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Indonesia News Digest 18 – May 8-14, 2015

West Papua

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West Papua

Civil societies to government: Support West Papua bid for MSG

Solomon Islands News - May 15, 2015

Members of the civil society organization under the umbrella body of Solomon Islands in Solidarity for West Papua gathered in numbers on Thursday to renew their call on the Solomon Islands Government to support the bid for West Papua to gain full membership in MSG.

The call was made ahead of the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG) early next week to decide on the West Papua bid to MSG.

The gathering comprised on members of SICA, Civil Societies, the general public and students from the University of South Pacific to show their solidarity in support of the bid for the Melanesian people of West Papua for full in the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Commenting on the gathering Lily Chekana highlighted that West Papuans are Melanesians and their right to be part of MSG shouldn't be deterred by outside influences.

The decision made by MSG leaders on the 21st of May in Papua New Guinea is crucial to the West Papua bid and MSG leaders must stand tall in upholding the true spirit of the Melanesian way rather being succumbed to outside influence and money diplomacy.

"The decision made on the 21st is crucial and I call the Hon. Prime Minister to be genuine and confident when deciding on the issue of West Papua, the best the Solomon Islands people could expect from you is to support West Papua bid for MSG. Listen to your peoples" said Ms. Chekana.

She said, inclusion of West Papua into MSG would provide space for dialogue on the issue of Human Rights suffered by West Papuans at the hands of Indonesian Military and Police for the past 50 years as well as a diplomatic channel where such issue can be resolved.

"West Papua is part of the Melanesian family and our leaders must made the right decision to include West Papua into MSG. If MSG leaders can include the Kanaki of New Caledonia into MSG why not do the same for West Papua, it's time that our Lleaders put politics aside and show genuineness in dealing with the West Papua bid to be part of MSG," Ms Chekana said.

The Solomon Islands in Solidarity for West Papua group will stage a peace march and video and photo exhibition in support of West Papua bid for West Papua on Tuesday 19th May 2015.

Source: http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/6976-civil-societies-to-govt-support-west-papua-bid-for-msg

Foreign journalists can finally report from one of Asia's oldest conflicts

Global Post - May 15, 2015

Marie Dhumieres – It could be a game-changing step for West Papua. That is, if it gets implemented and foreign journalists are any good at their jobs.

"Starting from today, foreign journalists are allowed to and can visit Papua as freely as they can any other part of Indonesia," Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said last weekend.

Foreign journalists have been virtually banned for decades from reporting on the province, officially for their own protection, but really because the government and military has wanted to keep a lid on their decades-long conflict with a lightly-armed separatist movement.

The ban has definitely helped keep news of violence in Papua out of international news outlets. But it hasn't helped resolve the conflict much. Human rights groups say Indonesia's "obsession" with censoring news from Papua only encourages abuses in this highly militarized province.

While the new president's announcement is a positive development, many foreign correspondents working in Indonesia remain wary. Last year, two French journalists were arrested for reporting in the province while on a tourist visa. They were detained for more than two months before they were sent back to France.

Andreas Harsono, the Indonesia researcher for Human Rights Watch, said it remains to be seen how freely the police and the military on the ground actually let international journalists do their job.

During his visit, Jokowi also pardoned five political prisoners. He said he wanted to prove the "government's effort to stop the stigma of conflict in Papua."

What he didn't really brag about is the fact that those released had to admit to their "crimes." They had to say they had been "rehabilitated" to receive the pardon.

Papua's most prominent political prisoner refused. "I can't take the clemency because it requires an admission of guilt," Filep Karma told the BBC during a secretly filmed interview in jail.

Karma was arrested in 2004 at a peaceful demonstration during which a Papuan flag was raised. As is often the case in Papua, the rally ended in a police crackdown. Karma was arrested, and charged with "rebellion" for organizing the flag-raising event. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail.

"I was only expressing the aspiration of the Papuan people," he told the BBC. "Indonesia has to release me without any condition."

Human rights organizations agree. They ask for an immediate amnesty for dozens of political prisoners, without condition.

Source: http://www.globalpost.com/article/6547675/2015/05/13/foreign-journalists-can-finally-report-conflict-west-papua

Australian unions pledge support for West Papua

Red Flag - May 15, 2015

The Australian Council of Trade Unions has renewed a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Republic of West Papua (FRWP), pledging support for the cause of West Papuan self-determination.

The signing ceremony on 15 May was attended by members of the West Papuan community and a number of trade union leaders, including ACTU president Ged Kearney, Victorian Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari, Communication Workers Union Victorian branch secretaries Len Cooper and Joan Doyle and Maritime Union Victorian branch secretary Kevin Bracken.

FRWP minister for foreign affairs, immigration and trade, Jacob Rumbiak, told Red Flag that the memorandum, first signed in 2000, is being renewed because there is now greater international recognition of and support for West Papua.

