconsistent in defending religious freedom. The report also said that the government had been complicit in the persecution of religious minorities by failing to enforce laws and issuing regulations that breached minority rights.

Setara recorded increasing hostility against religious minorities, from 299 cases in 2011 to 371 incidents in 2012. They said those attacks against minorities had claimed 10 lives nationwide, including two Shiites in Sampang, Madura, last August, and three others in Bireuen, Aceh.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha dismissed the report, saying the HRW failed to see Indonesia in its entirety. He also considered the international rights group to be naive.

Also on Thursday, the Religious Affairs Ministry's Research and Development Center for Religious Life launched a report challenging the HRW's report. The 2012 National Survey of Religious Harmony, conducted in 33 provinces across the country and involving 3,300 respondents, claimed that Indonesia's religious life was "quite harmonious". In a scale from 1 to 5, the report said the country's harmony index was 3.67.

After sealing of Bekasi church, another comes under threat of closure

Jakarta Globe - March 8, 2013

The Banua Niha Keriso Protestan (BNKP) in Bandung, West Java, was bracing for a confrontation on Friday after a group of local leaders demanded the church cease operations, a religious tolerance group said.

The church was told to take down all Christian icons and vacate the building by a small group led by a local neighborhood chief, according to a statement by the Indonesian Committee of Religions for Peace (ICRP).

When church leaders refused to comply, the men promised to return with a larger group, the statement read.

"We are expecting that after the Friday prayers, [neighborhood chief] Haj Ayi, and Samidin and an even larger group will come to the church and disturb it again," Theophilus Bela, the chairman of the Jakarta Forum of Christian Communication (FKKJ), said.

The threats coincided with the forced closure of HKBP Setu Church in Bekasi, West Java, by the local public order agency (Satpol PP). Officers shuttered HKBP Setu on Thursday over complaints that it lacked a necessary building permit.

This latest round of anti-Christian actions came weeks after West Java re- elected its Islamist governor Ahmad Heryawan, of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Ahmad inked a deal with the province's hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) the day before the election promising to rid the province of the minority Muslim Ahmadiyah sect and instill Islamic values.

Churches have long faced closure in West Java. The St. Johannes Baptista Church in Bogor was sealed over similar complaints last year.

Christians make up less than 10 percent of Indonesia's population. Both Catholicism and Protestantism are protected under the pancasila as two of the six officially recognized religions.

But Christians routinely face opposition from terrorist groups, community leaders and government officials.

Armed forces & police

TNI, Police 'must speed up reform'

Jakarta Post - March 9, 2013

Ansyor Idrus and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The clash between members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police in Ogan Komering Ulu in South Sumatra has sparked calls for the two security forces to expedite reform.

Effendy Choirie, a member of Commission I on defense, information and foreign affairs at the House of Representatives, said the conflict between soldiers and police officers would never end unless internal reforms in the two security institutions were completed.

"The attack by a group of combat soldiers on the police office in Ogan Komering Ulu on Thursday is the latest of 32 clashes between soldiers and the police in the field since the two institutions separated in 1999," the lawmaker said.

"The latest dispute has a lot to do with the police's arrogance and the military's presence in villages, subdistricts and regencies in implementing its territorial function."

The House's commission will send a team to Ogan Komering Ulu next week to investigate the incident that has exposed the tension between the two institutions.

Eight police personnel were hospitalized and the precinct police headquarters and eight police posts in Ogan Komering Ulu were burned down when almost 100 artillery troops from the Army's military training center in Baturaja launched an assault in connection with the killing of a fellow soldier in January.

Ogan Komering Ulu military district chief Lt. Col. Immanulhak confirmed on Friday that the soldiers launched the attack when rumors circulated that the traffic policeman who shot their comrade had been sentenced to five years in prison.

"The local police are actually still preparing the case dossier to be submitted to the district attorney's office, for prosecution," he said. The soldiers, he said, ran amok when the police failed to give a satisfactory explanation about the progress of their investigation.

Ogan Komering Ulu precinct police head Adj. Sr. Comr. Azis Saputra said that he had talked with the soldiers amicably and did not understand why they ended up running amok.

Major Gen. (ret.) Saurip Kadi, former assistant to the Army chief of territorial affairs, said the TNI should liquidate its military districts and posts in rural areas, subdistricts and districts and pull all soldiers back to barracks in order to end its much-criticized territorial function.

