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Indonesia News Digest 31 – August 18-24, 2013

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News & issues

Indonesian Muslim clerics lash out at Miss World

Agence France Presse - August 24, 2013

Indonesia's top Islamic authority lashed out Friday at the country's decision to host the Miss World beauty pageant next month, saying that women exposing their bodies went against Muslim teaching.

The pageant is already facing opposition in Muslim-majority Indonesia, with radicals vowing to stage protests against the contest even after organizers agreed to drop the bikini round in a bid to avoid causing offence.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) added its voice to the protests Friday, saying a top-level meeting of clerics earlier this month decided it did not want the pageant in the country.

"Exposing women's bodies in public is 'haram,' forbidden by Islamic teaching," senior MUI official Muhyiddin Junaidi told reporters in the capital Jakarta.

"Even though the bikini event is being axed, the contestants will still wear tight dresses and expose parts of their body." The group also urged the country's Muslims, more than 90 percent of the 240 million population, not to watch the pageant on television.

"The contest tries to trick people by saying that it's not only a physical beauty contest but also to show inner beauty," said deputy MUI head, Amirsyah Tambunan.

Junaidi said that the MUI had now made its position clear, and it was up to authorities whether they decided to cancel the pageant.

While most Indonesians practise a moderate form of Islam, a vocal hardline fringe has succeeded in getting events cancelled in the past. Last year, pop sensation Lady Gaga axed a concert after hardliners threatened to burn down the venue and criticized her for wearing only "a bra and panties".

More than 130 women will compete in Miss World, with some rounds on the resort island of Bali and the final in Bogor outside Jakarta. Bogor is in West Java province, parts of which are considered a stronghold for radicals.

Organizers revealed in June that the contestants would not wear bikinis during the beach fashion section, to be held in Bali, and would instead wear more conservative attire such as traditional sarongs.

Religious affairs official nabbed with meth in East Kalimantan

Jakarta Globe - August 22, 2013

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang – An official with a municipal religious affairs agency has been arrested for possession of methamphetamine, police in East Kalimantan revealed on Wednesday.

Adj. Comr. Kifli S. Supu, chief of West Balikpapan Police, told the Jakarta Globe that the official, identified only as R.U., 38, was arrested during a sting operation on Monday night. Officers found 0.3 grams of meth in his wallet.

He initially claimed that he had bought the drug to "study the ills of drug use in society," but later recanted that statement. A urine test showed up positive for meth use.

"We're still investigating the matter, including trying to find who he obtained the drugs from," Kifli said, adding that police were also trying to determine whether R.U. was just a user or involved in drug dealing.

Saifi, the head of the Balikpapan Religious Affairs Office, confirmed the arrest and identified R.U. as a 12-year veteran of the office. Among R.U.'s responsibilities was to serve as an Islamic counselor to drug convicts.

"All of us in the office are thunderstruck by this development, especially upon hearing that he had tested positive for drug use," Saifi said. "The Religious Affairs Office is held to a higher standard than other government offices, so this is particularly hard on us."

He added that there had been indications of possible substance abuse in the past six months, when other officials had noticed a "drop in discipline" from R.U.

Saifi said that in addition to the criminal charges for drug possession, R.U. would also face a disciplinary hearing that could see him lose his status as a civil servant and all the attendant benefits.

Bali students gassed in eviction attempt gone sour

Jakarta Globe - August 21, 2013

Made Arya Kencana, Denpasar – Several elementary school students in Denpasar were left suffering the pain and trauma of a tear gas attack on Monday after getting caught up in an eviction attempt by police against squatters.

The incident occurred when police, attempting to carry out a court order to evict the family of one Nyoman Handris from a convenience store next to Denpasar State Elementary School (SDN) No. 01, fired tear gas on an unruly mob gathered in support of Handris.

The gas spread to the school, where around 200 students were present at the time, causing panic among the children.

Ni Nyoman Denun, the school principal, said only the students from the second, fifth and sixth grades were in class, with the others scheduled for afternoon classes that day. "It's a good thing the first grade students had gone home earlier," she added.

According to Denun, police had earlier in the day advised that all classes be dismissed, but did not order an immediate evacuation of the premises. School officials allowed students to witness the clash. "Many of the students have also suffered from trauma," Denun said.

Denpasar Police deployed about 175 officers to oversee the eviction process. Early in the day, Handris's supporters formed a barricade outside the convenience store while the proprietor installed plywood and iron sheeting around the site. He also put up a sign stating his refusal to be evicted.

The riot broke out when police officers moved to pull down the sheeting. Handris's supporters responded by throwing stones at the officers, who in turn fired tear gas on the mob.

"If you want to create chaos, don't do it in our village," a local resident, who declined to be named, said, directing his anger at the shop owner. "If you're man enough, face the eviction. Don't bring people here. That's your problem, don't involve our village."

One parent condemned the police for not evacuating the children before attempting the eviction. "Our children were compromised. Now they have suffered from trauma. Who's supposed to take responsibility for this?" the parent said.

Adj. Sr. Comr. I Gusti Kade Budi Harrarsana, the deputy chief of the Denpasar Police, said his officers had complied with standard operating procedure.

"Since the beginning we had asked the mob to leave the premises, but instead they resisted and threw stones. That's why we launched the tear gas," he said. Students were dismissed for the day following the incident.

Tear gas invokes rapid and debilitating effects by causing extreme eye irritation and eyelid spasms. A burning sensation is very common. The nose, throat, skin and respiratory tract are all subject to irritation and inflammation.

Sex worker activists attack brothel closures

Jakarta Globe - August 21, 2013

Amir Tejo, Surabaya – The Surabaya city administration's plan to close down the Klakah Rejo red light district in the western suburbs has raised concerns among social activists who have been working closely with sex workers in the area.

Head of the Klakah Rejo red light district working group Sudarsono said the plan, although it is yet to be made official, has already impacted on the workers.

"Since the news broke that the district will be closed, sex workers have stopped going for medical check ups. Anyway, even when they close the district down the girls can still get sexually transmitted diseases," said Sudarsono, who helps women get medical checkups at the Sememi Puskesmas (community health center).

"It's difficult to rely on the sex workers to be willing to go for checkups on their own. They have to be persuaded to agree to being checked by being assisted there, although the clinic is not too far from their housing," he said. Sudarsono is concerned that shutting down the district will undermine his HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.

While the administration expects the women will pack up and go home, Sudarsono thinks the workers will move to a new location, citing the aftermath of the closure of the Dupak Bangunsari red light district last December.

"Many sex workers from Dupak Bangunsari simply relocated to the area surrounding the Kali Porong embankment," said Hari Tsabit from the Surabaya Genta Institution, which provides assistance for sex workers to prevent HIV/AIDS.

As part of the city's plan to close the Klakah Rejo district, each of the 215 workers in the area will receive Rp 3 million ($281) in aid and a further Rp 1.45 million to cover living expenses for one month.

The Ministry of Social Affairs has targeted 21 red light districts in East Java for closure by this year: 11 in Banyuwangi, seven in Malang and three in Surabaya.

Indonesia's incidence of HIV infection increased by more than 25 percent in adults aged 15 to 49 from 2001 to 2011, according to the UNAIDS 2012 Global Report. While only 0.3 percent of the population suffers from HIV, the prevalence rate is almost 9 percent for sex workers.

West Papua

Freedom Flotilla to West Papua more determined than ever

Scoop Media - August 24, 2013

Despite claims published by Indonesian website merdeka.com that the Freedom Flotilla is not proceeding, Freedom Flotilla co-founders, Jacob Rumbiak, Uncle Kevin Buzzacott and Izzy Brown today asserted collectively they are, "More determined than ever, to make this historic journey to West Papua".

In a passionate affirmation of the Freedom Flotilla's determination to proceed to West Papua, co-founder Jacob Rumbiak said this morning, "Our land is calling us. We never stop. Our Spirit land is calling us".

The Freedom Flotilla to West Papua arrived at port in Cooktown at 7.45am today to a fan fare welcome by locals and indigenous elders. The sea journey is now well underway and the Freedom Flotilla will depart Cooktown at 11am Saturday the 24th of August on the high tide.

"We're still going. Others are passing out propaganda but they should sit down and talk to us. Our ceremony will continue outright. We're going all the way", said Uncle Kevin Buzzacott.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr stated in a media release, "the Flotilla were also perpetrating a cruel hoax on the people of the Papuan provinces, by suggesting that Papuan independence was on the international agenda."

Clearly this is a significant International issue and the Freedom Flotilla is generating great waves of support for a Free West Papua, with journalists reporting on the epic journey to date in Malaysia, Fiji, New Zealand, PNG, Indonesia, the Netherlands, all Australian states and now the US and Ghana.

Uncle Judulu Neal, a Yarrabah elder travelling on the Freedom Flotilla made the following statement today, "We are very concerned about what is happening in West Papua because we have ancient agreements between The Bow and Arrow People and the Woomera people."

"We need to look at a dialogue between us and Indonesia and Australian governments. We come in peace we invite them to come to Thursday Island to sit down and talk, our traditional trading roots have been cut off. We are talking about International law".

"We have agreement made with The Bow and Arrow People that date back before any of these artificial borders were created. We follow the ancient treaty made by Kuyulum. This is the first International Treaty and it needs to be recognised. That agreement shows the sovereignty of the people of West Papua."

"We also want to bring to light that the Woomera Nation and The Bow and Arrow People are being prohibited from expressing our spirituality".

"The Australian police put out our sacred fire in Brisbane and now we are being threatened by Indonesian "jet fighters" and "warships" while we are undertaking this ceremony of cultural reunion. We need to unite our nations in the face of this repression and stand strong as indigenous people", he concluded.

Freedom Flotilla needs media support to 'expose' Indonesians, says skipper

Pacific Media Watch - August 23, 2013

Daniel Drageset, Auckland – Aboriginal elder Kevin Buzzacott, who is on board the West Papua Freedom Flotilla, says media attention is "very important" in order to "expose what's happening" in West Papua.

"Media is pretty good at the moment. We have to expose [the situation in West Papua], and now point a gun with the cameras," the 66-year-old said in an interview with Pacific Media Watch.

The West Papua Freedom Flotilla consists of three boats and 18 people. The flotilla has gathered a range of pro-independence campaigners on the journey going from Lake Eyre in northern Southern Australia, via New South Wales and the Queensland coast, across the Torres Strait to Daru in Papua New Guinea and finally Merauke in West Papua, where the flotilla is scheduled to arrive early next month.

The objective was "to free our brothers and sisters up there with all the bad stuff that's happening", Buzzacott said.

The Australian Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, said Australian authorities had informed the Freedom Flotilla that local laws and penalties would apply in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

"We've given them this warning. Therefore, should they end up in prison as a result of breaching the law of Indonesia or Papua New Guinea, we've got no obligation to give them consular support," Carr said, according to news.com.au.

'Should resign'

The comment from the Australian Foreign Minister was not appreciated by Buzzacott, who was one of the chief organisers of the flotilla and captains one of the boats.

"It's a shocking, shocking statement by the Foreign Minister [Bob] Carr, and also one of the opposition, Julie Bishop. Pretty sad. "I think these people should resign. I think they should be forced to resign. They can't be in that high position and make statements like that," Buzzacott said.

The Aboriginal campaigner outlined the consequences of not being helped by Australian authorities. "We'll be jailed and drawn out of the water by the Indonesians if we go too far, too close or something, and rot in the jails over there."

Indonesian warning

Indonesian authorities have labelled the Freedom Flotilla "a cheap publicity stunt".

An Indonesian minister told The Guardian that if the flotilla entered Indonesian waters "the armed forces will take measures", and said that "the use of weaponry may not be necessary"

"There's over 50,000 troops waiting for us. You know, three little yacht boats, and they're gonna blow us out of the water. It's like a war thing. We're not about war. We're about peace," Buzzacott said.

NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have pointed to several human rights concerns in the Indonesia-controlled territory of West Papua. Lack of fair trials, torture and excessive use of force, monitoring of peaceful activists and no foreign journalists being allowed in the country were some of the concerns the two NGOs have documented in recent reports.

Listen to the Pacific Media Watch interview on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjwTKRpb6Ws.

Deputy Chairperson urges Indigenous Papuans to become regional heads

Bintang Papua - August 23, 2013

Jayapura – The second Deputy Chairperson of the MRP, Engelberta has urged leading politicians in Papua to show respect for indigenous Papuans in their ability to become heads of local administrations. She said that this is in line with the spirit of the Special Autonomy Law for Papua (OTSUS).

She said: "Both in Papua and in Aceh, there are special laws but we here in Papua have not been granted the necessary powers to accomplish this."

She acknowledged that no special regional regulations such as Perdasi and Perdasus have been introduced but even so, politicians should recognise the ability of indigenous Papuans to take on positions at the top of local administrations.

There are still no provisions for indigenous Papuans to be appointed as heads of regions or city mayors. "But as we all know," she said, "according to OTSUS we Papuans should do what we can to be nominated to become heads of regions. We hope that Papuans here and abroad understand that indigenous Papuans understand that this is what we are entitled to."

Neither the Law on Elections nor Law 32 on Special Autonomy pay special attention to the needs of indigenous Papuans which is also the case with OTSUS but even so, the central government enacted the special autonomy law in order to ensure that indigenous Papuans could take charge of their own homeland.

Papuans living abroad should understand this, she said, and respect the ability of indigenous Papuans to take positions of leadershiip in this land of ours. Since the central government has acknowledged this, why is it that we Papuans don't acknowledge this as well?

During a consultative meeting which was also attended by leaders of the community and representatives of the Papuan Provincial Administration, she pointed out that Papuans are far from satisfied with the implementation of the special autonomy law because they believe that it has failed to comply with the provisions of the law.

"But they say that it has failed because of the fact that many of the local administrations are still not headed by indigenous Papuans."

"But it is said to have failed because not all regional administrations are headed by indigenous Papuans while the funds allocated to OTSUS have been incorporated within the national budget [APBN] which makes it difficult to see what has happened. Another problem is that education is free of charge but the fact is that it is very expensive for Papuans to provide for the education of their children. Because Papuans regard implementation of OTSUS as being a failure, they are now calling for dialogue between Papua and Jakarta", she said.

The OTSUS law has already been enacted so why have people not been willing to get involved? It has already been applied with regard to the positions of the governor and deputy governor, but the position of OTSUS is very clear in siding with the Papuan people, she said.

[Translated by TAPOL.]

Papua Police on standby for possible visit by 'Freedom Flotilla'

Jakarta Post - August 23, 2013

Jakarta – All police units in Papua have been warned of a possible unauthorized visit by foreign ships carrying activists campaigning for a free Papua.

"All units in coastal areas must be on the lookout for illegal visits by foreign vessels," Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Gde Sumerta Jaya said in Jayapura on Friday as quoted by Antara.

The instruction follows reports that around 50 Papuan and Australian activists are due to arrive in Papua in early September on board three sailing vessels, which together are known as the Freedom Flotilla.

"If the activists enter Indonesian waters, they will be asked to show their documents, such as visas and passports," Sumerta said.

Anyone failing to provide the proper documentation would be detained, he added. He said the police would continue to coordinate with relevant agencies, such as immigration offices.

Meanwhile, Papua Naval Command chief Commodore I.G. Putu Wijamahaadi said the Navy would continue to carry out its routine operations, Antara reported.

"In our routine operations we use three ships, including the KRI Slamet Riyadi and the KRI Sultan Nuku, in Merauke and other areas of our maritime territory," Putu said on Friday.

He said he believed the Freedom Flotilla would stay in international waters, 12 nautical miles off the Indonesian coast. "However, if the ships enter Indonesian waters, violating the international law of the sea, the Navy will act in accordance with the law," he added.

Indonesia was a vast archipelago with many international seafaring routes, he said, adding that foreign vessels were allowed to sail through the routes, but only if they complied with certain regulations.

"They are not allowed to stop until they have left our waters. Also, they may not conduct any maneuvers or activities while they are in our territorial waters," he said.

Carr backs Jakarta on Freedom Flotilla, accuses activists of spreading lies

Kompas Newspaper - August 21, 2013

Jakarta – The Australian government does not have the authority to stop its citizen from sailing out of Australian ports as long as it is legal. However Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr confirmed that the Indonesian government has the authority to deal with the matter if the ships enter Indonesia illegally.

This was clarified by Carr when speaking with Kompas on Tuesday August 20, in response to the sailing of the West Papuan Freedom Flotilla. Quoting from the Guardian newspaper, a number of activists are currently sailing towards Merauke, West Papua, as part of their campaign opposing violence against indigenous Papuans, which they claim are frequently committed by Indonesian security forces.

"If they violate Indonesian regulations, they will also have to face Indonesian legal regulations and their enforcement. They must face the consequences. We have no objection to the enforcement of legal regulations in Indonesia", said Carr. To the activists concerned, Carr said that tax payers in Australian will not support their actions if they violate the laws of another country.

The issue was also discussed by Carr at a bilateral meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa after the to took part in a "Irregular Movement of Persons" conference in Jakarta. "Foreign Minister Marty welcomed my statement and position", said Carr.

In a press statement, Carr also warned activists who are citizens of his country that they would be subject to a sentence of five-years jail if they take the risk of violating Indonesian immigration regulations because they will be entering Indonesian territory without permission.

The Australian foreign minister also accused the activists of spreading gross lies as if the agenda of Papuan independence has already become an international issue.

The ships carrying 20 activist reportedly departed from a port in Cairns in the Australian state of Queensland on August 17. They are expected to reach Indonesian territory within the next three weeks.

Speaking separately, Natalegawa acknowledged that Carr had raised the issue at the bilateral meeting. The Indonesian government is simply taking a position of listening to Australia's explanations of the matter and its commitment to Indonesia's sovereignty and does not feel the need to issue a statement in relation to the case.

"We don't wish to respond to the behaviour of a certain group who are simply seeking publicity and do not know for sure what will happen in Papua", said Natalegawa.

Late last week, Special Presidential Staff Member for International Relations, Teuku Faizasyah, said that the government through the foreign minister had warned Australian representatives to pay attention to the legal aspects and permits that are in effect when entering the sovereign territory of another country.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Justice and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto has stated that the Australian activists' ship is not sailing to Papua but to Papua New Guinea. (WHY/DWA)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

PNG will block pro-OPM boats: Marty

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih and Nethy Dharma Somba, Jakarta, Jayapura – Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Tuesday he believed authorities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) would take decisive measures against Freedom Flotilla West Papua, a group of pro-West Papuan independence activists from Australia who intend to enter Indonesia via the neighboring nation.

The city of Daru in western PNG is planned to be the activist's last stopover before they proceed on land to Merauke, the easternmost city in the Papua province.

In two boats, dozens of activists departed from the city of Cairns in northeastern Australia on Aug. 17 – the day Indonesians celebrated the nation's 68th anniversary. They plan to arrive in Daru in early September.

"The Papua New Guinean government has said that they will not allow [the boats] to enter [its territory]," Marty said after attending the Special Conference on Irregular Movement of Persons in Jakarta. "If they insist on proceeding, the Papua New Guinean authorities will take enforcement measures," he added.

Marty also said that he did not want to provide "more platforms" to the movement which he accused of merely "seeking publicity without having any connection to the facts of development currently underway in Papua and West Papua provinces."

On the sidelines of the conference, Marty had a bilateral meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr who was also attending the Jakarta conference.