The territory covers the western half of the island of New Guinea, located just north of Australia. It has been under Indonesian rule since the mid- 1960s. More than 100,000 West Papuans are estimated to have been killed as a result of the occupation. The Indonesian military acts with impunity, often hand-in-glove with the operators of the Grasberg mine, the largest gold mine in the world.

"I hope that this [renewal] will in turn mean that the ACTU will petition the ALP to change its policy", Dr Rumbiak said. The Labor Party currently supports Special Autonomy for West Papua. That path was initiated in 2001 but led nowhere. "They should change to support the right of self- determination", he said.

The memorandum also pledges to "support the application by the United Liberation Movement (ULM) of West Papua for full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group". The United Liberation Movement, of which the FRWP is a part, was formed in December last year to present a common voice of a number of different groups within the West Papuan liberation struggle.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group consists of Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, along with the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front of New Caledonia. If the ULM were granted membership of the Spearhead Group, it would be seen as an endorsement of West Papua's right to self-determination.

[To find out more about the campaign for West Papuan self-determination, visit freewestpapua.org.]

Source: https://redflag.org.au/article/australian-unions-pledge-support-west-papua

Giving foreign journalists access to Papua is 'reactive'

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2015

Jakarta – A House of Representatives lawmaker says President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's decision to revoke tight requirements applied to foreign journalists wanting to report on Papua is a reactive move.

The member of House Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs and information, Sukamta, said Jokowi's policy was aimed only at responding to international pressure regarding the arrest of two French journalists, namely Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat, for allegedly violating their stay permits in Wamena, Papua, last year.

"The approach taken by Jokowi was a reactive approach, instead of a substantive one," said Sukamta as quoted by kompas.com in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

He said President Jokowi's administration often took reactive policies, including on the handling of foreign news coverage in Papua. Sukamta called on President Jokowi to first focus his policies on efforts to improve people's prosperity in Papua.

"Once the government is successful in building a prosperity approach in Papua, that will be the time for foreign journalists to freely report on Papua," said the Prosperous Justice Party politician.

Sukamta reminded Jokowi that there was no guarantee that by giving journalists free access to cover Papua, they would uphold journalistic ethics in the form of balanced reporting.

"Even in a restrictive media coverage environment, many foreign media outlets have violated journalism principles, cornering Indonesia over Papua-related issues in the international community. Something worse might happen if they are now granted free access to report on Papua," said Sukamta.

Previously, journalists wishing to enter Papua had to fill out a request permission form that required the approval of various government institutions.

Sukamta also feared that providing free media access in Papua at an improper time would lead to mounting pressure to hold a referendum in the region. (fsu/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/14/giving-foreign-journalists-access-papua-reactive.html

Interview with President Joko Widodo: Handling West Papua in Jokowi's way

Tabloid JUBI - May 13, 2015

Jayapura, Jubi – Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to Papua from 9-10 May included a stop at Pasar Pharaa, traditional market, at Sentani, the launch of the Institute of Public Administration (IPDN)'s new building, a visit to Holtekamp Bridge, the launch of public insurance cards and the granting of pardon for five Papuan political prisoners. The day after, he continued his mission to Merauke, Manokwari and Papua New Guinea.

After the ceremony of clemency to five Papuan political prisoners at the Abepura Prison on Saturday (9/5/2015), Aljazeera had opportunity for exclusive interview with the President Joko Widodo held at VIP lounge of Abepura Prison. Aljazeera set the interview topic on the president's next step after the pardon granting, Jakarta – Papua Dialogue and the access for foreign journalists in Papua.

Here are excerpts from Aljazeera's interview with Jokowi, summarized by Jubi:

TJ: What the next step after the release of the five political prisoners?

President Jokowi: We must open a new chapter. All of us. So, we freed the (political) prisoners and invited them to develop Papua as land of peace.

TJ: There's a lot of political prisoners in Papua and Ambon, will you free them all?

President Jokowi: Yes, all of them. We've just started. After this we will release all political prisoners and invite them to develop Papua, Maluku and Indonesia as well.

TJ: What is the best way to release them?

President Jokowi: If they filed clemency requests, we can approve it within two weeks. But if they asked for amnesty, it must have approval from Parliament first. So it's up to them. If they wanted a pardon, it's prompt action. But if they wanted an amnesty, they should wait the parliament's approval. But I don't know whether the parliament will approve it or not.

TJ: The political prisoners want an amnesty but they were granted with a pardon. According to them, it should be an agreement.

President Jokowi: No. This is my idea, not theirs (political prisoners). They could agree on it, because it's my idea and I the one who granted it.

TJ: What is this clemency for them also means rehabilitation?

President Jokowi: Yes automatically. It means they have already free and automatically been rehabilitated. I've been confirmed about such problems. I have asked the vice governor to assist them for solution, whether it is related to the problem of work or health problem. If it couldn't deal with it, I will directly handle it from Jakarta.

TJ: It might be confusion among the political prisoners whether they will receive a pardon or amnesty. One of them said he is disappointed as he thought he might get an amnesty.

President Jokowi: No. We have explained it. I thought they already knew that the clemency is the president's initiative, not theirs.

