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Indonesia News Digest 35 – September 16-22, 2013

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News & issues

Fauzi Bowo's envoy ticket secured amid student protests

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Jakarta – Former Jakarta governor Fauzi Bowo's future as Indonesian Ambassador to Germany has been secured despite student protests as the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Commission has approved his candidacy.

Besides Fauzi, 21 other candidates also attended the fit-and-proper test at the House. "The Commission has carried out its assessments and decided that they are all fit for their posts," commission speaker Mahfudz Siddiq said as quoted by Kompas.com on Thursday.

When asked about the student protests, Mahfudz said the issue had been clarified by Fauzi, therefore they had no reason to worry. "Fauzi has been able to provide clear answers to those questions and critics," said Mahfudz, a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician.

However, Mahfudz refused to disclose Fauzi's test results, saying that they were confidential.(hrl/dic)

SBY irked by loud protests

Jakarta Post - September 17, 2013

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Monday that he was often disturbed by mass rallies that took place in front of the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta.

Yudhoyono made the comment inside the presidential compound while welcoming the House of Representatives' speakers, who were arriving for a consultative meeting.

At the time, hundreds of workers grouped under the Congress Alliance of Indonesian Labor Unions (KASBI) were protesting in front of the palace, some 200 meters from the President's Office.

The demonstration also caused gridlock around the city. The President then commented on the noisy demonstration.

"[The sound] is extreme, isn't it? Sometimes, when I receive state guests or have other important events, it disrupts our activities. In foreign countries, protests using megaphones are usually regulated," Yudhoyono said.

Hercules affiliates arrested for abduction, torture

Jakarta Post - September 16, 2013

Jakarta – The police arrested 19 men on Sunday for allegedly abducting and torturing a coffee seller in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, after she refused to pay them Rp 100,000 (US$8.78) in protection money.

The 46-year-old woman, identified only as H, escaped early on Sunday after being confined for two days, and filed a report with police.

"The West Jakarta Police arrested the 19 street hoodlums at 5 a.m. on Sunday in four different locations across West Jakarta. Five people were arrested at a shack near the Kedoya Apartments in Kebon Jeruk; five on Jl. Setia in Kedoya; five on Jl. Mawar in Kembangan, and four in Kapuk, Cengkareng," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. He added that police officers had shot one suspect, identified only as FDM, 20, in his right leg after he resisted arrest.

"The police also confiscated a samurai-style sword, a knife and the wooden handle of a hoe used by the suspects to torture the victim," he said.

West Jakarta Police detectives chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hengki Haryadi said that right now his personnel were still questioning the 19 men. "Our preliminary investigation results reveal that the men are members of the Flores street gang, which frequently extorts money from petty traders in West Jakarta," he told the Post.

He also said that the men were possibly affiliated with underworld kingpin Hercules Rozario Marshal, who is currently being detained for alleged extortion and money laundering dating back to 2006.

Hercules was arrested by the West Jakarta Police on Aug. 3 after spending nearly five months in jail after an incident at a police security briefing in Meruya Kembangan, West Jakarta.

Hercules and 45 of his men were arrested following a clash with police at the Tjakra Multi Strategi retail complex on March 8. The clash broke out when the gang allegedly began provoking police officers who were guarding the area after reports that Hercules and his men had been shaking down local businesses.

Hengki said that H was currently receiving medical treatment at the Pelni Hospital in West Jakarta. "She suffered an infection from a serious wound to her genitalia after the suspects jabbed them repeatedly with the wooden hoe handle," he said.

According to the victim, the men abducted her from her shop on Friday at 3 p.m. after she refused to pay them the money. They then took her to a shack near the Kedoya Apartments and held her hostage there.

"She said that apart from the torture with the hoe handle, she was subjected to cigarette burns and had hot molten plastic poured over her body," he said.

He added that the victim managed to escape at 2 a.m. on Sunday and fled to the nearest police station. "When she recovers, the investigators will ask her to identify the suspects who allegedly tortured her," Hengki said. (ogi)

West Papua

Driver shot dead in Papua

Jakarta Post - September 22, 2013

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A public transportation driver was fatally fatally shot by an unidentified man in the Tingginambut district of Puncak Jaya regency, Papua, on Saturday.

Papua Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono told The Jakarta Post that the victim, identified as Ali Mangalik, 30, was shot in the head and died at the scene. "The police are investigating the case," he said.

According to the police's preliminary findings, Ali was likely the victim of a random shooting. He said Ali was on his way home to Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya regency, after delivering cargo in Mulia, Puncak Jaya regency, which is about an eight-hour drive from Wamena.

Saturday's shooting is the second one this month, following the death of First Pte. Andri Candrayansyah, who was shot on Sept. 1 in Puncak Jaya. Nine soldiers, six civilians and one medical worker have been killed in a series of shootings in Papua since February. (hrl/dic)

Driver killed as armed men attack convoy in Papua

Jakarta Globe - September 21, 2013

A man – reportedly a civilian – was shot dead while driving in a convoy carrying food in Puncak Jaya district in Papua on Saturday.

"As they drove through Kalome village in Tingginambut subdistrict at 12:06 p.m., the car with plate number DW 8496 CA was shot at," Papua Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sulistio Pudjo told Indonesian news portal kompas.com on Saturday.

Nearly 50 cars formed a convoy from the subdistrict of Mulia in Puncak Jaya toward Wamena in the neighboring district of Jayawijaya. The convoy was reported to be carrying dozens of civilians and seven Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers in addition to the food supplies.

"The driver of the car, Ali Mangalik, 30, immediately died at the scene," Sulistio said, adding that the attack was made by an unknown group of armed men. Police said an investigation was ongoing while officers and TNI soldiers stood guard at the crime scene.

TNI remains vigilant after Aussie boat returns home

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI)says it will remain vigilant even though a boat carrying pro-West Papua independence activists had returned to Australian waters, reasoning that they could return any time and try to enter Merauke, West Papua, illegally.

Navy ships were patrolling and monitoring the movement of the boat of activists, who called themselves the "West Papua Freedom Flotilla", TNI Commander Gen. Moeldoko said.

"At the moment, they are not in Indonesian territory, but we are monitoring them," the general told The Jakarta Post at the State Palace on Wednesday.

Activists, traveling on the boat named The Pog, cancelled their journey and returned to Australian waters after feeling threatened by the Indonesian Military earlier this week.

Moeldoko refused to discuss any military action taken that led to the activists retreating, but gave assurances that there had been no direct military contact with the activists.

When asked if the TNI would expel the activists if they returned and attempted to enter Indonesian waters, he said, "Of course."

Papua Naval Command chief Commodore IG Putu Wijamahaadi previously said that the Navy would continue its routine patrols. "In our routine patrols, 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.

The West Papua Freedom Flotilla initially prepared three boats but eventually only The Pog was considered seaworthy. It has reportedly arrived back in Gove in Australia's Northern Territory.

Despite their failure to accomplish their planned mission, the activists claimed success for getting the attention of top Indonesian officials and the international media.

"We really hope and really feel that this campaign has helped to put West Papua on the map and in people's consciousness and hopefully in the consciousness of Australian politicians and Australian people as well," Freedom Flotilla spokesperson Izzy Brown said as quoted by Radio Australia on Monday.

The activists claimed The Pog had sailed along the border region between Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia while making repeated attempts to "contact and call for dialogue" with the Indonesian authorities.

The revelation of the Freedom Flotilla's movement upset Indonesian officials and disrupted Indonesia's diplomatic relations with Australia.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto held talks with Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty, protesting Canberra's reluctance to prevent the activists from leaving Australian soil.

"No nation should allow its soil to be used as a departure point for the movement of a group aimed at disrupting another nation's sovereignty. That is very clear," Djoko said.

Freeport Indonesia union says pay talks stall, timeframe extended

Reuters - September 19, 2013

Jakarta – Pay talks at Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc's Indonesian unit have stalled but a deadline for an end to negotiations has been extended, a union official said on Thursday, easing the threat of any disruption.

Pay negotiations between workers and management at Freeport s remote Grasberg mine in Papua, the world s second-biggest copper mine, resumed in late June after being suspended in May when a tunnel collapse killed 28 people.

"Freeport only offered us a quarter of the pay rise that we are demanding," union spokesman Juli Parorrongan told Reuters in a text after talks this week involving Freeport Indonesia CEO Rozik Soetjipto and Freeport CEO Richard Adkerson.

"Workers cannot accept the offer because it is considered too low," said Parorrongan, adding that the union was pushing for a 40 percent pay increase over two years or two annual 20 percent rises.

Relations between Freeport and the union have been strained in recent years following a three-month strike in late 2011, May s deadly accident and a series of minor spats.

The Freeport union agreed a deal for a 37 percent pay rise over two years in late 2011, after initially pushing for a pay rise to as much as $200 an hour compared with a pay rate at the time of $2-$3 an hour.

Under the current wage agreement, which is due to end on Sept. 30, the majority of workers are paid 4.6 million rupiah to 7.7 million rupiah ($400-$670) a month, said Parorrongan on Thursday.

Freeport Indonesia employs about 24,000 workers, including contractors and staff. About three-quarters are union members.

Talks on a new pay deal had been expected to last up to 60 days, and Parorrongan said a new deadline of Oct. 4 had been set for talks to conclude.

Freeport unions had yet to decide what action to take if no agreement was reached by the new deadline, Parorrongan said. Freeport Indonesia could not be reached for immediate comment on Thursday.

OPM apologises for shooting PMI volunteers in Puncjak Jaya

Bintang Papua - September 18, 2013

Jayapura – The TPN/OPM [National Resistance Army/Papuan Freedom Movement] in Gurangi, Puncak Jaya has written to the Indonesian Red Crescent [PMI] [Indonesian Red Cross – JB.] in the District of Puncak Jaya apologising for shooting three PMI volunteers on 31 July, 2013. During this incident, a man called Heri Yoman was shot dead, while two other people were injured.

The letter which was sent on 15 August 2013 was also signed by the commander of general operations of the TPN/OPM, Ekki Wonda and the field commander Rambo Wonda who admitted that he was the peron who had fired the shots.

The letter said that during the incident, shots were fired at an ambulance at a time when troops from the TNI [Indonesian Army] were carrying out operations in Puncak Jaya. It was during the course of this operation that two local inhabitants were shot dead by soldiers who were using a vehicle which looked very much like a PMI ambulance. This is why the person who did the shooting thought that the vehicle belonged to the TNI. "We were the ones who did the shooting which killed two PMI volunteers for which we offer our sincere apologies," he said.

The chairman of the PMI in West Papua, Nelson Wonda, said that their investigation into the incident which they had undertaken after receiving a letter from those involved in the incident revealed what had happened during an operation which was being conducted by the TNI.

The ambulance being used by the TNI had been modified in such a way as to look exactly like ambulances which are used by the PMI. However, the vehicle was being used by the army during operations in the area, during which two members of the OPM were shot. The OPM members who did not fully understand what was happening thought that the PMI had given one of their ambulances to the TNI, although this was not true. This is why they fired at the ambulance in which there were two PMI volunteers.

"As a result of this misunderstanding, OPM members came to us to offer their apologies while at the same time, urging us to continue with our work in the area." said Wonda.

Personnel from the PMI subsequently had a meeting with the Military Commander of Pangdam XVII – Cenderawasih Military Command – and the Governor of Papua, suggesting that the modifications which had been made, in particular the colour of the vehicles, should not be used any more. However, the regional secretary of the administration in Puncak Jaya said that he did not have the "authority" to forward this request to the TNI.

[Translated by TAPOL.]

Papua government plans jaunt to Hawaii, while students crave funds

Jakarta Post - September 18, 2013

Rendi Witular and Nethy Dharma Somba, Jakarta – More than 100 Papuan students, who have been awarded full scholarships to study at top universities on Java, have discovered their places are at risk as the Papua administration claims it has no money to fund their travel costs.

The limited funding claim is distinctly questionable as recently elected Papua Governor Lukas Enembe and dozens of regents and officials are slated to fly to Hawaii in the US this week, at the taxpayers' expense.

The students comprise a second batch of 208 students who received scholarships from the central government this year. The provincial administration had agreed to cover their travel expenses from Papua to their respective universities.

"More than half of the students risk losing their scholarships because the administration claims it has no money to cover their airfares," Ichwanudin Mawardi, the planning deputy of the Unit for the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B), said on Wednesday.

"Ironically, the administration has more than enough funds to go to Hawaii," he said.

A flight ticket from the provincial capital Jayapura to Jakarta costs at least Rp 3.5 million (US$350), which is equal to one day's pocket money that will be allocated to each official traveling to Hawaii.

Ichwanuddin said that if the students failed to arrive in Jakarta and enroll by Sept. 20, the universities would cancel their places, which would effectively terminate their scholarships.

Neither Lukas nor the Papua administration spokesman could be reached for comment. A staffer at the Papua administration said the governor was currently returning to Papua following a visit to Banjarmasin in Central Kalimantan, where he attended a gathering hosted by the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI).

According to sources at the administration, the trip to Hawaii was aimed at forging a deal between Cenderawasih Univesity in Jayapura with the University of Hawaii.

Resource-rich Papua is Indonesia's most eastern and least developed province, which has long been plagued by pervasive corruption and a separatist movement.

Hundreds of KNPB activists arrested

Bintang Papua - September 17, 2013

Jayapura – The National Committee of West Papua – KNPB – has claimed that 249 members have been arrested by the police across West Papua because they took part in demonstrations to mark International Democracy Day on Monday this week.

This was announced by the co-ordinator of the action, Warpo Wetipo who was accompanied by the spokesman of the KNPB, Wim Rocky Madlama and the first deputy chairman of KNPB Agus Kossay. Warpo said that because International Democracy Day was on Sunday, they decided to hold their demonstration on the following day, Monday.

Warpo said it as highly regrettable that the police had taken action against the demontrators despite the fact that they had previoously given notice of their intention to hold a peaceful demonstration. They were forcibly dispersed and a number of their activists were arrested.

Warpo said: "The chief of security [Kamtibmas] knows very well that there is a procedure in cases like this but nevertheless they always go out and arrest people without thinking about a possible compromise or first entering into talks with the demonstrators."

Forcibly dispersing demonstrators is surely not a good example to set for their subordinates who are inclined to become very emotional when they carry out their work.

Given the nature of the operations being undertaken by the police, the KNPB has suggested to the chief of police that he should try to ensure that all his men understand things like the rule of law, democracy and basic human rights.

"As we all know, the KNPB is marking the International Democracy Day and we are quite sure that Indonesia knows this, but democratic values are being ignored whereas these are principles that should be applied everywhere in Indonesia and particularly in Papua."

The chairman of KNPB, Agus Kossay expressed his gratitude to the security forces and particularly to the police chief for having forcibly dispersed the demonstration and then gone ahead with arresting so many KNPB activists, as well as confiscating their loud speakers and sound system. In doing so, they have shown their appreciation for the KNPB's struggle for independence.

"We also want to expresse our gratitude to the poilce force and to the chief of police because they have, whether they realise it or not, shown that the struggle we are waging is a struggle for independence."

Agus stressed that the members of the KNPB and many others will continue to demonstrate in order to reflect the feelings of the Papuan people for independence or for a referendum.

"We are the real inheritors of this land and we will continue to hold demonstrations demanding independence, with or without the permission of the authorities. We hope that the chief of police will act in accordance with the established procedures and will ensure that their subordinates do not act as they like, such as arresting anybody without any evidence of wrong-doing."

The KNPB spokesman, Wim Rocky Medlama said that demonstrations for democracy are taking place right across West Papua, in Sorong, Biak, Fakfak, Nabire, Serui, Mimika, Paniai and Wamena. as well as in Jayapura, Yahukimo, Yalimo, Merauke and Manokwari. In all these places, there ae people demonstrating to mark International Democracy Day.

"We are grateful to the security forces for helping to speed up our actions for independence. Altogether twelve people were arrested in the heart of Jayapura, nine were arrested in Ekspo and in Sentani as many as 159 people were arrested as well as three others in Waena and in Nabire. Fourteen people were arrested in Sorong and others elsewhere. This means that altogether as many as 249 people have been arrested."

Meanwhile, deputy co-ordinator, Tony Kobak in a speech he delivered in Jayapura said that there were no grounds for the police to prohibit the demonstrations held to mark International Democracy Day. Nor did the police have any grounds for rejecting our request to hold a demonstration, he said.

"We have never done anything to disrupt law and order yet even so, the police refused our request. They are guilty of violating the principles upon which this International Day is founded. International Democracy Day is being celebrated all over the world," said Tony Kobak.

"And moreover, the Indonesian state and its government have done nothing to put an end to human rights violations which continue to occur in West Papua to this very day. Even though they say nothing, our ideas are inspiring people to struggle for an independent Papua and for the right to self- determination."

The chief of police confirmed that actions for International Democracy Day have been happening in many parts of West Papua, adding that the situation in the territory was "conducive".

A number of activists have been arrested and are undergoing interrogation for allegedly disturbing law and order when they held their demonstrations.

Human rights defend Matius Murib said in an interview with Bintang Papua said that demonstrators in the city of Jayapura and the environs were attacked by the police before they started their march. Their banners were confiscated, while the general public were able to continue with their everyday activities as normal.

Demonstrations in many places such as Timika, Sorong, Wamena and Manokwari were heavily guarded by the police. Murib said that he hoped that the dispersal of demonstrators would persuade the KNPB to consider replacing their activities with something more acceptable to the rest of the community.

"As we mark International Democracy Day, let us hope that the principle of democracy can be built in ways that accord with customary beliefs and with religion, as a way of spreading the princples of justice and freedom to all people without discrimination."

[Translated by TAPOL.]

West Papuan political situation 'on the map' after flotilla mission

Pacific Scoop - September 17, 2013

Daniel Drageset – The West Papua Freedom Flotilla has arrived back in Gove in the Northern Territory of Australia, describing their attempt to get the attention of the region's Indonesian masters and the world's media, a success.

"We really hope and really feel that this campaign has helped to put West Papua on the map and in people's consciousness and hopefully in the consciousness of Australian politicians and Australian people as well," spokesperson of the Freedom Flotilla, Izzy Brown, told Radio Australia's Campbell Cooney.

The flotilla's flagship The Pog decided on Friday to not attempt entering the West Papuan port city of Merauke as they had received threats the Indonesian military would "take measures" against them.

The flotilla tried on several occasions to get in contact with the Indonesian authorities so that they could enter Merauke, but was unsuccessful.

However, the Freedom Flotilla hailed its mission as a success after two tiny boats managed to evade the military and get to shore in West Papua to hold a cultural ceremony where sacred water and ashes were presented to West Papuan leaders.

The Flotilla was led by a group of senior indigenous Australians, and began its trip by road from Lake Eyre in Central Australia to Cairns, then by boat to West Papua.

Its purpose was to raise awareness of ongoing human rights abuses in the Indonesian-ruled region of West Papua. That purpose put them at odds with the Australian government, which told the group personally if they were arrested they would not be given any consular assistance. 'Nerve racking'

Because of mechanical problems, only one of the flotilla's three boats, The Pog, attempted the crossing from Thursday Island in northern Queensland to Merauke in West Papua.

Izzy Brown was on board The Pog as it crossed into Indonesian waters at around midnight on Thursday.

"There was just me and Amos on watch. There was quite a few lights. We weren't sure if they were fishing boats or if they were military, so it was a little nerve racking. By the light of day, it was definitely a lot less stressful. We couldn't see any military presence," she said.

Brown told the flotilla made several attempts to contact Indonesian military representatives located both in Merauke and Jakarta, but when they got through, the Indonesians hung up the phone.

"The Indonesian government and military refused not only our calls to dialogue, but also refuses to sit down for dialogue with West Papuans and find resolution for the issue of West Papua's right to self-determination," Izzy Brown, who was also the co-founder of the flotilla, said, according to the flotilla website.

"We didn't want to sail into a violent confrontation with warships, our mission was to bring the sacred water and ashes as an offering of solidarity with the indigenous people of West Papua, and to bring attention to their struggle, which against all odds we managed to achieve," she added.

Nevertheless, the flotilla may have managed to deliver their message to both Indonesian authorities and the people of West Papua.

"Once we were across the border, we launched a small dinghy with a sail and a tracker and messages for the Indonesian government as well messages for people in Merauke and sent that in their direction," Brown told Radio Australia.