After the meeting, Carr reiterated that the Australian government did not support the movement particularly given the activists' failure to obtain visas and a sailing permit which could carry legal consequences under Indonesian law.

Marty, meanwhile, acknowledged the activists' movements had been discussed with his Australian counterpart. "I listened to Australia's reaffirmation of recognition of the developments Indonesia has been making in Papua and West Papua provinces," he said. Marty declined to say whether the government had conveyed a protest to Canberra for letting the flotilla depart from Australian soil.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto previously said that he had told Australian ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty "that no nation should allow its soil to be used as a departure point for the movement of a group aimed at disturbing another nation's sovereignty."

A Fiji-based media outlet, Islands Business, published an article on Tuesday quoting a PNG police commander who said that Port Moresby "has been alerted to a proposed celebration to mark the landing of a convoy of ships from Cairns Australia, carrying West Papuan people and rights activists."

The outlet also said PNG police "would not allow any event to mark the proposed independence of the West Papua people of Indonesia."

According to Australian media, the "Freedom Flotilla" boats had reached Cooktown in North Queensland on Tuesday. The boat's last stop in Australia will be Thursday Island, also in Queensland, where they will seek customs clearance and hold a press conference before proceeding to Daru.

Blood and tears continue to flow in Papua

New Matilda - August 20, 2013

Last week the Indonesian President made a speech which touched on West Papua, but did not mention peaceful dialogue. Imprisoned West Papuan leader Selpius Bobii responds from Abepura State Prison.

"We are constantly maintaining welfare and accelerated development approaches in that province [Papua] and are upholding the law and security". These were the words of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a speech given at a First Plenary Session of the Indonesian Legislative Assembly and Peoples Assembly on 16 August 2013.

The segment of SBY's speech regarding Papua made it extremely clear that Indonesia has a totally fixed position regarding Papua, being that "Aceh and Papua are inseparable parts of the Republic of Indonesia".

To defend Indonesia's continued hold of Papua, SBY has insisted that three primary approaches be undertaken in Papua: welfare, legal and security approaches. SBY promises that Indonesia is in the process of planning a new "formula" for Special Autonomy will bring about advancements and dignity for Papua. This is what is being put forward by Indonesia as the goals for the draft regulations for governance in Papua known as Special Autonomy Plus.

However the Special Autonomy Plus Regulations have already been firmly rejected by the people of Papua.

Special Autonomy Plus will experience the same fate that the previous Special Autonomy package met, as it failed to protect and respect the basic rights of the people of Papua. Even the most basic right, the right to life of indigenous Papuans to the very land of their ancestors, was not protected by Indonesia under Special Autonomy.

SBY's statement that Indonesia has "always shown respect for the human rights and for the distinctiveness of the culture of the Papuan community" is a public lie. The reality is that in order to guard the sovereignty and integrity of Indonesia since the 1960s, Papuans have been annihilated both directly and indirectly through a range of planned, systematic and measurable approaches by Indonesia. Must the world allow the people of Papua to be killed by Indonesia through its armed forces in order to guard the sovereignty and integrity of Indonesia?

Isn't the killing or wiping out of the Papuan people a humanitarian evil that conflicts with the forces of law and morality? Why do the United Nations (UN) and the other nations of the world allow the people of Papua to be killed so that other nations can prioritize working with Indonesia in a range of sectors?

To achieve Indonesia's goals SBY is applying both legal and security approaches in the land of Papua. The application of the legal approach falls within the authority of the police. So accordingly they gag freedom of expression in public areas and arrest and arbitrarily imprison Papuan activists. That has been the practice of Indonesia until this time.

The security approach has been placed under the Indonesian military (TNI). Their role is to wipe out, to extinguish the movement for the liberation of Papua within the guise of guarding the sovereignty and integrity of Indonesia. These two state forces have the full support of the national intelligence (BIN), the Armed Forces Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), State Intelligence Coordinating Agency (BAKIN) and all the machinery of Indonesias various governance systems (including at executive, legislative and judiciary levels) and support of support groups faithful to Indonesia to bring about these ends in Papua.

In his speech SBY didn't mention any possibility of trying to bring an end to the problems in Papua through dialogue between Jakarta and Papua.

Indonesia has continuously ignored pressure to enter into dialogue with Papua from a range of parties both within Indonesia and overseas. In fact, dialogue is now a dead end, after SBY froze that possibility by not including it in his state speech. SBY made one closing statement regarding Papua: "Don't hurt the feelings of the nation of Indonesia, as we don't hurt the feelings of other nations."

But what about the feelings of the nation of Papua that have been so "hurt" beyond measure by the military and political invasion of Indonesia with the annexation of the sovereignty of the nation of Papua into Indonesia? What about the "feelings" of the nation of Papua that has continuously been so wounded in struggling to have its right to sovereign independence acknowledged by Indonesia, the United Nations and other countries of the world? What about the feelings of the nation of Papua that has had to sacrifice everything and the human souls that have become victims of this struggle?

The President needs to both question himself and correct himself. The nation of Papua has the very same rights to full independence as the nation of Indonesia. Indonesia should not hurt other nations so that it in turn Indonesia might not be hurt by other nations.

After gaining a better understanding of SBY's speech on Papua, all parties that have sympathy for Papua need to stop and ask the question: "Why is Indonesia still hardening its heart and refusing to consider the way of peaceful dialogue to find a dignified solution for the problems in Papua?" We also need to ask in light of the implications of SBY's speech, what then are the next steps that those of us who care about Papua now need to take?

A few suggestions are offered below:

1) All parties need to carry out an overall evaluation of efforts that have been and are being made to bring an end to the problems in West Papua. We need to unite and reflect together, then take on a position that will enable us to take the next steps forward together.

2) We need to upgrade our national and international actions to pressure Jakarta to bring an end to the problems in Papua through peaceful negotiations facilitated by a neutral third party.

3) All parties who care about the Papuan situation need to unite their ranks and urge the UN to:

i) firmly apply tough sanctions against the as a UN member, due to its continual human rights violations and humanitarian evils in the land of Papua.
ii) pressure Indonesia be open to consultations with Papua facilitated by a neutral third party in a neutral location.

4) If Indonesia continues to disregard the urging of the international community and the UN, then the UN should act on its legal and moral responsibility to carry out a humanitarian and security intervention.

This is the path that the nations of the world and UN must take in order to uphold democracy, honesty, peace, justice and truth together and to provide protection and dignified respect for humans in Papua above all other interests.

That the blood and tears of the people of Papua continue to flow without ceasing is a fact. The blood and tears have flowed without ceasing from the time Papua was annexed into Indonesia until now and we well know the same will continue tomorrow. Blood and tears that are shed solely for the liberation of the nation of Papua from the colonial domination by Indonesia and its allies.

Once again let it be stressed that the people of West Papua are not struggling for and do not need those developments offered through Indonesias's Special Autonomy packages. What the people of Papua need and struggle for is the liberation of the nation of Papua from the colonial domination of Indonesia and its allies.

Indonesia warns it may use force against West Papuan Freedom Flotilla

The Guardian - August 20, 2013

Marni Cordell – The Indonesian government has said it hopes it will not be necessary to use lethal force against a boatload of activists planning to land illegally in Merauke, West Papua, in the coming weeks.

The West Papuan Freedom Flotilla is sailing from Australia to raise awareness about the abuses faced by Indigenous West Papuans under Indonesian rule. They have been denied permission to enter Indonesian territory.

Indonesia's deputy co-ordinating political, legal and security affairs, Agus Barnas, told the Guardian on the phone from Jakarta that "the use of weaponry may not be necessary. We won't threaten them with guns, but we want to send them away from Indonesian territory."

He said the government had ordered the navy commander and the air force commander to patrol the area near where the boats are planning to land.

"We're paying special attention, and intensifying [our patrols]. If they enter Indonesian water, the armed forces will take measures," he said. "The order is to direct them away from Indonesian territory."

Barnas said the government had made it clear to the Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Greg Moriarty, during independence day celebrations last week, that Indonesia viewed the flotilla as a direct attack on its sovereignty, telling him: "No country should allow... use [of] its territory as a base to launch a disturbance to another country."

But a spokesman for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs told the Guardian that "the flotilla will not be prevented from leaving Australia. It is not illegal to depart an Australian port."

The spokesman confirmed that Moriarty had discussed the Freedom Flotilla with the Indonesian government, including members of the foreign ministry, but he declined to say whether Australia had sought an assurance that deadly force would not be used against the activists.

"The Indonesian government has made it very clear that the flotilla would be breaking Indonesian law should it attempt to enter Indonesian waters – under no circumstances will the Australian government condone the breaking of another country's laws," the spokesman said.

Izzy Brown, one of the flotilla participants, said she was not surprised by Indonesia's reaction.

"We knew something like that was potentially on the cards so we've been preparing for it," she said. "We do have contingency plans – we have planned different courses of action depending on what arises."

But Brown said the plan was to attempt to land in West Papua regardless. "West Papuans live in fear every day, in fear of the Indonesian military," she told the Guardian. "We are embarking on a peaceful journey to bring awareness and compassion about an issue that has for too long been ignored in the Australian and international media."

Flotilla leaves Australia for West Papua protest voyage

Jakarta Globe - August 19, 2013

Benjamin Soloway – A flotilla carrying approximately 50 West Papuan and indigenous Australian protestors bound for the Indonesian territories of West Papua began its journey from Queensland, Australia this weekend. Two boats are currently at sea and a third will leave Australia on August 20.

The protestors, who hope "to reconnect two ancient cultures and to reveal the barriers that keep human rights abuses in West Papua from the attention of the international community," according to their website, will make landfall in early September, if their voyage goes according to plan.

"This is just a publicity stunt by some elements trying to get attention," Michael Tene, a spokesman for Indonesia's Foreign Ministry, told the Jakarta Globe.

"It will not affect Indonesia or any other country, and it will not affect our work in the Papua provinces." Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Djoko Suyanto, has threatened to deploy the navy and air force. He has also criticized Australia for allowing the flotilla to depart in the first place.

"There should be no nation allowing its soil to be used as a departure point for the movement of a group aimed at disturbing other nations' sovereignty," he told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said that any help Australia provided to the flotilla "won't be good for our bilateral relationships."

After Indonesian independence, West Papua remained a Dutch overseas territory until 1962, when Indonesia and the Netherlands signed the New York Agreement at the UN headquarters, formally ending the Dutch presence in Papua.

In 1969, the Papua provinces agreed to join Indonesia in a referendum of elders, the legitimacy of which has been questioned ever since by a contingent of separatists, some peaceful and some violent.

Human-rights abuses have been frequently documented. The government bars journalists from covering issues related to independence.

Australia was quick to reaffirm its support of Indonesian sovereignty in West Papua.

"[The flotilla's] action is not supported by Australia, it's extremely ill advised," Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr told Radio National, an Australian station, on August 19.

"I think this activity by a fringe group of Australians offers a cruel hope to the people of the two Indonesian Papuan provinces; that is, a hope that, somehow, independence for the Papuan provinces is on the international agenda, when it's not. The world recognizes Indonesian sovereignty as we do."

Australia will offer the protestors nothing more than normal consular assistance if they end up on the wrong side of Indonesian law, he added.

"Bob Carr's radio interview this morning represents the most recent comment from the Australian government – the embassy doesn't plan to say any more on this issue today," Ray Marcelo, a spokesman for the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, told the Globe.

Izzy Brown, a spokeswoman for the flotilla, refuted Carr's view that West Papua is not part of the mainstream conversation.

"If he's talking about it, that means it is on the agenda," she told the Globe. "I hope that this action can really put West Papua on the world stage. I hope that both the Australian and the Indonesian governments pay attention, and that indigenous rights and indigenous privileges are respected."

In recent years, protest flotillas have attracted widespread media attention, especially in 2010, when Israeli naval commandos killed nine protestors who were part of an effort to violate Israel's embargo on the Gaza Strip.

Brown says the protestors hope for the best, but are prepared for the worst.

"The Indonesian navy is a force to be reckoned with," she said. "If the Australian and Indonesian governments want to avoid a diplomatic incident, they should come to the table to talk about about the situation in West Papua. I hope this will be catalyst to wake up the world."

TNI ready to intercept pro-OPM boats: minister

Jakarta Post - August 19, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military has been ordered to be prepared to intercept the journey of two boats carrying pro-West Papua independence activists from Australia, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said on Sunday.

"I have asked the Navy and Air Force to standby and anticipate their journey," he said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post.

The minister also said that he had talked with Australian ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty. "That there should be no nation allowing its soil to be used as a departure point for the movement of a group aimed at disturbing other nation's sovereignty. That is very clear."

The minister also confirmed the government had never issued visas to the activists and permission for the boats to enter Indonesian waters. "I heard they are concerned about violence and human rights. I think the Indonesian government shares similar concerns," Djoko said.

Reports over a plan by the activists to sail to Indonesian territory without permission came only days after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a state speech which included an appeal for nations to respect Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua.

The two boats would sail from Cairns, East Australia, through the Torres Strait and on to Papua New Guinea, from there; they hope to make the trip to Merauke, easternmost city in the Papua province, according to The Guardian.

The West Papuan Freedom Flotilla movement, which consisted of some 50 activists, was aimed at "highlighting abuses faced by West Papuans under Indonesian rule." They planned to land in Merauke within a fortnight.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Saturday he had received information about the plan. "We keep monitoring the information. We are also making communications with the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments," he said, reiterating that the governments of both Australia and Papua New Guinea had expressed their supports to Papua as an integral part to Indonesia.(dic)

Indonesia wants Oz, PNG to halt OPM boat

Jakarta Post - August 19, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Reports over a plan by West Papuan activists from Australia to illegally sail to Indonesian territory came only a day after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appealed to nations to respect Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said on Sunday that Indonesian Military warships and jet fighters had been readied to intercept the boats. "I have asked the Navy and Air Force to standby and predict their route," he said in a statement.

The minister also said that he had talked with Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriaty. "I told the ambassador that no nation should allow its soil to be used as a departure point for a movement aimed at disturbing another nation's sovereignty. That is very clear," Djoko said.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Saturday he had received information about the plan. "We will keep monitoring the information. We are also communicating with the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments," he said

The minister said the activists' boat was intending to sail to Papua New Guinea before entering the neighboring province of Papua.

Foreign media outlets reported that two boats would sail from Cairns, Australia, through the Torres Strait and on to Papua New Guinea, from where they hope to make the trip to Merauke, easternmost city in the Papua province.

The West Papuan Freedom Flotilla planned to "highlight abuses faced by West Papuans under Indonesian rule", according to The Guardian.

The outlet said some 50 activists planned enter Indonesia without having Indonesian visas and permission to sail in Indonesian waters. They plan to land in Merauke within a fortnight.

Presidential spokesman for foreign affairs Teuku Faizasyah said the government had also reminded its Papua New Guinean and Australian counterparts not to facilitate such a movement.

"Such a move won't be good for our bilateral relationships. Entering our territory is something that must be done accordingly, not through such an illegal way," he said, adding that the Foreign Ministry had also talked to Australia's and Papua New Guinea's representatives in Jakarta.

Marty, meanwhile, reiterated that the governments of both Australia and Papua New Guinea had expressed their support of Papua's position as an integral part of Indonesia.

In his state speech in regards to Indonesia's 68th anniversary at the House of Representatives on Friday, Yudhoyono reiterated that Papua, where human rights watchdogs have often criticized Indonesia for state violence against Papuans, along with Aceh, was an integral part of Indonesia.

"Let us all, whether at home or abroad, avoid any propaganda or provocation that may undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Indonesia," he said. "Thus far, we have always respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries. Therefore, we hope the same principle is reciprocated."

Yudhoyono also said that Indonesia "would act decisively in dealing with any threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Indonesia", adding that the government continued to prioritize development using the welfare approach in Papua and that the security and law enforcement was conducted "while considering the human rights and the specificity of the Papuans".

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said the President "was hinting that the sovereignty of this nation was non-negotiable."

On Thursday, the Free West Papua Campaigns (FWPC) said that an official Free Papua Organization (OPM) was opened in the Netherlands, exactly 51 years after west Papua was annexed by the Indonesian Republic from the Dutch colonies based on an agreement signed in New York.

"The office in Netherlands will be stationed in The Hague," FWPC coordinator Oridek Ap said as quoted by Suarapapua.com. He said that the OPM planned to give more information regarding the situations in Papua to the youth in the Netherlands.

"With the establishment of the office, we can explain to all interested stakeholders in the Netherlands why we think Papua needs to be fully independent," Ap said

In May, the Indonesian government was angered by a move by the Free West Papua movement to open an office in Oxford, UK. Oxford Mayor Mohammed Abbasi, Oxford's member of parliament, Andrew Smith, and former mayor Elise Benjamin were among those present at the ceremony to inaugurate the office.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador to Indonesia Mark Canning and filed a diplomatic protest against the British government over the incident.

Canning, however, reiterated the UK government's support for Indonesia's integrity, with Papua as a part of Indonesia.

Women's rights

Government stalling on women's rights: Activists

Jakarta Globe - August 23, 2013

Rights groups have lashed out at the government for not doing enough to end discrimination against women, warning that women and girls face a continued risk of rights abuses and questioning the government's commitment to protecting them.

An open letter issued on Thursday by London-based Amnesty International and the CEDAW Working Group of Indonesia (CWGI) to Linda Agum Gumelar, the minister for women's empowerment and child protection, slammed Indonesia's lack of progress in implementing the recommendations of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which it ratified in 1984.

It noted that in July last year, the UN CEDAW Committee had flagged Indonesia's failures to meet its obligations and issued a series of recommendations.

"However, a year later many of these recommendations aimed at combatting gender-based discrimination and violence remain largely unimplemented and further, there is a lack of awareness about the recommendations, in particular among government agencies," the letter said.

"The failure to take concrete steps... leaves women and girls at continued risk of human rights abuses, and calls into question the government's commitment to protecting and promoting their rights."

The groups said that among the issues that the government had failed to properly address was "the persistence of discriminatory laws and regulations at the national and local levels," including provisions for polygamy and a low age of marriage in the 1974 Marriage Law, as well as discriminatory regional bylaws.

"The committee recommended the repeal or amendment of all such laws and regulations within a clear timeframe. Further, it specifically requested that Indonesia report back after two years on steps taken to review the Marriage Law and to repeal without delay discriminatory laws in Aceh," the letter said.

Amnesty noted that a directive from the Justice Ministry called for local laws to be drawn up in compliance with human rights parameters, but "in reality this had little effect for women and girls," with many problematic laws remaining in place and more being drawn up.

Amnesty and the CWGI also noted that the government had failed to repeal a 2010 regulation allowing "female circumcision," despite the CEDAW Committee's concerns about "serious regression" with regard to the practice of female genital mutilation.

The groups also addressed the problem of violence and abuse of female domestic workers, noting that legislators had "made slow progress in finalizing a draft Domestic Workers Protection Law," as well as the exploitation of migrant workers by placement agencies and employers.

Regulations discriminating against women, religious minorities on the rise

Kompas Newspaper - August 23, 2013

Jakarta – As of mid-August this year the number of discriminative regulations has risen two-fold, from 154 in 2009 to 342. Of these 334 are regency or municipal regulations and the province with the most discriminative regulations is West Java.