TJ: Does it mean they are free from all charges that prior accused to them?

President Jokowi: Yes, they are. They have granted (a pardon).

TJ: Some people are assuming that it is only for self-imaging?

President Jokowi: No. We have prepared this since December last year. We have talked with everyone in here. But, indeed it needs time. It requires several stages and we want all of them to be released. But we couldn't make it. We could only release five persons. That's it. We expect it could be applied for all prisoners at the next stage. We want it's all done promptly.

TJ: Papuan leaders want a dialogue with the government, which is at this stage you are the president. Will you conduct a political dialogue with the people of Papua?

President Jokowi: No more problems in Papua. What is dialogue for? I've often come here and talked with the customary leaders, religious leaders, regents, and the mayor as well. What is that mean? It's a dialogue, isn't it?

TJ: But it's all about the development and economy, not about politic or political situation?

President Jokowi: Yes, our politic in Papua is the politic of development, politic of welfare.

TJ: You are not talking about the past? The problems encountered by Papuans in the past?

President Jokowi: It's closed. We must open the new chapter. We must look ahead.

TJ: What about the access for foreign journalist in Papua?

President Jokowi: Starting from tomorrow (Sunday,10/5) we open the access for foreign journalist. No problem.

TJ: It means special permit is not required anymore?

President Jokowi: What else? Needs a permit from Jakarta? No, no, no!

TJ: And from Clearing house?

President Jokowi: Yes, it requires or not?

TJ: Foreign journalists have permit to work in Indonesia, but if they want to come to Papua, they need a special permit.

President Jokowi: No, no, no!

TJ: So, there would no clearing house?

President Jokowi: No!

TJ: So starting tomorrow the foreign journalist is free to come to Papua?

President Jokowi: Go ahead.

TJ: Are you sure?

President Jokowi: Yes I am. I have said this to the officials here in Papua. I've talked to ministers, officials at the Indonesian Police, Military. All of them. Isn't it enough?

TJ: What about the resolution of Paniai case (the shooting against four students in Enarotali)

President Jokowi: I'll give the answer later. If I answer it now it could eclipse the granting of pardon issue.

TJ: Thank you

(Victor Mambor/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/05/13/interview-with-president-joko-widodo-handling-papua-on-jokowis-way/

PNG MP calls for MSG to be disbanded

Radio New Zealand International - May 13, 2015

An outspoken Papua New Guinea MP says the Melanesian Spearhead Group has failed its original mandate and should be disbanded.

Gary Juffa, who is the Governor of Oro Province, says that the MSG's leadership does not act in a way that represents Melanesian voices.

His comment comes after the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, visited PNG this week as high-level lobbying intensifies over the looming decision on a MSG membership bid by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

Mr Juffa says that behind the scenes among officials in MSG member countries there's a growing resentment of the group's treatment of the Papua issue.

"They said disband it, what's the point? If it's going to be there to be dictated to by Indonesia, what's the point? MSG was set up to fight for Melanesian views and issues, not just be a trade agreement conduit, and not just be a muppet and puppet to the will and whim of say Indonesia."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/273490/png-mp-calls-for-msg-to-be-disbanded

'Associate member' status for Indonesia in MSG

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015

Ina Parlina, Port Moresby – Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister Peter O'Neill expressed support on Tuesday for Indonesia's inclusion as an "associate member" of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), deeming the plan as representative of a "unique understanding" between the two countries.

Indonesia, which achieved observer status at the MSG in 2011, has been stepping up efforts to acquire full membership.

The MSG is an inter-governmental organization comprising PNG, Vanuatu, Salomon Islands and Fiji. The main goal is to boost economic development within the Pacific Island states.

"We have also agreed about Papua New Guinea's support for Indonesia becoming an associate member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, which PNG will gladly endorse and pursue with the other leaders of the Melanesian group," O'Neill said on Tuesday during a joint press conference with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo after the two held bilateral talks.

O'Neill told Jokowi on Monday that application for membership by the ULMWP – which is a grouping of three West Papuan groups, namely the Federal Republic of West Papua, the West Papua National Parliament and the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) – would require Indonesia's endorsement.

Last year at the annual MSG Leaders' Summit in Port Moresby, the WPNCL's membership application was rejected. The group, however, re-submitted its application at MSG headquarters in Port Vila, Vanuatu, in February, and is still awaiting response.

MSG leaders are expected to discuss the application in the Solomon Islands as the summit, which is planned for sometime in June or July. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi is expected to attend the event as an observer.

With Indonesia's status as an associate member, O'Neill added, Indonesians of Melanesian descent in Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, West Papua and East Nusa Tenggara would be able to participate in the region's cultural and trade activities organized by the MSG.

Such participation is expected to further strengthen ties between Melanesian people in the region, particularly between PNG and Indonesia, which share a border, O'Neill said.

O'Neill also expressed PNG's aim to boost access to the telecommunications, power generation and road infrastructure sectors in a bid to create business opportunities with Indonesia.