Secret mission

While both the media and the Indonesian military were focusing on the progress of The Pog, Brown and the other flotilla members devised a plan to reach land by evading the military using two other boats that no one were following.

"A few of us went on a secret mission to another area near the PNG and West Papuan border and met with leaders from the West Papuan movement."

There, the flotilla members performed the cultural ceremony, and awarded the West Papuan leaders with sacred water and ashes.

Brown said she was pleased to see the media coverage the flotilla received. "We're really happy to know we did receive global media coverage. "We also received attention on our website from around the world and we're being followed by hundreds of thousands of people," she said.

West Papuan celebrations

Meanwhile, there have been celebrations several places in West Papua in support of the Freedom Flotilla.

In Merauke, a planned community event which was to be attended by 17 tribes from around the region was stymied by authorities, according to the flotilla website.

The head of police and five intelligence officers delivered a letter to one of the organisers prohibiting any ceremonies for the reception of the Freedom Flotilla. Police and intelligence officers stationed themselves around the house of the organiser, preventing it from taking place.

In the town of Fak Fak, an estimated 400-600 people undertook a long march to highlight ongoing human rights abuses against the people of West Papua.

The arrival of the sacred water and ashes, was also celebrated in the town of Manokwari with traditional dances and prayer.

Continued efforts

Brown said the campaign to highlight the political situation in West Papua was not over.

"We're going to continue to try and find support for political prisoners in West Papua. We'll be running a campaign to support those who were arrested at the prayer and welcoming ceremony in Sorong and we're going to do more fundraising and campaigning to yeah get the word out about the situation there and keep a close eye on what's happening inside West Papua," she said.

On August 28, four West Papuan community leaders in Sorong were arrested for treason after they attended a church meeting with prayer and support for the West Papua Freedom Flotilla.

Brown said there are many demonstrations in West Papua "in terms of people rising up and fighting for independence". "So we're going to keep a close eye on that and use the attention that we now have to the flotilla to focus that back on what's happening inside West Papua."

Tear gas used against demonstrators

Tabloid JUBI - September 16, 2013

Jayapura – Dozens of people taking part in peaceful actions organised by the KNPB to mark International Democracy Day were forced to retreat by the security forces who sprayed them with tear gas.

"We gave the KNPB five minutes to disperse their members because we had not granted permission for the demonstrations to take place,' a police spokesman told Jubi.

Although they had been given five minutes to disperse, the KNPB decided to proceed with their action. When the police realised that the hundreds of demonstrators were refusing to disperse, they forcibly seized the means of transport from demonstrators who seemed to be getting confused. This was when the police fired tear gas pellets in an attempt to take control of the situation which was becoming very heated.

"We were forced to use tear gas because they had begun to throw things to us." After a while, the KNPB demonstrators were forced to retreat because of the tear gas.

After attacking the demonstrators with tear gas, five KNPB members were arrested by the police.

"We were holding a demonstration to mark International Democracy Day but nevertheless we were dispersed by the police and dozens of our members were arrested as they were marching towards their meeting place from three directions", said Wim Rocky Medlama.

[Translated by TAPOL.]

Police generals implicated in Papua scandal

Jakarta Post - September 16, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – An investigation by the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) has found that a Papua Police officer paid bribes to 33 police officials, including the Papua Police chief.

It is alleged that Adj. First Insp. Labora Sitorus had paid the bribes, totalling Rp 10.95 billion (US$959,684), to protect his illegal logging and fuel-smuggling businesses.

IPW chairperson Neta S. Pane said on Sunday that Labora had wired and personally handed the money to officials at the Papua Police and the National Police between January 2012 and March 2013.

"He transferred funds to National Police officials in the water police division, Samapta [rapid response unit], Serse [criminal investigations directorate] and Propam [internal affairs division]," Neta said on Sunday.

"He also bribed a number of Papua Police officials, ranging from police precinct chiefs to the Papua Police chief."

IPW data shows that Labora paid bribes to the Papua Police chief five times, through money transfer or handing it directly to him or through his aide. "One time, he gave Rp 200 million to the Raja Ampat Police chief, who was then asked to transfer it to the Papua Police chief," Neta said.

Neta, however, declined to confirm whether the Papua Police chief was Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, whose tenure started in September 2012. Tito replaced his predecessor Insp. Gen. Bigman Lumban Tobing after serving as deputy chairman of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT). "We are still processing data to confirm whether Tito was among the beneficiaries," he said.

The graft case involving Labora, a low-ranking officer stationed at West Papua's resort island of Raja Ampat, came to light in May following a disclosure by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) stating that he was linked to bank transactions totaling Rp 1 trillion between 2007 and 2012.

The Papua Police promptly investigated the disclosure by PPATK and found that Labora and his family controlled companies that illegally traded timber and subsidized fuel.

The Papua Police, in coordination with the National Police criminal investigations directorate, is expected to charge Labora under the 1999 Forestry Law as well as the Oil and Gas Law and the Money Laundering Law. Labora is expected to face trial soon as the Papua Police have completed his case dossiers.

Separately, chief of the National Police special economic crimes division Brig. Gen. Arief Sulistyo, said he doubted that high-ranking officials – particularly Tito – had ever received illicit funds from Labora.

"According to our investigation, there were no money transfers totaling Rp 10 billion from Labora's bank accounts. Yes, we found that Labora had given a meager amount of money to an officer, but no high-ranking ones. And, the force has taken disciplinary action against him," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Shortly after the Labora case made headlines, Tito dismissed Raja Ampat Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Taufik Irfan and blamed him for failing to track Labora's illicit businesses.

Arief also urged the IPW to hand over findings from the probe to the police. "Neta should assist efforts by the law enforcement agencies by sharing the new evidence. This [sharing the findings only to the media] gives the Papua Police chief a bad name. He had put so much effort into the investigation," he said.

Meanwhile, National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie reiterated the force's commitment to prosecuting officers involved in the graft case.

"If our investigation gets enough evidence [about the officers' involvement], we will bring them to justice. Don't use baseless allegations to smear those who are innocent," he said.

In Papua, working together to prosper

Jakarta Post - September 16, 2013

Hyginus Hardoyo, Boven Digoel, Papua – In Ogenetan, a tiny village located in Iniyandit, one of the more remote districts of Boven Digoel regency in Papua, residents recently donned their best traditional attire to welcome several guests from Jakarta.

Some, including several children, had painted their bodies black and white with makeup and danced to songs and chants as soon as the guests exited their cars. A group of women also started to dance at the other end, in front of the main building of the kampung, which is located deep in the rainforest near Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea.

As a group of young men started to play music using guitars and a plastic water drums, girls sashaying in grass skirts invited the guests to pass through.

"This is our way to give guests a warm welcome," Yan Karowa, the local district head, said. "The dances and songs show our hospitality to anybody who is willing to come here." Everybody was happy whenever guests visited the kampung, he said.

Ogenetan is inhabited by 57 families comprising 306 people, who rely principally on rubber farming, introduced to Papua in the early 1970s by Christian missionaries, as their main source of income.

Nearly every resident of the kampong was on hand at the hall, which houses the Nonggup Cooperative that they established.

People wanted to watch as the cooperative's representatives stake a deal with PT Montelo, a private company. About one-and-a-half tons of good- quality rubber sheets were bought by the company for about Rp 15,000 (US$1.33) a kilogram, described as a fair price given current conditions.

Several years ago, the local residents sold their rubber production rights to middlemen for very low prices. Many had been in deep in debt, often to the very people to whom they sold out. Sadly, the residents bartered away their rubber for basic foodstuffs, such as rice or instant noodles.

Living in isolation about 350 kilometers south of Jayapura, those who live in Ogenetan find that economic development comes very slowly.

Basic foodstuffs were previously exorbitantly expensive. Residents had to venture to places such as Tanah Merah, the capital of Boven Digoel, about five hours away. The journey had to be made by foot; the roads were almost impassable.

The hardships drove Yan Karowa and Riswanto from the NGO Wahana Visi Indonesia to establish the Nonggup Cooperative. "How can local people enjoy the fruits of their labor if they are burdened with huge debts and are unfavorably dependent on middlemen?" Riswanto said.

The local residents were at first reluctant to found a cooperative, due to previous failures, when money collected from the members was misused or taken away. However, through the work of the NGO, local residents became aware of how a well-organized and transparent cooperative could help the community.

The cooperative was established in 2009 with just 29 people who pitched in Rp 8 million for its operating capital. Through the cooperative, the local residents reached an agreement with PT Montelo to sell the rubber sheets.

Realizing that a cooperative could work and generate profits, members of the kampung joined the cooperative in increasing numbers. Currently, more than 130 people from Ogenetan have signed up and representative offices have been opened in the neighboring districts of Mindiptana and Arimop.

"The establishment of the cooperative enables us to easily communicate on the need to improve quality of rubber production from here," Widia from PT Montelo said. With total annual turnover of over Rp 300 million, a shop was opened under the supervision of the cooperative, providing affordable basic necessities and other agricultural produce to members. The shop is managed by Maria Wometa.

The mother of six says that business has been so good that she has been able to send one of her kids to study at a university in Merauke.

Bruno Etmop, the head of the cooperative, said that the cooperative booked a net profit of about Rp 23 million in its first year. By the third year, members were able to share a annual dividend of Rp 7 million.

Aloysius Bayub, a cooperative member, said he earned an average of Rp 1.5 million a month from the sheets made from sap from his 1.5-hectare rubber plantation. "It is enough to support my daily expenses, including paying the tuition fees for my youngest child at elementary school," said Bayub, the father of three, whose wife has just died due to illnesses.

Bruno said that the cooperative's rapid growth could not be separated from the discipline of its members in playing by the established rules. "Each member of the cooperative who has debts has understood that the debt must be repaid in installments, together with interest."

The money collected from the members was deposited in a BPR rural bank, whose officers came to Ogenetan once a month.

Backed by skilled assistants with a basic knowledge of management, Bruno said that he was confident that the cooperative could expand even further.

However small, this joint effort has contributed greatly to the local residents. A spirit for advancement has arisen from Papua, one of the most disadvantaged provinces in Indonesia.

Human rights & justice

Forgive and move on, say widows of Westerling's victims

Jakarta Post - September 16, 2013

Jakarta – Following the official Dutch apology for a series of mass killings carried out by its colonial troops between 1945 and 1949, widows and relatives of those who were summarily executed in South Sulawesi say they can forgive and move on.

Andi Hartati, a 60-year-old local public figure and neighbor of seven of 10 victims' widows living in Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi, said that most of the widows had accepted the Dutch official apology.

"I have forgiven the Netherlands because Islam teaches me to forgive those who sincerely apologize for their mistakes. However, I also want the Dutch government to acknowledge our Independence Day on Aug. 17, 1945," she quoted one of the widows, Andi Aisyah, as saying.

Nurtati, a daughter of another victim's widow Sitti Sulaeha, said that her mother did not expect much from the Dutch government other than an apology.

"My first husband was shot dead by Dutch troops during the Westerling tragedy, but I know that anger cannot bring my husband back. I have forgiven the Dutch troops," she said her 85-year-old mother had told her.

Nurtati, who works as a civil servant in Makassar, admitted that she herself did not have any personal connection to the so-called Westerling tragedy as she was born long after the period when the mass killings occurred.

She said that she was her mother's fifth child by her second husband. The only son from her mother's first marriage was already dead. "I personally welcome the Dutch government's actions in apologizing for what they have done in the past and I want to move forward," said Nurtati, who is now 40- years-old.

Early last year, the Committee for Dutch Honor Debts (KUKB) and an Amsterdam-based lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld, filed a lawsuit against the state of the Netherlands on behalf of 10 victims' widows, including Aisyah and Sulaeha.

The case related to a series of mass killings in South Sulawesi between Dec. 1946 and Feb. 1947 during military operations by Dutch troops under the command of Captain Raymond Westerling while Indonesia was still under Dutch rule. Most Dutch media outlets have reported that between 3,000 and 5,000 people perished in the massacres, but Zegveld said the death toll was probably nearer 40,000.

After a relentless struggle by the KUKB and Zegveld, the court eventually decided to grant the lawsuit and ordered the Dutch government to apologize for the massacres and pay $20,000 (US$26,560) as compensation to each of the widows.

Hartati confirmed that the seven widows who lived in Bulukumba had received the compensation and that how they spent the money would be up to them. "We [Bulukumba people] believe that the money belongs to the widows by right. We will not interfere in how the money is spent," she said.

Nurtati also confirmed that her mother had received the money a week before the Dutch government made its official apology last Thursday. "I myself do not know what the money will be used for, but almost certainly, it will be used to fulfill my mother's daily needs and medication," she said. (koi)

Labour & migrant workers

Hike in labor wage no higher than 20 percent

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – After some inconsistencies, the government made it clear on Thursday that it will not cap minimum wage increase in the presidential instruction that will serve as a reference for local administrations.

Industry Ministry MS Hidayat said even though there is no limitation, the government will ensure the wage increase next year will be no higher than 20 percent.

In the presidential instruction draft, the minimum wage will be based on the basic cost of living (KHL) and economic growth, plus an additional element – the labor productivity.

"Ideally, the wage increase should be followed by a boost in productivity. To measure this, we will engage the Central Statistics Agency [BPS] to carry out a survey," Hidayat said during a hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening.

Regarding some local administrations that have increased labor wages to a level higher than the KHL, Hidayat said the government will set a bipartite talk with employers and employees to discuss the matter.

"There will be different wage increases in labor-intensive and non labor- intensive industries in regions with wages lower than the KHL," he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) chairman Sofjan Wanandi agreed with the no-cap idea, saying there should be no cap on minimum wage increase as "economic conditions change over time".

Sofjan also called on everyone not to react to this issue considering that it is "still a presidential instruction draft". People need to wait and see if the presidential instruction will be signed or not. "The President can sign it anytime, days, months or years. So please be patient," he said by phone.

Contacted separately, Mudhofir from KSBSI also asked all groups to refrain from making provocative statements, saying the presidential instruction has not even been finalized. "It is best to wait and see whether the instruction will be signed by the President," he said.

He reiterated his unions' stance that the only procedure allowed under Indonesia law to set the minimum wage is through a mechanism mandated by Law no 13. of 2013 on manpower, which stipulates that wages are set by a regional wage council. "If the minimum wage is set by any other institution, we will reject it" said Mudhofir.

Under the Manpower Law, wages are set by regional wage councils through a tripartite mechanism that involves the government, the employers and the laborers. Each party needs to survey and assess a reasonable minimum wage for laborers with the hope to make a consensus. "The government must not break the law. We are certainly open for dialogue to discuss solutions," he added.

Earlier reported, Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar had retracted his claim that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had signed a presidential instruction that will cap the increase on minimum wages for labor intensive industries, saying that the process was halted due to "some resistance".

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, admitted on Wednesday that the government needed time "to raise mutual understanding" that labor-intensive corporations needed "special treatment" when it comes to the minimum wage structure. (asw)

Manpower minister backs down on wage cap regulation

Jakarta Post - September 19, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – A minister has retracted his claim that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had signed a presidential instruction that will cap the increase on minimum wages for labor intensive industries, saying that the process was halted due to "some resistance".

Manpower and Transmigration Minister, Muhaimin Iskandar, admitted on Wednesday the instruction had not been signed yet, saying the government needed time "to raise mutual understanding" that labor-intensive corporations needed "special treatment" when it comes to the minimum wage structure.

"The new minimum wage regulation is needed to support the government's effort to avert further layoffs amid the current economic slowdown. However, all concerned parties, be it the businesspeople and labor unions, must first accept the government's reason [behind the new regulation]," Muhaimin, who is also the chairman of the National Awakening Party, said.

On Aug. 29, Muhaimin said the President signed a presidential instruction and that it could be used at the end of the year to determine next year's wage increase.

Under the new formula, the increase of labor-intensive minimum regional wages must not exceed the current inflation rate plus 5 percent, while overall business sectors outside the category would have to pay a wage increase based on an annual inflation rate plus 10 percent at the highest.

"Labor-intensive industries hire a massive number of workers while their capital and resources are limited," Muhaimin said. "At the end of the day, I am optimistic that all concerned parties will understand why such industries need to be treated differently than other kinds of big industries," Muhaimin said.

Despite the delay, the new formula will not change, the minister said. Muhaimin acknowledged the delay could pose negativity to labor-intensive corporation which had already been encouraged after his "false" announcement. "It would be better for us to be patient, rather than rush, as it may result in misunderstanding," he said.

The proposed wage increase regulation has received wide opposition from the country's labor unions, which usually demanded more than a 20 percent increase. The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Union (KSPI), for example, expressed their intention to urge a 50 percent wage rise next year. Muhaimin acknowledged the workers' protests had contributed to the government's decision not to sign the new regulation immediately.

Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) chairman Sofjan Wanandi said that he had not heard about the cancellation of the Presidential instruction, which would set a new structure in determining the increase in the minimum wages for labor-intensive industries.

"Three ministers already signed it. The Presidential instruction for implementation of the new minimum wage formula is currently being prepared by the State Secretariat," Sofjan said in a text message, referring to the latest information he obtained from Industry Minister, MS Hidayat.

Sofjan earlier said that a new wage increase mechanism would help reduce uncertainties in the annual wage increase process. But, he said he was worried that the regional administration, which has the final say, would not accept the formula.

Workers protest low wages, outsourcing

Jakarta Post - September 16, 2013

Jakarta – Around 15,000 workers from the Congress Alliance of Indonesian Labor Unions (KASBI) took to the streets across Jakarta on Monday, urging the government to immediately implement appropriate minimum wage for workers.

The rally started in front of the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Central Jakarta at around 9 a.m., from which the workers then marched to the State Palace. "Thousands of workers have come together at the HI traffic circle," said KASBI chairwoman Nining Elitos in Jakarta on Monday, as quoted by tempo.co.

According to Nining, the workers were not only from Greater Jakarta but also from several cities around the capital, such as Bandung, Cirebon, Indramayu, Karawang and Subang, with some coming as far from South Sumatra.

Nining said today's rally was a continuation of their previous mass protests. The workers urged the government to quickly respond to wage-hike demands. "We also ask the government to realize its promise to ban outsourcing," said Nining.

She said the implementation of an appropriate minimum wage was needed ensure all workers across the country had a proper income.

All this time, Nining said, all efforts to improve the minimum wage standard were still focused in Jakarta and its surrounding areas. Nining also said the implementation of an appropriate minimum wage would also minimize conflict between workers and their employers.

The Jakarta administration set a minimum wage of Rp 2.2 million (US$193), the highest among the country's provinces, which range between Rp 850,000 and Rp 1.7 million. (hrl/ebf)

Political parties & elections

Broadcasting watchdog sanctions TVRI over Democratic Party coverage

Jakarta Globe - September 21, 2013

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has reprimanded state-run TV station TVRI for its broadcast of a 2.5-hour meeting of the Democratic Party, calling the report "imbalanced."

"TVRI has said it is an election channel, but it shouldn't have done that," KPI commissioner S. Rahmat Arifin said in Jakarta on Friday, according to Indonesian news portal tribunnews.com.

The broadcaster aired the convention on Sunday evening (Sept. 15). The 11 participants included Gita Wirjawan, who tendered his resignation as trade minister to the president yesterday, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan and outgoing Indonesian Ambassador to the US, Dino Patti Djalal.

The KPI said the fact that TVRI did not edit the package, instead electing to run the convention for its entire 2.5-hour duration, spoke to a violation of journalistic principles governing balance.

"Based on this, the KPI is handing down an administrative sanction to reprimand TVRI," Rahmat said. "The KPI asks that TVRI makes a statement letter that it will give other political parties the same [platform for media coverage]."

The KPI hoped the warning for TVRI would deter other broadcasters from giving parties disproportionate levels of coverage.

With Joko's stock rising, few see 2014 front-runner abandoning his party

Jakarta Globe - September 20, 2013

Carlos Paath – Any talk of Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo joining another party's presidential ticket in 2014 is groundless because of the hugely popular official's strong loyalty to the country's main opposition party, analysts said on Thursday.

Arya Fernandes, an analyst from Charta Politika, a think tank, said the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) was fully aware of Joko's potential. "The PDI-P has the biggest chance to nominate [Joko] as a presidential candidate and therefore you cannot separate Joko from the PDI-P," he said.

Adjie Alfaraby, a researcher from the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI), said that if Joko ran as a presidential candidate for another party, his electability would not be as high as if he was running for his native PDI- P.