"Out of the 334 regional regulations, 265 target women in the name of morality or religion and 31 policies target religious minorities and indirectly discriminate against female members of these communities", said National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) commissioner Andy Yentriani at a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday August 22.

Included within these 265 policies are 79 regulations that regulate what women wear, 124 that regulate prostitution and pornography, 27 on the separation of public space for men and women on moral grounds along with 35 regulations that place restrictions on women being out at night.

"In pornography cases, women who have fallen victim to human trafficking networks have instead ended up being accused", continued Yentriani. "Many Indonesian women have to go out at night, working to meet family needs. These regulations have claimed victims in Tangerang [West Java]."

All of these regulations indicate that real independence for Indonesian women remains far from the ideals of independence and demonstrate a low level of understanding of the Indonesian Constitution's mandate.

Komnas Perempuan also found 529 policies that were favourable in 2013, increasing from 252 in 2011. Of this total however, only 11 policies regulated comprehensive protection for women victims of violence.

According to Komnas Perempuan commissioner Kiai (religious leader) Husein Muhammad, religion, which is the source of values, does not need to be included in regulations that are of a particular character.

It was also revealed that there are well intended regulations but which are incorrectly implemented and become prejudicial. "Such as the virginity test [for female students in South Sumatra – JB]", said Muhammad, "This is an individual's private right, no one is allowed to interfere in this".

With regard to the continuing rise in the number of discriminatory regulations, Komnas Perempuan commissioner Kunthi Tridewiyanti said that policy makers do not yet fully understand constitutional guarantees, human rights and real equality. (MH)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Labour & migrant workers

City workers seek 68 percent increase in minimum wage

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2013

Sita W. Dewi and Fikri Zaki Muhammadi, Jakarta – The Jakarta Labor Forum demanded on Tuesday that the city administration increase the provincial minimum wage (UMP) by a staggering 68 percent to Rp 3.7 million (US$350), from the current Rp 2.2 million.

The demand comes amid the recent layoffs by companies that could not meet the current wage rate. In January 2012, the city government raised the minimum wage to its current level from Rp 1.5 million.

Forum secretary general Muhammad Toha said that the demand was quite plausible and in line with the statement made by Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who said that the standard living cost in Jakarta was Rp 4 million.

"This figure makes sense," Toha said. "We are entitled to uphold our rights. We have been humiliated for a long time."

Toha said that the velocity of money in the city accounts for 60 percent of the national total, hence, it is fair for laborers in the capital city to get higher pay than those in other cities.

To make their plans heard, labors under the forum and the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Union (KSPI) said that 30,000 members would take to the streets on Sept. 3, 5 and 7, to air their grievances.

The confederation stated that its members would hold a national strike in October and or November should the government fail to increase the minimum wage by at least 50 percent next year.

KSPI president Said Iqbal compared the rates in the Philippines and Thailand, which reached Rp 2.8 million and Rp 3.2 million respectively. More than that, as Indonesia is one of the main global investment destinations with an average growth of 6 percent, laborers should have been paid better, he added.

The 50 percent increase demand was based on the 30 percent decrease in the workers' purchasing power due to the fuel price hike, 10 percent inflation rate and 6.2 percent economic growth forecast in 2014. "We are just maintaining our purchasing power by this demand," Said said.

Indonesia Employers Association (Apindo) Jakarta chapter chairman Soeprayitno played down the latest demands of the laborers, saying that "it doesn't make sense".

"If the minimum wage was set at Rp 3.7 million per month, many labor- intensive companies will collapse," he told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.

Soeprayitno also called on labor unions to discuss such issues with the stakeholders before making such demands.

"We should comply with the regulations; minimum wage is set based on tripartite agreement involving the government, employers and laborers. Why demand something that we haven't discussed yet?" he said, adding that employers had already accommodated demands last year when Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo decided to raise the capital's minimum wage significantly by 40 percent.

Ahok said that the city administration would unlikely increase the capital's current minimum wage.

"To live comfortably in Jakarta, one needs at least Rp 3.5 million. That's why a company that can't comply with that shouldn't operate in Jakarta in the first place. However, another problem arises: other regions don't have the supporting infrastructure that the capital does. These are the matters that the central government should think about," Ahok said.

He explained further that another minimum wage increase could lead to other social problems. "If the layoffs continue because the companies fail to cope with the minimum wage, Jakarta will see more unemployed people, who will likely live in slums or become street vendors. The city administration will subsequently have to relocate them and so on. It's complicated," he said.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar acknowledged that Jakarta was not suitable for labor-intensive companies. "Central Java and East Java are more suitable for labor-intensive companies," he said, adding that the central government planned to shift the industrial centers to regions with lower living costs.

[Nurfika Osman contributed to the story.]

Firms lay off thousands, blame new minimum wage

Jakarta Post - August 20, 2013

Sita W. Dewi and Fikri Zaki Muhammadi, Jakarta – Up to 60 companies on Pulogadung Industrial Estate (KBN) in East Jakarta dismissed at least 1,200 workers after failing to cope with Jakarta's minimum wage.

The minimum monthly wage was raised this year to Rp 2.2 million (US$209) from Rp 1.5 million by Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

"The new minimum wage was too high for labor-intensive industries, which only have small margins. Sales also decreased and as a result many companies couldn't pay their workers," Bambang Adam, head of industrial relations at the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) East Jakarta chapter, said in a telephone interview on Monday.

Bambang said the companies hands were forced as they had failed to comply with the new regulation, adding that the 60 companies had requested the postponement of the implementation of the new minimum wage, "but some of their requests were rejected".

Separately, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Jakarta office reported that four textile companies from South Korea operating at the National Business Belt (KBN) in Cakung, North Jakarta, had ceased to do business this month as a result of the provincial minimum wage (UMP) increase.

Kadin Jakarta office vice chairman Sarman Simanjorang said on Monday that the closure had caused thousands of workers to loose their jobs. Some companies chose to move their factories to Vietnam, which has a lower wage. "More than 10,000 workers lost their jobs because of closures and layoffs," he said.

Besides Vietnam, some factories were moved to other cities including Semarang and Surakarta, Central Java; Yogyakarta; and Sukabumi and Subang, West Java.

Sarman said in the future, the city administration must consider the company's ability to pay the agreed wage, current economic growth and the rate of inflation, before deciding on minimum wage increase. When asked about the issue, Jokowi declined to comment on the policy.

"If the companies could not comply with the regulation, what can I do? That is the companies' business and this is may be one of the consequences," he said. He emphasized that his decision to increase the minimum wage was aimed at improving the workers' welfare.

Jokowi said he was not worried that some companies were planning on relocating their factories. "Jakarta is a service and trade city in the first place," he said.

[According to a report by Kompas.com quoting Cross-Factory Labour Forum (FBLP) chairperson Jumisih, the statement by Sarman Simanjorang on the closure of four South Korea companies is a 'lie' and the companies are still operating in the Cakung area of North Jakarta - JB.]

Trade union says reports of South Korea factory closures a 'public lie'

Kompas.com - August 20, 2013

Alsadad Rudi, Jakarta – The Cross-Factory Labour Forum (FBLP) disputes the claim that four South Korean companies have left Jakarta. The companies that were cited as having closed, PT Hansol 1, PT Hansai 5, PT Winner 3 and PT Olimpic, are still operating in the Nusantara Bonded Zone (KBN) in the Cakung industrial area of East Jakarta.

FBLP chairperson Jumisih said that that deputy chairperson of the Jakarta provincial Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Sarman Simanjuntak is lying to the public.

"We refute Sarman's statement, who has committed a public lie. The four Korean companies are still operating in Cakung. We hope that a counter report will be published", said Jumisih when speaking with Kompas.com on Tuesday August 20.

Earlier it was reported that four South Korean companies had closed their factories in the KPN in Cakung. The grounds for this were because the companies were unable to pay wages in accordance with the Jakarta minimum provincial wage (UPM) that was set at 2.2 million rupiah a month in November 2012.

Notes

This is not the first time that these kind of claims have been made by business groups. In February the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) was quoted as saying that 10 foreign companies, mostly from South Korea and India, have relocated their businesses to other Asian countries because of recent wage rises, only to have the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) later publically refute the claim.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

A qualified workforce contingent on education: BCG

Jakarta Globe - August 19, 2013

Pallavi Gummalam – Indonesia has a large talent pool, but when it comes to a qualified workforce, this is where the country is lacking because of its underdeveloped education system, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

Edwin Utama, a managing director and partner at BCG in Jakarta, says the government needs to create more incentives for a result-driven working environment.

"Funds are currently allocated to schools based on an input basis. For example, the number of registered students. But if government funding becomes more output oriented, concentrating on the percentage of students who graduate, institutions will be inclined to focus on better results," he said in an interview in Jakarta last week.

Indonesia's largely unskilled workforce is one of many aspects contributing to the slowdown in the country's manufacturing sector, BCG said in a May report. With the lack of government incentives for education systems to produce sufficient numbers of employable graduates, and firms' inability to manufacture at a value-added level, Indonesia's manufacturing progress as a whole is being held back, according to the report, adding that there will be a severe shortage of qualified middle managers in the country by 2020.

With more than 1,000 tertiary education institutions in Indonesia, there are no more than 10 producing employable graduates, which amounts to 2 percent of total graduates, Edwin said. As Indonesia's manufacturing sector grows, so will the demand for capable graduates.

"In the short term, specific technical sub-sectors will have to be filled by foreign graduates. In the long term, we must make sure there is a transfer of capabilities to Indonesia," he added.

Edwin said Indonesia's technical and vocational education and training is largely under-supported. "It only covers a few provinces. There must be a way to create a national quality and accreditation body to replace current regional bodies, and extend the reach of the certification body to cover more provinces," he said.

Edwin also mentioned a lack of sustained industry support, that "there is no way technical and vocational education and training can survive only on government funding. We must find ways so that the private sector can be involved. We can create incentives for companies to reflect Indonesian industry demand for skills, and design curricula so that they are more useful to the industry going forward."

Another contributing factor to the under-supported technical and vocational education program, according to Edwin, is the lack of strong student interest.

"Students in Singaporean schools can move from one specialized track to another. This 'horizontal switch' is not possible in Indonesia. Students could realize half-way that they are better suited for a vocational or a technical track," Edwin said.

The lack of incentives can also be seen at the corporate level. "For companies, there is an incentive to stay in the lower value-added stages because it is much more profitable to export raw commodities, like palm oil. Companies have less incentive to move up in the value chain," Edwin said.

"The government must incentivize talent to come to Indonesia. The poor and lacking policies to produce a motivated and qualified workforce are holding back potential manufacturing growth."

Political parties & elections

Golkar support for Bakrie dwindles

Jakarta Post - August 23, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The Golkar Party is becoming increasingly polarized over the nomination of chairman Aburizal Bakrie as the party's presidential candidate in the 2014 elections, with more party members beginning to question his electability.

It has been more than a year since the party officially nominated Aburizal in Sentul, West Java, in July 2012, but his popularity as a presidential candidate has remained low, far below that of Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who has not – until now – declared any intention to run.

Golkar stalwart Akbar Tandjung, who now chairs the party's board of advisors and is known to have loyal followers within the party, said recently that many party members at regional and local levels wanted a presidential candidate other than Aburizal.

"Leaders of local party branches expressed their concerns over the matter to me. They wanted me to convey their aspirations during the upcoming national executives meeting in October," he said.

"Many local chapters said they were disappointed because facilities and other benefits the party's central executive board had promised them in exchange for their support of Aburizal's nomination had not been realized."

While refusing to detail the promised benefits, the senior politician claimed Aburizal's low electability had been the primary concern. "This is a serious issue. The board of advisors will ask the executive board to analyze and identify what problems caused the party's political machine to fail to work as expected," he said.

Golkar lawmaker Yorrys Raweyai told Kompas.com that many party local members had repeatedly asked the party to make good on its commitment to disburse "donations worth between Rp 5 million [US$460] to Rp 15 million." "Maybe the party is facing financial constraints," he said.

Yorrys claimed members who rejected Aburizal's presidential bid were so numerous that "they are currently the silent majority in Golkar."

Analysts said that Golkar, currently the country's second-biggest party based on parliamentary seats, would remain strong in the legislative elections slated for April, 2014. But it would be difficult for the party to win the presidency, regardless of the legislative result, given Aburizal's tarnished image.

One major factor survey polls said affected the media mogul's popularity was the mudflow disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java, which was allegedly caused by improper drilling by PT Lapindo Brantas, an exploration company partly controlled by the Bakrie family. The ongoing mudflow has displaced thousands and cost the government trillions of rupiah in recovery measures.

In December last year, Akbar set a six-month deadline for Aburizal to boost his electability. Though the deadline has already long passed, Akbar said he had not been "too complacent".

Golkar deputy secretary-general Nurul Arifin downplayed the apparent rift within Golkar, saying that Akbar had previously expressed his commitment to support Aburizal's bid before party executives. "It was the third time Akbar has made such a statement [expressing concern], but I think what he meant was that there should be an evaluation of the works in supporting Aburizal's bid, not necessarily of evaluating the candidate."

Deputy chairman Agung Laksono shared Nurul's opinion. "I must admit the programs in preparing Aburizal to face the presidential election have not been implemented to the optimal level, with some shortcomings here and there. But the decision to nominate Aburizal itself is final and will never be changed," he said.

A study conducted by Soegeng Sarjadi School of Government last month placed Aburizal as the fourth most electable candidate in the 2014 presidential election. His electability, according to the survey, was 4.23 percent, below Jokowi, who topped the list with 25.48 percent, Prabowo with 10.52 percent and Kalla with 5.69 percent.

Also in July, the Indonesia Research Center issued its study on the most electable presidential candidate, which also put Jokowi at number one with 34.2 percent. Aburizal was at number 7 with 3.2 percent, below Prabowo (8.2 percent), Megawati (6.1 percent) and Kalla (3.7 percent).

'Jokowi effect' no guarantee for PDI-P win: Analyst

Jakarta Globe - August 19, 2013

Carlos Paath, Ponorogo – Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo has been enlisted by his party to campaign for its candidate in the upcoming East Java gubernatorial election, in what analysts are calling a questionable attempt to leech off his soaring popularity.

Joko took part in a campaign rally and a meet-and-greet with residents of Ponorogo district on Sunday, alongside Bambang Dwi Harsono, the candidate put forward by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to contest on the Aug. 29 ballot in the province.

Speaking to reporters at Songgolangit Market, where he and Bambang met with traders and residents, Joko said he was convinced that Bambang would go on to defeat the other contestants, including Governor Soekarwo, and win the election.

"He's definitely going to win. I'm sure of it," he said. "Just you wait and see on the 29th. It's going to be a victory."

He also warned voters against falling for vote-buying tactics, echoing a theme being peddled prominently by the PDI-P as it sees its candidate lag in the opinion polls to Soekarwo and the main challenger, Khofifah Indar Parawansa.

"As we get closer to polling day, offers of money to voters will abound," Bambang said. "If anyone is found giving out sums of Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000 [$4.80 to $9.60], they should be arrested immediately. We have to beware of this evil."

Among the other PDI-P stalwarts who took part in Bambang's campaign were Ganjar Pranowo, who won the Central Java gubernatorial election in May, and Rieke Diah Pitaloka, who narrowly lost out in the West Java ballot.

Joko also took part in Ganjar and Rieke's campaigns – a practice that party supporters say is meant to help the candidates benefit from Joko's widespread popularity, but one that poll observers say does not guarantee votes, as evident in the West Java election in February.

"In some contexts, it's pretty effective for the candidates to be associated with Joko," Rully Akbar, a researcher at the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI), said in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by Detik.com.

"But to date there still hasn't been any research into whether the 'Jokowi effect' is real or not," he added, referring to Joko by his popular nickname.

Rully cited the PDI-P's losses in the West Java poll, as well as the Bali election in May and the North Sumatra ballot in March – in which Joko also campaigned on behalf of the party's candidates – as negating any perceived benefits to the candidates of having the popular Jakarta governor stump for them.

"The PDI-P hasn't won all of the regional elections in which they've involved Joko," Rully said. However, he predicted that Joko's presence would give Bambang's campaign a bit of a boost, given that the PDI-P's team on the ground was "sluggish."

"Whether anyone cares to admit it or not, the Jokowi effect can be very helpful. But how significant of a factor it will be has yet to be analyzed in greater depth," he said.

Meanwhile, a prominent cleric from the country's biggest Islamic organization has thrown his support behind Khofifah, who narrowly lost the vote and subsequent re-vote to Soekarwo in the 2008 election.

Hasyim Muzadi, the former chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, said on Sunday that given that East Java was the NU's birthplace and stronghold, it was about time that the governor be someone affiliated with the organization.

Previous governors have traditionally partnered with an NU running mate to cater to the group's significant voter base. This includes Soekarwo, whose deputy, Saifullah Yusuf, is an NU member and has been engaged in a bitter spat with Khofifah over the NU endorsement.

Hasyim claimed there would be less corruption with an NU member leading the province, and urged voters not to underestimate Khofifah just because she was a woman.

Surveys & opinion polls

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo leads the pack on social media: Study

Jakarta Globe - August 19, 2013

SP/Edi Hardum – Jakarta Govenor Joko Widodo is the most talked-about Indonesian political figure on social media, according to a new study by Prapancha Research, a private group recently founded by PR analyst Rendy Mahesa.

Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, State Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan, former Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD and Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan populated the remainder of the top-five list.

Prapancha conducted the research between August 10 and August 17, based on 230,000 online mentions. Joko and Basuki far surpassed the other candidates in both frequency and positivity of mentions.

"Basuki's firm statements on government policy are reaping positive responses from the accounts of randomly selected youth," Rendy said. Basuki saw a popularity surge after his recent statements regarding street hawkers, he added. Joko has long been a constant source of social media buzz.

Joko and Basuki received 105,000 and 58,000 respective positive mentions, Rendy said. Dahlan netted 28,000, many of which were unrelated to his official capacity. Mahfud and Gita were mentioned 10,000 times and 8,537 times respectively, Mahfud received positive recognition for his experience in the legal sector, and Gita received mentions mostly in reference to his position as chairman of the All Indonesia Badminton Association.

"The idea which is dominating and spreading fast is that what Joko and Basuki are working for the sake of the public," Rendy said. "People, especially youth, tend to treat this pair as real leaders or heroes."

Rendy predicted that these trends would hold fast, for the most part. He did provide a margin of error for the research.

Media & journalism

Activists demand police solve case of murdered journalist

Jakarta Post - August 22, 2013

Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – Activists are demanding the police solve the 17-year-old case of murdered Yogyakarta journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, widely known as Udin, before it must be closed next year in accordance with the criminal code.

In addition to the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) – which has repeatedly pushed the police to solve the case – and other organizations, a new solidarity forum was recently established by a group of local journalists to put pressure on investigators to act.

Ibnu Taufik, coordinator of the solidarity forum, said the forum was formed to expedite the handling of the case and to help the police in an appropriate capacity.

"The solidarity forum was formed without affiliation with existing journalist associations," said Ibnu, adding that the group welcomed members of other organizations, such as AJI, the Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI) and others.

He said the solidarity forum – which was conceived during informal chats at an angkringan (traditional food stall) and fleshed out in discussions with chief editors of local media outlets and representatives of national media in Yogyakarta – had also visited government institutions and other groups in the community to garner more support.

"The case is crystal clear. Sri Roso Sudarmo, former Bantul regent, in an interview with a magazine admitted that he was indirectly involved [in the case]. But the police never followed up," Ibnu said.