On Tuesday, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on combating transnational crime – which Jokowi said would cover narcotics and terrorism – and another MoU on human-resource development in the oil and energy sector.

"Prime Minister O'Neill and I agreed to build closer ties and create more intensive cooperation between Indonesia and PNG as part of our 40-year celebration of diplomatic relations [to be celebrated this year]," Jokowi said.

According to Jokowi, the two also agreed to improve economic cooperation, particularly with respect to investment and infrastructure, and to support the participation of the private sector in the energy, telecommunications and fisheries industries.

The two countries, Jokowi said, had also agreed to boost connectivity by encouraging the two countries' national flag carriers – Garuda Indonesia (Indonesia) and Air Niugini (PNG) – to open routes connecting Port Moresby with Bali, Jakarta and Singapore.

As part of his effort to pay greater attention to Indonesia's poorly developed eastern provinces, Jokowi visited Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua before flying to PNG.

The President and his entourage left PNG on Tuesday and arrived in Surabaya, East Java, to attend the opening of the Democratic Party congress.

The MSG is an inter-governmental organization comprising PNG, Vanuatu, Salomon Islands and Fiji.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/associate-member-status-indonesia-msg.html

Foreign journalists must abide by laws in place on Papua access: Lawmaker

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015

Dylan Amirio, Jakarta – In response to a move by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to remove barriers to access for foreign journalists seeking to report in Papua, an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker says that journalists aiming to use this right must also be aware of the legal limitations.

Even though Jokowi said all foreign journalists were free to enter Papua, PDI-P lawmaker TB Hasanuddin reminded that certain laws and ministerial decrees determined whether journalists had permission to enter.

Among them is a Communications and Information Ministry decree issued in 2005, which states that all foreign media aiming to conduct journalistic activities in Indonesia must have ministerial permission, regardless of where they report, Hasanuddin said on Wednesday.

Another decree from the Foreign Ministry says a police permit is necessary to report in Papua as well, Hasanuddin said, adding that despite the freedom Jokowi described, foreign journalists must still adhere to existing laws.

"I think what the President meant was that foreign journalists were welcome inside any part of Indonesian territory. Previously, the attitude towards them on Papua was very restrictive," Hasanuddin told reporters on Wednesday. (hhr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/foreign-journalists-must-abide-laws-place-papua-access-lawmaker.html

A look at the Papua conflict – Indonesia's 'low-level insurgency'

Deutsche Welle - May 12, 2015

Following Indonesian leader Joko Widodo's move to free five political prisoners and lift media curbs in Papua, DW speaks to Gregory Poling about why so little progress has been made in solving the decades-long conflict.

President Widodo announced clemency for five Papuan prisoners while visiting Papua's provincial capital of Jayapura on May 9, 2015. The five men, convicted in 2003 for their alleged role in a raid on an Indonesian Armed Forces weapons arsenal in Wamena on April 4, 2003, which resulted in the deaths of two soldiers, were serving prison terms ranging from 19 years to life imprisonment.

The Indonesian leader also announced the lifting of travel bans for foreign journalists there. "We need to create a sense of peace in Papua. This is just the beginning," he said during his visit to the area, raising hopes of a change of policy towards the resource-rich region and that other political prisoners still held would be freed.

The nongovernmental political prisoners' advocacy organization Papuans behind bars lists a total of 38 Papuans imprisoned, detained, on trial, or awaiting trial on charges that violate their freedom of expression and association. Human rights groups accuse Jakarta of consistently detaining and jailing protesters for peacefully advocating independence or other political change.

Many such arrests and prosecutions are of activists who peacefully raise banned symbols, such as the Papuan Morning Star and the South Moluccan RMS flags. A low-level guerrilla organization called the Free Papua Movement has been leading a secessionist struggle in the region since the 1960's.

In a DW interview, Gregory Poling, a Southeast Asia expert at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, talks about the reasons behind the decades-long conflict, Jakarta's treatment of political prisoners and says that while there is renewed reason for hope, Papua's troubles will take more than visits and promises of economic progress to resolve.

DW: What have been the main reasons behind the ongoing Papuan conflict?

Gregory Poling: There has been a confluence of political and economic tensions that have fueled the conflict. Many Papuans remain bitter about the perceived illegality of Indonesia's takeover of the region half a century ago, which violated both the letter and spirit of a UN-brokered agreement.

Security forces for decades have acted with heavy-handedness and impunity to combat the low-level insurgency, which has resulted in widespread abuses. And then there is the perception among Papuans that their identity is under threat – a perception reinforced by large-scale migration of non-Papuans and suppression of symbols like the "Morning Star" flag that represents Papuan independence.

On the economic front, Papuans see that the region lags behind the rest of Indonesia on most important health, education, and other development indicators. Papua is Indonesia's richest province in terms of natural resources, and the Grasberg mine is not only the largest gold and third largest copper mine in the world, but is also the largest single taxpayer in Indonesia. Yet relatively little of that natural wealth has resulted in development in Papua.