"I think Joko is a loyal politician with political ethics. It's also clear that he is not the type to carry ou t underhanded political maneuvers. He respects the processes in his party," Adjie said.

"I think it would be difficult for Joko to run as a presidential candidate for another party without the PDI-P's approval." He added that Joko would still have a chance to win, though not as big as if he was on the PDI-P's ticket.

Adjie said the PDI-P faced a dilemma over whether to nominate Joko, a relatively new figure in the party, or give the nod to Megawati Sukarnoputri, its longtime chairwoman and two-time presidential candidate. "All the decisions lie in Megawati's hands," Adjie said.

Lucius Karus, from the election watchdog Concerned Citizens for the Indonesian Legislature (Formappi), said the public was able to see through various political parties' attempts to poach Joko as their presidential or vice presidential candidate. He also said the attempts were unlikely to succeed.

"It's difficult to change the public's perspective about Joko being a PDI-P member. He's not the kind to jump ship just to gain power," Lucius said.

Several other parties, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and the Golkar Party, have expressed interest in getting Joko to run as their presidential or vice presidential candidate for the 2014 election. For his part, Joko has insisted that he will stick with the PDI-P, even if it does not give him the ticket next year.

Adjie argued that the PDI-P would lose the momentum engendered by Joko's soaring popularity, dubbed the "Jokowi effect," if it left its nomination announcement too late.

He said the PDI-P would not be able to harness the full effect if it decided to declare its ticket after the legislative election in April. The presidential election is in July. "Jokowi is the factor that contributed to PDI-P's [high] electability," said.

Said Salahuddin, from the group Public Synergy for Indonesian Democracy (Sigma), said the PDI-P could be popular with voters for two reasons: First, because the public is not happy with the ruling party – a position that the PDI-P benefits from by standing as the opposition.

And second, through its association with Joko, who consistently tops opinion polls of possible presidential candidates. "So it's natural to see other parties keen on forming a coalition with the PDI-P," Said said.

Siti Zuhro, an analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the PDI-P and Joko could secure victory in the 2014 legislative and presidential elections if they are able to maintain the current political climate.

"The latest signs show that Megawati will respond to the public's wishes by allowing Joko to run. [She] has shown her closeness to Jokowi on several occasions," Siti said.

"These signs can be translated as a warning to other political parties not to try to take him away from the PDI-P," she added, noting that Joko would also boost the electability of the PDI-P in the legislative election.

Ramadhan Pohan, a Democratic Party deputy secretary general, said it was too early to judge Joko's desirability as a candidate and that he still had to prove himself as a governor.

"We don't know if the Jokowi phenomenon is just temporary. It would be a mistake if political parties nominated him in the presidential election based on this phenomenon," he said.

But Ramadhan said that the Democrats were open to the possibility of forming a coalition with the PDI-P for the presidential election. "Wouldn't it be good if the Democrats and the PDI-P formed a coalition if both are going to be strong in the 2014 general elections?" he said on Thursday.

Several political parties have not ruled out the possibility of forming a coalition with the PDI-P or just with Joko. However, most parties agreed they would make their final decision after the legislative election.

Ramadhan said that if the Democrats and the PDI-P formed a coalition, the Democrats would not try to dictate who to nominate as a presidential candidate. "The PDI-P can have its say. We're not going to depend on Joko," he said.

However, Ramadhan also said that it was still a long way to go before the legislative and presidential elections. "At the moment, we still haven't decided about a coalition with other parties. It all depends on the outcome of the legislative election," he said.

Fadli Zon, a deputy chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), acknowledged that Joko was a hard-working figure loved by the public and that his performance as a governor was on the right track.

He said that Gerindra would not rule out the possibility of asking Joko to run as a vice presidential candidate alongside the party's chief patron, Prabowo Subianto, but added that such a decision would be made after the legislative election.

Patrice Rio Capella, the secretary general of the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), said that as a new party in the political scene, Nasdem was open to various possibilities, including a coalition with the PDI-P or Joko.

"All possibilities are there, but everything will depend on the result of the 2014 legislative election. We are not ruling out any possibility," he said.

However, senior PDI-P politician Sabam Sirait said the party wanted to nominate its own presidential and vice presidential candidates without forming a coalition, and had therefore set a target of winning 27.2 percent of votes in the legislative election.

To be eligible to nominate a presidential candidate, a party or coalition must win at least 25 percent of votes in the legislative election or hold 20 percent of seats at the House of Representatives. Polls suggest no parties will meet the threshold.

Anas mass organization divides Democrats

Jakarta Globe - September 18, 2013

Ezra Sihite & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Despite being ousted as the Democratic Party's chairman over his involvement in a high-profile corruption scandal, Anas Urbaningrum is continuing to cause trouble for the beleaguered party.

Following the opening of Anas's new mass organization Pergerakan Indonesia (Indonesia Movement), Syarief Hasan, the Democratic Party's managing chairman, said on Tuesday that any party member attending the inauguration would be considered disloyal and "in violation" of the party.

I Gede Pasek Suardika, a Democratic Party member who was present at the inauguration, learned this the hard way – he was replaced on Wednesday as the head of the House of Representatives Commission III on legal affairs by Ruhut Sitompul.

"I reprimanded him [Pasek] harshly yesterday, and he must accept any sanctions imposed on him," Democratic Party faction head at the House of Representatives Nurhayati Ali Assegaf said on Wednesday.

She said as a Democratic representative, Pasek should not have attended the declaration of Pergerakan Indonesia because it could have riled President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the party's current chairman.

"We want members to appreciate the party since [Yudhoyono] was asked by members to be the chairman. You shouldn't betray your own people," she said.

Nurhayati added that Pasek's action could result in his expulsion from the party. "It's a logical consequence, and I believe Pasek considered that before he decided to attend [Anas's] declaration," she said.

Saan Mustafa, the secretary of the Democratic Party faction at the house, was replaced by Teuku Riefly Harsya.

Mirwan Amir, the party's former vice treasurer and the former chairman of the House's budget committee, said that the party's ban on attending the mass organization's inauguration was excessive and unnecessary. "It's like attending a wedding party – I don't think the party has any reason to tell me that I can't go," he said.

Mirwan said that the Democrats' leaders should have realized that, as the party's former chairman, Anas still had close connections with many of the party faithful.

Anas, who has been named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in the Hambalang sports center graft case, said that Pergerakan Indonesia's headquarters would be located at his private residence in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta.

Aburizal's presidential candidacy safe, for now

Jakarta Post - September 18, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – In the midst of a rebellion by rival politicians hoping to foil the presidential bid of Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, the party's leadership maintains that it will press ahead with the plan to nominate Aburizal despite his low approval rating.

Golkar Party secretary-general Idrus Marham said that Aburizal's nomination was final and he called on party members to respect the decision.

Aburizal, once one of the country's richest men, was named the party's presidential candidate in July last year, and reportedly spent a huge sum to improve his standing in public opinion polls.

Idrus also verbally attacked the party's advisory board chairman, Akbar Tandjung, who had repeatedly called on party members to reconsider Aburizal's candidacy. "The job of the advisory board is to advise the party, not to express an opinion in public," Idrus said in a press conference on Tuesday.

He said that the party's central board would strive to defend Aburizal's candidacy. "We will fight anyone who opposes the decision," Idrus said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Akbar made a statement that could be interpreted as a call to reconsider Aburizal's candidacy. "Who says that Ical's [nomination] is non-negotiable?" Akbar told reporters. "There's no such things as a fixed decision in politics. In politics, changes can always happen," he said.

Late last month, Akbar said party members at the regional and local levels had called for an alternative candidate for the 2014 presidential election. Akbar said that party members wanted him to convey the message in a national executives' meeting scheduled for October.

Akbar also suggested that Golkar hold another convention to democratically elect its presidential candidate. He also advised Golkar leaders to keep an eye on the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), which he said could be Golkar's strongest rival in 2014 general election.

Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, a member of the PDI-P, is seen as a strong contender if he runs in the 2014 presidential election, outdoing Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) chief patron Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto. Aburizal's electability rating, meanwhile, remains in the single digits.

One major stumbling block against Aburizal's electability is the Lapindo mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, which was allegedly caused by a drilling project operated 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. Contacted separately, Golkar deputy secretary-general Nurul Arifin shrugged off suggestions that there was a rift within the party.

"What happened today is that Pak Akbar once again repeated what he has been saying. It's as if he wants to prod party members into preparing themselves more for the election," she said. "There is no rift. Ical remains our presidential candidate."

Nurul also made no comment, but consolidation would take place at next month's national party meeting.

Political expert Arie Sudjito said it would be difficult for Golkar to find candidates besides Aburizal as he was a Golkar benefactor. The situation has put Golkar in a conundrum.

"As the main benefactor, he will not let somebody from outside the party be nominated as its presidential candidate, but at the same time, the party has no alternative figure," Arie said.

'We groomed Jokowi': Gerindra

Jakarta Post - September 16, 2013

Jakarta – The leadership of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party has said that it is not perturbed by the growing popularity of Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Gerindra Deputy Chairman Edhy Prabowo claimed that Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, the party's chief patron, could easily outdo Jokowi in next year's presidential election. Edhy said that Jokowi was in fact Prabowo's pupil.

"If Jokowi is doing great right now it is because of Prabowo. He was the teacher. If he [Jokowi] is a star student, there must be a great teacher behind him," Edhy said as quoted by kompas.com over the weekend.

He also said that neither Gerindra nor Prabowo had any regrets about bringing Jokowi to Jakarta and supporting him in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

"It was not a wrong decision. No other parties wanted to support him, including the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle," Edhy said.

Environment & natural disasters

How mercury poisons gold miners, water in Indonesia

BBC News - September 19, 2013

Linda Pressly – About 15% of the world's gold is produced by artisanal and small-scale miners, most of whom use mercury to extract it from the earth. In Indonesia, the industry supports some three million people – but the miners risk poisoning themselves, their children and the land.

Fahrul Raji, a man in his early 30s, is not feeling well. At the health centre in Kereng Pangi, a town in Central Kalimantan surrounded by goldfields, he explains his symptoms. "I often have a headache, and I am weak. I have a bitter taste in my mouth."

According to Dr Stephan Bose-O Reilly, who is examining him, Fahrul is being slowly poisoned by mercury.

"Fahrul's been working with mercury for many years, and he's showing the typical symptoms of mercury intoxication," says Bose-O Reilly, a German medic who began studying the impact of mercury on Indonesians health a decade ago. "He also has a tremor and a co-ordination problem."

Although mercury use in small-scale gold mining in Indonesia is illegal, miners still use it to extract gold from the rock or soil.

Fahrul isn't a miner, but he has a gold shop in Kereng Pangi. Every day miners bring him the fruits of their labour – usually a pea-sized piece of amalgam that is mercury mixed with gold.

Fahrul burns it, and the mercury evaporates leaving the gold behind. But the fumes are highly toxic, which is why smelters like Fahrul often show more severe signs of mercury poisoning than miners who use it in the field.

"Mercury is a neuro-toxin," Bose-O Reilly explains. "It affects the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that helps you move properly, and co-ordinate your movements. Mercury also harms the kidneys and other organs, but the neurological damage it does is irreversible."

Fahrul's gold shop is on the main street of Kereng Pangi. He sits behind a wooden counter, his blow torch behind him, waiting for business. At the end of the day, the miners arrive with their pieces of amalgam ready for smelting. Fahrul says he's worried about the impact of mercury on his health, but he has no intention of changing his job.

"This is a family business that's been handed down to me. My father was also a gold buyer. And he's about 65 now, and still looks healthy."

Even though he has symptoms, Fahrul has convinced himself that the risk he runs is small. And that is the problem with mercury – its effects are not dramatic enough, in the short term, to act as a viable deterrent.

The worst case of mass mercury poisoning the world has ever seen happened in Japan in the first half of the 20th Century.

Symptoms appeared only gradually in the fishing village of Minamata. At first, nobody could explain why people began to slur their speech, or stumbled when they walked. They would have trouble swallowing, or tremble uncontrollably. Children were born with disabilities. Thousands would die with what became known as Minamata Disease.

But it took 30 years – until the 1960s – to identify the cause of the suffering: a local plastics factory that was dumping mercury into the bay. The mercury was contaminating fish, the staple food of the local population.

If Fahrul continues to smelt mercury in his gold shop, and inhale the poisonous fumes, it is likely his symptoms will get worse. Bose-O Reilly says his urine contains 697 micrograms of mercury per litre – far more than usual. "This is incredibly high," he says. "Most people would have one or two micrograms at most."

There are an estimated 10-15 million unregulated gold miners around the world, operating in 70 countries. Artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest source of mercury pollution in the world after the burning of fossil fuels.

And in Central Kalimantan the effects of this unregulated industry on the environment have been devastating. Around Kereng Pangi, the miners have cleared virgin forest once home to orang-utans and hornbills. What is left is a lunar-like landscape, its pools polluted with mercury.

"There are 60,000 hectares of denuded area that are completely pitted like this," explains Sumali Agrawal the technical director of YTS, a local NGO working to mitigate the impact of mercury.

"You can see it on Google Earth – a white patch in the middle of a green landscape. This was formerly tropical rainforest on a sand substrate. If you left it alone for 50 years, some vegetation would grow, but there would never be a diverse rainforest here again."

There are no large nuggets of gold to be mined around Kereng Pangi – only tiny particles of the precious metal are present in the tons of earth. Miners use mechanical sluices to trap the mud that is rich in gold. They mix this with mercury in buckets using their bare hands. Mercury is a persistent pollutant – it does not break down in the environment.

On the Indonesian island of Lombok, its potential for harm is multiplied because it is being used in conjunction with cyanide. "Together mercury and cyanide create double the problem in the environment," says Dr Dewi Krisnayanti, a soil scientist specialising in heavy metals at Lombok's Mataram University.

Cyanide helps to dissolve the mercury, and when the waste is spilled into paddy fields it binds with organic molecules in the environment, becoming methyl mercury. This is far more toxic – in Minamata it was methyl mercury that poisoned thousands of people.

Dewi has analysed samples of rice seeds and leaves from the paddy fields in the south-west of the island. The concentration of methyl mercury was the highest ever recorded in a laboratory – 115 parts per billion," she says. "I felt very sad when I saw the data, because methyl mercury can be absorbed by plants, get into the food chain and affect human health."

The same methods are used to recover gold in other Asian countries too, and these are also rice-eating nations. If the contamination of paddy fields was found to be widespread, it could be devastating.

Indonesian's Assistant Deputy Minister of the Environment, Halimah Syafrul, says controls on illegal imports of mercury are being tightened. And the government hopes the forthcoming ratification of the UN treaty on mercury – known as the Minamata Convention – will bring international assistance to help Indonesia's miners find alternatives to the use of mercury.

"There is pollution in the environment, pollution in the rivers, destruction in the mountainous areas and destruction of our protected forests. It's a similar situation in almost every province and we have 34 provinces in Indonesia," says Halimah, an environmental scientist by training.

Dr Rachmadi Purwana, professor of Public Health at the University of Indonesia is worried.

"The threat is there every day and it is escalating. We have to remember that in Japan a small place like Minamata shattered the whole world by revealing Minamata disease. In Indonesia, it's not only in one village, it's throughout the country. In nearly every province, there is small-scale gold mining."

And what is Rachmadi's fear if there is no action? "A national disaster."

April accused of 'greenwashing' with Riau conservation project

Jakarta Globe - September 17, 2013

Erwida Maulia & Jonathan Vit – Environmental groups accused Indonesia's second-largest pulp and paper company Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd. (April) of using a $17 million peatland restoration project in Riau's heavily degraded Kampar Peninsula to "greenwash" the continued cutting of old-growth forests on Tuesday.

The pulp company, a subsidiary of the Singapore-listed agribusiness RGE, partnered with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) to restore more than 20,000 hectares of damaged peatland in the Kampar Peninsula. The peninsula, once home to rich tropical forests, has been heavily depleted of natural tree cover by pulp and palm oil companies.

The project, dubbed Riau Ecosystem Restoration (RER), will create a conservation area where work can be done to restore the region's peatland while cataloging and preserving the existing flora and fauna, the company said.

"We are pleased that the project is coming into clear focus," said Bey Soo Khiang, head of April and founder of RER. "From this point forward, we anticipate steady progress toward our goal of reviving the land and protecting it for future generations."

This recent push for peatland restoration caught the attention of the Pekanbaru-based Forest Rescue Network Riau (Jikalahari), a watchdog group focused on deforestation and land issues in the once-forest rich province.

Jikalahari accused April of greenwashing efforts to continue the clearing of old-growth forest in Riau by subsidiary Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), including the cutting of forests in a disputed concession on the peat-heavy Padang Island.

"What we see is that this is no more than greenwashing as they are still cutting trees elsewhere, such as Pulau Padang," Jikalahari coordinator Muslim Rasyid said. "We know RAPP's track record of wood exploitation. Suddenly they're [now] changing the direction of their business to restoration?"

More than half the wood processed by RAPP's massive pulp mill in Riau has historically come from existing tropical forests, according to estimates by numerous environmental and forestry groups. According to Greenpeace, the company announced plans to convert an additional 60,000 hectares of existing forest into pulp and paper last year.

Jikalahari questioned the Ministry of Forestry's quick response to April's application to restore the peatlands. Several similar projects proposed by other organizations were declined or remained in limbo, Muslim said.

"[We] question the ministry's fast response to RAPP's application for the restoration project when applications from many other companies have been abandoned," he said. "I'm sure [RAPP] will have two or three other [restoration] projects after this."

Indonesia's Forestry Ministry, the body tasked with both protecting and developing the nation's shrinking rainforests, awarded the project a 60- year license in May.

"This ecosystem license granted by the ministry is significant as it is the first to be granted to an organization with a collaborative structure involving the private sector and civil society groups," Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said in the company's press release.

"I see this collaborative model working for a common purpose as an innovative boost to the government's efforts to ensure a balance in responsible forest industry development with conservation of important forest areas."

The project's website championed April as a "pioneer in implementing sustainability practices in the pulp and paper industry in Indonesia."

The description is a stark departure from environmental groups' assessments, which once called the company one of "Indonesia's, and perhaps the world's, most destructive corporations."

While pulp and paper giant Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) recently made a commitment to sustainable pulping practices, April has gone the other way, opting for less external oversight in its operations. The company pulled out of the Forest Stewardship Council in June, ending a period of oversight by the coalition of environmental organizations. April said it ended the relationship over concerns with the council's certification program, but environmental groups suspected other motives.

"Before an NGO-initiated FSC complaint process even had an opportunity to begin to investigate April's deforestation practices, the company had effectively walked out on the FSC's certification scheme," Bustar Maitar, head of Indonesia Forest Campaign for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, wrote in a scathing blog post shortly after the announcement. "Seemingly, April did not want to risk the scrutiny of FSC's Policy for Association complaints process."

The latest allegations of greenwashing came on the heels of a highly publicized dispute between the forest minister and celebrity activist Harrison Ford. The Hollywood star came under fire after Zulkifli accused Ford of "attacking" with questions about the ministry's patchy track record with curbing illegal logging.

Ford, who was in Indonesia making a Showtime documentary on climate change called "Years of Living Dangerously," was then threatened in the press with deportation despite pre-existing plans to leave the country.

"There's no privilege for him although he is a great a actor," presidential adviser Andi Arief told Agence France-Presse. "His crew and those who were helping him in Indonesia must be questioned to find out their motives for harassing a state institution. "If necessary, we will deport him."

Indonesia's rain forests have disappeared at an alarming rate as agribusiness companies ramped up operations to meet the demands of China's commodity boom. More than 4 million hectares of forested land have vanished in Riau since 1982 as the province booked the fastest rate of deforestation in the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

The cutting of the nation's rain forests will likely continue despite international condemnation. The Forestry Ministry announced plans last year to significantly expand the nation's pulp capacity in the next decade. The expansion would include the construction of seven new pulp mills and the awarding of concessions in previously untouched forests in eastern Indonesia, according to the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

Forestry expert hails government plan to evaluate foreign NGOs

Jakarta Post - September 17, 2013

Jakarta – Ricky Avenzora, a forestry expert at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), has hailed Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan's plan to evaluate cooperations with foreign NGOs.

"It needs to be done objectively, measurably and transparently," Ricky said, as quoted by Antara news agency on Tuesday.