"In line with the state defense law, soldiers should be kept in barracks in peaceful conditions, and only deployed to border areas and armed conflict regions to maintain the country's integration, or to help the police fight against terrorism," he said.

He added that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his capacity as head of state and commander in chief of the TNI, should take the initiative in evaluating the TNI's reform, which he claimed had been sluggish.

House deputy speaker Pramono Anung said that both institutions needed to evaluate the scope of their powers, as they often overlapped. "There's a wide gap between the police and the military. Prior to the reform era, the TNI was more dominant compared to the police. The situation has now flipped; the police have become more active in engaging with society," he said.

Deputy Chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) Laode Ida called on the President to complete the internal reorganization and fight against the culture of corruption within the police.

"No service is given by the police without money and the corruption has become systemic in the police since they took over the public security role from the military," he said, and referred to graft suspect Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo who is alleged to own at least 11 luxurious houses in Jakarta.

According to Laode the police should be put under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry, instead of the President.

Criminal justice & prison system

Supreme court imposes new petty crime definition

Jakarta Globe - March 13, 2013

Indonesia's Supreme Court on Wednesday implemented a new policy stipulating that the theft of anything less than Rp 2.5 million ($258) would be classified as a petty crime and would not require the perpetrator to be detained before a trial.

"This new policy will give better access to justice for poor and marginalized people, it will help them to obtain more professional justice," Supreme Court Chief Justice Hatta Ali said on Wednesday, as quoted by Indonesian news portal Viva.co.id.

The guideline was changed following public outcry over a series of highly publicized cases of courts seemingly going after the young, the poor and the elderly.

Ridwan Mansyur, the Supreme Court spokesman, said under the new guidelines, petty theft would be handled by only one judge and could be settled by mediation. A petty crime was previously defined as an act that caused a loss of less than Rp 250.

A 55-year-old Indonesian grandmother, Rasminah, was recently convicted for stealing oxtail meat and plates. The police detained Rasminah for four months without legal assistance before news of her case broke and the subsequent public outrage led to her release.

Last year, an 11-year-old boy was charged with unpleasant conduct in Sidrap, South Sulawesi, after a stone he threw apparently hit the house of a local businessman.

Push to make 'black magic' a crime in Indonesia

Sydney Morning Herald - March 8, 2013

Michael Bachelard – Australian travellers to Indonesia beware: smuggling drugs will still earn you jail time but, if an official draft of the country's new criminal code becomes law, witches and people practising "black magic", even adulterers and those living together outside wedlock, may also be locked away.

The new draft law is meant to modernise Indonesia's 1918 Criminal Code, which was last updated in 1958, but some of its proposals constitute a big step back to the Middle Ages.

In a country where many people earnestly believe that they could be killed, injured or robbed by a sorcerer using black magic, that crime will, for the first time, become part of the criminal law.

News portal Detik.com reported late on Thursday that people guilty of using black magic to cause "someone's illness, death, mental or physical suffering", face up to five years in jail or 300 million rupiah ($A31,000) in fines.

Even claiming to have the power to cast dark spells would become a criminal offence, and if the magic was performed for financial gain, the penalty would increase by one-third. "White" magic would remain legal.

Commentators quoted in the Jakarta Globe newspaper agreed it may be difficult to gather hard evidence for these offences.

The new criminal code, which was drafted by the country's Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and circulated this week to parliamentarians, is also informed by the growing sense of religious puritanism in Indonesia, and so takes a much stronger line on moral "offences".

Indonesian law has long contained criminal sanctions against adultery, but in the new 500-page draft, the penalties are beefed up considerably – now those caught straying outside the marital bed may find themselves spending up to five years on a prison pallet.

Ministry spokesman Goncang Raharjo said the existing maximum penalty for adultery of nine months had failed to stop the practice, so "we increased the sanctions to prevent people from easily committing adultery".

Living together outside wedlock would also be criminalised for the first time, earning cohabiters up to one year in jail, and putting it on a par with prostitution.

All the provisions in the new law, including those related to the dark arts, were included for the good of the people, the ministry insisted. Khatibul Umam Wiranu, an MP from president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrat Party, agreed with the new proposals when contacted by the Jakarta Globe, but said of witchcraft that charges should be "based on fact finding, not [just] on someone's statement".

As for adultery, it was "the beginning of many social problems", so the sentence "should deter offenders, [and] nine months is not long enough". Five years, however, was "too long", he said.

The law contains 766 articles across the gamut of criminal and immoral activity. But before becoming law, it must pass through the country's House of Representatives, where it could potentially pick up significant amendments.