Udin was allegedly beaten by an unidentified person or persons in his house in Bantul on August 13, 1996, and died three days later at the Yogyakarta Bethesda Hospital without regaining consciousness.

The journalist was known for his critical reports alleging the misappropriation of funds by authorities in the Bantul regency, where Udin had been assigned.

The police once arrested Dwi Sumadji, also known as Iwik, on allegations that he had murdered Udin in connection with a love affair he was having with Udin's wife, but the Bantul court later acquitted Iwik over lack of evidence.

Udin's widow, Marsiyem, expressed hope that with the establishment of the solidarity forum and support from the wider community the case would finally be solved.

"We can expect it to be clear who the perpetrator was," said Marsiyem, expressing confidence that Udin's murder was directly tied to his reporting.

M. Irvan, a journalist based in Bantul, voiced the community's commitment to getting justice for Udin. "We will never let the case go unsolved. We will try hard to help reveal what happened," said Irvan.

Journalists name Udin as national press hero

Jakarta Post - August 19, 2013

Slamet Susanto and Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Slain journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin alias Udin, who was murdered 17 years ago allegedly because of his reports, was named a national press hero by the Yogyakarta Journalists Solidarity for Udin over the weekend.

Udin was recognized during the Independence Day ceremony held by some 60 supporters of the solidarity group at the journalist's grave at a cemetery in Gedongan village, Trirenggo, Bantul.

The group's coordinator Mas'ud Fahlevi said that Udin was known as a critical journalist who dared to report corruption cases committed within his coverage area in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta.

"The murder case is 17 years old. All of the 16 Yogyakarta Police chiefs have subsequently promised to solve the case. Yet nothing has happened" Mas'ud, expressing hope that the case would be resolved soon as the investigation would expire by next year.

"The evidence is clear enough. If they really wanted to solve the case, this would actually be an easy task for the police," Mas'ud said

Udin's widow, Marsiyem, however expressed pessimism that the case would be thoroughly resolved, although the evidence was clear.

Previously on Friday, the date Udin died after he was beaten by unidentified person(s) at his home in Bantul, supporters of the People's Coalition for Udin (K@MU) and activists from other organizations staged a rally in front of Yogyakarta's Gedung Agung Presidential Palace, demanding the authorities to solve the murder case.

Wearing black clothing and carrying black umbrellas as a symbol of mourning, the protesters marched from the state palace to the neighboring Grand Post Office.

Sociologist Arie Soejito of Gadjah Mada University, who was among the protesters, said that sociologically the public actually had acknowledged the culprit(s) behind the murder of Udin. However, the police had yet to reveal anything.

"The law just doesn't want to reveal so because it is still siding with the authority," said Arie in his speech at the rally.

He suggested that the public needed to continuously urge the police to thoroughly reveal information about the case as this could be part of the big movement to fight against the practices of impunity that was still evident in the country.

"The democratic political system Indonesia has makes it possible for the civil society to urge the law enforcer to reveal the case," he said.

Udin was beaten by unidentified person(s) on Aug. 13, 1996 and died three days later at the Yogyakarta Bethesda Hospital. Many believe that the murder was related to Udin's news coverage over then Bantul regent Sri Roso Sudarmo, who has denied the allegations.

According to the Criminal Code, the Udin murder case that was categorized as premeditated murder will be considered expired after 18 years from the time the crime was committed, meaning the authorities only have one year left to solve the case.

"The people have to continuously demanded the police to solve the case because murdering journalists violates people's rights to information," another protester, Wazingatu Zakiyah of IDEA, told the rally participants.

Separately, the Yogyakarta Police said that they did not have a specific target to solve the case within a year.

"If there is a new info then we will follow it up," Yogyakarta Police deputy chief Sr. Comr. Ahmad Dofiri said when receiving representatives from the Alliance of Independence Journalists (AJI) Yogyakarta branch on Thursday afternoon.

During the meeting Heru Prasetya of AJI, who is also Udin's former editor, presented the police with some information considered important to solve the murder case.

"I hope the police will intensively re-examine Sri Kuncoro and Edy Wuryanto to help reveal the case," Heru said, referring to two names considered pivotal to the case.

Sri Kuncoro is Sri Roso's nephew while Edy Wuryanto was a police officer who confiscated Udin's block notes but lost them.

Environment & natural disasters

Bali revokes Benoa Bay development license

Jakarta Globe - August 20, 2013

Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika has revoked a controversial decree that granted a license to a private company to develop Benoa Bay into a tourism facility.

This follows strong criticism that the project, involving massive land reclamation, could permanently damage the ecosystem.

"Effective from [last] Friday, I officially revoke the decree... after taking into account various considerations," Pastika said, as quoted by Antaranews.com.

He said the decision was partly based on a letter of recommendation from the Bali Regional House of Representatives.

"I have not yet studied the recommendation, but it is pushing for the license to use Benoa Bay to be immediately revoked. I therefore made it official yesterday that it has been revoked," he said on Saturday.

In the Antara report Indonesia's ombudsman for the island, Umar Ibnu Alkhatab, expressed his appreciation of the governor's decision. "This shows the Bali governor is aware and responsive to the opinions voiced by all elements of the public," he said.

Last December Pastika issued a permit for private investor Tirta Wahana Bali International to reclaim and develop 838 hectares of Benoa Bay for a 30-year period, which could be extended by another 20.

Pastika had initially defended the decision, saying it was based on recommendations from the Bali Legislative Council as well as a feasibility study by Udayana University, but many pointed out that the study was not yet finalized and questioned legal aspects of the permit.

Health & education

Agung shoots down school virginity test plan

Jakarta Globe - August 22, 2013

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono has ordered Education Minister Mohammad Nuh to strongly reject and stop South Sumatra's Prabumulih education board head from carrying out his plan to impose virginity tests on high school girls in light of allegations that he initiated the program.

Agung called the test unethical and suggested the local education board provides sex education, information about HIV/AIDS, and family planning to the students instead.

"Isn't there anything better to do?" Agung was quoted as saying by Tempo.co on Wednesday.

However, Prabumulih education board head H.M. Rasyid denied that he proposed the test plan, claiming instead that the media had misinterpreted his statements. "I would like to straighten out that the education board has never suggested the program," he said.

Rasyid said he was responding to a parent whose daughter was accused of not being a virgin after being caught in a police raid. According to him, the parent demanded that the school carry out a test to prove that she was still a virgin.

"I was only responding to that and I supported the idea of a virginity test to avoid the suspicion against the girl," he said.

Rasyid insisted that beside the stated incident, it had never crossed his mind to impose mandatory virginity tests for high school girls, and he did not propose a budget allocation for the tests in the district's budget for next year either.

"Viewed from various perspectives, it certainly is inappropriate, especially in terms of human rights," he argued, adding that the test also violated the law on child protection.

But Indonesian news portal Kompas.com on Tuesday quoted Rasyid as saying that an increase in premarital sex and prostitution among female students had prompted the decision, although he did not provide any data to back his claim.

"We're planning on conducting virginity tests for senior high school students," he reportedly said on Monday. "We have proposed it in the 2014 district budget."

The plan has since been slammed as "unwise" by the education minister. Speaking in Jakarta on Tuesday, Nuh said it was regrettable that this idea had even been raised, and refuted the argument that it would prevent teenage sex.

"If there was proof of that, of course we would issue a circular to that effect. But they must find another way, a wiser one, to address the issue of teenage sex."

"I haven't read the full report on this issue in Prabumulih, and it's neither wise nor judicious," he said at the State Place.

Dedi Gumelar, a Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator in the House of Representatives' Commission X, overseeing educational matters, also criticized the plan and questioned its constitutionality.

"Do we have a law stating that students must be holy? It's written in the country's constitution that every citizen has the right to an education," he said on Tuesday.

Virginity test "against human rights": NGOs

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2013

Jakarta – A coalition of education-focused NGOs have strongly rejected a plan by the Prabumulih municipality administration in South Sumatra to conduct virginity tests on female students, saying that it violated every citizen's right to an education.

"The purpose of such a test is absurd. The 1945 Constitution as well as the 1999 Human Rights Law stipulate that education is one of every citizen's constitutional rights. Therefore, the right of access to education cannot be denied under any circumstance," the coalition stated in a press statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"The planned test also violates the 2013 National Education Law, which stipulates that education shall be maintained with justice and without discrimination," the coalition added.

Prabumulih Education Agency chief HM Rasyid said on Tuesday that the test would be conducted on all girls entering high school. "The test will be implemented in 2014 and will be paid for from the city budget," he said, adding that the test was aimed at reducing sexual crimes committed against students.

Rasyid was optimistic that the test would have a positive impact, as it would steer female students away from what he called "negative activities".

Virginity test plan sparks controversy

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2013

Ansyor Idrus and Margareth Aritonang, Palembang/Jakarta – A plan to conduct virginity tests on female students entering high school in the town of Prabumulih, South Sumatra, has drawn criticism from various quarters.

"The test will be implemented in 2014 and will be paid for out of the city budget," Prabumulih Education Agency chief HM Rasyid said on Tuesday. He said the test was aimed at reducing vice crimes committed against students.

Rasyid was optimistic the test would have a positive impact, as it would steer female students away from "negative activities". "This is for their own good," he added.

The agency chief admitted that the plan still faced a stumbling block regarding human rights.

A guidance counselor at state high school SMAN 3 Prabumulih, Deny Trisna, questioned the policy. "What will we do with female students who are no longer virgins?" he asked.

Deny said the idea for the virginity test might have stemmed from revelations that many students were involved in promiscuity at the Prabujaya field, as well as reports of human trafficking activities involving female students.

The South Sumatra Woman Crisis Center (WCC) director, Yeni Roslaini, also rejected the plan, saying it would violate human rights, as virginity was a private matter. "The city administration should assess the impact it would have on students," she said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Prabumulih branch of the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), Ali Usman, strongly rejected the plan because it would cause negative repercussions in society.

South Sumatra Legislative Council deputy speaker HA Djauhari also rejected the plan, saying that the city administration and education agency should foster positive attitudes among youths.

"There are female students who may have lost their virginity due to an accident. It is not their fault."

Newly elected Prabumulih Mayor Ridho Yahya, a politician from the Golkar Party, has yet to comment on the plan.

In Jakarta, Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh said such a test was a pointless idea. "What should be done if [a female student] had done it [had sex]? Should [she] be banned from school, or what?" Nuh asked reporters at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

"Should there be a virginity test for male students as well? Does such a test exist?"

Hasrul Azwar, member of the House of Representatives' Commission VIII overseeing religion from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said that it was necessary for schools to carry out virginity tests once in a while due to rampant promiscuity among students.

"Virginity is sacred, thus, it's a disgrace for a [female] student to lose her virginity before getting married," he said. "I suggest the [Prabumulih] schools only inform parents about the results of the test. They don't need to publicly announce the results."

South Sumatra school's virginity test plan draws criticism

Jakarta Globe - August 20, 2013

Camelia Pasandaran – A plan by the Education Agency of Prabumulih, South Sumatra, to include virginity tests as part of its high school admission requirements has drawn the ire of legislators and education experts, who say that such an exam is a violation of personal space and an obstruction to a student's right to an education.

H.M. Rasyid, the chief of Prabumulih's Education Agency, told the Indonesian news portal kompas.com on Monday that increasing instances of premarital sex and prostitution among female students prompted the move.

"We're planning on conducting virginity tests for senior high school students," Rasyid said. "We have proposed it in the 2014 regional budget."

Dedi Gumilar, a lawmaker from the House of Representatives Commission X, which oversees educational matters, criticized the plan and questioned its constitutionality.

"Do we have a law stating that students must be holy? It's written in the country's constitution that every citizen has the right to education," he told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.

Deputy chair of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) Masruchah also disagreed with the idea, saying that a student's body wasn't the dominion of a public official.

"Virginity is a personal problem, and a person has the right over their own body," Masruchah said. "The [Prabumulih] Education Agency has no right to control a student's body."

Rasyid, meanwhile, admitted that the city's plan could be easily misunderstood. "Every woman has the right to virginity, though on the other hand, we expect students to not commit negative acts. Therefore, we plan to implement the policy next year."

Masruchah said that a student's morality should not be validated by whether or not they have had sexual intercourse. "What if a student was a rape victim and failed the test?" Masruchah said. "[It is possible for] students to lose their virginity due to accidents."

Masruchah advised Rasyid to consider including sexual education in the school's curriculum instead of virginity tests.

"It's overrated. Morality cannot be determined by [a student's] genitals," he said. "What will they do with the test results? Are they going to reveal which students are not virgins?"

Ibnu Hamad, a spokesman of the Education Ministry, said that the ministry could only counsel the agency against instituting the examination.

"It's a technical policy which is determined by the head of the local education agency," Ibnu told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday. "We can advise that whatever policy they implement, it should not hamper a student's access to education."

Virginity tests – which are viewed as harmful and invasive – examine a woman's hymen in order to determine whether or not she has engaged in sexual intercourse.

Graft & corruption

KY to probe Sudjiono's acquittal

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Judicial Commission (KY) said on Friday it would investigate the controversial Supreme Court ruling that exonerated a high-profile graft fugitive after it received a report condemning the panel of judges that issued the decision.

Commission chairman Suparman Marzuki said the report also claimed that the judges might have breached legal procedures in adjudicating the case. "We will investigate it, as it is also important for getting clarification from the Supreme Court," he added.

A Supreme Court panel announced on Thursday that it had cleared graft fugitive Sudjiono Timan of all charges after granting his request for a case review, which the court said was filed by his wife.

Sudjiono, the former president director of state-owned company PT Bahana Pembinaan Usaha Indonesia (BPUI), fled the country after he was convicted of graft and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

He had been found guilty of disbursing billions of rupiah to several questionable debtors before the financial crisis hit the nation in the late 1990s, causing billions of rupiah in state losses.

In its consideration, the case review panel said Sudjiono's case was a civil case, as the money he disbursed was a loan. Therefore, the panel argued, what Sudjiono did could not be seen as a crime.

The ruling is in line with the verdict issued by the South Jakarta District Court in 2002 that said Sudjiono did not breach any regulations despite the state losses.

The case review panel consisted of justices Suhadi, Andi Samsan Nganro, Sophian Marthabaya and two other ad hoc judges, Sri Murwahyuni and Abdul Latief.

Suparman said that the court's ruling was peculiar, as it decided to grant the defendant's request for a case review while he was still on the run. "As a fugitive, he is supposed to no longer have his legal rights. Why should we give a pardon to someone who does not want to be held accountable? He has disgraced our judiciary, as he dodged his sentence," Suparman said. "The ruling could damage our judicial system."

The case review request was filed by Sudjiono's wife on April 17, 2012. Sudjiono's whereabouts remain unknown.

Critics accused the court of breaching its own regulation, which stipulated that it would reject case review requests if the convicts failed to attend the hearing. The Supreme Court, however, stood by its decision despite criticisms, saying that the regulation did not apply retroactively.

Justice Suhadi, who presided over the 2013 case review, said Sudjiono's wife filed the case review just before the memo was issued on June 28, 2012. "It clearly states that we will process those case review requests filed before the memo was issued," he said.

According to Suhadi, the wife had the rights to represent Sudjiono. "The panel considered her as his next of kin. The Code of Criminal Procedure allows that. And she attended the hearing," he said.

Suhadi later urged the public to respect the court's ruling, which he said was final. "It's up to them how they see the verdict, but the judges see the case from the legal perspective. Please understand that," he said.

Suhadi, who claimed his office had no information about Sudjiono's whereabouts, said that the people could always file a civil lawsuit against Sudjiono – should he show up.

Alvon Kurnia Palma of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) deemed the ruling "hurt the public's sense of justice in the fight against corruption".

Emerson Yuntho of watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said the Supreme Court's rationale for issuing the case review was only an excuse. "Supreme Court leaders, or its monitoring unit, as well as the Judicial Commission must scrutinize this case and show their commitment to fighting corruption," he said.

Minister discussed beef shortages with PKS head

Jakarta Globe - August 23, 2013

SP/Novianti Setuningsih – Agriculture Minister Suswono has admitted that he discussed Indonesia's beef shortages with the former Prosperous Justice Party chairman early this year in Medan, as the investigation into a scheme to sell beef import licenses continues to implicate the party.

Suswono said he thought it was strange that party chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq discussed the need for more beef but did not request a increase in the import quota.

"From what I recall there was no [request for additional beef import quota]. And yes, [he talked] about supply shortages," Suswono said in testifying at the trial of Ahmad Fathanah, Luthfi's aide, at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday.

Suswono said the Medan meeting, which was also attended by Maria Elizabeth Liman, president director of beef importer Indoguna Utama, was initiated by Luthfi through his aide, Soewarso.

Soewarso also testified at Fathanah's trial, confirming the existence of the meeting in the North Sumatra capital. "On the night of Jan. 10, 2013, I had dinner with Maria Elizabeth Liman. Maria asked [me] to inform Suswono about the beef crisis," Soewarso said.

Soewarso also said that when the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Fathanah, Luthfi immediately contacted him for a meeting at the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) headquarters.

Suswono said he was not close to Fathanah, but that he met with him three times, the first of which was in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

"In Makassar on the way to a breakfast invitation from the Makassar mayor, he [Fathanah] joined [us] in the car. At that time [PKS members] Anis Matta and Fahri Hamzah were present. I was a little bit surprised to see how he acted, as if he knew me. At that time I was told that his name was Olong," Suswono said.

He added that the second meeting took place at the Agriculture Ministry when investors from the Middle East came to visit him. Fathanah helped as a translator after Luthfi recommended him. Suswono said his third encounter with Fathanah was in Medan at a meeting with Luthfi and Maria on Jan. 11, 2013.

PKS cadres, including as Suswono, Anis and Fahri, who had their photo taken with Fathanah, have since denied knowing him after he was charged with bribery and money laundering in the beef import quota scandal. Nawawi Pomolongo, the judge who presided over Fathanah's trial, expressed irritation at their denials. "When things have been exposed like this everyone claims that they didn't know that he was part of PKS," Nawawi said.

Suswono's ministry is suspected of having received bribes to ramp up the 2013 beef import quota for Indoguna Utama. The company last year filed two requests to add 500 tons to the ministry's beef import quota but was rejected after failing to meet the criteria.

Luthfi allegedly promised Indoguna he would arrange for the ministry to increase the quota, but allegedly asked for a kickback, received by Fathanah. The accusation is that for every kilogram of imported beef supplied by Indoguna, it would pay him Rp 5,000 (55 cents).

SKKMigas scandal could hit ailing Democratic Party hard

Jakarta Post - August 20, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The ruling Democratic Party is facing another huge blow to its electability in the wake of the SKKMigas graft scandal, which may implicate one of its top politicians in addition to those who have already been arrested on corruption charges.

Analysts say that the high-profile bribery case at oil and gas regulator SKKMigas – which is under the supervision of Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik, a member of the Democratic Party's supreme assembly – could stymie the party's attempts to restore its tarnished image before the 2014 elections.

Arya Fernandes, a political analyst from Charta Politika, told The Jakarta Post recently that even though the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had not yet found evidence to incriminate Jero, rumors of his complicity in the case alone could hurt the party.

"Rumors and speculations would be enough for certain political groups to use the scandal to attack the ruling party. Almost all corruption cases probed by the KPK have been exploited by outsiders to serve certain interests," he said.