The evaluation should be comprehensive and should also take into account the NGO's vision, mission, achievements, human resources and financial aspects, he said, adding that the minister's intention should be supported by all parties and followed by other ministers.

The forestry expert also said that earlier collaborations with foreign NGOs had tended to be counterproductive.

Many groups had alerted the ministry about the matter and called for the establishment of an NGO watchdog, Ricky disclosed. "Our country should no longer allow the entry of third-class expatriates sent by foreign states to Indonesia," he said.

Minister Zulkifli Hasan said earlier that he was ready to evaluate his ministry's cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), as well as other NGOs because he was of the view that the NGOs had failed to support Indonesia's forest management.

Upon evaluating the state of Indonesia's forests, where foreign NGOs had been involved in the management, the minister concluded that the forest conditions had worsened, according to Antara.

He cited the deteriorating condition of Teso Nilo National Park, which was being managed in cooperation with the WWF. Another example was Mount Leuser National Park in Nangroe Aceh Daroesalam, Zulkifli Hasan added.

Refugees & asylum seekers

Jakarta relations beyond boats, says Tony Abbott

The Australian - September 21, 2013

Tony Abbott has declared he does not want illegal boat arrivals to dominate the Australia-Indonesia relationship and is aiming for the controversy surrounding his policies to deter people-smuggling to be only a "passing irritant".

"Indonesia is a land of promise for us and we do not want the relationship to be defined by boats," the new Prime Minister told The Weekend Australian yesterday. "This will hopefully be a passing irritant, not a long-term defining issue."

Preparing for his promised first overseas trip as Prime Minister to Jakarta at the end of next week, Mr Abbott played down the importance of the boats issue in the meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He also stressed the vital need for Australia to develop closer, more "intimate" ties with its nearest, largest neighbour.

Mr Abbott said he was ready to assist Indonesia with the issues that concerned it, including a broader agricultural relationship beyond just supplying live cattle and more two-way investment.

Advocating better, broader long-term ties with Jakarta, Mr Abbott said Australia should be heading in the direction of having a similar relationship with Indonesia as it has with New Zealand.

For months the Coalition's policy of using the Australian navy to turn people-smugglers' boats back into Indonesian waters has drawn criticism in Jakarta and in Australia, with Indonesian MPs complaining it would infringe national sovereignty.

When he returned as prime minister in June, Kevin Rudd suggested Mr Abbott's policy could lead to "armed conflict" with Indonesia and Julia Gillard taunted the then opposition leader in parliament, saying he did not have the "guts" to raise the issue with Dr Yudhoyono at a meeting in Darwin.

Mr Abbott this week spoke by telephone with Dr Yudhoyono and organised a precedent-setting first trip to Jakarta on September 30 and October 1.

Mr Abbott hopes all future incoming prime ministers will follow his lead and make their first official overseas trip to Indonesia as part of a move to get "more Jakarta and less Geneva" into foreign policy.

Mr Abbott yesterday responded emphatically to criticism that Australia would infringe on Indonesia's sovereignty. "We absolutely and fully respect Indonesia's sovereignty and wouldn't do anything to undermine it," he said.

"We want Indonesia's help and co-operation on this issue (illegal boat arrivals) and we are more than happy to be helpful and co-operative with Indonesia on the issues that are of concern to it."

Mr Abbott said boat arrivals "should never define our relationship and this trip is not all about boats". "Obviously it will be one element in the trip but, only one element and I want our relationship with Indonesia to be a stronger, deeper, broader relationship in the future than it has been the past. It's been a good relationship, mostly, but it's vital for our country that the relationship... be much more intimate in the years ahead than it has sometimes been in the past. It's probably not realistic to think of Australia having the same relationship as it has with New Zealand but that's the direction you would like it to move in."

Mr Abbott said Indonesia offered great opportunities for Australia. "We like to talk about how our coal and iron ore industries have benefited massively from the rise of China; I think Indonesia is now in a similar position economically to China in the early 80s and if we play our cards right this is a great opportunity for us," he said.

"The Indonesians would like to have a more broadly based cattle trade and more broadly based agricultural exchange than simply them buying our live cattle. Whether that involves more Australian investment in Indonesia or more Indonesian investment in Australia or both, I am obviously very open to it."

Mr Abbott, who was in Bali on holiday with his family during the second Bali bombings, said millions of Australians had spent happy times in the holiday destination and so "there is no reason why there can't be a much closer personal relationship that those millions of Australians feel for Indonesia and Indonesians".

"If Indonesia continues to grow at the current rate its GDP per head within a couple of decades will be at least that of Malaysia, at the present time, and by that time Indonesia's total GDP will be three or four times ours," he said.

"Even though the average Indonesian is likely to be poorer than the average Australian for a very long time to come, the strength of Indonesia will be vast and we need to ensure we are their trusted partners." Mr Abbott said the relationship was "in many respects our most important overall relationship".

Earlier this week, Mr Abbott tried to allay concerns raised by Indonesian MP Mahfud Siddiq that the Coalition's plan on illegal boats would contravene Jakarta's sovereignty.

Mr Mahfud, chairman of parliament's foreign affairs commission, said while Australia's handling of asylum boats in its waters was its legal prerogative, it had no authority to deal with them in international waters.

Abbott risks it all to stop the boats

New Matilda - September 19, 2013

Ben Eltham – At what point does the Coalition's obsession with "stopping the boats" collide with Australia's national interest? If you think the Indonesian relationship is Australia's most important foreign policy priority, that point is now.

Australia's northern neighbour is a sprawling and diverse democracy. It is also, compared with the minerals-rich continent to its south, relatively poor. Politics in Indonesia is dominated by domestic issues such as corruption and the state of the economy. A few thousand asylum-seekers moving through Java on the way to Australia has not been a particularly big issue.

According to Antje Missbach from the University of Melbourne, who has just spent ten months researching Indonesian legal responses to the issues, "people smuggling, asylum seeker issues in Indonesia, they are not a big deal."

"If you normally read the news there, they are not even among the top ten list of priorities... It's a bit of a side issue actually," she told the ABC's Damien Carrick this week. "For Australians, it's very important to recognise that although it might be the most important topic here for the time being, it's not for the Indonesians."

The actions of the new Abbott Government could change that. Australia's newly assertive approach to the multilateral problem of transnational migration is starting to have a serious impact on our bilateral relationship with Indonesia. That's exceedingly bad news for Australia, because a good relationship with Indonesia is our most important foreign policy priority.

How do we know this? Because the Indonesians are telling us. You may not have noticed it if you read the Daily Telegraph, but Indonesia is starting to tire of the Coalition's rhetoric on asylum seekers. Understandably, many in Indonesia's government and parliament see it as meddling in Indonesia's domestic affairs.

The warnings have been coming regularly for months now. In May, Indonesia's Ambassador to Australia, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, warned the Coalition that Indonesia would not agree to the policy. "Indonesia is a target country and we are also the victim of this situation so I think it's not possible for the Coalition to say it has to go to Indonesia – back to Indonesia because Indonesia is not the origin country of these people," Kesoema said. "We don't know the situation ahead of us right now but I think... no such collaboration will happen... between Indonesia and Australia."

During the election campaign, Mahfudz Siddiq, the head of Indonesia's parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission, warned of the implications of the Coalition's Operation Sovereign Borders. "It's an unfriendly idea coming from a candidate who wants to be Australian leader," Siddiq told AAP in July. "That idea shows how he sees things... Don't look at us, Indonesia, like we want this people smuggling."

"This is really a crazy idea, unfriendly, derogatory and it shows lack of understanding in this matter."

Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa has also consistently warned Australia against towing back boats into Indonesian waters. "We will have a discussion with Abbott prior to the APEC Summit in October. We will reject his policy on asylum seekers and any other policy that harms the spirit of partnership," Natalegawa said last week, according to reports in the Jakarta Post.

Natalegawa has also rejected the Coalition's election promise to buy boats off Indonesian people smugglers, in an effort to stop the flow of maritime arrivals. "But for sure we will reject policies not in line with the spirit of partnership and [Indonesian] sovereignty and national integrity," he said last week.

Last night on the ABC's Lateline, Indonesian MP and Foreign Affairs Commission member Tantowi Yahya was equally blunt. Indonesia does not support turning back the boats, he told Tony Jones. "This is something like a consensus between the Government and the Parliament not to agree with the plan which is now being projected by the new Prime Minister, Mr Tony Abbott," he said. "It's illegal."

Australian radio shock jocks may dismiss such sentiments, but Yahwa's remarks have a sound basis in international law. The legality of turning back boats has always been questionable. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, boarding or taking under tow a vessel in international waters without the permission of the captain is, under some circumstances, piracy.

This has long been known. Indeed, a former Royal Australian Navy admiral, Chris Barrie, warned of this back in May.

Ben Saul, a Professor of international law at the University of Sydney, also questions the legality of turning back boats. "It is not legal to turn back a boat which is unseaworthy and on which the lives of passengers are in danger or at risk," he wrote in The Conversation in July. "Australia has no right to board and search foreign vessels on the high seas, so Australia's power to turn back boats is really confined in most cases to boats which are already in Australian territorial waters."

"Illegal", "derogatory", a "policy that harms the spirit of partnership", a policy Indonesia will "will reject": these are the things Indonesian leaders, former admirals and legal experts are saying about Tony Abbott's obsession with turning back boats.

The Coalition refuses to listen. Even before she was sworn in as Foreign Minister, Julie Bishopgave an interview to Sky News in which she claimed Australia would not need to "seek permission" to implement the new hardline policy. "What we have in place is a series of policies that we intend to implement by legislation and operationally, and they will not breach Indonesia's sovereignty," she told Sky. "We're not asking for Indonesia's permission, we're asking for their understanding."

This is madness. Australia is risking a critical relationship with a good neighbour for no other reason than cheap domestic politics. Operation Sovereign Borders is dangerous, potentially illegal, and obviously offensive to our key partner in the region. Something tells me that won't stop the Abbott government from playing the wedge politics of asylum seekers. The Abbott government appears entirely willing to damage Australia's national interests for the sake of "stopping the boats".

Graft & corruption

BPK says billions of rupiah lost to irregularities in national exams

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Jakarta – The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) said on Thursday that the preparation of national examinations for elementary school, junior high school and senior high school students was rife with irregularities, causing the state to suffer billions of rupiah in potential losses.

In its audit report, the agency said the state suffered Rp 6.3 billion (US$560,700) in potential losses from the allegedly-rigged tender process for the printing and distribution of the 2013 national exam materials.

It also found that the state might have suffered Rp 8.1 billion in losses from the same process for the procurement of last year's national exam materials.

"We've found that the tender process was not as open as it should have been. There is an indication that the organizer appointed certain companies to print and distribute the exam materials," said BPK commissioner Rizal Djalil during a press conference.

BPK auditor Sjafrudin Mosii said there was indication that the tender was rigged as the multi-million project was awarded to companies that offered higher prices instead of those offering the lowest.

Rizal said the agency had also found irregularities in the budget management of this year's and last year's national exams, with a total loss of Rp 2.6 billion.

"We filed our findings with the Education and Culture Ministry last month and we're expecting the minister and members of the House of Representatives Commission X [on education] to come here for a discussion," he said, adding the agency had sent official invitations to the minister and House members.

However, both Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh and representatives from the House's commission failed to attend the press conference.

Nuh was under fire earlier this year for glitches surrounding the implementation of the 2013 national examinations, with many schools forced to delay the exams as the government failed to provide the exam materials on time.

The national exam for senior high school students was scheduled to take place on April 15.

However, 1.1 million high school students in the country's central provinces failed to sit exams on schedule, after the printing company responsible for the provinces, Ghalia Indonesia Printing, failed to meet its deadline to deliver the exam material.

The ministry disbursed Rp 644.24 billion for the national exams, with a total of Rp 120.59 billion allocated for both junior and senior high schools, and Rp 85.57 billion for elementary school examinations.

The BPK said it would launch a special investigative audit into the fiasco. It said that despite the large amount of state budget allocated for the ministry to hold the national exams, the exams were marred by distribution problems.

The BPK also highlighted the lack of coordination between the Education National Standard Board (BSNP), the ministry and local governments in determining the budget for exams.

Sjafrudin said it caused duplication in state and local budgets, which caused additional losses. He added there was still Rp 51.2 billion of funds not spent by the national exam organizer to date.

"This is state losses, but it is not our capacity to determine whether this is corruption or not. We are ready to cooperate with law enforcers anytime soon if this case wants to be followed up," Sjafrudin said.

Based on the findings, the BPK recommends the government focus only on the planning, evaluation and monitoring of national exams, while the execution of national exams should be given to provincial governments. (koi)

PKS beef duo linked to campaign funds

Jakarta Globe - September 20, 2013

SP/Novianti Setuningsih – Probes into the ongoing beef import scandal involving former Prosperous Justice Party president Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq and his close aide, Ahmad Fathanah, continued to expand as an official from one of the party's regional branches admitted to receiving large sums of money ahead of the 2012 South Sulawesi gubernatorial election.

In his testimony for Fathanah on Thursday, Andi Akmal, the chief of the South Sulawesi chapter of the party known as the PKS, said he had received a total of Rp 10 billion ($923,000) from Makassar Mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin, who ran for South Sulawesi governor last year.

"I think it happened about four times, to help him in the election. Fathanah gave the money through his sister, who then forwarded the money to the treasurer, Imam Rohani," Andi said during a hearing at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court.

He said that he received Rp 4.5 billion from Amel Fadly, Fathanah's sister, while another Rp 2.5 billion was paid directly by Fathanah himself. Meanwhile, the remaining Rp 1 billion was handed over directly from Ilham to the party's regional branch office.

In an earlier testimony, Ilham, who ran on the Democratic Party's ticket, said he had approached the PKS for additional support in the election because he needed to fulfill the minimum threshold to be nominated as a candidate.

"Because the percentage of support from our party was not enough. We needed 13 seats," Ilham said. He said he subsequently sought support from the PKS and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura).

Upon being approached, Ilham said that the PKS agreed to support his ultimately failed bid to be governor, but demanded Rp 10 billion in kickbacks in return for the favor. Hanura, on the other hand, asked for Rp 2.5 billion, Ilham said.

However, Ilham said he was only able to offer Rp 8 billion to the PKS, Rp 7 billion of which was paid through Fathanah, while Rp 1 billion was handed directly to the party's regional board.

Prior to agreeing to the transaction, Ilham said he had met with Luthfi, at the time the PKS president, at a restaurant in Kuningan, South Jakarta, to discuss the deal. Fathanah was the person in charge of arranging the meeting, he added.

However, despite having met with Luthfi and being acquainted with Anis Matta, then a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and now the PKS president, Ilham said he never communicated with the two because he was told that matters regarding his campaign would be handled by Fathanah.

"We happened to be in Jakarta. Fathanah asked us to meet and the PKS president [Luthfi] also happened to be there," Ilham said.

During the hearing, Ilham said that Rp 5 billion of the total Rp. 8 billion he had used to pay the PKS had come from his brother, Eko, while Rp 2 billion had been raised by one of his campaign team members in charge of financial affairs.

Ilham said he had trusted Fathanah because he appeared to be very involved in preparing the PKS's national working meeting and that after the meeting, he was involved in even more intense communications with Fathanah.

He added that he was confident the Rp 8 billion had been properly used by the party, as the PKS did fulfill its promise of supporting him during the election.

Earlier this month, Fathanah's sister confirmed the transactions, saying she had received money totaling to Rp 4.071 billion from Fathanah between Sept. 21 and Oct. 2 last year.

However, she questioned her brother's involvement with the deal between Ilham's candidacy and the PKS, pointing out that Fathanah was not a PKS member, despite having close ties with Luthfi. Amel also claimed not to know what her brother did for a living.

In responding to the revelations, Anti-Corruption Court Chief Judge Nawawi Pomolango said that Indonesia had set a high price for its democracy.

"Apparently it takes a lot of money [to be an elected official]," he said. "If I were to take the Transjakarta [bus service] with that money, I could have traveled a long distance. Democracy sure is expensive, isn't it?"

Ilham agreed with Nawawi's statement, saying that the price of running for public office had been set so high because it had to do "with the needs of many people." He declined to elaborate on whether that meant he had engaged in vote-buying.

The new revelations strengthen concerns over the massive corruption happening at the regional level across the country due to the large amount of funding that candidates for regional posts must raise to win public office.

According to the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra), a report by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) showed that up to Rp. 2.2 trillion worth of public funds have been misappropriated since 2008. Fitra attributed the losses to 9,312 cases of corruption nationwide during that period, and identified North Sumatra as accounting for the largest amount of misappropriated money, followed by Aceh, West Papua and Jakarta.

Johermansyah Johan, the director general of regional autonomy at the Home Affairs Ministry, said on Wednesday that direct elections at the regional level had been detrimental to the reform process.

"It has stalled the government's bureaucracy overhaul," he said during a discussion at the House in Jakarta regarding a draft bill on regional elections.

Johermansyah said that 304 out of the 500 governors, district chiefs and mayors across the country were implicated in corruption cases between 2005 and 2013, in addition to there being various social conflicts, fatalities, damage to property and other negative consequences as a direct result of regional elections.

He said the facts reflected serious threats to the regions as leaders immediately failed their constituents after winning office.

"As such, the government is proposing that district chiefs and mayors be selected by district and municipal legislatures, with career civil servants appointed as their deputies," Johermansyah said.

Agun Gunanjar Sudarsa, a member of House Commission II, overseeing domestic affairs, waved off the notion that corruption by regional leaders was fueled by expensive political campaigns.

"The two are not related," he said. "Saying direct elections have resulted in politicians committing corruption is inappropriate. Because it is a result of the central government's inconsistency in implementing regional autonomy."

Meanwhile, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad said his office had been having difficulties in looking into corruption cases in more remote areas of the country due to inadequate infrastructure and insufficient human resources.

"The KPK has only been supervising and monitoring the local courts and police handling those corruption cases," he said on Wednesday as reported by Republika.co.id, admitting that having no regional offices had limited the KPK's scope of work.

The KPK today employs approximately 700 staff and 60 investigators, which is an insufficient number to investigate every case, Abraham said. "It's impossible for the KPK," he said.

PKS sought Rp 10 billion to back gubernatorial candidate

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Makassar Mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin revealed on Thursday that the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) asked him for a hefty sum of money before throwing its support behind his candidacy in the 2012 South Sulawesi gubernatorial election.

Ilham, who lost the election despite being supported by several political parties, including the PKS, testified during a trial session of graft suspect Ahmad Fathanah – a close aide of former Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq – that he had to pay Rp 8 billion (US$712,000) to the country's biggest Islamic party through Fathanah.

"The money was to help me win, [the PKS] asked for Rp 10 billion but settled at Rp 8 billion," he told the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

Fathanah mediated the whole deal, including communicating with PKS leaders including Luthfi and then PKS secretary general, Anis Matta, according to Ilham. "The money [was given] directly to the defendant, Ahmad Fathanah, via bank transfer and cash," he said.

Ilham added that he gave the money in installments, with Rp 7 billion given to Fathanah while the remaining Rp 1 billion was given directly to the PKS' provincial branches executive board (DPW). "After I paid Rp 7 billion, [the PKS] took the decision [to nominate me]," he said. The official letter stating that the PKS would support Ilham was signed by Luthfi and Anis, added Ilham.

According to his questioning dossier, Ilham told the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors that it was Anis who assured him of Fathanah's ability to handle the whole deal. It was also Anis who proposed the figure of Rp 10 billion.

After the initial meeting between him, Anis and Fathanah in the Kempinski Hotel in Central Jakarta in 2012, Ilham said that he mainly communicated with Fathanah. "After they said that everything would be taken care of by Fathanah, I was never in touch [with them]," he said.

Ilham also revealed that he had known Fathanah for a long time because they were childhood friends, while he knew Anis because their wives were related to each other.

Ilham justified his action by saying that it was necessary because the support of his own party, the Democratic Party, alone would be insufficient to secure the gubernatorial post. "We needed the PKS' infrastructure," he said, adding that he also paid the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) Rp 2.5 billion for it to nominate him during the election.

Najamuddin Marhamid, the head of the PKS coordinating team in Sulawesi, meanwhile, said that it was normal for the party to require any gubernatorial candidates seeking its support to fund their own campaigns.