House, government set to revise 'colonial' Criminal Code

Jakarta Post - March 8, 2013

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – After 49 years, the House of Representatives and the government will begin considering revisions to the outdated Criminal Code (KUHP) and Criminal Code Procedures (KUHAP).

The House has agreed to work on updating the existing KUHP and KUHAP, which many say are nothing but copies of colonial laws. "KUHAP and KUHP are the legacy of the Dutch colonial administration. They are no longer relevant and should be revised," House's legal affairs commission member, Ahmad Kurdi Moekri, said as quoted by Antara.

The government, represented by the Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin, submitted the new bills on Wednesday.

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) lawmaker Indra said the work would begin soon. "We plan to start to discuss them on March 18," he said, claiming not to have read the draft bills and refusing to comment their content. "Clearly, the PKS agrees and supports revision of the existing code as it is out-of-date and unable to meet the current conditions."

While the KUHP bill should modernize the country's positive law, it contains articles that will sound medieval to some.

Article 293 Paragraph 1 of the draft bill stipulates that a person who declares himself to have magic powers may face a maximum of five years in prison or pay a maximum of Rp 300 million (US$30,969) in fines. The same applies to those who inform, encourage or offer such magic services to others.

The article is intended to address public anxiety about black magic which can be difficult to prove before the law. The draft also stipulates a provision to prevent and to end vigilantism against a person allegedly practicing witchcraft or black magic and bans people from taking profit from such practices, saying that they may face additional penalty of one- third the initial sentence.

Moreover, the draft also imposes a more stern punishment for extra-marital affairs. Under the Article 483, those involved in extra-marital sexual activities may face a maximum of five years inside. Under the existing Code, the maximum penalty is nine-months imprisonment.

The draft also forbids cohabitation. "Everyone who lived together as husband and wife outside a legal marriage shall be sentenced to a maximum one year imprisonment or may be ordered to pay a maximum fine of Rp 30 million," Article 485 of the KUHP bill says.

Monitoring and advocacy director of the Center for Policy and Law Studies (PSHK) Ronald Rofiandi doubted the House would be able to deliberate the law soon. "The materials of the draft are plenty. It consists more than 500 articles. Strong discipline is needed in discussing it," he said.

Foreign affairs & trade

After 5 years, benefits of IJ-EPA less than expected

Jakarta Post - March 13, 2013

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Entering the fifth year of its implementation, the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJ-EPA) has yet to bring significant improvements to trade relations between both countries despite surging trade and investment, a study shows.

Indonesia has not reaped the maximum benefits from the partnership as it cannot take full advantage from increased market access due to a lack of product diversification, the study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) suggests.

"Sectors whose products dominate our exports remain the same as before the IJ-EPA took effect, with other sectors still underdeveloped," said Deni Friawan, a researcher at the center on Monday in Jakarta.

Automotive, electronics, iron and steel, and chemical industries are among the sectors that have long enjoyed excellent access to the world's third- largest economy, and mostly obtained a zero percent tariff under a user- specific duty free scheme enabled by the agreement, according to the study.

Meanwhile, garment and textile, footwear, food processing, pulp and paper and fisheries are the key sectors that have not seen a marked upward trend in shipments to the Japanese market. They also received a tariff cut, although still lower than those with a duty free arrangement.

Both parties will evaluate the progress in the implementation of the agreement in July this year, five year after it came into force.

The study also reveals that while exports to Japan, particularly manufactured goods, bounced back in the period stretching from 2009 to 2011 to the level before the global economic crisis in 2008, its growth was outpaced by the rate of imports.

Exports of manufactured products expanded by 78.08 percent to US$12.58 billion in 2011 from 2009, but imports perked up by 97.07 percent to $19.23 billion in a similar period.

Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia suffered the lowest decline in export intensity to Japan, and at the same time, it saw the highest rise in import intensity from Japan, the study says.

"We lost our competitive edge due to expensive production costs caused by a variety of reasons, including high logistics costs, workers' wages, poor infrastructure and illegal fees," Deni explained, adding that the problems would be priority issues to address, in addition to other barriers in the Japanese market, such as stringent environmental and food safety standards.

Separately, the Industry Ministry's director general for international trade cooperation, Agus Tjahajana, expressed his dissatisfaction over the development of Indonesia's trade relations with Japan, saying that Indonesia's export structure was still dominated by raw materials instead of manufactured goods.