A few days after SKKMigas chief Rudi Rubiandini was arrested for allegedly taking US$700,000 in bribes from a foreign company, a message, claimed to be written by Rudi, began circulating in social media saying he had been pressured by the Democratic Party to accept the bribe money.

"I was stuck in a situation because of a demand for a huge amount of funds from executives of the ruling party to hold a convention," the message said, referring to the Democratic Party's presidential primary.

The KPK doubted the validity of the message, saying it was likely a hoax. The antigraft body, however, said it had yet to rule out the possible involvement of Jero and his party in the scandal.

Rudi, a professor at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), is known as an academic who maintains a close relationship with Jero. He was Jero's deputy before being assigned by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to lead SKKMigas.

KPK investigators last week raided the office of Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry secretary general Waryono Karyo, where it found and confiscated $200,000 in cash. Jero claimed that the money was for operational purposes, but the KPK doubted his claim. "We found a large amount of dollars in [Waryono's] office," KPK deputy leader Bambang Widjojanto said. He added that the KPK would question Jero if the probe into the case unveiled evidence indicating his complicity.

The Democratic Party was again linked to the scandal when it was revealed that Deviardi, or Ardi, who acted as a middleman between Rudi and the Kernel Oil official who proffered the bribe money, is related to one of the party's executives, Achsanul Qosasi.

Ardi is allegedly often seen at party events, though it remains unclear if he is a party member. When asked if Ardi was a Democrat, party executive chairman Syariefuddin Hasan only said, "There are so many Democratic Party members."

The Democratic Party faced its worst crisis earlier this year when then chairman Anas Urbaningrum was rumored to have been involved in the Hambalang scandal.

Several party officials, including Jero, called for Anas' dismissal, saying that the case had dented the party's popularity, which had plummeted from 20 percent to 9 percent. Anas resigned after being officially charged by the KPK.

In addition to Anas, the KPK has charged several other top Democratic Party politicians, including former youth and sports minister Andi Mallarangeng, former party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin and former lawmaker Angelina Sondakh.

The party has launched massive antigraft campaigns and is now holding a primary to regain public support.

Several surveys have shown that the party's popularity and electability slightly rebounded after the President announced the plan to hold the primary in April. It remains to be seen if the trend would continue following the SKKMigas scandal.

Links to Dems emerge in SKKMigas case

Jakarta Globe - August 19, 2013

Novianti Setuningsih, Ezra Sihite, Rizky Amelia, Robertus Wardi & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Indications are growing stronger that senior officials at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry may be implicated in a massive corruption case that has felled the head of the national oil regulator, following the seizure of $200,000 in cash from the office of the ministry's secretary general, Waryono Karyo.

Bambang Widjojanto, a deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said on Sunday that the discovery of the money in Waryono's office lent further support to the notion that Rudi Rubiandini, the head of SKKMigas, the upstream oil and gas regulator, was not acting alone when he was arrested at his home last Tuesday while allegedly taking a $400,000 bribe from a representative of the company Kernel Oil.

"We're not at the point yet where we can state that certain people are involved, but we're searching for the evidence," Bambang said. He added that the KPK planned to grill everyone who could shed light on the case, including Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik.

Busyro Muqoddas, another KPK deputy chairman, said on Saturday that given the scale of the bribery and the fact that the contract that Kernel was allegedly angling for was to be administered by the ministry and not the regulator, it was highly probable that Rudi was not at the top of the chain.

"That's because of the systemic nature of corruption," he said. "If this case goes to the very top, the very highest leader [Jero], then it will be the KPK's duty to call in that leader for questioning," he said.

Marathon search

Cash worth $200,000 was discovered in Waryono's office during a marathon and simultaneous search of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry building, the SKKMigas building, and the office of Kernel Oil.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said in addition to the money from Waryono's office, investigators also found nearly $50,000 in foreign currency and 180 grams of gold in Rudi's office. From his safe deposit box at Bank Mandiri, they seized an additional $350,000 in cash.

KPK investigators had previously confiscated $200,000 and S$127,000 ($100,000) in cash from Rudi's house, in addition to the $400,000 alleged bribe delivered by Rudi's golf instructor, Deviardi.

Deviardi and Simon Tanjaya, a representative for Singapore-based Kernel Oil, were also arrested along with Rudi. All three have been charged on various counts of corruption.

Waryono could not be reached for comment about the money found in his office, while Jero claimed he knew nothing about it.

"I don't know what the money was for, because it was in the secretary general's room. I haven't met him yet to ask him," the minister said on Saturday.

Jero, a senior Democratic Party official who also serves as the chairman of the SKKMigas supervisory committee, said there was no way he could have known about that much money being kept in his own office building.

"I don't go around checking everyone's room. There are 90 or so rooms in my building," he said.

He also denied any involvement in the corruption scandal, saying that although he was prepared to be interrogated by the KPK, he had a clear conscience.

"I feel clear because I've never given any orders to my subordinates to do anything untoward," he said. "I've been a minister for nine years, and I've never ordered anything fishy."

Political links

Jero has been the subject of much speculation since Rudi's arrest, with suspicions arising that the money collected by the SKKMigas chief was meant to be channeled to the Democratic Party to fund its upcoming congress to select a candidate for next year's presidential election.

Speculation has also arisen that Deviardi is a Democratic Party member with close ties to Achsanul Kosasih, a member of the party's central leadership board, and that he was picked as the middleman in the bribery transaction precisely because of his party affiliation.

However, both Jero and the party have denied any connection between the Democrats, who are already reeling from a litany of corruption cases implicating other senior members, and the new scandal.

"There's absolutely no link," Syarif Hasan, the party's managing chairman, said on Saturday. "We have our own treasurer for the convention, so there's no connection there."

He also denied that Deviardi was a Democrat, saying that because the party had such a large support base, anyone could claim to be a member.

However, Achsanul acknowledged being acquainted with Deviardi, although he also denied that the latter was a card-carrying member of the party.

"My wife and his wife are related, but as far as I know he's not involved in the running of the party. We never discussed party matters when we met in the past," he said.

He claimed that any attempt to link the SKKMigas case to the Democrats was just a malicious bid to tarnish the party's image.

Ruhut Sitompul, an outspoken Democrat legislator, has also come out in support of Jero – but indicated that there could be reason for doubting the minister's claims of innocence.

He hinted that if Jero was to be implicated in the corruption case, it should not reflect on the party or the decision by its chairman, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to appoint him as the energy and mineral resources minister.

"Jero was trusted with the energy portfolio because he's clean. But he shouldn't steal from the state," Ruhut said.

Bambang Soesatyo, a legislator from the Golkar Party, called for a thorough investigation into all the officials with any connection to the SKKMigas case. "Of course the investigation has to be directed toward those higher up, because these rotten deals are made at the top," he said on Sunday.

He added it was inconceivable that Rudi, a lifelong academic who only joined the government a few years ago, was the mastermind behind the recently uncovered bribery case.

"That explains why the KPK, acting on testimony from Rudi, went on to search [Waryono's] office and found $200,000 in his desk drawer," Bambang said.

Terrorism & religious extremism

Terror suspects' wives claim harassment

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2013

Jakarta – Three wives of imprisoned terror suspects filed a report on Friday with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) claiming they were sexually harassed by police while visiting their husbands at the National Police Mobile Brigade's (Brimob) detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok.

Nausah, the wife of terror suspect Agus Supriyanto, said that a policewoman told her to take off her underwear before entering the facility.

"The officer suspected that I had hidden a cellphone or money inside my underwear. I refused and told her that it was not standard procedure, and I could not do it because I was carrying my child. Suddenly, the officer pulled down my pants and underpants," she said at the Komnas HAM office in Jakarta.

Offended by the officer's action, Nausah left without seeing Agus, who was allegedly involved in the 2011 church bombing in Surakarta, Central Java.

Umu Latif, the wife of suspected terrorist Sugianto, said she had gone through the underpants inspection several times. "I forced myself to endure that. It was the only way to meet my husband. I spent a huge amount of money to travel from my home in Poso, Central Sulawesi, to here," she said.

Sugianto, a cocoa farmer and Koran recital teacher, was arrested on December last year under the suspicion that he facilitated terrorist attacks in Poso and participated in a paramilitary training led by terrorist fugitive Santoso.

The other woman included in the report is Amah Nabila, the wife of Joko, an alleged Poso terrorist.

Komnas HAM commissioner Siane Indriani said that the commission would seek clarification from officials at the National Police about the incidents.

"Body inspection is a normal procedure at the prison. But examining visitors' underwear is outrageous. This is the first time we have received a report on this matter," Siane said.

Indonesia arrests eight more in Burma Embassy plot

Associated Press - August 22, 2013

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia's elite anti-terrorism squad arrested eight more suspected militants, including a former convicted terrorist, in connection with a plot to bomb the Burma Embassy to protest that country's treatment of Muslims, police said Wednesday.

Authorities have now arrested a total of 14 suspects since May in the plot to bomb the embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital.

Iqbal Hussaini, who was released from prison in 2008 after serving eight years for the attempted murder of a prominent moderate Muslim man and a Catholic priest, was captured late Tuesday in the eastern Jakarta area of Cipayung, said National Police spokesman Col. Agus Rianto.

Police also arrested three men who were found at Hussaini's house and were questioning them to determine their possible links to terrorism, Rianto said. Police seized two guns, two air guns and some ammunition from the house.

Another police spokesman, Lt. Col. Rikwanto, said four other suspected militants were arrested at about the same time in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, including Khoirul Ikhwan, a fugitive who allegedly planned the attack on the embassy.

Police seized two pistols, three magazines and about 70 bullets from the group. The arrest Sunday of another suspect in the embassy plot, Muhammad Zakaria, who was captured in Tangerang, just west of Jakarta, had led police to their whereabouts, said Rikwanto, who like many Indonesians uses one name.

"We have strong indications that they are part of a cell that planned to attack the Myanmar [Burma] Embassy," Rikwanto said, adding that the group allegedly was involved in two suicide attacks at a church in Central Java's Solo city and a police headquarters in the West Java town of Cirebon.

In early May, police arrested two suspected militants, Achmad Taufiq and Sefa Riano, in downtown Jakarta, and seized five homemade bombs from a backpack they were carrying. Other explosive materials were found later at their rented house in southern Jakarta. The two told authorities they wanted to retaliate against Burma for recent attacks there on Rohingya Muslims.

Since then, police have arrested 12 more suspects in the embassy plot, including Rohadi, who was believed to be the group's leader, and Sigit Indrajit, who authorities said was to be the suicide bomber for the attack.

Sectarian violence in Buddhist-majority Burma has killed scores of people, and tens of thousands of Muslims have been driven from their homes.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has seen a spate of deadly attacks by members of Jemaah Islamiyah, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. However, in recent years, smaller and less deadly strikes have been targeting the government, mainly police and anti-terrorism forces.

Indonesian terror battle far from over: Expert

Sydney Morning Herald - August 21, 2013

David Wroe and Paddy Doulman – Indonesia still faces significant terrorism threats despite the dismantling of major Jihadist networks after the Bali bombings, a top expert says.

And the expert, Solahudin, has also said that mass data gathering by authorities such as the controversial US monitoring programs are likely helping combat the scourge because the internet is a key tool for Indonesian Jihadists.

Solahudin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name only, said that like many parts of the world, his country had broken up major terrorism networks but still faced a fragmented threat with many self-motivated extremists.

While attacks and threats were generally on a smaller scale compared with past years, they were more numerous, with 75 cases – either attacks, plots or threats – in the past three years.

"This diminished lethality does not mean we should be sanguine about terrorism in Indonesia," he says.

Documents leaked by former US surveillance analyst Edward Snowden revealed that Australia was among the countries helping with the US system X- Keyscore, which enables monitoring of "nearly everything a typical user does on the internet".

This allowed Australian intelligence officials to internet and telecommunications traffic across the Asia-Pacific region, including Indonesia, Fairfax Media has reported.

Solahudin, the author of a newly translated book The Roots of Terrorism in Indonesia, said such methods could help fight terrorism in his country.

"They would be very useful to combat terrorism," he said. "If you want to learn about bomb-making, weapons, even poison-making for assassinations, it's all there on the internet. People learn their ideology on the internet but also the tools and tactics."

He said more research into the underlying causes of self radicalisation was needed to combat terrorism in its new form. "The problem with the Indonesian government is that they have no idea what are the root causes of terrorism in Indonesia."

Indonesian police had been effective in breaking up organisations such as Jema'ah Islamiyah, which was behind the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 people including 88 Australians, Solahudin said.

But Indonesia had been less successful in fighting the root ideology that inspired Islamic extremists, with many Indonesians refusing even to see a connection between religious extremism and terrorism.

Today's attacks were smaller in scale and usually targeted the Indonesian government or local officials, rather than foreigners or Western targets.

Densus 88 arrest alleged FPI member over Tangerang cop killings

Jakarta Globe - August 19, 2013

Farouk Arnaz – Anti-terrorism police arrested a member of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) on Sunday in connection with last week's fatal shooting of two police officers in Bintaro, Tangerang, as investigators continued their search for two gunmen reportedly behind the slayings, police said.

Iwan Priadi, a 44-year-old fish seller, was arrested by Densus 88 officers at his home in Kawalu, Tasikmalaya, West Java, on Sunday morning, a source in the anti-terrorism squad told the Jakarta Globe. He reportedly owned the Yamaha Mio motorcycle used in Friday's shootings, the source said.

Investigators are still trying to determine Iwan's connection to two men implicated in the shootings. Iwan was the seventh owner of the motorcycle, but not the most recent owner, the source said.

The motorcycle was used in the fatal drive-by shooting of First Adj. Koeshendratma on Friday night. The officer was heading to work when he was shot in the back in Bintaro, Tangerang, police said.

Passing police officers witnessed the shooting and gave chase. They hit the motorcycle, but then lost control and crashed the vehicle into a ditch. The gunmen then approached the disabled vehicle and fatally shot the driver, Chief Brig. Ahamd Maulana before stealing a security guard's motorbike and fleeing the scene.

Police released sketches of the gunmen and said they were likely linked to Abu Roban, the former leader of the Mujahidin Indonesia Barat terrorist network killed by Densus 88 in Kendal, Central Java. Abu recruited members from a radical religious study group based in Tangerang.

Iwan is reportedly an active member of the FPI in Kawalu subdistrict, his wife Dede Kurniasih told the Indonesian newspaper Tempo. Her husband was detained while he was sleeping by two men, who didn't have a warrant, she said.

"There was no warrant, they talked about a motorcycle, I did not understand," she said. Police also seized some of Iwan's books before leaving his home, Dede said.

Last Friday's shooting was the most recent in a string attacks targeting police officers in Tangerang. On August 7, Adj. Insp. Dwiyatna was fatally shot in Ciputat, Tangerang. Less than a month earlier, Second Adj. Insp. Fatah Saktiyono was critically injured in a similar shooting in Ciputat.

Hard-line & vigilante groups

Islamic group voices support for FPI's Rizieq as president

Jakarta Globe - August 24, 2013

The country's far-right religious authority, Indonesian Ulema Council, is voicing their support for Rizieq Syihab, chief of the Islamic Defenders Front as a possible candidate in the upcoming elections.

In his opening remarks at the FPI's third national conference, chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Cholil Ridwan was resolute. "The figure who is most fitting to become Indonesia's president for 2014-2019 is Habib Rizieq," Cholil said, according to Tempo.co.

In his speech Cholil expressed the belief that the only way Islamic law could be fully realized in Indonesia is through its nation's leader. He is also confident that Rizieq would have a mass following across the archipelago.

"God willing, if Rizieq is interested to be nominated, every Muslim in Indonesia will support [him]," he said.

However, such a direction would require an organizational restructuring, with a much heavier investment in politics in order to support Rizieq's bid for president, Cholil pointed out.

In the report by Tempo.co, Secretary General of the Islamic Forum Moh Al Khotot joined in support of Rizieq, saying Rizieq's popularity was high compared to other names that have been mentioned as potential candidates.

Al Khotot added that if Rizieq moves forward with the plan, it is ideal for him to be paired with incumbent Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali from the United Development Party.

"I am sure that if his name were to be listed, his popularity would reach 30 percent, especially if paired with Suryadharma Ali," Al Khotot was quoted as saying by Tempo.co.

Islamist hard-liners FPI ready to make war on those who undermine NKRI

Kompas Newspaper - August 24, 2013

Bekasi – The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) held its 3rd National Conference (Munas) at the Wisma Haji building in Bekasi, West Java, between Thursday and Saturday, August 22-24. Conference participants discussed broadening the organisation's social role and continuing to defend the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

"For us NKRI (the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia) is non- negotiable. We do not want to establish a [new] state. We are ready to defend the Indonesian state and make war on anyone who undermines the state", said Islamic Defenders Force (LPI, affiliated with the FPI) General for Life Maman Suryadi during a break in the conference on Friday afternoon.

The FPI Munas, with the theme "NKRI under Islamic law", was opened by Religious Affairs Minister Agama Suryadharma [from this Islamic based United Development Party, PPP – JB] on Thursday evening. Around 2,000 people attended the Munas. They including representatives from the central, regional and branch executive boards throughout Indonesia. Over three days, they discussed a number of themes in commissions and plenary meetings, and made several recommendations.

Suryadi revealed that the FPI will continue to struggle for the values of Islamic law in the frame work of NKRI. The organisation will continue to respect state law but is also seeking to bring tough Islamic law into effect. Corruptors for example, must be sentenced to death.

Speaking separately, the chairperson of the FPI's Greater Bekasi Regional Executive Board (DPW) Murhali Barda said that Islamic law is in a sense a social order of life that is just, secure, affluent and prosperous. These ideals should be realised within NKRI however up until now, this dream have yet to be achieved.

Soft approach

In his greetings at the conference opening, Ali said he hoped that the FPI would play an active role in fighting poverty in ignorance. He warned and reminded participants that Islamic teachings emphasise an approach that is peaceful, soft and pleasing and is a bringer of calm. The Islamic struggle seeks to provide ideals that are good and positive for religion in Indonesia.

Congress participants welcomed this appeal. Mahfud, the chairperson of the Pandegang regency DPW in Banten, said that the principle of amar makruf nahi mungkar (to maintain what is right and forbid what is wrong) needs to be carried out by the correct means.

As part of the FPI's 15th anniversary, the FPI is preparing to hold a white convoy through Jakarta on Sunday. Around 10,000 will people depart from the FPI's secretariat at Petamburan, Central Jakarta, and travel through several parts of the city. (IAM/K06)

Notes

NKRI: Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. A term which is often used in the context of nationalism and the desire to maintain the integrity of the Indonesian nation state.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

FPI reports several media to press council

Jakarta Globe - August 22, 2013

Farouk Arnaz & Camelia Pasandaran – A hard-line Islamic group notorious for its violent raids and vigilantism has filed a complaint with the Press Council against a slew of national media outlets for what it alleges is biased coverage of its actions.

Munarman, a spokesman for the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday that his organization had cited broadcasters MetroTV, tvOne, TransTV, Trans7, RCTI, ANTV, SCTV and Sindo TV, as well as the newspapers Kompas, Media Indonesia and Warta Kota in its report to the Press Council.