"Funding has to come from the candidates. I don't want PKS members paying," Najamuddin, who was also a member of the party's campaign team during Ilham's race, said during his testimony at the same trial session.

University of Indonesia (UI) law expert Ganjar Laksmana said that the PKS could be charged with graft for accepting money from a public official in exchange for its support.

"Ideally a political party supports a gubernatorial candidate because of similarities in political perception. But if he [Ilham] paid a sum of money, then it means that he purchased support [from the PKS]," he told The Jakarta Post.

However, it would be difficult for law enforcers to use the Elections Law as it is not clear on the matter, according to Ganjar. Therefore, law enforcers would have to be more creative by using the laws on corruption or bribery to prosecute the PKS, he added.

"According to the law on corruption, a political party is a form of a corporation, and some of its members could be perceived as public servants as they are lawmakers in the House of Representatives," Ganjar said. "Give and take [of money between two public officials] is a violation of the law."

He also said that it would be difficult for the PKS to avoid being associated with Fathanah after it was revealed that Fathanah allegedly collected money for the party. "If Fathanah had no connection to the PKS why would Ilham want to give him money?" asked Ganjar.

Alleged backroom deal during justice candidacy test

Jakarta Post - September 19, 2013

Ina Parlina and Margareth S.Aritonang, Jakarta – Supreme Court justice candidate Sudrajad Dimyati was caught allegedly giving what was believed to be an envelope to a lawmaker in a restroom.

The alleged incident occurred shortly after Sudrajad answered questions from members of the House of Representatives' legal affairs commission during a fit-and-proper test on Wednesday.

Nervously, the Pontianak High Court judge immediately denied the alleged "backroom deal". The lawmaker, Bahruddin Nashori of the National Awakening Party (PKB), along with commission chairman I Gede Pasek Suardika held a press conference to deny the allegation.

"There was no such deal. I just wanted to use the restroom," Sudrajad said. Bahruddin claimed that he only "showed Sudrajad a piece of paper to ask him which candidates came from career and non-career judges."

Sudrajad, who is among 12 candidates vying to fill seven vacant posts, told lawmakers during the test that he was a modest person and that he always "opted for the cheapest fights" and "refused any gifts when presiding cases". He went on to say that he supported imprisoning judges involved in graft in a draft bill to revise the 2009 Supreme Court Law.

Wednesday's alleged incident comes in the wake of the House's plan to gain more a control over Supreme Court justices as the lawmakers have said they are not happy with their deteriorating performances.

The House said it wanted carry out fit-and-proper tests for justices every five years in the draft bill of the 2009 law, said House Commission III's Syarifuddin Sudding earlier on Wednesday before the alleged incident occurred. "They are spoiled as justices. They are out of control and are always hiding behind excuses," Sudding said. (ebf)

Terrorism & religious extremism

US blacklists two tied to Indonesia Islamist groups

Agence France Presse - September 19, 2013

Washington – The US Treasury on Wednesday placed sanctions on two Indonesian men it said were closely involved with two radical Islamist groups behind attacks and bombings over more than a decade.

The Treasury blacklisted Said Ahmad Sungkar, 51, whom it said had been involved in fundraising and other support efforts for Jemaah Islamiya (JI) and Jemmah Anshorut Tauhid (JAT), both of which are officially designated by Washington as terrorist groups.

Afif Abdul Majid, 58, is a leader of JAT, helping with recruitment, and training activities for violent attacks, and in 2012 "played a role in coordinating the activities of regional JAT leaders," the Treasury said.

"The threats posed by terrorist groups such as Jemaah Islamiya and Jemmah Anshorut Tauhid remain significant," said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen in a statement.

"We will continue to take action to protect the international financial system from illicit activity tied to these groups, making it ever more difficult for them to carry out their acts of violence," he said.

The sanctions freeze any assets linked to the two under US jurisdiction and ban Americans from any business with them.

JI in particular has been tied to a number of deadly terror attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. JAT has carried out attacks against the Indonesia government.

Hard-line & vigilante groups

Court wilts under attack from Pemuda Pancasila thugs

Jakarta Globe - September 18, 2013

Bayu Marhaenjati – Hundreds of members of an organization notorious for its thuggery attacked the Depok District Court in West Java on Tuesday morning, threatening the chairman of the court over a disputed land case.

Members of Pemuda Pancasila, dressed in the organization's military-style uniforms, rammed motorbikes into the court's glass entry door, smashing their way into the building as they headed to chairman Prim Haryadi's office.

"At about 8:30 a.m., I was receiving some guests [in my office], when all of a sudden hundreds of PP members came breaking into the building with motorbikes," Prim said later on Tuesday.

Upon noticing the chaos on CCTV, the judge immediately dismissed his guests just as dozens of angry PP members broke the door and windows in his office.

The group reportedly launched a chair in Prim's direction in addition to threatening to kill him over a court decision to delay the execution of a previous verdict.

"They just came in, more than 10 people were in my room wearing PP uniforms, including the leader, Rudi Samin, who refused to accept the court's decision to postpone a land eviction order. They threatened to kill me," he said.

"Two of my staff were slapped on the face. They were trying to block the PP from getting into my office," Prim added. "There were no policemen on hand during the incident."

According to Depok District Court spokesman Iman Lukmanul Hakim, the group had come to threaten the court on behalf of PP Depok chief Rudi Samin, who had been announced the winner in a dispute involving 33 hectares of land in Sukmajaya subdistrict.

However, Iman said the opposing party had filed an appeal, which had required the court to stay the eviction process. "We had sent a letter to Rudi Samin as the winning party, saying the execution of the verdict would take place today, on September 17," he said.

Under threat from their unannounced visitors, Iman and Prim were forced to agree to immediately carry out an eviction at the disputed plot of land.

"I immediately told them, yes we will do it. If I hadn't said those words, I don't know what would've happened next," said Iman, who at the time of the incident was in the same room as Prim.

"There was nothing we could do," a Depok Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) official said. "The chairman of the court had been threatened. So the eviction was eventually conducted."

Later on Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the police force to take strict action against the perpetrators of the attack on the court.

"State investigators have to take action because clearly there are state assets that have been damaged. The perpetrators should be held responsible," said Supreme Court spokesman Ridwan Mansyur, as quoted by Detik.com.

Ridwan highlighted weak security in courts across the country and called on police and lawmakers to be more involved. "In the future, we would like to push for [the government] to put together a contempt of court law," he said.

Rudi admitted his men had been behind the incident and said the group would take responsibility for damage done. "If the court would like to report us to the police, then go ahead. Pemuda Pancasila will take responsibility," he said.

Explaining their motive behind the violence, Rudi said the attacks had been conducted to express their disappointment and distrust of the court. "The PP would like to teach the district court a lesson. This is how you implement the law," Rudi said.

"The law no longer exists in Depok." Rudi claimed his group had incriminating information about court staff, and could use it against the institution. "If they attack us, then we, too, will expose the district court's flaws," he said.

Tuesday's incident added to the list of attacks on government institutions involving Pemuda Pancasila.

On Aug. 27, dozens of Pemuda Pancasila members marched to the East Java General Elections Commission headquarters, demanding that chairman Andri Dewanto Ahmad step down from office for siding with one of the candidates running in the region's gubernatorial election.

But on that occasion security officers were quick to block the PP's entrance, preventing violence from breaking out.

Other organizations across the country have also been allowed to get away with repeated acts of thuggery and vigilantism. Members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) have been held responsible for regular violent raids during the month of Idul Fitri, for example.

But Pemuda Pancasila's notoriety goes a long way back, notably including the 1965 massacres of suspected members and sympathizers of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

The massacres were the backdrop to a documentary film by American director Joshua Oppenheimer titled "The Act of Killing," which has turned the world's eyes on Indonesia's bloody hidden past.

In the movie, two members of Pemuda Pancasila, Anwar Congo and Adi Zulkdary, are central characters as they re-enact their personal participation in the 1965 killings, which left an estimated 500,000 people dead nationwide.

"The Act of Killing" went on to garner critical acclaim after secret screenings in Indonesia and later commercial international screenings, prompting condemnation from the international community over the brutal killings and, moreover, Pemuda Pancasila's role in them.

In an opinion piece published by Kompas on Tuesday, however, US academic R. William Liddle, an expert on Indonesian politics, said the film failed to place the attacks in their context, which he said included public anxiety about the communist party's rapid growth in the 1960s.

The PKI, Liddle said, was very popular among impoverished plantation workers in Sumatra with whom calls for class struggle struck a chord. "My impression was that non-communist members of the public in Siantar and Simalungun [in North Sumatra] had grown anxious of the PKI's growth," he wrote.

He said that fears about the party may have stemmed from news reports about totalitarianism in the Soviet Union and China, and largely mistaken, but common, characterizations of communist party members as atheists.

Liddle said that the movie's estimate of a three-million-strong membership for Pemuda Pancasila was inaccurate.

"This fantastic claim is a normal thing in the Indonesian political and organizational world, but people in the outside need to be more sceptical," he wrote. "In terms of Pemuda Pancasila, although it is hard to pinpoint an exact number, it is perhaps safer to assume there were tens of thousands of members."

The movie has had audiences worldwide cringing in their seats as Anwar boasts on screen of his favorite method of murdering political enemies, which involved garotting his victims with wire.

However, equally gut-wrenching parts of the movie included scenes where public officials were pictured bluntly offering support for the organization.

"At least four members of the government have hung themselves through interviews with Oppenheimer or through speeches and recorded actions, all of whom praised Pemuda Pancasila as a patriotic organization that had served the country and needed to be maintained for the sake of the future," Liddle wrote.

In one scene, former Vice President Jusuf Kalla, wearing a Pemuda Pancasila uniform, proudly proclaims that the nation has a need for thugs such as those in Pemuda Pancasila. "We need our gangsters to get things done," Kalla says in the film.

Freedom of religion & worship

Constitutional Court rejects blasphemy review request

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court (MK) has once again upheld the controversial blasphemy articles that are often used to prosecute minority groups.

On Thursday, nine justices at the court rejected a request to review Article 4 of the 1965 Blasphemy Law and Article 156a of the Criminal Code, which was filed by five plaintiffs, including Tajul Muluk, a Shia leader from Sampang, Madura, who is now serving a four-year sentence for blasphemy.

The Constitution guarantees religious freedom for minority groups in the country. Yet, under the Blasphemy Law, the state officially recognizes six faiths; Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. The same law also allows other native religions and beliefs to thrive.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs have argued that the articles were open to many interpretations, and argued Tajul's case demonstrated how the law had been abused.

Tajul was accused of telling his followers that the Koran was not the original scripture and the true version of the Holy Book would be revealed only to the last prophet (Imam Mahdi).

Another plaintiff in the case is Sebastian Joe, who is currently serving a five-year jail sentence for committing blasphemy after the Ciamis chapter of hard-line organization Islam Defenders Front (FPI) in West Java reported him last year for his Facebook status, which they considered insulting to Islam. Concerned that they too could also be charged with blasphemy, three teachers and Islamic preachers were also among the plaintiffs.

The panel of justices concluded the request had no legal basis as it was "not a matter of constitutionality, but a matter of how to apply the law that was under the absolute authority of the general courts".

The MK's conclusion was consistent with the government's statement delivered for the hearing. In its written statement, the government told the panel that the plaintiffs should instead find other legal avenues, including a pretrial motion, appeals and a case review.

The panel rejected the plaintiffs' notion that the articles in question failed to ensure legal certainty, with vague terms like "in public", "hostility", "misuse" and "desecration".

"Article 156a is aimed at maintaining public order and preventing hate speech," justice Patrialis Akbar said. "Therefore, to determine [whether] someone [delivers hate speech] is the authority of the general courts' judges who sentence someone according to the characteristics of each case."

The panel later cited its 2010 ruling upholding the Blasphemy Law, which had called for its revision. The MK concluded that the law required an amendment, yet must be maintained to keep public order.

The Court added the law did not limit religious freedom, but only restricted actions and expressions of hatred and desecration, as well as different interpretations of religions teachings in the country.

In 2010, one justice, Maria Farida Indrati, dissented, saying the law was out of date and could not keep up with the amendments of the Constitution, particularly those articles related to human rights.

Shia followers are free to practice their faith: Minister

Jakarta Post - September 18, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The government has made another promise to the displaced Shia followers from Sampang in Madura, East Java – that they will be able to safely practice their faith once they return to their home villages.

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, who has been under fire for allegedly supporting the forced conversion of Shiites to Sunni Islam, guaranteed that the government would protect the Shiites' rights to perform religious activities according to their faith.

Suryadharma, however, said they would still have to undergo the so-called "enlightenment" program carried out by a government-sanctioned reconciliation team.

"This enlightenment process is led by a former rector of the Malang State Islamic University in East Java, Imam Suprayogo," he said. "It is neither a forced conversion nor a requirement for [the Shia followers] to sign such a pact or accord or whatever you call it," the minister explained at the State Palace on Monday.

He was referring to a claim made by a lawyer of the displaced Shia, that they were asked to renounce their faith if they wanted to return home. The lawyer, Hertasning Ichlas, said 34 Shia community members had returned to their homes by Aug. 7 as they had finally agreed to sign a pledge of nine points stating their willingness to return to "the true teaching of Islam".

Suryadharma, who chairs the Islam-based United Development Party (PPP), insisted there was no forced conversion and that the Shia were only told "to promise to respect local values and norms".

"It's not just about religion or faith. The conflict was more of a social issue. Being a good part of a neighborhood must involve an understanding to respect norms, values and cultures adopted by its people. If such a value system is violated, conflicts become prevalent. It's as simple as that," he said.

The minister claimed seven Shia families had returned home via the enlightenment process.

The 235 displaced Shiites from 69 families were evicted from their villages in Sampang after angry Sunni local residents set their homes ablaze in August last year. Following the deadly conflict, the Shiites were forced to live at a temporary shelter at Sampang sports hall for 10 months.

Following reports of the very poor condition and lack of access to basic needs such as food and clean water in the sports hall, the government then provided modest apartments for their temporary shelters in Sidoarjo, pending the completion of the reconciliation process by the government- sanctioned team. But the Shiites insisted the government must be able to facilitate their return home.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto previously said that the displaced Shiites would have to be permanently relocated to other places in Madura should the reconciliation process fail and the resistance of local residents to the Shiites' home village persist. The option, according to Djoko, has been endorsed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

A session at the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva earlier this year resulted in criticisms against the Indonesian government for its failure to protect the Shia community.

Group protests synagogue demolition

Jakarta Post - September 17, 2013

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – Heritage society Sjarikat Poesaka Soerabaja has filed a complaint to the Surabaya municipal administration for allowing the demolition of a Jewish synagogue on Jl. Kayoon, Surabaya, East Java, as the 900 square-meter building may have been a historical structure.

The group, however, has yet to receive any response from the administration, according to Sjarikat Poesaka Soerabaja chairman Freddy Istanto, on Monday.

"The synagogue had historical value for the people of Surabaya," said Freddy, saying there was a Jewish man named Charles Mussry, who joined the Surabayan people to fight for Indonesia's independence against the Dutch in a battle on Nov. 10, 1945.

The synagogue was initially a private residence with a European architecture and resided in by a Jewish doctor. Jewish people from Iraq and Yemen reportedly came to Surabaya in the 19th century to work for Dutch companies.

After the Dutch colonial administration acknowledged Judaism in 1939, the house was turned into a synagogue. It gained fame after the issuance of a decree by the Agrarian Ministry in 1961 that equated Judaism with other religions in the country.

Traces of Judaism in Surabaya can also be seen from the Jewish cemetery in Kembang Kuning Surabaya, where the same Star of David symbol as the one on the synagogue fence can be found.

Later on, as anti-Jew sentiment grew, the Jewish community in the city decreased. Before being demolished, the synagogue was only used by some 10 worshipers. Previously, the synagogue was maintained by Jewish descendent Rifka Shayes and later by a descendant of a Myanmarese Jew who married a local woman.

Freddy also said despite being the target of anti-Israeli rallies, the building had been on the Surabaya administration's list of alleged cultural heritage buildings according to a decree issued by the municipal culture and tourism agency dated April 16, 2009.

Surabaya Culture and Tourism Agency head Wiwiek Widayati said the synagogue was among 69 other buildings to be declared as cultural heritage buildings. "We will continue the research on the synagogue but I will not comment on its status after the demolition," Wiwiek said.

Rumors circulating say the heirs of the owner of the synagogue sold the building to a property businessman in Surabaya. However, no statements regarding the demolition have been made by both the family of the heirs nor by the Jewish community in Surabaya.

Islamic law & morality

World Muslimah pageant mesmerizes Jakartans

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Novia D. Rulistia, Jakarta – For a start, the three Bs of Miss World – brains, beauty and behavior – have been replaced by the three Ss: sholehah (piousness), smart and stylish.

The grand final of the third World Muslimah peagant at Balai Sarbini in South Jakarta on Wednesday also began uniquely – with the women reciting verses from the Koran before strutting down the stage, wearing loosely fitting outfits and veils instead of revealing gowns.

While some of the women paraded with a model's confidence, others were more awkward as they tottered by in glittering high heels and long gowns. Thankfully, however, the contestants managed to complete the fashion segment without any tumbles – although some of the women wound up missing their marks.

At the end of the evening, 21-year-old Obabiyi Aisha Ajibola from Nigeria was named Miss World Muslimah 2013, taking over the "Crown of Modesty" from last year's winner, Nina Septiani of Indonesia.

Ajibola could not hide her excitement, kneeling and bowing her head to touch the ground, when presenters Dewi Sandra and Arie Untung said that she won. Ajibola edged out Noor Aspasia from Indonesia as determined by the children of 100 orphanages who were the honorary judges of the contest.

"First of all, I want to read Al-Fatihah," Ajibola said after receiving the crown. "I'm hoping I can inspire other women in my country, or maybe in Africa, about the use of hijab, because they don't know how to wear the hijab well," Ajibola told reporters after the show.

The student from Lagos University, who is also a motivational speaker for teenagers and a fashion designer, defeated 19 other finalists. She will receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to complete the umroh, or minor haj pilgrimage, as her prize.

One of four formal jury members, presenter and lecturer Sandrina Malakiano, said that the judge thought that Ajibola deserved to win because she met the criteria of the three Ss.

"The result is interesting and proves that this event is bigger than we thought – showing that not only those from Indonesia who can win the contest. We must be fair," Sandrina said.

Sandrina said that she hoped that Ajibola could continue the struggle of every Muslim woman and could enrich herself with Islamic values and spread them to Muslim women around the world.

Other members of the jury comprised actress Inneke Koesherawati, Puan Jameeya from Malaysia and Farhana Ahmed.

Of the 20 semi-finalists, 14 were from Indonesia, while the others came from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Nigeria, Iran and Bangladesh.

Only 10 continued to the next round, facing questions from the panel of judges revolving around the role of a Muslim women, their stances on working and stay-at-home mothers, their contributions to the society and their efforts to protect their future children from the negative aspects of technology.

"The Koran has everything," said Mousameh Ebrahimi of Iran. "If I stick to it, there is nothing to worry about the threats of technology. I want them to also be skillful and knowledgeable, too."

The judges then decided upon five finalists to continue to the final round: Ajibola, Noor from West Java, Evawani Efliza from Aceh, Futri Virginia from Jakarta and Mousameh.

Before announcing the winner, the hosts asked them to choose one questions about fashion, fundamental education, Islamic finance, food or Islamic tourism prepared by the committee. The contest also had several special awards, such as the Most Inspiring Video, Most Talented and, of course, Best Koranic Presentation.

Eka Shanti, the founder of World Muslimah, said that hundreds of Muslim women between 18 and 27 from Indonesia, Australian, Egypt, Nigeria and Timor Leste have participated in the contest since 2011.

All candidates were fluent in reading the Koran, had academic, sports and cultural achievements and wore a hijab in their daily lives.

After they were chosen, contestants went through a series of tests that included Koran recitation, vocational courses in IT and learning the art of wearing make-up during the quarantine process. "The event is to give a chance for Muslim women to express their potential within and to inspire other young women," Eka said.

The World Muslimah contest was organized a riposte to the Miss World pageant, which invited protests by some groups of conservative Muslims that demanded its cancellation on the grounds of its alleged "un-Islamic" nature.

The 63rd edition of the Miss World pageant opened on Sept. 8. The contest's winner will be named on Sept. 28 in the Hindu-dominated province of Bali. Government plans to hold the grand final in Sentul International Convention Center, West Java, were scrapped after protests from the groups.