In which ways has the conflict been carried out?

The armed opposition to Indonesian occupation hit its zenith in the 1970s. Since then, conflict remains chronic but low-level. To that end, the banned Free Papua Movement, or OPM, is a useful bogeyman for Jakarta, and does remain active. But the vast majority of pro-independence (or pro-autonomy) gatherings are peaceful, which makes the sometimes-deadly force used by Indonesian security forces to break them up all the more worrying.

What is Indonesia's position on this issue?

Indonesia is willing to countenance increased autonomy for Papua, but not independence. It granted Papua special autonomy over a decade ago, but its scope and implementation have been far short of Papuan demands. Toward the end of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government, there was a movement toward strengthening Papua's autonomy, but that floundered at the end of his administration and has not been carried forward.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has shown more attention to Papuan issues, and the recent announcements that five Papuans would be released from prison and the long-standing restrictions on foreign journalists entering the region lifted are good signs. But his statements still suggest an unwillingness to tackle the political as well as economic roots of Papuan separatism.

How does Jakarta deal with those seeking independence?

Indonesia views any calls for independence as crimes against the state and goes so far as to officially ban the display of the Morning Star flag. Security forces break up any protest at which the flag is raised – which occurs frequently – and arrest those promoting independence.

Indonesian authorities have also been highly active in regional diplomacy in recent years to block attempts by Papuan organizations to gain international recognition. The Melanesian Spearhead Group has been a particular focus of Jakarta's attention, and will soon decide whether to grant membership to a Papuan organization.

How does Jakarta treat its prisoners?

There have been reports of abuse against Papuan prisoners, but the limited access international organizations have been granted makes it difficult to ascertain the real situation. What is clear, however, is that dozens of pro-independence activists are imprisoned. Groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International classify them as political prisoners. Indonesia maintains that they are violent criminals and traitors.

Have any of the two sides signaled any willingness to compromise?

Jakarta has repeatedly proven willing to compromise by giving greater privileges and autonomy to Papua, but has repeatedly failed to follow- through in implementing such agreements. On the Papuan side, it is only a small minority who seems completely unwilling to compromise and insist on full independence.

How do you see this conflict developing in the coming years?

Papuan groups in exile have become savvier, and are helping throw a spotlight on the issue via their international lobbying and publicity. Unrest in Papua remains a thorn in Jakarta's side, blemishing what is otherwise a narrative of a consolidating, stable democratic state.

President Jokowi has so far shown a much greater attentiveness to Papua than any of his predecessors, and that is reason for hope. But Papua's troubles will take more than visits and promises of economic progress to resolve. Whether Jakarta can make the necessary political accommodations remains to be seen.

In your view, why has this conflict been rarely covered by the media?

The lack of foreign media access is one issue. But a more systemic problem is the low level of the insurgency. Levels of violence in Papua never compared to those in Aceh or the Malukus or, for that matter, in Mindanao in the Philippines or southern Thailand.

The foreign press has a limited attention span, and a low-level insurgency in Indonesia's most far-flung and sparsely populated province has proven unable to draw consistent focus, especially given the extra effort needed to cover it because of the restrictions on foreign media access.

[Gregory Poling is a fellow with the Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies at the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).]

Source: http://www.dw.de/a-look-at-the-papua-conflict-indonesias-low-level-insurgency/a-18445403

West Papua issue stirs during Jokowi's PNG visit

Radio New Zealand International - May 12, 2015

The thorny issue of West Papua has stirred controversy during a state visit by Indonesia's President, Joko Widodo, to Papua New Guinea.

Mr Widodo left Port Moresby today after a two-day visit which saw allegations of media gagging and the arbitrary arrest of protesting West Papuan independence activists.

Joko Widodo's plane touched down in Port Moresby on Monday, greeted by a 21-gun salute and military guard of honour. But outside the airport, a group was protesting Indonesian rule in the western half of New Guinea.

That protest was led by the PNG Union for a Free West Papua. Its general secretary, David Dom Kua, said police broke up the protest just before Mr Widodo touched down, and that he and six others were detained for several hours.

The group was later released without charge yet Mr Kua said their detention was illegal and an attempt to hide them from the visiting President.

"We are not in Indonesia, we are in Papua New Guinea," he said. "This is our own country, we are stepping on our own soil and our own laws and so if there is any political interference or influence whatsoever, how can the police or our government think they can do what the Indonesian government has been doing?"

The Oro Governor and MP, Gary Juffa, explained that the PNG Union for a Free West Papua had obtained a court order allowing them to protest, but they were detained arbitrarily. He felt Waigani had been quick to try and please Jakarta by clamping down on peaceful protest.

"We can't allow Indonesia to extend their authoritarian rule into Papua New Guinea which is what seems to be happening," said Governor Juffa.

"In instances when Indonesians visit or when Indonesian officials are here then there's a gag on the media, there's all the military persons, the people are controlled, it's as if we are a province of Indonesia."