Munarman, a former chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), accused the news outlets of repeatedly lying in their coverage of incidents connected to the FPI, and of failing to provide balanced reporting. The lies, he said, were propagated in an attempt to demonize the FPI.

"The mass media that we reported mixed facts and opinions," he said. "We want to test whether the principle that is held so high by the democratic people concerning press independence, which doesn't take sides, can be applied fairly to Islamic people."

Munarman said the media should be fair toward Muslims. "This is the time to test them on their own principles and standards," he said. The FPI has submitted video recordings of the TV news reports and newspaper clippings to the Press Council to study.

"For example, in Lamongan, the media said the FPI clashed [with local residents], when in fact there is no FPI chapter in Lamongan," he said, referring to a district in East Java.

"And then in the Tasikmalaya case, it was said that an FPI member was involved in the police shooting in Pondok Aren [in Bekasi] and involved in terrorism, while this was actually not true."

In the Lamongan case earlier this month, police arrested 42 people from a mob that attacked a village. Despite the FPI's protests about not having a branch in the district, the East Java Police have insisted that those arrested were FPI members.

Sr. Comr. Suhartoyo, a spokesman for the provincial police, said that investigators "could not have said they were FPI members without the evidence."

"They're indeed FPI members. During the investigation, they admitted that they're FPI members and they have membership cards," he said as quoted by Merdeka.com.

The second case centers on the murder of two police officers in Pondok Aren last week and the subsequent arrest of a 44-year-old man in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya. The suspect, Iwan Priadi, is reportedly an active member of the local FPI, according to a statement by his wife to Tempo.co.

Ade Armando, a mass media expert from the University of Indonesia, told the Globe that media outlets often had to rely on police statements as a valid information.

"It's ideal to cover both sides, but sometimes the media can't do that because of time constraints or because one side can't be contacted," he said.

"If the media gets information from an authorized institution like the police, based on a strong facts, such as in a corruption case, then covering both sides isn't a must. The FPI shouldn't kill the messenger just because the sources say something negative about them."

He said the FPI would only tarnish its reputation further by trying to silence the media. "Concerning their accusation that the media mix facts and opinions, we have to be fair that the media might be wrong. But quoting someone's statement doesn't mean the media are mixing facts and opinions," Ade said.

However, he said at least the FPI had taken the proper channel by bringing the matter before the Press Council instead of the police. "It means that they study the methods acknowledged by democracy," he said.

Freedom of religion & worship

Basuki opposes protest based on gender, faith

Jakarta Globe - August 22, 2013

Lenny Tristia Tambun – The Jakarta administration says it will not bow to pressure from a group of South Jakarta residents requesting the dismissal of their local ward chief for being a woman and a Christian.

A petition – signed by 2,300 Lenteng Agung residents, 1,500 of whom had submitted their identity cards – was delivered to the city administration to demand the removal of Susan Jasmine Zulkifli as ward chief, a position appointed by the provincial government.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said the protest was illogical and irrelevant to her role as leader of a ward, the fourth tier of public administration down from the province.

"I don't think we are going to process the objection to the Lenteng Agung ward chief just because she has a different religion from the people that she leads," Basuki said at City Hall on Thursday.

Basuki said the administration can only accept an objection if the ward chief is considered incapable of carrying out his or her duties or if the person has failed to improve the welfare of local residents.

"We cannot replace her. The objection based on religion is irrelevant. She's a problem if she stole or refused to provide service," he said.

Basuki said he was disappointed that local residents had petitioned against Susan on the grounds of religion and gender, saying that Lenteng Agung residents should judge people based on their performance and commitment in carrying out their duties.

"Many also collected identity cards [to form a petition] when I ran for Jakarta deputy governor," the Christian politician said.

"There were only 52.7 percent people in Jakarta that voted for me. This means more than 40 percent didn't want me as a deputy governor. So, I would like to emphasize here that performance is not related to religion. We only obey the Constitution and not the constituents."

Human rights group the Setara Institute said the petition constituted intolerance and discrimination against Susan, and called on Basuki and Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo to oppose the prejudice.

The leaders "must show firmly that the administration is run based on the Indonesian Constitution and the law," Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said on Thursday.

Hendardi said that every citizen has an equal right to assume a position and that caving into the request would create a bad precedent and spread intolerance. Some 87 percent of Indonesians identify as Muslim.

Putting a smiley face on Indonesia's religious intolerance

Huffington Post - August 20, 2013

Phelim Kine – In early June, the Indonesian government erected a 16-foot gleaming white statue of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, on Washington's Embassy Row.

Indonesia's ambassador to the US, Dino Patti Djalal, touted the statue as a symbol of the "respect for religious freedom" in the world's most populous Muslim country. The serenity of Saraswati's statue and the representations of three children peacefully studying at her feet are unquestionable. But while the symbolism of religious harmony in Washington is encouraging, the reality on the ground in many parts of Indonesia is starkly different.

On August 7, a bomb planted by unknown perpetrators exploded inside a Buddhist temple in downtown Jakarta while congregants worshipped, injuring three men. Police are investigating. The violence comes just weeks after Indonesian Islamist militants vowed vengeance against Buddhists for attacks in Burma by members of the Buddhist majority against the local Rohingya Muslim population. A day later, unknown perpetrators tossed Molotov cocktails into the yard of a Catholic high school in Jakarta. Staff scrambled to extinguish the flames and kept the devices from igniting by dousing them with water from the school's bathroom.

The minority Shia Muslim community in Indonesia's Sampang regency on Madura Island weren't so lucky. Hundreds of men, women and children have sought refuge in a sports stadium since August 2012 after more than 1,000 Sunni Islamist militants attacked their village. The attackers torched about 50 homes, killed one villager and seriously injured another.

Rather than arrest the people responsible for the attacks and protect the threatened Shias, local police stood by while the survivors fled for their lives. On June 20, just weeks after Saraswati took her place along Embassy Row, a group of 1,000 Sunni militants besieged the stadium where the Shia villagers had been stuck for a year. Government officials actively assisted the militants pursue their demands to press the Shia to relocate to a town more than two hours away.

The ordeal of Sampang's Shia community is not unique. Across Indonesia, religious minorities, including several Protestant groups, Shia, and the Ahmadiyah, who consider themselves Muslims but are considered blasphemers by some other Muslims, are targets of harassment, intimidation, threats and, increasingly, acts of mob violence. Indonesia's Setara Institute, which monitors religious freedom in Indonesia, documented 264 cases of violent attacks on religious minorities in 2012, an increase from 216 such cases in 2010.

The Ahmadiyah community in the village of Cikeusik in western Java is an example of the toxic collusion of thuggish Islamist violence and the Indonesian government's wholly inadequate response to their abuses. On February 6, 2011 around 1,500 Islamist militants attacked 21 members of Cikeusik's Ahmadiyah community in a prayer meeting in a private home. The militants beat to death three Ahmadiyah men and seriously injured five others. A court sentenced 12 of the attackers to token prison sentences of three to six months. In a perverse twist, the court also sentenced an Ahmadiyah man to a six-month prison term for using violence to defend himself. Police have yet to publicly release the results of their internal investigation into the attack.

There are signs that the Indonesian government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono may finally be recognizing the seriousness of these abuses. On August 16, Yudhoyono said that he was "very concerned" about rising religious intolerance and related violence. That's a welcome change from February 2013, when Yudhoyono's spokesman tried to dismiss a February 2013 Human Rights Watch report detailing violations of religious freedom as "naove."

Yudhoyono needs to translate his concern into action. He can start by ensuring his government investigates and prosecutes members of Islamist militant groups such as the Islamic People's Forum (Forum Umat Islam) and the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam). These groups seek to justify violence by espousing an interpretation of Sunni Islam that labels most non-Muslims as "infidels," and Muslims who do not adhere to Sunni orthodoxy as "blasphemers."

While Yudhoyono claims to be committed to stopping these kinds of attacks, he has retained a minister for religious affairs who encourages extremism. He has done little to stop government officials and security forces that facilitate militant Islamists groups that harass and intimidate religious minorities.

These officials have made blatantly discriminatory statements, refused to issue building permits for religious minorities' houses of worship, and, as in the case of Sampang's Shia community, pressured congregations to relocate. Indonesian officials have also violated the rights and freedoms of the country's religious minorities by issuing decrees and fatwas (religious rulings) against members of religious minorities and using their position of authority to press for the prosecution of "blasphemers."

Pressure from the United States and others could encourage Yudhoyono to implement a "zero tolerance" policy for violence against religious minorities. He needs to back his words with action by ensuring that police investigate and prosecutors appropriately prosecute those believed responsible for such acts.

For inspiration, the Indonesian government can look to the Hindu goddess Saraswati, who is also revered as a guardian deity for worshippers of Buddhism. Until the Indonesian government takes meaningful action to defend the rights of its religious minorities, Saraswati's statue on Embassy Row will stand as Indonesia's Potemkin symbol of religious freedom denied, rather than protected.

Residents demand ouster of Christian subdistrict head

Jakarta Post - August 20, 2013

Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta – The intolerance issue came closer to home on Monday with a petition from some residents of Lenteng Agung subdistrict in South Jakarta demanding the Jakarta administration dismiss their newly installed subdistrict head for not being a Muslim like the majority of the residents.

Representatives of the residents submitted a list of 2,300 names and 1,500 photocopies of their IDs to City Hall as a show of support for her dismissal.

"Most of us and our previous leaders are Muslims, so it doesn't make sense that we have a non-Muslim leader now. [Having a Muslim leader] is a must," said resident Naser Nasrullah.

They argued that having a non-Muslim subdistrict head was inconvenient, as the subdistrict held many religious activities in which the head was expected to be involved.

"There are 22 mosques, 59 mushollas and hundreds of majelis talim [Koran recital groups] in our subdistrict, which all actively hold religious activities. For example, during last Ramadhan we held a series of mass prayers, but the residents did not invite the subdistrict leader because they were aware that she was not a Muslim. It would have been awkward for everyone," Rusli, deputy leader of community unit (RW) 2, said. "Even having a female leader was already awkward for us because she would not be able to join numerous events held in mosques."

Lenteng Agung subdistrict head Susan Jasmine Zulkifli, a Protestant, was among 415 local leaders inaugurated in June by the governor after passing a series of tests in an open-call selection. The representatives acknowledged that they were not considering the leader's performance.

"We didn't evaluate her performance because this is not about that. This is merely about the residents' comfort," Naser said, emphasizing that they weren't demanding the governor fire her. "We wish that she would be transferred to another subdistrict that is more heterogeneous."

The representatives said they would stage a protest should the governor fail to accommodate their request. On the issue, Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said only, "If they are not fine with the situation, then they have to make it fine."

Farouq, 53, who lives near the Lenteng Agung subdistrict office, begged to differ with the petitioning residents. "She [the subdistrict head] has been appointed as the new subdistrict head from the latest open-recruitment," Farouq said. "I don't see her religion as a problem, because the most important thing for the residents is that she carries out her job well."

Intolerance cases in the country are on the rise, with neighboring West Java the province with the most incidents. Among the high-profile cases are the closure of a church in Taman Yasmin, Bogor, and two others in Bekasi.

A survey by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) late last year found 15.1 percent of respondents had an aversion to people of different faiths, up from 8.2 percent in 2005. In January, a study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) revealed that 68.2 percent of respondents would reject people of a different faith building a place of worship in their neighborhood. Wahid Institute reported that religious intolerance cases in 2012 stood at 274, up from 267 in 2011. In 2010, the institute recorded 184 cases and 121 cases in 2009.

During the campaign period, Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is a Christian, had been targeted by some Muslim communities who rejected having a leader of a different faith. (ian)

Yudhoyono defends minorities amid continuous oppression

Jakarta Post - August 18, 2013

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – As Indonesia's global reputation as a model for Muslim democracy deteriorates due to rising intolerance, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made his strongest remark in his state-of-the-nation address on Friday to defend the minorities.

The President, however, stopped short of mentioning the plight of Shia and Ahmadiyah followers in facing religious persecution. "I would like to remind the people that the state fully guarantees the existence of individual or minority groups," Yudhoyono said in his speech, which was delivered to commemorate the 68th anniversary of independence at the House of Representatives.

"We cannot justify imposition of belief by the any religious group on a minority, especially by using threats, intimidation and violence," he said, adding that every citizen should uphold the Constitution that guarantees freedom of religion.

Indonesia, he said, is a pluralistic country and the people should take it as a blessing in order to be able to manage it. "We have to prevent communal clashes and violence, which may disrupt peace in our society as well as our national unity," he said.

He acknowledged that cases of intolerance still occurred and should be addressed, but that did not mean that Indonesia was no longer a tolerant country. He went on to cite a number of Indonesia's achievements in boosting its standing as a champion of pluralism by initiating dialog among different faiths and civilizations.

"Since 2004, Indonesia has become the initiator of such dialogues in Asia and the Pacific, as well as within the framework of the Asia Europe Meeting or ASEM," he said. "Indonesia also supported the formation of the Alliance of Civilizations at the United Nations."

The President's remark came amid mounting criticism against his administration for failing to stem the rising cases of intolerance. Incidents of religious intolerance have increased steadily in the last four years, as reported by the Wahid Institute, which promotes pluralism and peaceful Islam.

The report showed the number of religious intolerance cases in 2012 stood at 274, up from 267 in 2011. In 2010, the institute recorded 184 cases and 121 cases in 2009.

Only recently, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali drew public outrage following reports that he allegedly condoned the forced conversion of Shia followers, who fled their villages in fear of persecution from their Sunni neighbors.

In his defense, the minister said the government was only supporting a "reconciliation program" aimed at "enlightening" the Shia followers to allow peaceful coexistence. Several Shia members decided to renounce their faith and return home in Sampang, East Java, while others, who have been living in a camp in Sidoarjo in the past year, refused to do so and remain in limbo until now.

Human rights activists criticized the President's speech and accused him of being out of touch with the reality of Indonesia. "The speech was made without considering the facts and reality that occurred in Indonesia," Choirul Anam of Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) said, calling the speech "apologetic".

"Yudhoyono forgot that he failed to ensure all state officials to respect religious freedom which was shown by numerous discriminative policies across the country."

Yudhoyono also touched the issues of separatism in Papua and Aceh, saying the two remained an integral part of Indonesia. He also called on the Indonesian people to ensure that the elections run peacefully through a free and fair process.

Agriculture & food security

Indonesia must help its farmers: Official

Jakarta Globe - August 22, 2013

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang, Balikpapan – A reduction in land devoted to agricultural use is to blame for Indonesia's increasing imports of staple foods and other products, a presidential adviser said on Wednesday.

Emil Salim, a former environment minister who is now a presidential advisor in Balikpapan, said such conditions show that Indonesia's agriculture is being mismanaged and that ministries need to coordinate to solve the problem.

"We always had to import rice, vegetables and also fruit. We are importing more and more now. But let's take a look at our farmers, they are not being prioritized. How could this happen? What's wrong with our agriculture? What's wrong here?" Emil said on Wednesday.

Emil said that 67 percent of Indonesian farmers work on less than half a hectare of land, indicating that most are small farmers who don't enjoy any profits even when prices of crops soar.

"The number of rice fields has also shrunk. Java could turn into big cities without any rice fields by 2050," Emil said.

"We have to prevent this from happening. A concrete action is needed from, for instance, the Ministry of Public Works and the Agriculture Ministry, to prevent rice fields from being turned into buildings."

Agriculture Minister Suswono said that Indonesia must prepare itself for the 2015 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community, which requires the country to have a strong agriculture sector given its large population.

Suswono said that Indonesia has set self-sufficiency targets for five commodities – rice, corn, soybeans, sugar and beef – to strengthen its agriculture sector.

Armed forces & defense

Widespread intimidation brings fairness of Kopassus trial into question

Jakarta Globe - August 22, 2013

Observers claim that the fairness of an ongoing court martial of a group of elite soldiers who gunned down four detainees in a police jail in Yogyakarta in March is being compromised by the intimidation of prosecutors, judges and witnesses.

Teguh Soedarsono, a retired police general and senior official at the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), said on Tuesday that the scope in which the prosecutors could present their case had narrowed as a result of the intimidation, making it less likely that they would be able to make a fair prosecution against the soldiers.

"The ruling from the judges will also be less than reasonable or just [under these circumstances]," he said as quoted by Tempo.co, adding that he could not see how a fair legal outcome could emerge from this.

Teguh said the intimidation came from supporters of the 12 soldiers standing trial. He said they sometimes locked the doors of the military tribunal building in Yogyakarta while prosecutors were presenting their case, and threatened people in the spectators' gallery.

"Where is the sense of comfort and security in the court when even the prosecutors and judges feel scared, not to mention the witnesses?" he said.

He added he found it disturbing that this was allowed to happen at all, given that the trial was meant to be open and that there were observers in attendance from the Supreme Court and the Judicial Commission.

Suprapto, a criminologist at Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, said the soldiers' supporters had also put up banners throughout the city, including outside the military prosecutors' office, praising the defendants for their actions.

He warned that if the intimidation led to the soldiers being acquitted, then it would set a bad precedent for military accountability.

The 12 soldiers from the Army Special Forces (Kopassus) are being tried for storming the Cebongan detention center in Yogyakarta's Sleman district on March 23 and killing four detainees suspected of having murdered a Kopassus member four days earlier.

The military has repeatedly justified the summary executions as having been committed out of the soldiers' "esprit de corps," or solidarity for a fallen comrade.

In the trial, however, the soldiers claimed they acted in self-defense when they shot at the victims who were locked behind bars.

Those killed – Hendrik Angel Sahetapi, Yohanes Juan Manbait, Gameliel Yermianto Rohi Riwu and Adrianus Candra Galaja – were in jail over the death of Kopassus soldier Heru Santosa.

Moeldoko wants wider military role

Jakarta Post - August 22, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Army chief of staff Gen. Moeldoko, the sole candidate for the top post at the Indonesian Military (TNI), said on Wednesday that Indonesia should revisit the concept of national defense with the emergence of new security threats from non-state actors, including terrorism and communal conflicts.

Speaking to members of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I on defense, Moeldoko, who was required to undergo a fit-and-proper test at the House, argued that a review was needed as there were possible security threats in the "grey areas" that were subject to military operations other than war.

"The TNI is concerned about the possible occurrence of asymmetric warfare due to the archipelagic nature of the country – which makes it prone to infiltration – democratization, the pluralistic nature of [our] society and globalization, which has had a multi-dimensional impact on the country," he said. "The TNI must be ready for asymmetric wars which have unusual, unexpected or irregular characteristics."

The country has faced social conflicts, ranging from religious to agrarian disputes in the years following the downfall of Soeharto in 1998. With the 2014 elections approaching, many analysts have predicted that social conflicts in the country could escalate.

The government has consequently proposed a number of items of security- related legislation, including the national security bill, which allows for the deployment of the military to deal with riots. However, the legislation has been strongly opposed by human rights activists, who claim that it could lead to rights abuses.

Under the 2012 Law on Social Conflict Management, the TNI can be involved in resolving social conflicts, but they can only act under the command of the police.

When asked about his strategy to improve discipline among soldiers, Moeldoko said that the key was training.

"We have a program to humanize soldiers so that they will not easily lose their temper when dealing with incidents that might provoke them. We will also strengthen subordinate commanders to ensure soldiers follow instructions in the field," he said.

The TNI was severely criticized recently following a series of incidents, including the shooting of four detainees at a prison in Yogyakarta by members of the Army's Special Forces.