Miss World organizers outraged as government submits to hard-liners

Jakarta Globe - September 18, 2013

Rebecca Lake – Outraged Miss World organizers and human rights activists have condemned the Indonesian government for its lack of support for the event, saying the last-minute decision to keep the entire pageant in Bali is yet another example of authorities bowing to religious extremists.

On Monday, the MNC Group, the country's largest media company and the main organizer of Miss World 2013, announced it would move the pageant's grand final, slated for Sept. 28, from Bogor, south of Jakarta, to Nusa Dua in Bali at the request of the government, after the strong urging of Muslim hard-line groups.

Liliana Tanoesoedibjo, the event's head organizer who was forced to find a new venue in the space of four days after spending more than three years preparing for the event, expressed disappointment in the nation's leaders and the lack of effort from religious groups to compromise.

"They [those opposing the event] don't understand what Miss World is about, and they don't want to compromise," Liliana, the chairwoman of the Miss Indonesia group – which is the organizing committee for Miss World 2013 – told the Jakarta Globe.

"Maybe if the government was stronger something could be done, but it's because the government is not strong," said Liliana, the wife of MNC Group owner Hary Tanoesoedibjo, one of Indonesia's wealthiest individuals and a vice presidential candidate for next year's election.

In a statement, MNC said that it had suffered heavy financial losses due to the Miss World relocation, having to rearrange activities at the last minute and moving the accommodations for the 129 contestants, their supporters and family members.

Not deterred

Liliana said the criticism the event had garnered had not deterred her but conceded she was growing increasingly frustrated by those in opposition to the pageant, believing they were using its widespread global attention to promote their own agendas.

"We know that some people are criticizing because they want to be acknowledged in the world. They want to have their own opinion so they take advantage of this event to make their name big," she said, adding "if their motive was right they would want to talk with us."

In the lead-up to the event many religious groups, including the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Islamic People's Forum (FUI), have spoken out, held demonstrations throughout the country and accused Miss World of damaging women's dignity by exploiting their bodies and degrading Islamic teachings.

In response to the negativity surrounding the event and the increasing threats of violence by Islamic extremists, Liliana said it was "sad," because the very reason to hold the competition was to "promote unity and Indonesia to the world."

"We all give the best for Indonesia, we have the passion for Indonesia, we love our country. We don't want to degrade Indonesia," she said, highlighting the benefits the international competition would bring to the nation, especially to the tourism sector and other industries including fashion, as well as promoting social causes.

Miss World is very happy with how MNC has managed the event despite the criticism it has received and the lack of government support, Liliana said. "In other countries, Miss World is managed by the government, but we have done everything ourselves," she added.

Speaking from Bali, Andreas Harsono, head researcher for Human Rights Watch Indonesia, said the only message the competition is currently sending to the world was that Indonesia was undergoing a "radicalization of Islam."

"Of course we regret that the government does not allow the contest to proceed in [Bogor]," he said. "They have broken no laws or regulations. They have a permit, but because of the Islamist pressure the government has revoked the Miss World contest."

Security threat

On Tuesday the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia released a statement by the US Embassy in Jakarta warning Americans in Bali during Miss World to "maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance personal security" on information that extremist groups may be planning to disrupt the pageant.

In two weeks Indonesia will play host to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, the biggest global conference Indonesia has seen since becoming a democratic nation. Leaders from all over the world, including US President Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin of Russia are expected to attend.

The APEC summit, according to Andreas who is monitoring the situation in Bali, is the only thing preventing a violent attack from Islamic extremists targeting the beauty pageant as the government endeavors to save face.

"Sources have told me that the government will never allow a violent protest not because of Miss World but because of APEC, which is sad," he said. "The fact that Bali is holding the competition now merely because it has a majority Hindu population is a concern."

The government is not preventing the protests at Miss World "because of the principles of diversity, the principles of religious freedom or freedom of expression" Andreas continued, "but this is because of APEC and it is disheartening."

In March this year, Human Rights Watch released a report titled "In Religion's Name," which slammed the Indonesian government for its ignorant and at times complicit approach to religious conflict that HRW says has been escalating.

Several examples of government inaction in the face of religious intolerance, including a lack of arrests and denouncement of attacks on religious minorities such as Christians, Shia Muslims and members of Ahmadiyah, and the barricading and forced closure of houses of worship, have occurred since the report's release.

The latest uproar over Miss World and the government's submission to the demands of hard-liners is another step backward in the nation's commitment to fighting faith-based intolerance, Andreas said.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the Setara Institute, a religious freedom advocacy group, credited the government with at least permitting the pageant in the first place.

"Don't forget in [former president] Suharto's time he canceled the event because of pressure from Islamic groups. In this instance the government allowed the competition and tried to compromise so this is a show of progress," he said.

However, Bonar criticized the government's ongoing manipulation of Islam in politics, which he said had heavily influenced its passive position in the debate.

"The government has always considered Islam as a political force. It needs support from the Islamic community. Meanwhile, religious groups use this issue [Miss World] to get support or sympathy from the Indonesian people and they will try to show they are defending Islam. That's their goal, that's their message," he said.

The Religious Affairs Ministry did not reply to the Globe's request for comment.

Bali Youth Alliance rejects radical organizations

Antara News - September 16, 2013

Denpasar, Bali – Several members of the Dvipa Bali Youth Alliance staged a protest outside Bali Police Headquarters here on Monday to denounce the presence of radical organizations in the country.

"We strongly reject the presence of mass organizations (that have adopted a policy of) radical action against a series of international activities, including the hosting of the Miss World beauty pageant in Bali," Dvipa Bali Youth Alliance coordinator Ida Bagus Purana Pidada said here on Monday.

Pidada called on the people of Bali to help ensure order and security since the Indonesian resort island is now under the international spotlight due to the issues surrounding the Miss World contest.

Hardliners Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), and various other Islamic social organizations have protested against hosting the Miss World contest in Bali because they believe such events do not conform to the nation's moral outlook and culture.

However, the Bali Youth Alliance coordinator insisted that efforts to host such international events should not be shaken.

"Do not hesitate to maintain order, and do not be influenced by the intervention of external parties (who wish) to interfere with international events being held in Bali," Pidada stated.

He added that hosting international events such as the Miss World contest, the APEC Summit, and the World Trade Ministerial Meeting in Bali would create a positive image of Indonesia in the eyes of the international community. (Uu.INE/KR-BSR/O001)

Jakarta & urban life

New malls to pop up despite planned moratorium

Jakarta Post - September 19, 2013

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – New shopping malls will continue to open in Jakarta in the future because a planned moratorium does not annul permits for new malls issued by the previous administration.

Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Tuesday at City Hall that he would issue a gubernatorial decree on the moratorium. "I have not thought about the time frame. I will simply not issue any new permits to build more malls," he said.

Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said, however, that the moratorium would only affect applications for permits that were submitted with the current administration.

"We cannot revoke permits issued during the previous administration," he said. Ahok added that the administration would be sued by developers through the State Administrative Court (PTUN) if it tried to revoke the permits.

The city currently has 173 shopping malls, which have become recreational hubs for Jakartans as the city lacks public spaces.

Ahok said the administration would no longer issue permits to build new malls because the current infrastructure would not be able to accommodate them, "We are not against building new malls. However, our existing infrastructure makes it impossible for new malls to be built," he said.

Ahok said in order to halt the development of malls, the administration did not need to issue a new regulation. "If a company applies for a building permit, we will turn down the application," he said.

Ahok said the contractors would still be able to build malls in areas with few shopping centers like Marunda in East Jakarta. He said the administration could not issue permits for Central Jakarta and South Jakarta.

Separately, Indonesian Retailers Association (Apindo) executive director Tutum Rahanta said that the moratorium was not purely a concept from Jokowi's administration but also from the previous one. "However, they never provided a clear regulation on the matter," he said.

Tutum added that the policy had to be clear as businesses needed to project their targets. "Building a shopping mall is not easy. It takes four to five months to complete," he said.

Tutum said he was also confused about the administration's point of view. "They plan to develop Jakarta into a service and trade city on one hand, yet the officials talk about the moratorium," he said.

Communication & transport

Joko gets expert support in battle against low-cost cars

Jakarta Globe - September 20, 2013

Anushka Shahjahan – Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo's rejection of the so- called low cost green cars has received wide support as analysts unanimously agreed that such cars are not the solution for better transportation in the capital, and would only worsen the city's already clogged streets.

Experts said on Thursday that the solution for Jakarta's transportation problems was better public transport and changes in transportation regulations.

"I don't think Jakarta needs LCGCs. The city needs low-cost green buses," Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan said with regard to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's plan to offer tax breaks to buyers of low-emission vehicles.

Several analysts maintain that the central government's plan is unsuitable for Jakarta, suggesting the lower cost green cars would neither be environmentally friendly under the current circumstances, nor convenient.

"The transportation ministry expects people to shift from cars with higher engine capacity to cars with lower engine capacity," Indonesia Transport Society (MTI) chairman Danang Parikesit said.

"But our estimates show that it is the motorcycle owners who will purchase these cheaper cars," increasing traffic in Jakarta. More cars, due to the reduced cost, will not only increase traffic in Jakarta but also cause further pollution and environmental damage, in contrast to the actual "green car" concept.

According to Adrinof Chaniago, a public policy expert at the University of Indonesia, the term "green car" would mean nothing if the number of cars in Jakarta increased, because the cumulative pollution would be higher than it is now.

Azas added that in terms of implementation of the policy, the claimed eco- friendly cars would not contribute as much to environmental issues in Jakarta as it may seem in the policy-making process.

The promotion of the tax breaks has already prompted the launch of two eco-friendly models from Toyota and Daihatsu joining Honda in the market. The vehicles retail between Rp 76 million and Rp 120 million ($6,660- $10,500).

Joko has expressed opposition to the plan, saying the production of such cars would only add to the congestion in the city, adding the capital needs a comprehensive mass transit system, not cheaper cars.

There are already some 2.5 million cars in the capital, with some 1.1 million vehicles sold last year. This year's numbers are expected to remain flat.

The Industry Ministry said some 30,000 low-emission cars would roll off the assembly lines this year, accounting for some 3 percent of all vehicles sold in the country. The government plans to increase production by 10 percent next year.

Joko reiterated his opposition to the plan in a letter to Vice President Boediono earlier this week However, Boediono and other ministers have insisted that there was nothing wrong with the plan, telling Joko not to worry about the traffic jams.

Boediono said the central government would not wash its hands of the issue, and would work with the regional government to tackle the impact. "We can't prohibit people from buying cars," he said, adding the automotive industry was one of backbones of the economy.

Boediono said the government and the Jakarta administration needed to boost public transport and implement a high street tax for vehicles.

Nevertheless Joko's letter highlights another issue with the central government's plan to give drivers of low-emission vehicles tax breaks of up to 70 percent.

"Joko's opposition highlights that the central government has not consulted with local governments on this issue, which could negatively effect not only Jakarta but also cities such as Surabaya or Bandung" Danang of MTI said.

He said improvement of Jakarta's public transportation system was not possible without support from the national government because many people commute from outside the city.

"Public transport in Jakarta is across borders, so implementation of any policy would require the cooperation of all local governments concerned" he said, stressing that this would not be possible without the national government's active support.

Joko airs cheap car grievances in letter to Indonesian vice president

Jakarta Globe - September 18, 2013

Lenny Tristia Tambun & Ezra Sihite – Indonesia's traffic-clogged capital needs a comprehensive mass transit system, not cheaper cars, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo reiterated in a letter to Vice President Boediono in opposition of a central government plan to boost the sales of low-cost green vehicles.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inked a plan in May offering tax breaks to drivers purchasing low-emissions vehicles. The policy would reduce the luxury goods tax applied to domestically produced green cars. The tax, which is added to the price of automobiles, can add an additional 70 percent onto the ticket price.

Automaker Astra International has already jumped on the regulation, producing low-emissions Toyota and Daihatsu models for the domestic market. Honda has also released a green vehicle. The vehicles retail between Rp 76 million and Rp 120 million ($6,660 to $10,500).

The central government hopes the tax breaks will boost the nation's auto market by offering eco-friendly cars to low- and middle-income Indonesians. Some 1.1 million vehicles were sold last year. This year's numbers are expected to remain flat.

But a surge in car sales is the last thing the chronically congested capital needs, Joko said. The city flirts with near-total gridlock on heavy days and a long-awaited plan to expand Jakarta's public transit system is still years from completion. The administration purposely held-off proposed inner-city toll road projects out of fear that even more cars would fill the gap. Now this central government regulation threatens to undo what progress the capital's new leaders have made, the governor said.

"The policy is contrary to Jakarta administration's efforts to accelerate the management of traffic congestion in the city," Joko said. "We are currently speeding up the preparation of the facilities and infrastructure to reduce the traffic and then suddenly there is this cheap car policy."

The governor came under fire last week for his criticism of the plan. But the policy, which has split the city's administration and has received the support of the central government, is unlikely to change, Joko said. "It has already become a policy, so what can we do about it?" he said last week.

The central government rolled out a 17-point plan to reduce Jakarta's traffic in 2010. Joko urged the government to follow through on its previous plan before supporting additional car sales. Government bureaucrats have yet to draft the regulation needed to allow the capital to move forward with a Singapore-style electronic road-pricing system. "We need the central government's support to make it come true," Joko said.

Deputy governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said the letter to Boediono was merely a suggestion. "We voiced our objections to the policy through the letter," Basuki told the Indonesian news portal Liputan6.com. "The fact is the cheap cars [regulation] can not be withdrawn. The governor has said that we feel slighted."

A spokesman for the vice president said the Low Cost Green Car regulation did not interfere with the capital's efforts to reduce traffic. "We think there is nothing wrong with the LCGC policy," Yopie Hidayat said. "There are traffic jams, true, that need to be managed with public transportation."

Some 30,000 low-emissions cars will roll off the assembly line this year, Budi Darmadi, of the Ministry of Industry, told the Indonesian news portal Detik.com. The green cars will account for some three percent of all the vehicles sold in the country. The government plans to increase production by 10 percent next year. Nearly half of the low-emissions vehicles produced will be sold in the greater Jakarta are, he said.

Industry minister M.S. Hidayat accused Joko of over-reacting in an interview last week. "Please tell Joko this is intended for the lower- and middle-income people, the people who also love him," Hidayat said. "He should allow them to have the chance to buy low-cost cars."

Armed forces & defense

New Sukhoi squadron for Indonesia

Tempo - September 20, 2013

Indra Wijaya, Yogyakarta – Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, informed that Indonesia has recently received six Sukhoi SU-27 SKM and SU-30 MK2 fighter jets from Russia. The addditional jets have completed Indonesia's Sukhoi squadron with a total of 16 fighter jets.

Purnomo said that the the Sukhoi squadron will help to safeguard Indonesia's air space. The bulky fighter jets are equipped with jumbo fuel tank, enabling them to cover the whole Indonesian region.

The Minister added that the Indonesia Air Force will also receive nine units of CN295 transport airplane produced by state-owned airplane manufacturer Dirgantara Indonesia, to replace the current F-27 airplanes.

Furthermore, the Defense Ministry also provided four units of Grob G-120 TP training plane. The plane's manufacturer Grob Aircraft is set to send a total of 16 training planes, which will be delivered in several phases until 2014.

Release of Cebongan-case convicts denounced

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – The release of five men complicit in the murder case at Cebongan Penitentiary, Sleman, has drawn wide criticism due to fears that the move will tarnish the public's sense of justice.

Of the case's 12 convicts – all members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Group 2 Kandang Menjangan in Kartasura, Central Java – only four remain in detention at Military Police Detachment (Denpom) IV/2 Yogyakarta.

"Eight convicts have been released," Denpom IV/2 Yogyakarta commander Lt. Col. Jefridin confirmed with The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Three were released because their detention terms had exceeded their sentences. They were Sgt. Maj. Rokhmadi, Sgt. Maj. Muhammad Zaenuri and Chief Sgt. Sutar.

Five other convicts were released because their detention terms ended and were not extended. They were First Sgt. Tri Juwanto, First Sgt. Anjar Rahmanto, First Sgt. Martinus Roberto Paulus Banani, First Sgt. Suprapto and First Sgt. Herman Siswoyo. They were all sentenced to one-year-and-nine months in jail.

Those that remain in detention are – the three main convicts in the case: Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryanto and First Cpl. Kodik – and Second Sgt. Ikhmawan Suprapto.

They were sentenced to between six and 11 years in prison for killing four detainees that were suspects in the killing of Chief Sgt. Heru Santoso, also a member of Kopassus Group 2 at a cafe in Yogyakarta on March 19.

Commenting on the release of the five convicts, Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Yogyakarta director Samsudin Nurseha said the decision set a bad precedent. "Their detention should prevent others from emulating their behavior in the future," Samsudin said.

He said the decision by the panel of judges to release the convicts had not violated any law. However, as all five convicts had decided to file appeals with the II Jakarta Military High Court, the military high court should have ordered the five to remain in detention.

The remand, he added, made sense as the military high court had also issued detention orders for Ucok, Sugeng, Kodik and Ikhmawan. "Why then were these five released? This is unfair," he said.

House to monitor the use of wiretapping devices

Jakarta Post - September 19, 2013

Jakarta – The House of Representatives' commission on defense's deputy chairman Tubagus Hasanuddin said a special team was being established to monitor the possible misuse of newly purchased wiretapping devices in the 2014 elections.

"There is a possibility that the Indonesian Military (TNI) will misuse their intelligence devices. The biggest worry is the misuse of wiretapping devices for 2014 general election," said Hasanuddin in Jakarta on Thursday as quoted by tempo.co.

Therefore, he said, the House's commission on defense needed to closely monitor the use of the newly purchased wiretapping devices owned by the Indonesian Military's Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS).

Hasanuddin refused to provide more details both on structure and working method of the Commission's special team.

The House's Commission on defense has approved the purchase of new wiretapping devices worth Rp 70 billion (US$6.23 million) by the Defense Ministry for the BAIS.

Hasanuddin refused to give details on the type and brand of the wiretapping devices purchased by the Defense Ministry. "The commission has never discussed the devices' brand and manufacturing country. It's the authority of the users," he said.

Previously, Imparsial's human rights activist, Poengky Indarti, voiced rejections over the purchase of the intelligence wiretapping devices from Gamma TSE Ltd by the Defense Ministry.

Poengky said the $70 billion worth devices were prone to be misuse, in particular for illegal wiretapping activities during the 2014 elections. (apt/ebf)

TNI reboots Soeharto program

Jakarta Post - September 19, 2013

The Indonesian Military (TNI) is reviving the community service program that was popularly known as ABRI Masuk Desa (AMD) during the New Order era.

There are reservations that the program could potentially be abused by certain political elites to garner support for the upcoming 2014 elections.

Under the revamped program, which is called TNI Manunggal Membangun Desa (TMMD), members of the TNI will be deployed to villages to build infrastructure and teach civic and defense strategy to the public.

The new program, which is to be implemented twice every year, is a continuation of the Soeharto-era ABM, which was terminated soon after the fall of the Army general's authoritarian regime in 1998.

Soeharto used the AMD as a tool to spy on any form of resistance toward his rule and to gain political support from villagers across the country for him to remain in power.

Army chief of staff Gen. Budiman gave assurances on Wednesday that the program would not be a repeat of the ABM, although its format was quite similar.

"We have no intention to enter into the civilian arena. As I said early on, my goal is to improve the military's professionalism by putting soldiers in the right places in this democratic state," he said during a press conference in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.

The first implementation of the program – which will run from Oct. 9 to 29, a mere six months before the 2014 presidential election – will also involve 1,000 recent university graduates selected by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

The program will leverage infrastructure development and public awareness programs in 61 regencies, 77 sub-districts and 99 villages across the country.

For the infrastructure projects, the military will help local residents build roads, bridges, mosques and other public facilities. For public awareness, the military, along with the new graduates, will counsel villagers about defense, rural prosperity, HIV/AIDS and other social issues.

Al-Araf, an analyst from the human rights organization Imparsial and a former lecturer at the Indonesian Defense University, said that the community service program could easily be abused for political objectives, especially in the run-up toward the 2014 general elections. "I think this activity could also be used by certain political parties to gain grassroots support in the villages," he said.

Al-Araf also said that the military was not the ideal institution to be teaching villagers about state defense or civic education.