The independence aspiration of West Papuans remains a sensitive issue for Indonesia, and one that Papua New Guinea governments have stayed silent on for many years. However growing public concern about reported rights abuses across the border and a geopolitical storm over a West Papuan move for greater regional representation have ensured the PNG government cannot ignore the issue.

A major West Papuan representative organisation is currently applying for membership of the regional Melanesian Spearhead Group, and appears to have the backing of Vanuatu and New Caledonia's FLNKS. It remains to be seen where Solomon Islands and the MSG's two biggest members, PNG and Fiji, stand on the matter.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua's application will be the special focus of an MSG members' meeting next week, before a possible decision on the bid at the leaders' summit in Honiara in July.

Mr Widodo's visit came as Indonesia's diplomatic overtures to Melanesian countries reached top levels, prompting the ULM to argue that the visit was to try and pressure PNG to not support the West Papuan MSG bid.

But at a state dinner for Mr Widodo, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said he wants to welcome Melanesian brothers and sisters from West Papua to the MSG, but it must be done with endorsement from Jakarta.

RNZI's correspondent in Port Moresby, Todagia Kelola, said the topic was off-limits to media at a breakfast on Tuesday, where Mr Widodo spoke about strengthening economic ties between the two countries and only slightly alluded to West Papua.

"He said the visit in Papua New Guinea provides an opportunity to strengthen ties in both countries. And despite not commenting on the West Papua issue Mr Widodo seeks to ensure that closer relations is far more important for the benefit for the people in Indonesia especially the 11 million melanesians in Indonesia."

Before leaving the country, the leaders of both countries signed new agreements to cooperate in the development of petroleum and energy resources and to prevent transnational crime. At the airport ahead of his departure, however, was another group of West Papua activists burning the Indonesian flag.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/273475/west-papua-issue-stirs-during-jokowi%27s-png-visit

West Papua: Seven arrested in PNG for 'mini protest' waving Papuan flag

Pacific Media Centre - May 12, 2015

Port Moresby (PNG Today/NBC/PNG Loop/Pacific Media Watch) – Seven protesters were arrested and detained for staging a "mini gathering" during the arrival of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Papua New Guinea yesterday.

The group of less then 10 people were picked up at Six Mile market roundabout for displaying placards and banners to show their support for their "West Papuan brothers". Among those detained were two sisters below the age of 19 and their father.

The detainees told NBC news at the station that police had approached them heavily armed. The protesters said they were not armed and they were only standing to welcome the president.

But they were also waving the West Papuan Morning Star flag – banned in Indonesia – and placards to show their support for their "Melanesian brothers". The seven were released after spending six hours in the cell.

Courtesy call

President Widodo arrived in Port Moresby and paid a courtesy call on Governor-General, Grand Chief Sir Michael Ogio and wife, Lady Esmie, at Government House.

The president's arrival at Jackson's International Airport on board an Indonesian Boeing 737 VIP aircraft was greeted with a 21-gun salute from the PNG Defence Force.

Security was beefed up at the airport and around the city involving the Defence, Police and Correctional Services, as the Indonesian President and his entourage convoyed to Government House and returned to his hotel room.

He attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and wife, Lynda Babao, at the State Function Room in Parliament, last night.

PNG Loop reported that O'Neill had said at the dinner he looked to work with Indonesia, and to "use our special connection" with the Melanesian people of Papua and West Papua to encourage peace and stability.

Source: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/west-papua-seven-arrested-png-mini-protest-waving-papuan-flag-9269

Some controls to remain on foreign journalists in Papua: Police

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2015

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said that certain controls would still be imposed on foreign journalists intending to enter Papua to protect the country from any possible threats. Agus made the remarks in response to statements by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who announced on Tuesday that he would relax access to Papua and West Papua for foreign journalists intending to enter those provinces.

"Our country has never been closed to the journalists of any country. But permits will still be there. We will see which regulations we can relax and which we can't compromise on," Agus said on Tuesday.

He argued that the police should still be aware of the possibility that some parties might pretend to be journalists to enter Papua.

"There have been several people who've pretended to be something they're not. What if they turn out to be terrorists?" he asked, adding that the journalists might also talk to people who opposed the government.

Last October the Jayapura District Court convicted French journalists Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat for abusing entry visas in 2014 after they allegedly filmed members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Agus also stressed the importance of carefully deciding what information could be provided to foreign journalists, as it would be published in other countries and would be hard to counter.

"There are things we can reveal to them and there are some that we can't, as stipulated by the law, such as information on national security or national intelligence," he said.

He referred to Law No. 14/2008 on public information, and Article 17 on the kinds of information that could not be publicized but Agus denied that it was an attempt to hide the facts from journalists.

"The access for news is open but there are boundaries. We never restrict journalists. We merely manage them," he concluded. (fsu/hhr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/12/some-controls-remain-foreign-journalists-papua-police.html

Foreign media should obtain permits to cover Papua: Chief minister

Antara News - May 11, 2015

Merauke, Papua – Foreign journalists must first obtain permits if they want to cover Papua, and there will be screening, according to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno.