Moeldoko proposed an increase in the budget allocation for soldiers' remuneration, which he said was still far from reasonable as only 37 percent of the annual state budget allocated to the TNI was used to pay around 438,000 soldiers nationwide.

"Increasing the use of locally produced technology will help the efficacy of budget allocation [...] I hope we can increase the allocation for our soldiers' salaries to 57 percent, but it is of course up to you," he told the lawmakers.

The government has annually increased the budget allocation for the TNI. This year, the TNI received Rp 81.3 trillion (US$759 million) up from last year's Rp 7.56 billion. If approved by lawmakers, the TNI will receive Rp 83.4 trillion next year.

During the fit-and-proper test on Wednesday, Moeldoko affirmed the TNI's non-affiliation to any political parties after the lawmakers raised concerns over whether he would be neutral during the elections.

Tjahjo Kumolo from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) told Moeldoko that his predecessors had vowed to be neutral approaching the 2004 and 2009 elections, but they failed to live up to their claims. "We don't want the TNI taking sides during the election," said Tjahjo.

Moeldoko said, "My stance is firm and clear. I will not compromise in protecting the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia [NKRI]."

Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq told reporters that his commission would closely monitor the TNI to ensure its impartiality in the elections. "He [Moeldoko] has promised to be neutral, thus we will keep an eye on the TNI to make sure that he keeps his promise," Mahfudz, a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician, said.

Contacted separately, defense observer Iis Gindarsiah from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that if selected commander, Moeldoko should focus the TNI on its main job of protecting the country from external threats.

"I think the TNI must not be involved in dealing with communal conflicts because that is the responsibility of the police. However, as social conflicts will likely escalate in the near future, he must deploy soldiers to aid our police without getting too much involved in the conflicts," Iis said.

All factions on Commission I agreed to endorse Moeldoko. The commission will forward its assessment to the House plenary meeting on Aug. 27 for approval.

Vision and mission:

Wealth

Moeldoko's wealth amounts to Rp 36 billion (US$3,340,000), comprising:

[From various sources.]

House unanimously approves Moeldoko as new army chief

Jakarta Globe - August 21, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Aris Cahyadi – Legislators vetting Gen. Moeldoko, the Army chief of staff and sole candidate for military commander, say they unanimously approve his nomination, despite previously vowing to take him to task over military brutality and impunity.

Mahfudz Siddik, the chairman of House of Representatives Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, said on Tuesday that all nine parties in the House were in agreement about Moeldoko becoming the new military chief to replace Admiral Agus Suhartono, who retires later this month.

"All the parties have expressed their approval of Gen. Moeldoko as the military commander," he said, adding that some of the parties had even submitted written formal approval.

Mahfudz, form the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said that with no objections to the nomination, House Commission I could immediately submit a letter to the House speaker confirming its approval of Moeldoko. "After that, all that remains is for the president to inaugurate him," he said.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, a deputy chairman of Commission I and a former Army general, said Moeldoko had a "clear" track record, based on an evaluation by the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and a verification of his wealth report by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"Background checks by both the KPK and Komnas HAM show that Gen. Moeldoko is free and clear of corruption and of any indications of human rights abuses," said Hasanuddin, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

He added that Moeldoko had also previously initiated a memorandum of understanding with the KPK to combat corruption in the Army, highlighting his antigraft stance.

Priyo Budi Santoso, the House deputy speaker from the Golkar Party, said he had long been confident that the vetting process would go without a hitch.

"The way I saw it, it was always going to be smooth sailing for him," he said. He added Moeldoko had long been known for his solid military record and for not being a politically charged figure like other top brass in the armed forces.

Legislators also spoke up for the general amid media speculation about the source of his wealth, after the KPK had verified the value of his assets at Rp 36 billion ($3.3 million).

Ramadhan Pohan, the deputy Commission I chairman from the Democratic Party, warned the media not to engage in slander against Moeldoko, saying he had been fully transparent about the money.

"Don't make false accusations about [Moeldoko having committed] any violations," he said. "As far as Commission I is concerned, he has no bad marks from the KPK or Komnas HAM, so that's as good as it gets."

He added that Moeldoko came from a wealthy family, so it should not be considered unusual he had amassed so much wealth over time.

Among the assets confirmed by the KPK are homes and land worth a combined Rp 22 billion, precious metals worth Rp 4.6 billion, and bank accounts holding Rp 2.8 billion and $450,000.

The House's unadulterated praise for the Army chief and lack of hard questions during Wednesday's vetting comes in stark contrast to the legislators' earlier promise to grill him on rights abuses by the armed forces, in particular the summary execution in March of four police detainees by Army Special Forces (Kopassus) soldiers.

The detainees, suspected of having killed a Kopassus member, were gunned down out of a sense of "esprit de corps," the military has repeatedly insisted, in an apparent bid to play down the severity of the offense.

Tantowi Yahya, a Golkar legislator, said just hours before Wednesday's questioning that the House would take a hard line with Moeldoko on this matter. "We want to press him on [the two issues] of [territorial] sovereignty and human rights protection," he said, as quoted by Tempo.co.

He also said that legislators would take the general to task about a series of clashes between soldiers and civilians and police, which has been blamed on declining morale and discipline in the ranks and jealousy over the better working conditions and welfare for police officers.

Tantowi said that once Moeldoko was named the military chief, he should make human rights protection a priority of his leadership, including by ensuring justice in the court martial of the Kopassus jail attackers.

Indonesian, US marine corps hold joint exercise in East Java

Antara News - August 20, 2013

Surabaya, West Java – The Indonesian Marine Corps and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) have carried out a joint exercise at the Baluran Combat Training Center of Marine Corps in Karangtekok, Situbondo district, East Java.

Starting on Tuesday, the joint exercise was opened by the Operation Commander of Marine Corps (Asops Dankomar), Marine Colonel Purwadi, as a representative of Marine Corps Commander Major General (Marine) A. Faridz Washington.

The exercise, named Lantern Iron 13-1, will be held until September 6 in Situbondo. A total of 77 soldiers – 66 from Batalyon Taifib-1 Marinir and 11 from US MARSOC – will take part in it.

"The current global situation demands that Marine Corps be comprehensively prepared, especially in the area of maritime security," said Washington in a written speech read out by Purwadi, adding that every Marine troop must be able to deliver the highest standard of technical and tactical performance when tackling various situations.

"The Lantern Iron 13-1 will make them ready to meet such demands, as this exercise focuses on land and sea combat, from the planning stages right until execution," he explained.

During the exercise, the soldiers are expected to share their knowledge and experience while mastering some tactical abilities with respect to amphibious surveillance, jungle war, and sniper operations.

Meanwhile, Commander of the Exercise Working Unit, Lieutenant Colonel Marine Edy Cahyanto, noted that Lantern Iron 13-1 was aimed at not only improving the knowledge and performance of Taifib soldiers, but also establishing cooperation with US MARSOC troops.

Cahyanto said the participants were also taught about Medical/Tactical Combat Casualty Care and Demolition Identification and Reaction during the training.

Training was also provided on sniper operations, scout swimmer operations, amphibious raids, beach landing techniques, jungle and sea survival, and full mission profile, he added.

The joint exercise will also be held at the Lampon Combat Training Center of Banyuwangi.

Kopassus supporters stage rally at court

Jakarta Post - August 20, 2013

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Hundreds rallied at the II-11 Yogyakarta Military Court on Monday in support of 12 Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) operatives on trial for the alleged murder of four prison detainees.

The court was in session to hear the military prosecutors' responses to defense statements. There are two panels of judges handling two cases each. The prosecutors refuted the defense statements on all four cases.

"We want the judges to reject the defense statements presented by the defendants and their lawyers," head of the military prosecutors, Lt. Col. Budiharto, said.

The defense legal team, led by Col. Rokhmat, had earlier asked the panels to acquit all defendants because it had not been proven that the prison raid was premeditated.

Military prosecutors demanded sentences of between eight months and 12 years, with additional punishment – including being discharged from service – for the main defendants in case one.

The hundreds of protesters outside the courtroom requested Budiharto to come before them so they could deliver their demands.

"We will block the gate until we meet the military prosecutor," said rally coordinator, Gus Purnomo, from the ad hoc Kawulo Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat group.

The soldiers on guard at the court did nothing to help the crowd meet with Budiharto.

"I have esprit de corps, so my heart goes to the defendants but I have a different position currently," one told the crowd. "We have to continue with the legal process otherwise the Indonesian Military will be seen in a bad light."

Meanwhile, Indonesia Court Monitoring (ICM) director, Tri Wahyu KH strongly criticized the blockade and questioned why the military allowed it to happen at all.

"The military was able – but unwilling – to disband the protestors," he said. "This has hurt the judiciary principle of public transparency and the behavior [of these protestors] terrorized those in the courtroom."

Economy & investment

'Stimulus' won't fix real problem

Jakarta Post - August 24, 2013

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – The package of economic measures announced by the government on Friday to overcome the growing current account deficit and avert further economic slowdown would be ineffective, as it would not address the root of the country's economic problems, economists said.

The analysts said that the government had failed to prescribe the right medicine to cure the nation's recent economic woes.

In a much-anticipated move, the government rolled out a set of measures that it said would reduce deficits caused by external trade, sustain growth and brace the system against external headwinds, particularly the US Federal Reserve's tapering of its economic stimulus.

On the same day, Bank Indonesia (BI) launched its new monetary policy to boost US dollar liquidity by extending tenors of its foreign exchange to between one day to 12 months from the current seven, 14 and 30 days. The central bank also eased restrictions on exporters buying US dollars.

Hendri Saparini, from the economics, trade and industry research institute Econit, said the newly launched economic stimulus package did not introduce short-term breakthroughs to address structural problems in the economy, citing the scrapping of export quotas for unprocessed ores.

"The deficit in the trade balance, which puts pressure on the current account, should be overcome by boosting exports of manufactured goods, instead of pushing up commodities, which now make up 70 percent of the country's total exports. To reach that end, the government must prepare a comprehensive matrix with specific strategies," she told The Jakarta Post.

Hendri also expressed her pessimism that the program to promote the use of biodiesel as an additive for automotive fuel would be ineffective, as the previous program, which aimed to promote natural gas to replace fossil fuels, had not run as smoothly as planned.

Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) economist Enny Sri Hartati echoed Hendri's concerns, saying that the new economic measures were "less comprehensive than expected" and would not instill positive sentiment in business players.

"Overall it seems like a remedy that doesn't match the disease it seeks to cure," she said, citing the scrapping of the import quota.

By supporting imports to manage inflation, the government did not address the real problem – shortage of supply – which could be solved in the short-term by enhancing the productivity of crops, for example, Enny said.

Apart from that, she added, the root cause of the inflationary pressures from the raw food basket was a distorted domestic market due mainly to oligopoly; therefore, any instrument the government promoted would not work and could be hijacked by several players to control prices.

"The critical point is an unhealthy market structure, and this must be improved if the government really wants to curb prices," Enny said.

Ho Woei Chen, an economist at United Overseas Bank (UOB), said the short- term effectiveness of the fiscal package in reducing the current account deficit and bolstering the weak rupiah would be limited, although in the medium-term it could bring a positive effect on economic growth.

"In the short-term, the current account weakness and the expected start of quantitative easing tapering in the United States will continue to favor a higher US dollar against the rupiah, which could head up to 11,300 in the coming months," he said in a note.

Despite criticisms voiced by analysts, Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) chairman Sofjan Wanandi lauded the government's move in issuing the economic package, which he regarded as having come at a critical time for business players, particularly labor-intensive firms that had threatened to execute further layoffs after a significant annual wage increase this year.

In the package, the government offers a tax dispensation to labor-intensive firms, which can account 125 percent of their labor costs in their tax counts. Apart from that, similar firms with at least 30 percent export oriented products may put 150 percent of their labor costs into their tax counts. These measures are intended to avert massive worker layoffs caused by reduced profit margins amid crimped demand.

"In my opinion, all of the policies will help our companies, especially those which are labor-intensive and export oriented," he said.

Economic stimulus package

To reduce current account deficit: Provide tax incentives to export- oriented companies; reduce oil and gas imports; increase tax sales on luxury goods and imported cars from an average of 75 percent to between 125 percent and 150 percent, and allow more shipments of unprocessed ores until 2014

To spur growth: Provide tax breaks to labor-intensive industries and ensure the state budget deficit will not exceed 2.38 percent

To stabilize prices: Cooperate with BI to curb surging inflation and change from quota-based import mechanism for horticulture and meat to price-based system

To boost investment: Improve one-roof licensing system in all business sectors including oil and gas industry, revise negative investment list, speed up renegotiation of existing contracts of works in mining sector

Bank Indonesia's measures: Extension of the tenors of commercial banks' foreign-denominated time deposits kept at BI; extending banks' counterparty coverage for derivative transactions; extending exporters' underlying assets to obtain foreign currencies; and extending the exclusion scope of banks' non-foreign loans

[Bagus BT Saragih and Tassia Sipahutar contributed to the story.]

Revisions to negative investment, food imports part of new policy

Jakarta Globe - August 23, 2013

Wahyu Sudoyo & Tito Summa Siahaan – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono plans to revise the negative list of investment among other policies he promises to reveal on Friday, in a move to tackle slowing economic growth and calm financial markets, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa said on Thursday.

Other policies include reviewing import quotas on agricultural products in an attempt to stop the sharp depreciation in the rupiah, according to people familiar with the situation.

On the economy, even Yudhoyono himself said on Wednesday that he was not sure whether the government can achieve the 6.3 percent growth target set in the state budget, amid uncertainty in the global economy.

The main stock index slipped to an 11-month low on Thursday, and the rupiah weakened to a three-year low against the dollar.

Boosting direct investment, especially from overseas, is seen as important by the government. Poor growth performance has been visible in the second quarter when Indonesia's economic growth year-on-year slowed to 5.81 percent in the April-June period from 6.02 percent in the first quarter, partly due to slowing investment and exports amid lower global commodity prices.

Hatta said on Thursday that the revision of the list, known as DNI, is important to help attract investment and to meet the target for realized investment this year. "We have to be more competitive with rival countries. Our DNI should not be more restrictive than others," Hatta said.

In January to June, Indonesia recorded Rp 192.8 trillion ($18 billion) in investment from both foreign and domestic investors. The government is targeting Rp 390.3 trillion by the end of this year.

Foreign direct investment alone rose in the second quarter, even though the rate was lower than the previous quarter. FDI grew 19 percent year-on-year in the April-June period to Rp 66.7 trillion. That compared to 27 percent growth in the January-March period.

DNI contains at least 20 fields that are closed to FDI, including the alcoholic beverage industry, rural banks and telecommunication tower business activities.

DNI aims to protect a certain local industries or small to medium-sized enterprises, secure national assets, or close sectors perceived as having detrimental impacts on the environment as well as society.

There are, however, some sectors that are open, but with limitations as to how much foreign investors can own. For example, in the non-formal education sector, such as private education, the government sets foreign ownership at a maximum of 49 percent.

For a pharmaceutical company, the limit is 75 percent. For hospital management and health care supporting services – such as specialist medical, dental, laboratory as well as medical clinics – the maximum ownership is 67 percent.

For sectors open with a certain limitation, foreign investors usually need to set up a joint venture with at least one local partner.

Foreign investors have been waiting for this revision since at least last year, when Gita Wirjawan, who served as head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) before his current role as trade minister, was targeting revision of the DNI at the end of 2012.

On July 23, M. Chatib Basri, the finance minister who is also BKPM chief, said the agency would consider loosening investment regulations in education and health, in a bid to invite more investment.

Chatib said that if the education sector was more open to foreigners, there would be more quality private schools and universities entering Indonesia, so that parents would not have to send their children overseas.

A similar outcome is expected from the health sector, so that many wealthy people do not have to spend their dollars overseas, including Singapore and Malaysia, to get quality medical treatment.

Hatta on Thursday declined to reveal other policies aimed at tackling the current market volatility, apart from stating: "We already prepared it, on how to address the [widening] current account deficit; how to handle inflation; how to respond to the weakening rupiah."

Raising quotas on food imports or even eliminating quotas would allow importers to buy from abroad as much as needed, and that can reduce inflationary pressure.

Rising food prices was responsible for more than 40 percent of inflation last month. The consumer price index rose 8.6 percent in July from a year earlier, higher than the 5.9 percent increase in June.

"Yes, they can minimize the pressure because the source of the inflation, some of them, is from supply and not demand side. The nation has an adequate food supply. For example, through importation, it can help to reduce the pressure," said Aldian Taloputra, economist at Mandiri Sekuritas.

Fitch Ratings said on Thursday that "policy management will be the key factor in determining whether economic and financial stability is maintained in India and Indonesia following the intensified pressure on currencies and asset prices."

These new developments, though, does not trigger a call for a rating action. Fitch said Indonesia's reserves, at $93 billion at end-July, down from $106 billion a year ago, provide 4.5 months of import cover and "remain higher than residual maturity short-term debt."

Vice President Boediono, a former central bank governor, said on Thursday that Indonesia's economy was in "good hands."

He assured the public that the central bank, now led by veteran banker Agus Martowardojo, already has an effective strategy to ease the weakening rupiah trend as well as put a brake on price increases.

The central bank raised its key interest rate by a total of 75 basis points in June and July to combat inflation but kept the rate at 6.50 percent to support the economy. Higher interest rates also would make rupiah-based assets more attractive to foreign investors, but at the same time higher borrowing costs keep consumers from taking out loans.

But Aldian of Mandiri Sekuritas said: "I don't think the central bank will directly increase the rate. If they choose to increase, it will probably be on the deposit facility rate."

He added that "what will be announced tomorrow [on Friday] will be more on the fiscal side. More structural policy to help address the current account problem."

Some economists still expect the central bank to raise its benchmark rate further, as its foreign reserves have declined on intervention in the currency market.

"BI needs to hike it by 50 bps and signal a more hawkish stance. With reserves declining sharply, central bank intervention is no longer a credible policy option to anchor expectations on the rupiah," said Johanna Chua, head of Asia economics and market analysis at Citigroup.

[Additional reporting by Muhamad Al Azhari & Anushka Shahjahan.]

Turmoil to force government to realign

Jakarta Post - August 21, 2013

Rendi A. Witular and Tassia Sipatuhar, Jakarta – As the alarm rings out over the worsening of key economic indicators, the government will be forced to change its course and focus on maintaining the stability of the economy at the expense of growth.

A record current account deficit that has recently wreaked havoc in the financial market, coupled with already soaring inflation and a higher benchmark interest rate, have raised questions over the credibility of the government in sustaining economic growth of above 6 percent.

World Bank managing director and former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the challenge of keeping key macro-economic indicators within range was so great that it would force the government and the central bank to readjust their policies.

"Given the recent challenges, this may be the first time in several years that Indonesia will have macro-economy issues as its dominant concern," reform icon Mulyani told The Jakarta Post recently. Mulyani said that for the last three years Indonesia had enjoyed a stable and sound macro- economic environment that enabled policy makers to focus on accelerating growth through infrastructure and aggressive fiscal spending.

"But now, the administration only has around one year left, which should be spent focusing on leaving a sound economic legacy. This will obviously require more ambitious anticipative policies," she said.

Mulyani's suggestion echoes that of Bank Indonesia (BI) governor Agus Martowardojo, who said in late July that the country "must grow below 6 percent" to avoid risks stemming from skyrocketing inflation, the weakening of the rupiah and continuous deficits in balance of payments.