"Teaching state defense or civic education is the responsibility of local governments, not the military. Instead of teaching villagers, the TNI needs to focus on its readiness for preventing war or being involved in international peacekeeping operations," he said.

In recent years, the TNI has made inroads into having a greater role in politics. Earlier this month, the Army signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on counterterrorism with the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).

Under the agreement, the military will be allowed to actively assist members of the public in tracing terror suspects or activities.

In July, the Army signed a MoU with the Trade Ministry to prevent smuggling at borders and ensure the smooth distribution of goods across the country. The agreement allows the Army to send troops to border areas to prevent illegal goods from entering the country.

The TNI will also help the government build 14 new highways, totaling 1,520 kilometers in length, in Papua and West Papua over the next two years. The heavy infrastructure development was recommended by the Presidential Unit to Accelerate the Development of Papua and West Papua (UP4B), as there are no private contractors that have the ability to do the job within the allocated budget of Rp 1.5 trillion (US$135.23 million).

Following the fall of the Soeharto regime, the new civilian government made efforts to abolish the military's sociopolitical role, which had been known as half of the military's dual function (Dwi fungsi).

In 1999, the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), which comprised the Police, the Army (TNI AD), the Navy (TNI AL) and the Air Force (TNI AU), changed its name to the Indonesian Military (TNI) and excluded the National Police. (koi)

Military officer gets three months for assaulting journalist

Jakarta Post - September 17, 2013

Jakarta – The Medan Military High Court has sentenced Lt. Col. Robert Simanjuntak, the former head of the Roesmin Nurjadin airport personnel office in Pekanbaru, Riau, to three months in jail for assaulting Riau Post photographer Didik, who was covering the Indonesian Air Force Skyhawk 200 fighter jet crash last year.

"The Military High Court sentenced Lt. Col. Robert Simanjuntak to three months in jail deducted by his detention period and ordered him to pay the trial cost of Rp 25,000 (US$2.2)," presiding judge Col. Djodi Suranto said in Pekanbaru, as quoted by Antara news agency on Tuesday.

Robert was detained for 20 days from Oct. 17 to Nov. 5, 2012. The assault took place moments after the incident in Kampar regency, Riau, on Oct. 16, 2012.

A member of the judge's panel, Col. Hariadi Purnomo, said that Robert's act had tarnished the good name of the Indonesian Military. His mitigating circumstance was that he admitted all what he had done, Hariadi said.

After consulting with his lawyers, Robert was given seven days to decide whether he would accept the verdict or file an appeal.

KPK has no authority over TNI

Jakarta Post - September 16, 2013

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said that it was not able to investigate graft cases involving the Indonesian Military (TNI).

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said that the country's antigraft law did not permit the KPK to probe the military.

Johan said that the KPK could only prosecute graft cases involving government officials and law enforcement authorities with the exception of the TNI. "The TNI has its own law," Johan said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Graft in military institutions has been revealed by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) but no investigations have been launched.

Police & law enforcement

Police accused of lack of professionalism in Sitorus case

Jakarta Post - September 22, 2013

Jakarta – Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) has said the Papua Police have been unprofessional in their handling of the case concerning Adj. First Insp. Labora Sitorus, who was found in possession of bank accounts containing Rp 1.5 trillion (US$132 million). The IPW said it was concerned that, once the case came to court, judges would have no choice but to acquit the suspect.

"We are concerned about the Papua Police's decision to hand over Sitorus' case dossier to the prosecutor's office on Sept. 19, despite the fact that the case file was weak. It highlighted that the police had not worked professionally," IPW chairman Neta S. Pane said on Saturday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Neta said that the case dossier did not mention, for example, that several other parties were involved in the alleged money laundering with which Sitorus has been charged. This was omitted despite evidence that showed the Sorong-based police officer had paid off 33 National Police officers.

Neta said the only conclusion to be drawn from this was that the National Police was trying hard to protect its personnel who accepted money from Sitorus. "The prosecutor's office must now fill in the gaps and complete Sitorus' case file by investigating how the money was channeled to the 33 police officers."

Neta added that the Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) should help in determining the transactions between Sitorus and the 33 police officials. Money had, for example, been transferred 12 times to a Bank Mandiri account, which was allegedly owned by an officer based at the National Police headquarters.

Further payments were also transferred to a senior officer with the Papua Police on four occasions in 2012. The sums comprised Rp 629.75 million in January; Rp 225 million in June; Rp 300 million in August, and Rp 150 million in September. A sum amounting to Rp 200 million was again transferred to the same officer in February this year.

Meanwhile, an officer serving with the Sorong Police accepted eight fund transfers in 2012 totaling Rp 1.25 billion. (ebf)

National police chief urged to allow headscarves

Jakarta Globe - September 17, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – House Commission III members came out on Monday in support of National Police chief Timur Pradopo's decision to allow female police officers to wear a jilbab, or headscarf, while on duty.

"We support the National Police chief's decision to follow up this matter with a National Police chief decree," said Tjatur Sapto Edy, deputy chairman of Commission III, which oversees legal affairs.

Lawmakers asked Timur to revise a 2005 decree which prohibits police officers wearing headscarves.

Aboe Bakar al-Habsy from the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party said although Timur supported female officers wearing headscarves, he still needed to revise the 2005 decree to make the policy official.

Voicing a similar opinion, Ahmad Yani from the United Development Party, which is also Islam-based, observed that other countries allowed female officers to cover their heads. "Indonesia should give its officers the chance to wear jilbabs," said Yani.

Yani argued that the prohibition contradicted two provisions in the Constitution which guarantee freedom of religion.

Ida Fauziyah, head of Fatayat, the women's wing of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nadhlatul Ulama, agreed with Yani. She said the prohibition on wearing jilbabs amounted to preventing Muslim women from practicing their faith, and she strongly opposed such an infringement on their rights.

Ida questioned the need for the ban, saying that the head covering did not interfere with the police uniform nor prevent female officers from discharging their duties effectively.

"If jilbabs don't change how the uniform looks and don't disrupt an officer carrying out their duty, there is no reason to ban them," she said.

Timur has previously said he was happy to hear out any officers requesting permission to wear a headscarf. "We have received such requests and we're considering them. I would like to thank the general public for the interest they have shown in the police force, even down to details such as the uniform and personal appearance."

Previously, Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar, a spokesman for the National Police, had played down concerns about the 2005 rule, but left the door open for review.

"In principle, the matter of dress is up to each individual when they're off duty, because there's already a regulation dress code when on duty," he said. "However, this regulation is now being re-evaluated."

Police funding under scrutiny

Jakarta Globe - September 17, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The National Police has said it will look into its officers' habits of moonlighting following reports that one of its officers had been working in a side job on the night he was murdered, raising concerns of a possible link between a series of attacks on policemen and officers and poor welfare.

Brig Sukardi had been working as a guard for six trucks carrying elevator parts when he was shot and killed outside the Corruption Eradication Commission building in Kuningan, South Jakarta on Monday night last week. His widow, Tirta Sari, said last week her husband had been taking on side jobs because his police salary was not enough.

"Our first child is at college so my husband would often look for extra jobs he could do to pay for his college fees," Tirta was quoted by Tempo.co as saying.

National Police Chief Timur Pradopo said he will conduct an investigation to see if police were following service regulations in doing their tasks.

However, Timur firmly rejected the notion there was any link between the shootings and police funding, saying the police were doing their best to use the funds allocated by the government.

The police chief's statements were in contrast to remarks made by the force's public relations chief, Ir. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie who said over the weekend the police budget needed to be increased. Ronny said low salaries had triggered a culture among police officers to take side jobs to earn extra money.

"It seems that there is no consistency when it comes to funding the police force. Society can't ask for protection but provide insufficient resources to provide that protection," he said during a public discussion on Saturday, as quoted by Okezone.com

"Why had Sukardi taken on a guarding job while off duty? We must look into that. It shows us how our members are doing a very difficult job in very difficult circumstances," Ronny said.

The PR chief went on to say the Rp 40 trillion ($3.5 billion) budget allocated by the government in the annual budget was not enough to provide officers with adequate equipment, making them more vulnerable in carrying their high-risk public service tasks.

"In terms of finances, vests and body and head protectors are only available for members with special tasks such as the anti-terror unit Densus 88. They're ready to fight. But if you look at traffic police officers, they are not equipped to deal with emergencies or life- threatening situations."

He pointed out that police forces in neighboring countries such as Singapore were given all the necessary equipment to carry out their duties efficiently.

A member of House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, backed Ronny's statements and conceded the operational budget for the police was a cause for concern and the matter had been addressed, explaining several senior offices had raised the matter recently.

"I have heard several police chiefs from different regions around the country say they were worried over the lack of arms available to them among other shortages," Herman said on Monday.

However, Ronny's statements quickly prompted harsh criticism from police watchdog Indonesia Police Watch (IPW), which, in a report by Merdeka.com, argued the institution has seen a 1,000 percent budget increase over the past 10 years.

"A much larger increase compared to the military whose budget has only increased by 450 percent over the same period," IPW chairman Neta S. Pane explained.

Neta added that the police force had received sufficient funds but had exhausted their budget on programs that were not necessary. "The National Police are not using their budget effectively, it's not efficient," he said, adding the complaints were irrational.

"It does not make sense that the police feel they have been undermined in terms of finances. The budget for the National Police has increased every year. The problem is the police have been careless in their use of the consistently increasing budget. They have the tendency to squander their funds on useless projects."

House Commission III chairman Gede Pasek Suardika also voiced a similar opinion, emphasizing the police's current budget is far larger compared to the budget allocated back when they were still under the same institution as the Army.

"Back when they were still in the army, the police's budget was very small. Today, it is over Rp 40 trillion," Gede said on Sunday. He said the national police should be able to maximize its funds and at the same time revamp its graft-laden equipment procurement sector.

In the most recent case, the National Police Traffic Corps chief Insp. Gen Djoko Susilo was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for his alleged involvement in a corrupt driving simulator procurement project which reportedly cost the state Rp 121 billion in losses.

In response to the controversy surrounding the police budget, House Speaker Marzuki Alie called on the police force to openly discuss the subject with the government.

"If indeed the budget is insufficient then ask for a revised, increased amount and propose it to the House of Representatives. As long as there is an explanation for the additional budget, I think the House would be sympathetic," Marzuki said on Monday.

According to him the government has been working to find savings across a number of ministries and departments but that did not mean they would not consider an increase for the police force. "The House supports programs designed to ensure the public's security," he said.

Foreign affairs & trade

Indonesia's anti-cartel body targets soybean imports

Jakarta Globe - September 17, 2013

Michael Taylor – Indonesia's anti-monopolies regulator has begun an investigation into the country's rapidly growing soybean trade, after a recent spike in domestic prices and a strike by small-scale makers of popular food staples tempeh and tofu.

The three-month investigation by the respected commission for the supervision of business competition (KPPU) – an independent body that looks into unfair and monopolistic business practices – could eventually open the soybean market to more players and lead to government policy changes.

"We started a soybean investigation," Junaidi, head of public relations at the KPPU told Reuters by text. "We began monitoring the soybean market during the first half of the year and this became more intense during the recent price hikes."

Indonesia buys in 70-80 percent of its soybean needs, mainly from the United States, and is set to become Southeast Asia's biggest importer in 2013/14 with a record 2.1 million tons, according to United States Department of Agriculture data.

Importers require an import permit, which is issued by the government, and the market is dominated by a handful of companies. These include FKS Multi Agro, which has about 60 percent of the market share according to industry sources, Sungai Budi Group, with about 20 percent and Cargill, with around 10 percent.

Indonesian soybean prices have spiked by more than 15 percent this year to trade at around 10,665 rupiah ($0.93) per kg, while domestic stocks of the oilseed have fallen to multi-year lows at about 300,000 tons, industry sources say.

Global soybean prices have risen in recent weeks to trade near 11-month highs due to concerns over dry weather in top supplier the United States, while Indonesia's rupiah has fallen to a near 4-1/2 year low, making imports more expensive.

The KPPU's investigation will look at soybean traders that control more than 50 percent of the total import market in Indonesia, and the system of issuing import permits by the Indonesian Trade Ministry, Junaidi said.

The regulator, which previously instigated changes in the country's sugar market, has the power to break up and fine companies, and make policy recommendations to the government.

The government has sought to encourage domestic output but policy changes over the past six months, such as forcing traders to buy domestic supplies and imposing a floor and ceiling price for buyers and sellers, have added to market uncertainty.

Imports have slowed, and the Indonesian Joint Cooperatives of Tempeh Tofu Makers went on strike last week to protest against rising soybean prices.

Although the government has removed import quotas, it has maintained the controversial system of issuing import permits, which traders say is too slow to react to demand spikes and at risk of corruption.

The government also rejected a plan to ditch its import tariff for soybeans last month, even though the proposal was backed by the trade ministry.

Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan says 1.1 million tons of soybean import permits have been issued for the year to date, with suppliers in Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil sought.

Infrastructure & development

Indonesia records mixed success on MDGs: Report

Jakarta Globe - September 21, 2013

Anushka Shahjahan – Indonesia and the Asian region have made substantial progress toward achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, although gaps in poverty reduction remain, according to an annual report published recently.

The "Asia-Pacific Regional Millennium Development Goals" report indicated considerable success in the region, but was skeptical about the region meeting its MDG commitments by the 2015 deadline.

Nearly two-thirds of the world's poor live in this region, and even after 2015, there will be considerable unfinished business, according to the report.

While Indonesia has been an early achiever in reaching its goals to reduce the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day, nearly 743 million people in the region continue to live in poverty.

The report states that Indonesia is also on track to achieve its goals of providing its population with safe drinking water by 2015. However, the trajectory is dismal in terms of providing the population with proper basic sanitation.

"Indonesia is the second ranking country in the world where 63 million people don't have toilets," said Angela Kearney, the Unicef representative to Indonesia.

Although the report cites Asia Pacific's strong performance in areas of health and hunger, Indonesia's goals in these directives may not be met by 2015.

Progress in reducing infant mortality and maternal mortality is also lacking. However, there is progress in both areas, unlike the regression that Indonesia has shown in its attempt to reduce the prevalence of HIV, with the number actually increasing drastically over the years.

According to UNAIDS estimates, around 380,000 Indonesians were infected with HIV in 2011, with the estimated number of deaths due to HIV/AIDS- related causes amounting to nearly 15,000.

Rising income inequality and gender discrimination are among the emerging threats to the region and Indonesia, which need to be faced not only for the 2015 MDGs but even beyond, in order to ensure further development within the region.

Indonesian government statistics show that the decrease in the official poverty rate is slowing – from 12.3 percent of all Indonesians in September 2011 to 11.7 percent a year later.

If the gap between the rich and poor grows even wider, "it will engender social unrest," warned H.S. Dillon, the presidential special envoy for poverty alleviation, in an interview earlier this year.

"Inequality continues to be more acutely felt. This is politically corrosive and socially divisive, and needs to be a top priority for all local leaders," he said.

And while Indonesian politics often tends to be focused on economics, according to Ndiame Diop, lead economist and economic adviser at the World Bank in Indonesia, empowering women should not be overlooked, because women's rights are "a human right, but it is also smart economics," he said.

Indonesia has made some notable progress toward narrowing the gender gap and achieving the MDG on equality.

This includes significantly more access to education for girls and an increase of female political representation in the national government. But Tomi Soetjipto, a spokesman for the UN Development Program in Indonesia, said the nation still had some way to go before achieving full gender equality.

The UN Millennium Development Goals were set in September 2000.

Finance & banking

Bank Century owner claims lender allowed to collapse by 'invisible hands'

Jakarta Globe - September 22, 2013

Novianti Setuningsih – A former owner of Bank Century, Robert Tantular, has suggested the bank was allowed to collapse so that the government could initiate a bailout.

"We suspect there were 'invisible hands' that intentionally caused the bank's collapse and made Bank Century unable to meet its daily obligations.

"Such a possibility is related to the events that led to the government's intervention in the mid-sized bank," said Robert's attorney Andi F. Simangunsong at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office in Jakarta on Friday.

Andi said the Rp 6.7 trillion ($600 million) bailout is suspicious because Rp 2.2 trillion of the amount was immediately placed at the central bank in the form of a Bank Indonesia promissory note (SBI).

"In the banking world there are what you call fictitious accounting reports. We need to ascertain if BI had a report on Bank Century's Rp 2.2 trillion SBI or whether it was just a fictitious report. We are going to ask KPK to see if they can trace those funds," said Andi.

Andi said his group would also ask KPK to trace Century's capital outflows to trace where the funds went.

The attorney said his client told him the bank did not need the Rp 6.7 billion that was eventually pledged. "My client told me he felt Rp 1 trillion was enough to rescue the bank at the time," Andi insisted.

Andi went on to explain that the government – in this case, the central bank – hadn't granted the bank's request for a Rp 1 trillion bailout on Oct. 29, 2008. That rejection eventually caused the bank to collapse on Nov. 13, 2008, and the government ended up providing Rp 6.7 trillion in funding.

"So, if you ask if this was a failed bank with a systemic impact, you would have to refer to the assessment made by the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK)," said Andi.

The bailout of the mid-sized lender, during the height of the global financial crisis, generated immense controversy in Indonesia.

Critics have alleged a litany of irregularities in the decision, which some lawmakers say was taken to save politically connected depositors – including people with close links to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Democratic Party's chief patron.

The House adopted a resolution in 2010 declaring the bailout fundamentally flawed, which compelled the KPK, the Attorney General's Office and the police to begin parallel probes into the bailout and the subsequent flow of money.

The KPK has stepped up its investigation recently, raiding the central bank in July and seizing documents pertaining to the bailout.

The House says one of the key documents in the case is a power of attorney letter issued in November 2008, in which Boediono, the central bank governor at the time and now the nation's vice president, instructed three senior central bank officials to approve an initial short-term loan facility (FPJP) of Rp 600 billion for Century.

The power of attorney was issued just days after Zainal Abidin, Bank Indonesia's director of supervision, sent a letter to Boediono on Oct. 30, 2008, informing him Century was not eligible to receive the loan facility because its capital adequacy ratio was below the minimum 8 percent.

Indonesia's foreign debt growth slows down

Jakarta Post - September 20, 2013

Jakarta – Indonesia's year-on-year foreign debt growth dropped to 7.3 percent in July 2013 from 8 percent recorded in June 2013, Bank Indonesia says. Indonesia's foreign debt stood at US$259.54 billion in July 2013.

"Based on the time frame, Indonesia's foreign debt is dominated by long- term debts, which consist of 82.3 percent of the total foreign debt," Bank Indonesia said in an official release.

Based on foreign exchange composition, the US dollar still dominates with 68.2 percent out of the total foreign debt. "The slowdown in Indonesia's foreign debt growth is triggered by the private sector," Bank Indonesia's release said.

Indonesian private sector's year-on-year foreign debt growth dropped to 9.5 percent or equal to $133.94 billion in July 2013 from 11 percent recorded in the previous month.

Meanwhile, the public sector's year-on-year foreign debt growth increased by 5.1 percent or equal to $125.60 billion in July 2013 from 4.9 percent recorded in June 2013.

"Bank Indonesia sees that the development of foreign debt growth remains healthy and sustainable. The slowdown, particularly from the private sector, is in line with the national economic trend."

Structural woes spell tax office trouble

Jakarta Post - September 16, 2013

Rendi A. Witular and Tassia Sipahutar, Jakarta – Taxation director general Fuad Rahmany has recently found it hard to hide his frustration over the profound structural problems plaguing his agency, with his weary expressions seeming to signal how the magnitude of the problem is beyond his authority to resolve.

The agency has recently been flagged following a possible three-fold shortfall in its tax collection this year to as much as Rp 196 trillion (US$2.15 billion) from last year's Rp 65 trillion. The shortfall is equal to 17 percent of Rp 1,148 trillion the agency has to collect this year.

While the cause for the staggering shortfall may in part be attributable to the slowdown in the economy, most of the blame may go to the sustainability of reform at the agency.

"You can imagine how hard it is to find just 200 honest officials here. Many of our officials have ended up behind bars for graft, and believe me it will not stop," said Fuad, who took over the agency's helm in January 2011 after spending most of his career as the Finance Ministry's capital market top official.