"So, we will not be blamed if they go to forbidden areas," the chief minister affirmed here, Sunday.

The entry of foreign journalists into Papua is no longer closed, but there are preconditions if they want to cover news. Their reports must not contain defamatory content and information that is not based on facts and discredits Indonesia, the minister noted.

Foreign media can report what they see, and they should not seek untrue data provided by armed groups, he added.

"So, let the journalists have a firsthand glimpse of the situation in Papua. There is no news alike what is reported by the overseas media," Minister Tedjo stated.

The government is now implementing the welfare approach and no longer uses the repressive security approach. "We can see that is happening here because the news published by foreign media describes that the situation is full of violations. I think it is not true," the minister noted.

President Joko Widodo, here on Sunday, stated that the foreign media are now free to enter Papua, similar to how they can enter other provinces in Indonesia.

"Beginning today, Sunday, I allow the foreign journalists if they want to go to Papua just like the other regions," President Jokowi stated in response to a question posed by Antara after attending a grand harvest in Wapeko, Kurik Sub-district, Merauke District, Papua Province.

Starting now, the nation should think positively and promote mutual trust, which is disappearing lately.

"Do not ask that question, that is enough," Jokowi responded when questioned about a fact that foreign journalists usually prefer to cover the activities of illegal armed groups.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/98893/foreign-media-should-obtain-permits-to-cover-papua-chief-minister

Coalition meets with EU to discuss human rights in Papua

Radio New Zealand International - May 11, 2015

Church leaders, human rights organisations, academics and international observers have gathered in the capital of the European Union, Brussels, to discuss the human rights situation in Papua.

The organisation, which calls itself the International Coalition for Papua, also met with the European Parliament last week to discuss the situation in the province, alongside the Charge D'affaires of Indonesia and a range of diplomats.

In a statement, the group says it called on the European Union to highlight ongoing human rights violations in Papua and to send a human rights fact- finding mission to Indonesia in the near future.

It also called on Indonesia to take measures to protect the rights of indigenous Papuans – who are now a minority in the province as a result of mass migration of Javenese – including their customary rights over land and natural resources.

It also called for an end to excessive force by security forces and to release all political prisoners whouth any condition and an end to torture with impunity.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/273306/coalition-meets-with-eu-to-discuss-human-rights-in-papua

Papua now open for international media

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2015

Ina Parlina, Merauke – In a bold move to fulfill his campaign pledge, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo opened access for foreign journalists and international organizations to enter Papua and West Papua. The move was immediately welcomed by journalism associations at home.

"Foreign journalists, as of today, are allowed to enter Papua as freely as they enter other provinces [in the country]," Jokowi said on the sidelines his visit to attend a harvest ceremony in Merauke, Papua, on Sunday.

During his presidential campaign last June, Jokowi pledged, if he was elected, to remove restrictions barring foreign journalists and international organizations from entering Papua and West Papua. At that time, Jokowi argued there was nothing to hide in Papua and that Papua was safe.

On Saturday, the President granted clemency to five Papuan political prisoners and said that the government wanted all parties to build Papua together using a new approach focused on welfare and development.

Jokowi has also ordered the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police to stop using repressive security approaches in Papua, saying the two forces could instead teach children in schools, or build roads in the border areas in Papua. Engaging in dialogue with the Papuan people, Jokowi said, was one of the key measures to build mutual trust.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said the police and military were ready to adopt a welfare and development approach in Papua.

"No, [I'm not worried] since now [we are] using no longer a security approach, but a welfare and development approach," he said. However, Jokowi refused to comment on the Paniai shooting incident last December in which five civilians were killed.

Tedjo responded that the Paniai incident would be resolved. "The spirit is to resolve complicated past problems so that we can move on and work together to build the country."

Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said foreign journalists no longer had to request special permission from the Foreign Ministry to report on Papua. "This will be just the same as making news reports in other regions."

For the past decade, journalists intending to report on Papua had to fill out permission request forms, which needed approvals from various government institutions. Any foreign journalists caught making news reports without permits could have faced criminal charges.

In 2014, French journalists Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat were arrested and jailed for not having the proper permits to report in Papua. The journalists were caught trying to make a documentary on a Papuan separatist movement.

The Indonesian Press Council responded to Jokowi's move, saying it showed "a good political will" on the part of his administration.

"We appreciated the 'political will' by the government to be transparent to the international community. We urge related parties, such as immigration and the police, to follow up [on the president's order] right away," Nezar Patria of the Press Council said on Sunday.

He encouraged foreign journalists to make use of the new policy by reporting balanced information on Papua internationally.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also expressed appreciation for the new policy.

"The President's announcement is most welcome, albeit overdue. Those who are concerned about events in Papua and keen to follow its development can at least be reassured that a free media will be able to report there," the IFJ's Jim Nolan said.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) appreciated the decision, but reminded Jokowi to fulfill his promise. (saf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/11/papua-now-open-int-l-media.html

Rights group welcomes Papua media ban lifting

Radio New Zealand International - May 11, 2015

A New Zealand-based rights group has welcomed the Indonesian President's latest promise to open up West Papua to foreign media.