Amid the persisting turmoil in the financial market that saw the rupiah plunge to Rp 10,504 against the US dollar on Tuesday from Rp 10,451 on Monday – as quoted from the central bank's benchmark Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate – government officials have yet to issue any statement on the measures they would take to ease the pressure.

Finance Minister Chatib Basri reassured the public on Tuesday that "everything would eventually be OK".

Vice President Boediono held an emergency meeting of the economic team late on Tuesday, but no outcome was reached. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to hold an impromptu Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issues.

"Any policies taken to boost stability can only lead to lower growth. But this is necessary to keep the economy stable," said Gadjah Mada University economist Tony Prasetiantono.

In his speech on the 2014 state budget projection and target before lawmakers on Friday, Yudhoyono remained committed to an economic growth rate of above 6.2 percent this year and next year despite earlier forecasts from BI and the World Bank of lower growth.

Jitters over the macro-economic indicators triggered another sell-off in the stock market on Tuesday, as the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) closed down 3.21 percent at 4,174.98.

During the second session of trading the JCI plunged by 5 percent before easing back, as investors, particularly state pension funds PT Jamsostek and PT Taspen, took the opportunity to purchase stocks at cheaper prices.

"The ease is not an indication that the index is at a turning point," said Fakhrul Fulvian, a research analyst with Panin Sekuritas. "Pressures in the market remain, as can be seen in the still soaring yield of the government's ten-year bonds."

According to figures from the Inter Dealer Market Association quoted by Bloomberg, the yield of the government's bond due in May 2013 jumped nine basis points to 8.46 percent on Tuesday, the highest level since March 2011.

Amid the turmoil, the Finance Ministry on Tuesday pocketed Rp 1.54 trillion (US$146 million) from selling Sukuk (Islamic bonds), slightly above its target of Rp 1.5 trillion.

Bahana TCW Investment Management economist Budi Hikmat said the stock market was taking a beating because of seasonal sentiment – which is always lowest in August – and worries over the current account deficit, which had topped $9.8 billion or 4.4 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

"People are not happy with the country's macro-economic management. People are worried that we will be the next India with a huge trade and fiscal deficit," Budi said.

[Raras Cahyafitri also contributed to the story.]

Stocks, rupiah drop into red

Jakarta Post - August 20, 2013

Raras Cahyafitri and Tassia Sipahutar, Jakarta – Indonesian stocks traded in the red zone on Monday as equity assets were dumped, while the rupiah took another dive, and remained defenseless amid the worsening current account deficit.

The bearish trend, which is also occurring in other Southeast Asian markets, will likely continue throughout the third quarter of the year.

Analysts say investors have pulled their money out from Indonesia due to slowing economic growth, surging inflation, the ballooning current account deficit and concerns that global liquidity would dry up over the US' stimulus tapering.

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) recorded 292 stocks down, 171 unchanged and only 20 ending higher on Monday. As a result, the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) plunged 5.58 percent on Monday – the biggest daily drop since October 2011 – to close at 4,313.52.

JCI's Monday closing wiped out all of its growth this year and became the worst performer in Southeast Asia.

The biggest hit came after the central bank last Friday announced that the country's current account deficit reached US$9.8 billion – or 4.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) – passing the so-called safe level of 2 to 2.5 percent.

This added to the already negative economic indicators, such as GDP growth which grew by 5.8 percent in the second quarter of the year – the slowest pace in three years.

The consumer price index also reached 8.6 percent in July, the highest in four years after the fuel subsidy cut.

Massive selloffs in the stock market retreated on Friday and continued for the second day on Monday, when foreign investors dumped Rp 1.78 trillion worth of stocks, the biggest amount since June. Year-to-date outflow in the stock market reached Rp 4.12 trillion as of Monday.

Harry Su from Bahana Securities said the market would be able to rebound on several factors, including the impact of the subsidized fuel price increase, which had eased the burden of oil imports; inflation figures; and the clear timing of the US Federal Reserve's stimulus tapering.

"However [...] the Fed stimulus tapering is likely to happen in September. If there is an up trend, it will only be seen in November," he said, explaining that the market would likely start to improve in the final quarter of the year.

The Fed is scheduled to hold a meeting on Wednesday, when it is expected to give a clear view of the US' plan.

Speculation over the stimulus tapering also put pressure on global currencies, including those in the Asian region.

Prices from local banks, compiled by Bloomberg, showed the rupiah touched 10,500 per dollar on Monday before ending at 10,490. The currency has declined by 5.4 percent this quarter, the worst performer among Asia's 11 most-traded currencies. According to Bank Indonesia, the rupiah traded at 10,451 per dollar on Monday.

The widening deficit in a country's current account reflects the supply and demand of the dollar in an economy, this also weakened the rupiah, analysts say. Finance Minister Chatib Basri tried to calm the market, saying there the current account deficit was nothing to worry about.

"I think the current account deficit would be lower in the third quarter than the previous quarter because of oil. Oil imports will be lower in the third quarter," Chatib said late on Monday.

Mandiri Sekuritas economist Aldian Taloputra said the rupiah would only stabilize in the fourth quarter of the year at the earliest as the current account deficit was expected to ease due to factors, such as declining imports of food and less durable consumer goods. Industry players would also import less due to the weakening rupiah.

But Citi Research economist Helmi Arman questioned whether the slowdown would keep up pace with the slide in exports. "In an environment where the slide in exports is occurring faster, policy makers must transmit a continued signal of policy tightening."

Analysis & opinion

Beyond The Act of Killing: Indonesia and the price of national unity

The Diplomat - August 24, 2013

Nadia Bulkin – The Act of Killing, a new documentary on Indonesia's anti- Communist mass killings, is making the rounds globally and earning praise for its innovative cinematography.

Innovative it may be, but the film has a flaw: it sends the wrong message about what happened in Indonesia in 1965, and fails to explain why the killers were never brought to justice. Gangsters and paramilitaries didn't engineer this military coup; the entire political system was complicit. In Indonesia's national mythology, the killings were necessary, even heroic - the Communists had to die to protect national unity. Until this understanding changes, truth and reconciliation are near impossible.

Beginning in October 1965, up to 2.5 million suspected Communists were slaughtered across Indonesia. The Cold War meant their deaths received very little international attention. For many non-Indonesians, The Act of Killing is their first exposure to the purge. But the movie's focus on gangsters and paramilitaries is far too narrow: these amateurs alone could not have killed so many. They were part of a pyramid, with former President Suharto at the top and civilians – driven to save the country, avenge slights, or having been told it was "kill or be killed" – at the bottom. Each level delegated the "dirty work" to those below, so young under- employed men like Anwar Kongo and Adi Zulkadry ended up executing the most.

Suharto and the military mobilized the population against suspected Communists, spread violent propaganda, and supplied weapons and guidance. Yet the closest anyone comes to implicating the military in the film is an Army order to "just dump the bodies in the river." This blind spot has led one surviving victim to protest the movie, because, it is argued, "soldiers carried out the massacres."

The silence surrounding the military's involvement isn't surprising. While democratic reforms have reduced the military's presence in politics and society, it is still a formidable part of the Indonesian power structure. Even President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a former general, and the Kopassus Special Forces still carries out extrajudicial killings. Though Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights declared the 1965 killings a "gross human rights violation" on the part of the military, the Attorney General's Office refused to conduct an official investigation.

The military isn't the only faction that wants the case to stay closed. Muslim groups also rejected the Human Rights Commission's findings. In November 2000, efforts to rebury the remains of a mass grave were obstructed by members of the Kaloran Muslim Brotherhood who may have been provoked by a local military unit. Exhumation might have disturbed the national narrative of what happened in 1965: that the Communists violated the national ideology of Pancasila and thus deserved their fate.

For Suharto and the military – the self-proclaimed "guardian of the nation" – the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) posed a threat not only to their power, but to Indonesia. Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, had created Pancasila to bind the nation together. But national unity was under constant attack, not only by separatist rebellions but by in-fighting among Communists, Islamists, and the military. On September 30 1965, Sukarno's attempt to balance the three groups finally failed. Seven generals were found murdered, an attempted Communist coup was blamed, and the mass killings began.

The paramilitaries call themselves "servants of the nation." Viewers of The Act of Killing are shocked by the killers' lack of remorse, but they thought they were safeguarding Indonesia. "I knew it was wrong but I had to do it," Anwar explains, "My conscience told me they had to be killed." Rejecting calls for an official apology, Yudhoyono's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto made a strikingly similar remark: "Immediate action was needed to protect the country against [the Communist] threat."

It's a simple, and thus powerful, narrative.

West Papua is Indonesia's Palestine

Fair Observer - August 24, 2013

Jason MacLeod – Tineke Rumkabu handed me a bright yellow piece of A4 paper, double-sided, and folded in half. The official looking invitation was to attend a gathering at the Biak Numfor police station on July 1, 2013. The event, the invitation stated, would include opportunities for Papuans to ask questions of the local Indonesian police and would conclude with prayers. The brightly colored paper looked innocent enough, but in the context of West Papua's 50-year independence struggle, it was imbued with sinister undertones.

Resistance leaders

Rumkabu knows, as does every politically aware West Papuan, that many indigenous independence leaders, who have risen up and commanded mass appeal since the Indonesian government took control of the western half of New Guinea in May 1963, have either been jailed or killed. The list reads like a who's who of Papuan political leaders: Arnold Ap and Eddie Mofu, arrested for collecting and singing traditional Papuan songs and murdered by the Indonesian Special Forces in 1984; Thomas Wainggai, arrested in 1988 for organizing an independence rally and died in prison in 1996; Theys Hiyo Eluay, invited to dinner with the Indonesian military and then strangled to death; Kelly Kwalik, a Papuan guerrilla, killed by the US and Australian trained Detachment 88 anti-terrorist police troops in December 2009; and Mako Tabuni, shot dead by Detachment 88 in June 2012.

According to Papuans Behind Bars, a coalition of local and international advocacy groups, at the end of June, 57 West Papuan political prisoners were being detained. These are not violent separatists – every single one has been jailed for determined nonviolent agitation, despite the fact that the Indonesian constitution protects freedom of speech. The list of West Papuan political prisoners includes Filep Karma, jailed for 15 years for nonviolently raising the banned Papuan independence flag, The Morning Star, in 2004; Victor Yeimo, the head of the West Papua National Committee, in jail for organizing nonviolent demonstrations for a referendum on independence; and Forkorus Yaboisembut, the president of the National Federated Republic of West Papua, who was savagely beaten by police and then jailed for three and a half years after declaring independence from Indonesia at a peaceful rally.

Rumkabu, was under no illusions about why she was invited to the Biak Numfor police station. "I received this invitation because I organized a nonviolent demonstration, protesting killings and human rights violations by the Indonesian police and military in the highlands of West Papua," she said. "They want to question me."

The Biak Massacre

It was not the first time Rumkabu had been "questioned" by the Indonesian police. In the pre-dawn hours of July 6, 1998, Rumkabu made a pot of coffee and took newly baked cakes out to Papuan protesters who had been camping out at a water tower – a prominent land mark in the centre of Biak. The demonstrators had been brought together by the aforementioned public servant and independence leader, Filep Karma, who is now in jail.

After passing out cakes and serving coffee, Rumkabu stayed at the water tower chatting, singing and praying with the protesters. "We were empty handed," she recalled. "We had no weapons. All we wanted was independence; to separate from Indonesia."

Suharto, the former Indonesian dictator, had just been overthrown by tens of thousands of unarmed civilians in Jakarta. Democracy was in the air around the archipelago but, in West Papua, it was independence the people wanted, not reform. This was a view the Indonesian military were not prepared to tolerate. For days, troops had been gathering in Biak City. Indonesian navy warships – at least one of which was sold to Indonesia by the German Government – and C130 Hercules planes, the kind of aircraft the Australian government intends to donate to Indonesia, brought in heavily armed troops. Local troops were augmented with fresh soldiers from Hassanuddin Company and Pattimura from Ambon, two neighbouring provinces of West Papua. Local villagers from the surrounding hamlets were press ganged into militias and told to arm themselves with sharp implements. Captain Andrew Plunkett, a former intelligence officer who worked at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, called it "a dress rehearsal" for the militia-backed military-led bloodletting and destruction that occurred post-referendum in East Timor in 1999.

At approximately 4:30am on July 6, 1998, the troops opened fire. A week later, Edmund McWilliams, who at the time was a Political Counsellor in the US Embassy in Jakarta, visited Biak. He saw the bullet holes, chest high; pock marks over the water tower. It is not known how many died that day and in the days that followed. No independent investigation has ever taken place. The Indonesian government refuses to allow it and in turn, instead of prosecuting the perpetrators, it jailed the victims. But we know from the testimony of Rumkabu and others, and the work of West Papuan human rights defenders from Elsham, the Institute for the Study and Advocacy of Human Rights in West Papua, that it was a massacre.

The dead and dying

In the case of the Biak Massacre the killings did not end with the shooting at the water tower. Rumkabu describes how she was imprisoned by police in what can only be described as a rape camp. "I saw women abused and killed in the most horrific ways. A young girl was raped [and] then had her breasts cut off in front of me," Rumkabu said. According to Elsham and witnesses, the dead and dying were thrown into trucks and taken to the wharf where they were loaded on to at least two waiting warships – the KRI Kapap and the KRI Telek Berau – an odious gift from the German government. Those still alive were killed, the bodies were mutilated, and then thrown overboard. In the days following July 6, corpses, many missing body parts, washed up on the beaches of Biak or were pulled out of the water by fishermen. Irene Dimara told me fisherman found her brother, Dance Korwa. "His penis had been cut off, he had no eyes, his teeth had been pulled out, and he had more than five stab wounds in his belly."

Shooting nonviolent protesters dead at the tower is one thing, but the level of cruelty and intentionality involved in loading people on boats, killing them, mutilating their bodies and dumping them overboard takes this state crime to a whole new level. The fact this happened in a supposedly democratic Indonesia, several months after former Indonesian dictator President Suharto had been overthrown and a new democratic government installed, and the fact that what happened has been covered up since, compounds the Indonesian government's complicity.

Fifteen years later, survivors, witnesses and their allies had come together to seek justice. Rumkabu was our star witness in a citizen tribunal held at Sydney University. Our goal is to marshal compelling evidence to reopen the case. As part of the proceedings, we had also smuggled an interview with Filep Karma, the man who organized the Biak protests in July 1998, out of an Indonesian jail. The Tribunal was streamed live to audiences around the world with parallel events in Jakarta, New York and London.

West Papua: A growing international problem

The meaning of Rumkabu's simple artefact – the invitation on a piece of colored paper to meet Indonesian police, and the events that coalesced around it including the Citizens Tribunal – reveals much about violence and resistance in occupied West Papua. It illustrates five salient dynamics of the conflict.

Firstly, Indonesian state violence against Papuan civilians clamouring for independence is systemic and systematic.

Secondly, that violence is ongoing. The Indonesian security forces continue to carry out human rights violations with impunity. The July 6 Biak Massacre in 1998 was not the first time the Indonesian military opened fire on nonviolent Papuan civilians. It was not the last. In 2012 alone, Detachment 88 allegedly carried out 22 extra-judicial killings of members of the West Papua National Committee. Even as I wrote this article, news came in that five activists had been arrested in Jayapura, the capital.

Thirdly, while there are small numbers of armed guerrilla groups still active in the jungles and mountains, the overwhelming resistance by the Papuans constitutes an unarmed insurrection in the cities and towns. According to the Indonesian military's own figures, the nonviolent movement numbers at least 16,000 fulltime activists, while the armed struggle has around 1,300 fulltime guerrillas with a handful of modern firearms and no heavy artillery.

Fourthly, Papuans are casting off fear. They are determined to be free. Rumkabu could have claimed political asylum when she was in Australia. But she did not. Rumkabu has returned back to Biak to insist that Papuans be treated humanely. Karma, an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, continues to defy Indonesian rule even from within his jail cell.

Finally, as the Biak Citizens Tribunal in Sydney demonstrates, the struggle for justice and political freedom in West Papua is being increasingly internationalized. When the Biak Massacre occurred, it took weeks for the story to get out – now it takes hours. Because of this kind of pressure, the Indonesian government recently agreed to let a delegation of foreign ministers from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu visit West Papua.

A dilemma for state

Mama Tin, as she is known by her friends, was not born when the Indonesian government took control of West Papua in 1963, nor was Filep Karma. The Papuans protested vigorously at the time, but their voices were silenced. The Indonesian government has had 50 years to persuade several generations that they are better off being part of Indonesia, but they have not succeeded. Poverty remains high in many places, health and educational services are non-existent, and the police and army are universally seen as an occupying force by ordinary Papuans. Now, a new generation is rising up. The fact they are doing so fearlessly and without arms is even more remarkable.

All this poses a dilemma for the Indonesian state. One way the state has handled this dilemma has been to deny media access to international journalists, while trying to reassure the international community that everything is fine. The only problem is maintaining control, which relies on repression and restricting press freedom of an increasingly restive and internationally connected citizenry. Yet if the Indonesian state eases its authoritarian control, they run the risk of losing control.

The state cannot have it both ways. Either they have nothing to hide and let the international press see what is happening in West Papua, or they admit they are an occupying army committing human rights violations to maintain an increasingly tenuous claim that their rule in West Papua is legitimate. Ultimately, the Indonesian government will need to enter into some kind of political settlement.

West Papua is Indonesia's Palestine. Until people like Karma and Rumkabu have the opportunity to freely decide whether they want to remain with Indonesia or not, any claims by the Indonesian state that West Papua is a democracy will ring hollow.

[The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer's editorial policy.]

Dispatches: Indonesia – Say no to 'virginity testing'

Human Rights Watch - August 23, 2013

Phelim Kine – It's degrading, discriminatory, not to mention junk science – so why does the notion of "virginity tests" keep rearing its ugly head?

This bad idea got yet another airing this week in Indonesia with a proposal that high school girls be subjected to mandatory "virginity tests" to tackle perceived problems of "premarital sex and prostitution."

The apparent brainchild of H.M. Rasyid, education chief of Prabumulih district in Indonesia's south Sumatra, Indonesian media reported on Monday that Rasyid was ready to budget funds for the tests and roll them out as early as next year. There are also plans afoot to enact similar tests in Pamekasan, East Java.

Indonesian civil society organizations rightfully attacked Raysid's proposal as "against human rights "while Indonesia's education minister, Mohammad Nuh, skewered the idea as "degrading and discriminatory." By Wednesday, Rasyid was insisting that he had been misquoted and had no intention to implement virginity tests.

The opprobrium that greeted the proposed "virginity tests" in Indonesia is good news for the rights of women. The lack of medical validity for such "tests" – doctors simply cannot accurately determine a woman's sexual history from such exams – adds insult to gross, invasive injury.

Human Rights Watch decried the March 10, 2011 sexual assault of seven women by Egyptian military officers under the guise of "virginity tests," exposed their use in Afghanistan to determine "moral crimes" in May 2013, and applauded India's Supreme Court in July 2013 for declaring that the so- called " two-finger test" used by many doctors during medico-legal examinations of rape survivors in parts of India "violates the right of rape survivors to privacy, physical and mental integrity and dignity. "

The onus is on the Indonesian government to ensure that Indonesian women and girls never have to endure such indignities.


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