"We do hope our exports of value-added goods will climb in the future to solve the current trade imbalance, and Japan should help us work on this," said Agus.

Indonesia shipped mainly natural gas, petroleum and coal to Japan while buying mostly high-tech automotive components, heavy equipment and machinery, industry statistics show.

Mining & energy

Wake-up call for government as Indonesia deemed 'worst' for mining

Jakarta Post - March 11, 2013

Amahl S. Azwar, Jakarta – A recent survey from Canadian think tank the Fraser Institute, which puts Indonesia among the world's worst destinations for foreign miners to expand their business, is a clear indicator that it is time for government to fix the country's mining mess.

The Jakarta-based Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD) executive director Robert Endi Jaweng said in Jakarta over the weekend the report should be a major concern to the government.

"Not only are we now the most unattractive country for the mining business, but the trend for the past few years has showed us getting worse and worse," he said in an interview.

Indonesia may have unsurpassed mineral reserves, but legal uncertainty and other bureaucracy-related troubles could trigger a mass departure of foreign investors. Last year, the world's largest thermal coal exporter and biggest tin and nickel ore producer, was "the worst" among the 10 least attractive countries for the mining industry, according to a survey by the Fraser Institute released on Feb. 28 this year.

Overall, from 96 countries examined by the Vancouver-based think tank, Indonesia was ranked 96th, down from 85th last year, 70th out of 79 countries in 2010 and 62nd out of 72 in 2009.

The decentralization policy is the central irritant to mining companies attempting to do business in Indonesia, with most local government figures out of control in issuing mining permits. Of 10,566 permits issued by regional administrations during the 10 years of decentralization, 5,940 (more than half) turned out not to be clear-and-clean, Robert claims.

"This kind of activity is a major problem for investors and gives a bad impression of our national investment climate," said Robert.

The survey was distributed to approximately 4,100 managers and executives around the world with key questions including "political stability, uncertainty concerning environmental regulations and uncertainty concerning the administration and interpretation or enforcement of existing regulations".

Other countries ranked at the bottom of the annual 2012 Fraser Institute's survey of mining companies include Vietnam, Venezuela, Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Guatemala, the Philippines and Greece.

Indonesia continues to be rated the worst among investors – only better than countries such as Congo and Zimbabwe – when the correspondents were asked questions on uncertainty concerning the administration and the enforcement of current regulations.

Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Susilo Siswoutomo said the government would not back down from its 2014 aspirations on the basis of the report but would definitely examine the study. Exports of raw mineral ores will be banned from 2014 as part of a policy to strengthen the downstream mining industry.

"Everyone is entitled to make their own survey but the respondents [at the Fraser's survey] are foreign-based investors and their interests differ from our interests," he said. "We will keep the results in mind and improve some of the shortcomings of the regulations but we will not erase the big idea to promote the added-value of our mining sector."

Another policy to push foreign mining companies to divest a majority of their shares to local entities is also another factor in the worsening investment climate. US-based PT Freeport Indonesia and PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT) are reluctant to follow the rule.

Newly elected chair of the Indonesian Mining Experts Association Achmad Ardianto said that while Indonesia was the worst place for the mining business, it was ranked third for mineral potential.

"The government must take the bull by the horns and start listing the problems ahead of the 2014 full-ban on raw mineral exports," he said.

Infrastructure & development

Indonesia takes a step up on human development

Jakarta Globe - March 15, 2013

Indonesia's life expectancy has climbed but education levels have fallen in the past year, in aggregate allowing the country to inch forward in the latest United Nations Human Development Index.

In 2012 edition of the annual report, launched in Mexico City on Thursday, Indonesia climbed three places to 121 out of 187 countries and territories.

Indonesia scored 0.629 on the index, which uses various indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment and income to calculate a score between 0 and 1. Indonesia remained below the world average of 0.694 and the East Asia and Pacific regional average of 0.683.

The index classes Indonesia as a "Medium Human Development" country and documented improvements in most categories from last year. Among them was a rise in life expectancy to 69.8 years from 69.4 years.

But Indonesians older than 25 only received 5.8 years of education on average, indicating no significant change in the past three years despite the government earmarking one-fifth of its annual state budget for education.

For children of school-entering age, the expected years of education dipped to 12.9 years from 13.2 years. The weak education result comes as the country reshuffles its curriculum, reducing the roles of science and English.

Indonesia's overall improvement follows a dramatic drop in 2011, when it fell to 124th place from 108th a year earlier. The country has failed to match the long-term progress of comparable countries in the region, such as China.