Fuad said while the tax agency was committed to ongoing reform, it had fallen victim to the rigidity of the civil service regulations that made it difficult to fire and hire workers, and applied an ideal carrot and stick system. "The problem, obviously, has been keeping back the agency from performing to its fullest potential."

The tax agency, which contributes more than 76 percent of the state revenue, has more than 31,000 workers, or around 70 percent of the Finance Ministry's headcounts.

"Why does the graft remain? Because it's extremely difficult under the existing regulations to fire corrupt and underperforming officials. It's equally difficult to rotate them. They could sue us," said Fuad. "An immediate breakthrough within our regulations is needed to resolve this, such as the authority to fire workers over suspicions of graft."

Among the regulations holding up the ongoing reform, according to Fuad, are Government Regulation No. 53/2010 on civil service discipline and Law No 43/1999 on civil service principals.

Under the law, for example, a dismissal of civil servants, regardless of the violations, could not be put into effect without approvals by several related agencies, such as the National Civil Servant Agency. The dismissal process could take more than a year. "If we talked about such regulations, it's obviously beyond my authority to have them fixed," said Fuad.

While the law and regulation have widely been cited for stalling bureaucracy and civil service reform, the government and lawmakers have yet to prioritize their revisions, placing ongoing reforms, such as in the tax agency, on a weak footing.

Former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati launched ambitious reforms at the tax office in 2007 by setting up a new code of ethics and a new set of sanctions. She also raised take-home pay to limit the lure of accepting bribes.

Critics at the time warned the reform might not be sustainable given the absence of change in civil service regulations overall.

Questions on the outcome of the reform eventually came to the surface after the unraveling of a major graft case worth more than Rp 40 billion involving junior official Gayus Tambunan in 2010.

In April this year, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detained tax official Pargono Riyadi for allegedly trying to extort Rp 125 million from a businessman.

A month after, the KPK also detained junior tax officials Eko Darmayanto and Mohammad Dian Irwan Nuqishira for allegedly accepting bribes in a steel company. "It's the same story all over again. However perfect the system we build, it will mean nothing if the operators behind it are morally corrupt," said Fuad.

According to Fuad, around 10,000 of the agency's 32,000 workers are at extreme risk of falling foul of graft. This includes jobs such as account representatives, who directly deal with assisting taxpayers, and tax inspectorates and investigators.

Gadjah Mada University economist A. Tony Prasetiantono said it would need an extraordinary effort to keep the integrity of the agency intact as the lure of graft was so great compared to other institutions.

"Questions persist over the sustainability of reform at the agency. It's time to find other solutions for the agency to boost its performance, and I think it makes sense if it is not part of the Finance Ministry. It's just too big to manage now," he said.

Aside from the integrity issue, the agency is also plagued with a pervasive lack of manpower, which has already held back its efforts to collect more tax revenue.

Between 2006 and 2012, tax revenue collection doubled and the number of taxpayers increased to 24.8 million from 15 million. However, headcounts at the agency during the same period grew slightly to 31,408 from 32,196.

With such a composition, one tax official serves 7,500 taxpayers, far higher than in Australia and Germany, where one official serves 1,000 and 700 taxpayers, respectively, despite more advanced IT systems.

Since 2007, the tax agency has added no regional offices to collect more revenue due to shortages in manpower, leaving it operating with 31 regional offices.

The budget for the agency has also been cut from Rp 5.3 trillion in 2009 to Rp 4.9 trillion in 2013 despite an average of more than a 10 percent rise in the tax collection target.

Due to the shortages, Fuad admitted his agency could not expand the collection base outside the 30,000 companies that had long contributed to around 80 percent of total tax revenues. "It's like hunting in the zoo," he said.

Fuad said he had requested at least 5,000 new workers annually since last year to keep up with demand for higher revenue collection. However, due to the bureaucracy, it was not until recently that the request was granted.

Finance Minister Chatib Basri said he understood the agency's problems and would remain committed to sustained reform.

Chatib added that, ideally, the tax office should become a separate entity from the Finance Ministry, given the tasks it was carrying out, which would require more flexibility.

"Ideally, it should head that way [toward separation]. It should be like Bank Indonesia or the Financial Services Authority where they have the flexibility to manage their workers," said Chatib. "The current condition has not conducive for such a separation, given the massive coordination and supervision issues that need to be upgraded."

Analysis & opinion

Indonesia has bigger problems than bikinis

Bloomberg - September 20, 2013

William Pesek – Indonesians are taking to the streets to demand the government heed their complaints. Are they livid about corruption? No. Fed up with poverty? Not really. Angry over political gridlock? Not so much. It's those damn bikinis.

In recent days, the nation with the world's largest Muslim population has been consumed by protests against the Miss World pageant finale on Sept. 28, originally scheduled to be held near Jakarta. Muslim groups, including radical ones, have threatened violent attacks. The government has responded by moving the event to Bali – the Hindu-majority island popular with Westerners – increasing security, and hoping for the best.

This column isn't a defense of beauty contests. My question is, why the misplaced anger? Where's the outrage over obscene levels of graft, which eats up national wealth and forces 115 million Indonesians to live on less than $2 a day? Where are the placards condemning policies that have made the rupiah Asia's most pathetic currency? Why don't we hear chants demanding greater accountability from leaders?

It's great that Indonesians are worked up, but their ire would be more constructive if it were focused on the right target. Investors know the trouble. And that's the biggest problem of all.

Deep breath

First, let's all take a deep breath. The risk of Southeast Asia's biggest economy plummeting into free fall, as it did in 1997, is quite small. Its banks are much healthier. The government is far more transparent, and the central bank is sitting on $93 billion of currency reserves. That might seem like a paltry amount compared with, say, South Korea's $331 billion, but it's more than twice the size of the International Monetary Fund-led bailout Indonesia received 16 years ago. Also, short-term foreign-currency debt levels are manageable.

The political stability that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has established since 2004 has won investment-grade ratings from Fitch Ratings and Moody's Investors Service. The former general is now taking aim at Standard & Poor's, which rates the economy at the highest junk level.

Foreign-direct investment trends, meanwhile, show that Indonesia's domestic market is still wooing considerable long-term money. The total rose 18.9 percent from a year earlier in the second quarter to $6 billion. Although that's the slowest pace since 2010, it's still suggestive of a nation that, for all its warts, has a bright future. Long-term investors remain enthusiastic about Indonesia's vast store of natural resources and the fact that 26 percent of its 250 million people are younger than 15.

Yet short-term investors are focusing ever more intently on those warts, which Yudhoyono's government must urgently address. The most immediate worry is a trade deficit that widened to a record $2.3 billion in July, weighing on a current account that's been in shortfall for seven straight quarters. That's prompting waves of hot money to flee and creating a sense of crisis.

The bigger problem is the government's failure to use the good times to accelerate infrastructure upgrades and institutional reforms. Inadequate ports, highways, refineries and power grids are squandering Indonesia's chances of attracting manufacturing jobs that are now going to China, the Philippines and Vietnam. The government has been remiss about making Jakarta's bureaucracy more efficient, building more credible judicial and tax systems, rolling back unaffordable subsidies, and scrapping limits on mining exports that smack more of nationalism than good economics.

Enriching cronies

Corruption remains rampant. Early on, Yudhoyono scored some headline- grabbing victories over graft. But the campaign lost focus and urgency. In 2012, Indonesia slipped 18 places in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, falling behind Egypt. Yudhoyono can't run in next year's election. What if his successor cares more about enriching cronies than moving Indonesia forward?

The Miss World controversy raises another concern: the democratically elected leader of a secular government caving to the whims of an ultraconservative minority of Muslims. One of Yudhoyono's most important tasks is to hold the forces of creeping Islamization at bay. Last year, radicals prompted Lady Gaga to scrap a sold-out concert in Jakarta, making for damaging headlines overseas.

The last few months have shown how fickle markets can be about Indonesia and how vital it is for the government to head off negative sentiment before it overwhelms the economy. Yudhoyono must use his last 10 months in office to cement the sweeping changes that originally made Indonesia an investment darling.

He must accelerate plans to spend $125 billion on infrastructure by 2025. He should empower an independent anticorruption ministry with full subpoena powers. The country needs a grand blueprint and timeline for the strengthening of democratic institutions. The former general must insulate the government further from military influence, as well as contain extremism.

But Indonesians need to do their part, too. Their voices can keep Yudhoyono focused on the real obscenity. It's not beauty contests or scantily clad pop stars but a vast kleptocracy that thrives off the masses being distracted by the small stuff. The more voters obsess about exposed skin, the less the fraudulent class has to worry about being exposed. That's the real travesty here, not Miss World's bikini.

[William Pesek is a Bloomberg View columnist. Follow him on Twitter (@williampesek).]

Is an independent West Papuan state possible?

Fair Observer - September 18, 2013

Camellia Webb-Gannon – The very unpredictability of politics is the greatest hope for those seeking an independent West Papuan state. Here, some of the key issues occupying West Papuan nationalists and observers of the region s politics are addressed, including whether West Papuans are entitled to their own state; whether such a state would be politically and economically viable; and what chance Papuans have of forging their national vision into a constitutional reality.

Do West Papuans have a right to their own state?

Although the answer to this question is politically unpalatable for Indonesia and the countries that have, to date, supported Indonesia's "territorial integrity" (West Papua inclusive), under international law, West Papuans preserve the right to choose political independence.

The right to self-determination is enshrined in treaty law through the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which declare: "All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development."

Indonesia acknowledged this right by agreeing to a United Nations-sponsored referendum in 1969, through which West Papuans were to be given a chance to opt either for integration with Indonesia or self-sovereignty. However, Indonesia thwarted the democratic process in the so-called Act of Free Choice (AFC). Less than one percent of West Papua s population was selected to vote on behalf of all West Papuans for Indonesian rule.

The unsurprisingly unanimous, pro-Indonesian decision under the AFC was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly later in 1969. Since then, West Papuans have lobbied the UN, Indonesia, and the international community to provide an unrigged ballot through which they might freely and fairly determine their own political status.

Could West Papuans govern themselves if given the chance?

This question smacks of a residual colonial mentality and resounds of fiscal self-interest. Yet it is a question regularly posed, and often answered in the negative, by observers of West Papua's independence movement. One may think, however, that Australia, for instance, might consider the money it could save by no longer funding and training many of the Indonesian troops and police deployed in West Papua to suppress "separatism."

To be sure, an independent West Papua would face significant obstacles during and after an inauguration of self-rule. With a history of Jakarta- engineered divide and rule tactics targeted at foiling West Papuan attempts to politically consolidate as well as exacerbating tribal and regional enmities, West Papuans are already on the back foot in state making.

Effective education, technology, and health infrastructure would need to be built almost from scratch. A culture of corruption and nepotism, ubiquitous within Indonesian politics, would need to be overcome, and English would have to be a widely spoken language – at least among West Papuan office holders so that West Papua can take part in international forums. The racial and cultural gulf between the predominantly Asian Muslim migrants to West Papua – currently comprising more than half of the territory's population – and indigenous Christian Papuans, may prove difficult to surmount even with fair governance.

Nevertheless, West Papuans are wealthy in many respects. Economically, their land contains such substantial gold and copper deposits that it hosts one of the world's largest gold and copper mines, owned by US-based Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. West Papuans have spent the last 50 years, since Indonesian occupation of their land, forging a strong national identity and developing their struggle strategically, diplomatically and even militarily, all of which will stand them in good stead in the event of independence. This comes in contrast to neighboring Papua New Guinea, a country of frequent comparison, often criticized for its political instability, but whose independence came about all too easily in the view of some during the era of decolonization rather than through opposition to a colonial power, as would be the case for West Papua.

Most importantly, perhaps, there are many West Papuans in the diaspora and in-country who are smart, capable and committed (unofficial) politicians. It could be said that Indonesian misrule has made independence activism a default career for hundreds if not thousands of educated Papuans both at home and abroad. In a sense, this is just as well since there has been a terrible toll of revered Papuan leaders since the 1970s at the hands of Indonesian security forces.

Driven into exile by constant death threats, human rights campaigner John Rumbiak suffered a stroke in 2005 and has never recovered, while the military assassinated the much-loved anthropologist, musicologist and musician, Arnold Ap, in 1984 and independence leader Theys Eluay in 2001. For their part, Indonesian police assassinated former guerilla leader Kelly Kwalik in 2009 and youth leader Mako Tabuni in 2012.

A strong culture of civil resistance is developing amongst a cadre of well-educated and internationally connected West Papuan leaders with the potential to utilize their skills in a Papuan state. Interim government structures are generating a host of viable ideas about indigenously appropriate governance, and constitutional options. If given the opportunity to self-govern, there is no reason why West Papuans would be less able to function in this capacity than their neighbors in the formerly Indonesian state of East Timor.

Will Indonesia relinquish West Papua?

Although West Papuans should have the right to determine their own political future, and do have the capacity to govern a viable state, the likelihood of such an opportunity arising for them to do so is uncertain. And in the event of a referendum on independence, given that the migrant Indonesian Austronesian population in West Papua outnumbers the West Papuan Melanesian population, there is little incentive for the migrant residents to vote for independence.

The importance of the revenue accrued to the Indonesian state from Freeport mine is enormous, as is the value of West Papuan land for oil palm plantations and settlements for Indonesian migrants seeking opportunities away from their overcrowded home islands. The Indonesian government's attitude toward West Papuan aspirations for greater freedom is unlikely to relax under any of the several ultranationalist presidential candidates vying to follow on from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2014.

Even so, there are weaknesses in Indonesia's hold over West Papua that Papuans are effectively exploiting, replenishing the independence movement with the oxygen of hope. Solidarity groups like International Parliamentarians for West Papua and International Lawyers for West Papua are gaining the support of big names from around the globe, largely through the campaigning of West Papuans in the diaspora such as Benny Wenda in the United Kingdom. The efforts of one peak body for West Papuan independence groups, the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation, has recently been successful in placing, for consideration, West Papuan membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group at the top of that group's agenda. Mass media in Australia and elsewhere is highlighting human rights concerns in West Papua. Independent media is showcasing the conflict in feature films. Australian politicians have debated the issue of West Papuan independence in parliament. And social media networks, to which many West Papuans are connected, are widely disseminating West Papuan requests for help.

In the case of East Timor, it was Australian public sympathy and outrage that finally forced the Australian-led UN intervention into action, enabling the process towards independence to continue. West Papuans have demonstrated over the past five decades that they will not give up on their dream for independence, no matter how bloody Indonesia's repression becomes. Indonesia is adamant that West Papua remains a part of its unitary state so that short of international intervention, whether diplomatic or military, West Papuans are unlikely to gain a new referendum on their political status.

If the West Papua crisis does unfold in a similar fashion to East Timor's, hopefully it need not suffer its own Santa Cruz massacre of 250-plus protestors. Captured on film in 1991, this atrocity raised global awareness of the crisis in East Timor and transformed international support for its aspirations.

Perhaps new media and technology publicizing the "slow-motion genocide" in West Papua will invoke similar public outrage, forcing the hand of the international community to attend to West Papuans' demands. The odds are certainly stacked against West Papuan independence aspirations. But politics are fickle; hope is infectious; and East Timor demonstrated that David and Goliath have their contemporary counterparts. West Papuans have the most to lose in pursuit of a state for their nation, yet they never say die. As concerned observers, how can we?

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

Prabowo could be Indonesia's Lee Kuan Yew

Huffington Post - September 16, 2013

Bali, Indonesia – If public graft were a symphony, Djoko Susilo might be its Mozart. On a salary of $1,000 a month, the former head of Indonesia's police academy managed to amass a fortune of $18 million. Earlier this month, Djoko was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Jakarta Corruption Court for accepting a $2.9 million bribe for a contract that eventually lost the state $10 million.

On the same day Djoko was found guilty, a former Health Ministry official was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling $1 million. Last month, the country's top oil and gas regulator – revered as a "clean man in a corrupt industry" – was charged with taking $700,000 in bribes from an oil-trading company. All told, more than 360 Indonesian officials have been jailed on corruption charges since 2002, including cabinet officers, governors, Members of Parliament, and judges.

At a time when every Islamic nation in the Middle East seems to be on fire, Indonesia – which has more Muslims than Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt combined – appears to be a relative oasis of diversity and democracy. On track to become one of the world's ten largest economies, this southeast Asian nation is also set to witness the third consecutive direct election of its president next year after five decades of dictatorship. But in a country where more than half of the population lives on less than $2 a day, Indonesia's deepening corruption at the highest levels isn't just a threat to economic growth – it's a ticking time bomb whose detonation could send shock waves across Asia, destabilize America's China strategy and make the violence in Egypt and Syria pale by comparison.

"If Indonesia continues along the path it is currently taking – with high levels of inequality, high levels of corruption and poor governance – it will eventually lead to chaos and revolt," Prabowo Subianto, the former commander of Indonesia's special forces and a leading candidate for president, tells me in a private meeting. "What has happened in the Middle East over the past 24 months could happen in Indonesia, unless we change course towards fairness, equality and transparency in government."

The toxic combination of graft and poverty has also fueled a sharp increase in religious-based violence, with 264 attacks reported last year. Among the potential presidential candidates, Prabowo has spoken most forcefully about the dangers of endemic graft and rising intolerance. He is also the person that many observers believe represents the country's best hope for curbing corruption and Islamic extremism before it leads to violence.

Talking privately with Western ambassadors and business leaders, it is striking how often somebody mentions that Prabowo could become the Indonesian version of Lee Kuan Yew – the revered founder of modern-day Singapore, who took a corruption-ridden nation in the 1950s and transformed it into one of the least corrupt economies in the world.

Prabowo wasn't always seen in such a positive light. When Indonesia's longtime authoritarian President Suharto fell in 1998, the former three- star general – then Suharto's son-in-law – was accused of leading deadly crackdowns against democracy activists. Although never charged with wrongdoing, he was found guilty of "exceeding orders" by a military commission and dismissed from the army.

But in a nation where millions yearn for a greater measure of the strength and order that defined the Suharto years, time has brought to the fore the qualities for which Prabowo is best known – what the popular former Minister of Defense, Juwono Sudarsono, defines as his "fierce loyalty to Indonesia, leadership, decisiveness – and toughness." And like Lee Kuan Yew – who governed by the credo, "If nobody is afraid of me, I'm meaningless" – Prabowo strikes fear in the hearts of still-corrupt Suharto-era cronies because, as one journalist tells me, "He is the only one they respect."

As 2014 approaches, Prabowo has other advantages working in his favor. His campaign is being financed by his wealthy brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo. In a nation with a history of Muslim-Christian violence, Probowo's brother is a devout Christian, which is reassuring to many who fear a fundamentalist takeover in Jakarta. At a time when elites pay scant attention to Indonesian's poor, Prabowo's Gerinda party – taking a page from the successful playbook of Thailand's former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra – is strongly positioned as the voice of poor farmers, with a growing base beyond urban centers.

There is also a potential running mate who would ideally complement Prabowo's discipline with a proven ability to achieve tangible, transformative results on the ground: Ibu Risma, mayor of Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city. Recognized nationally as a reformer, praised by popular Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo for her relentless dedication to improving the lives of average Indonesians, the woman known as "Mother Risma" also has a strong anti-corruption record. She was the driving force in establishing Surabaya as the first city in Indonesia to implement a transparent e-government online system that reduced both costs and graft. There isn't another public figure in Indonesia, including Joko, who has a more sparkling record of achievement than the deeply humble Ibu Risma. With her on the ticket, it would prove that Prabowo is serious about cutting corruption with a partner who knows how to implement a clean and transparent government system.

Still, Prabowo's path to the ballot box remains unclear. Under Indonesia's election laws, any candidate for president must be supported by a party or coalition earning at least 20 percent of the popular vote in next April's legislative elections. In the last national election, in 2009, Prabowo's party won just 4.5 percent. But he may have a number of potential coalition partners. Rumor has it that on his deathbed in December of 2009, revered former President Abdurrahman Wahid, known as Gus Dur, urged members of his Nahdlatul Ulama party – the nation's largest Islamic organization, with 40 million moderate Muslim members – to strongly support Prabowo for president.

Maybe Gus Dur knew the same thing that Juwono believes, when he says, "Prabowo is the only candidate with the grit to become president." With corruption increasingly drawing the ire of Indonesia's citizens, by 2014, he might just have the votes to become President, too.

[Stanley Weiss, a global mining executive and founder of Washington-based Business Executives for National Security, has been widely published on domestic and international issues for four decades.]


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