In 1980, when the United Nations Development Program launched the index, China came below Indonesia, but it has since risen rapidly.

The report noted that Indonesia is one of 40 developing countries that have made greater human development gains in recent decades than would have been predicted. These achievements, it says, are largely attributable to sustained investment in education, health care and social programs.

Within the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Indonesia sits above only Vietnam, at 127th, and Laos and Cambodia, tied at 138.

Singapore ranked 18th in the index, while Brunei was 30th and Malaysia 64th. Norway came first with a score 0.955 while Niger and Congo shared last place at 186, with a score of 0.304.

People

Indonesian magazine editor turns the pages of history to deepen insight

Straits Times - March 11, 2013

Zakir Hussain – Bonnie Triyana was buying men's magazines for his friends back home while attending a conference in Brazil eight years ago when he realized he had better buy a more respectable publication to put atop the pile.

That turned out to be Istoria, a Brazilian magazine on popular history. Though Bonnie could hardly read Portuguese, the pictures and graphics told a vivid story of war and conflict.

For the avid history buff, it sparked a dream to create something similar for Indonesians. Last April, Historia, the first Indonesian popular history magazine, was born.

Bonnie, 33, its founder and chief editor, hopes the issues it raises will spark a deeper understanding of his country's rich but checkered past.

The monthly magazine comes at a time when many Indonesians are keen to learn more about history. It also organizes regular discussions and film screenings.

"In Indonesia, the version of the government has been the only truth, but this is not the case," says Bonnie, in an interview at Historia's office in Jakarta. "Many also long for the past today. But the past was not always great."

Although Indonesia has seen a dramatic political opening-up since the fall of strongman Suharto 15 years ago, history textbooks and TV documentaries are still fairly one-sided. And that can be hard to change.

For example, last year, the national human rights commission – for the first time – declared the 1965 mass killings of hundreds of thousands of suspected communists towards the end of Sukarno's reign to be a gross state-sponsored human rights violation.

It recommended that the government set up a committee for truth and reconciliation and apologize to victims' families and survivors. Top officials shot it down, saying that while there were victims, Indonesia would not be where it is today without the crackdown.

Bonnie hopes efforts like his can help Southeast Asia's largest country one day come to terms with a more honest and balanced assessment of its past.

Born in Rangkasbitung, Banten, Bonnie lived in Sumatra in his younger days as his father was a plantation manager there.

His decision to study history at university was partly inspired by newspaper articles about a farmers' rebellion in Banten in 1888. He graduated from Diponegoro University in Semarang in 2003.

As a student, he and several friends formed a history discussion group, inviting former communists and victims to campus to discuss the events of 1965.

"After Suharto fell, we felt it was our job to bring these people back into the public eye," he said. "We just wanted to present a history that had hitherto been hidden."

Bonnie, who is married to a former journalist and has a five-year-old daughter, worked as a journalist for seven years while looking for investors.

By April 2010, he had raised enough to rent office space from a friend and assemble a website called Historia.

On the first day, it got 5,000 hits. As its popularity grew, Bonnie got to know political observer and then lawmaker Jeffrie Geovanie, who threw his financial support behind a monthly print edition.

They printed 7,000 copies for their launch edition, and before long, picked up regular subscribers. The magazine is not profitable yet, but advertising is picking up, Bonnie said.

A typical issue seeks to stay close to the news: When a spate of intolerance against Shi'ite Muslims erupted last year, Historia explored the history of Shi'ites and their contributions to the region.

Its December and February editions had packages on the history of Christianity and on the Chinese in Indonesia.

Bonnie is also looking at featuring conflicting claims and the Sulu Sultanate – amid ongoing developments in Sabah – for an upcoming edition.

He is against the use of history by some politicians who romanticize Indonesia's past, like the Majapahit empire, to talk about recreating a powerful Indonesia.

"Not only is such talk inaccurate, it is dangerous," he said. "It's like how Hitler thought of Germany as the Third Reich. This has the potential to make us fascist."

"Majapahit succeeded because it fought and conquered, but it did not care whether people went hungry or were poor. Today, countries do well by greater interaction with other countries, not the Majapahit way," he added.

Bonnie hopes to put out an English-language edition before long that will be the first Southeast Asian history magazine.

"Asean is talking about becoming an integrated community, and this is something we can look to the past for background on," he said, noting that the region has had much in common, from food to clothing.

"History is like a rear-view mirror. You don't need to keep looking but from time to time, you need to check back."

Analysis & 0pinion

'Clock ticking' for Indonesia to tackle religious intolerance

Public Service Europe - March 12, 2013

Phelim Kine – Denial and blame the messenger. That is the approach of the government of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to rising religious intolerance and violence against religious minorities.

Last week, Yudhoyono's spokesman Julian Adrian Pasha criticised a new Human Rights Watch report documenting that problem as "provocative" and lacking objectivity. Pasha dismissed the concerns as "naive" and insisted that incidents of intolerance and violence by militant Islamist thugs against Indonesia's religious minorities were merely expressions of "friction between groups".

Those comments by Pasha – who admitted he had not read our report in any detail – are disturbing, but unsurprising, given the Indonesian government's glaring failure to adequately respond to how Indonesia's religious minorities, including several Protestant groups, Shia Muslims, and the Ahmadiyah, are targets of increasing intimidation, threats and, too often, violence. Just ask the Ahmadiyah community in Cikeusik, Banten province, in western Java.

On February 6, 2011 a group of some 1,500 Islamist militants attacked 21 members of Cikeusik's Ahmadiyah community who were holding a prayer meeting in a private home. The militants bludgeoned to death three Ahmadiyah men and seriously injured five others. A court sentenced 12 of the perpetrators to token prison sentences of three to six months. Adding insult to injury, the court also sentenced an Ahmadiyah man to a six-month prison term for merely attempting to defend himself. Police have yet to publicly release the results of their internal investigation into the attack.

The price of that government failure to protect the victims of these attacks and bring their perpetrators to justice? Groups such as the Islamic Defenders Front, the FPI, have become emboldened – and increasingly more violent – in their tactics of mobilising masses of 'protesters' to swarm minority houses of worship and harass, intimidate or physically attack their congregants. Those gangs justify their abuses as efforts to defend the Muslim community against Christian proselytisation and rid the country of 'infidels' and 'blasphemers'.

Those have not been empty threats. The Jakarta-based Setara Institute, which monitors religious freedom in Indonesia, has compiled statistics that indicate cases of violent attacks on religious minorities rose to 264 incidents in 2012 from 216 such incidents in 2010. KontraS, a leading non-governmental human rights organisation, documented a total of 18 incidents of intimidation, discrimination and violence against religious minorities- including an arson attack on a Makassar church – in the first six weeks of 2013 alone.

The Shia Muslim community in Sampang regency in East Java knows firsthand both the depredation of violent extremists and official apathy in confronting them. On August 20, 2012, hundreds of Sunni militants attacked the community, torching some 50 homes, killing one man and seriously injuring another. The local police, warned ahead of time of the impending violence, stood by at the scene of the attack and declined to intervene. Such government indifference to the plight of religious minorities targeted by groups like the FPI or intolerant neighbours is a growing concern.

In several incidents documented by Human Rights Watch, local officials and security forces facilitated harassment and intimidation of religious minorities, in some cases even blaming the victims for the violent attacks. Officials have made blatantly discriminatory statements, refused to issue building permits for houses of worship even when all relevant regulations were complied with, and pressured minority congregations to relocate. In two cases, local officials have refused to implement Supreme Court decisions granting minority groups the right to build houses of worship.

Official responsibility for the state failure to adequately confront rising extremism goes to the very top of Indonesia's government. Yudhoyono's response to rising incidents of religious intolerance and related violence has been empty rhetoric rather than decisive action in support of besieged religious minorities and rule-of-law. Even worse, he has turned a blind eye to the members of his government who have explicitly encouraged abuses, including religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali.

Ali's hostile comments about the Shi and the Ahmadiyah have included a speech he made at a March 2011 political convention exhorting the government "to ban the Ahmadiyah" and comments in September 2012 suggesting mass conversion of Shia to Sunni Islam as the solution to anti-Shia sentiment and violence.

What is needed is swift and decisive action by Yudhoyono, beginning with a clear message to police and prosecutors that alleged perpetrators of violence against religious minorities should be investigated and appropriately prosecuted. A zero tolerance policy should be put into effect immediately. The president should also make clear that all government officials, including members of his own cabinet, who make discriminatory comments or condone or encourage harassment of religious minorities, will face immediate consequences, including dismissal.

The clock is ticking. For each day that President Yudhoyono fails to act against the rising trend of religious intolerance and violence, the list of victims and grievances grows ever longer and Indonesia's reputation as a country that balances religious diversity and tolerance comes increasingly into question.