West Papua Action Auckland says President Joko Widodo's vow, while visiting Papua on the weekend, is a hopeful sign that the rigid repression of the provinces by Indonesia could be softening. Jokowi also released five political prisoners, who had been jailed since 2003.

The group says there are many other political prisoners, including Filep Karma, who was jailed for 15 years for taking part in an event when the independence Morning Star flag was raised.

West Papua Action Auckland says many prisoners will never accept 'clemency' because it involves accepting guilt for actions that are the free expression of political aspirations.

The group is calling on Jokowi to expand the prisoner release project to include a full amnesty for all political prisoners.

West Papua Action Auckland's Maire Leadbeater says one of the biggest problems for West Papua was being shut away from the outside world and its Pacific neighbours.

"If people understand what's happening in West Papua, and they understand that the people there don't have full freedoms and their human rights are abused, then they engage with the issue more strongly, and they press their governments to engage with the issue, and I think we can start to hope for change in West Papua."

Maire Leadbeater says she's hoping media in New Zealand will now take the opportunity to visit West Papua freely, as the President has promised.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/273333/rights-group-welcomes-papua-media-ban-lifting

In president's promises on Papua, little sign of meaningful change

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo has declared Indonesia's easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua as open to foreign journalists, as part of what he calls a new paradigm in addressing longstanding grievances in the region.

The president, winding up a four-day visit to the region, said on Sunday that he wanted to end the widely held perception of the two provinces, known collectively as Papua, as a conflict zone, stressing that a military-first approach to problems stemming from a low-level insurgency was being replaced by a community empowerment drive.

"Starting from today, foreign journalists are allowed and free to come to Papua, just as they can [visit] other regions," Joko said at a press conference in Merauke, Papua province.

Jakarta has long maintained an international media blackout in Papua, where indigenous groups have for decades been waging a battle for self- determination against the security forces.

Indonesian authorities briefly jailed two French journalists there last year for visa violations, after they were caught allegedly trying to arrange interviews with members of the Free Papua Organization, or OPM, a banned separatist group.

Joko dismissed concerns that calls for independence would grow louder with foreign journalists granted access to the region. "We must think positively. The decision must be carried out. Let's not scrutinize negative aspects of this matter," he said.

The country's chief security minister, however, indicated nothing had changed in Jakarta's stance vis-a-vis allowing the foreign press to report from the region.

"We'll allow it, on condition that they report on what they see, not go around looking for facts that aren't true from armed groups," said Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, effectively ruling out any attempt by foreign journalists to contact OPM members and other separatist sympathizers.

He added that journalists would also need permission from the authorities to report from the country's mountainous hinterland – the heart of the insurgency.

"There's a lot of news out there that makes it look like [human rights] violations are taking place here all the time, but I don't think that's the case," Tedjo said.

Indonesia maintains a heavy security presence in Papua and West Papua, with both the military and the police frequently accused of blatant abuses of the human and civil rights of residents, including the firing of live ammunition into a crowd of peaceful protesters last December that killed five people and injured dozens, including school students in Paniai district. No one has been charged or disciplined over that incident.

Prisoner pardons

Joko, in his second visit to the region since his inauguration last October, also used the occasion to pardon five political prisoners serving 20 years to life in prison for their role in the independence struggle.

Jafrai Murib and Numbungga, sentenced to life, and Linus Hiluga, Kimanus Wenda and Apotnagolit Enus, who were given 20 years each, walked free from Abepura Penitentiary in Jayapura, the Papua provincial capital, on Saturday after Joko signed their pardons on Saturday.

"This is part of the government's serious efforts to banish the stigma of conflict in Papua. These pardons are granted as part of a reconciliatory framework to create a peaceful Papua," the president said.

"We want to turn Papua and West Papua into peaceful lands," he added as quoted by Kompas. Human rights activist Olga Hamadi welcomed the release of the Papuan prisoners, but said the government had robbed them of years of their life and their health, and owed them restitutions.

"They always had the right to be free," said Olga, the head of the Papua chapter of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, or Kontras. "They were in prison for 12 years. They became ill from the poor treatment they suffered while under military and police custody and in prison."

Latifah Anum Siregar, a lawyer for the five men, said that Kimanus had tumor in his stomach, while Jafrai had suffered a debilitating stroke. "Before sending them back to their families, the government must give them a health check," she said.

Freedom of expression

Joko said he was considering extending similar pardons to other political prisoners across the country, of whom there are an estimated 60, most of them in the Papuas and Maluku, where a separatist insurgency is also being waged.

Semuel Waileruny of the Maluku Civil Community Advocacy Center said none of them deserved imprisonment, because their demands for independence had been peaceful.

"People in Papua and Maluku often stage peaceful rallies and protests against injustice, sometimes by waving the Morning Star Flag [Papua's independence symbol] or the South Maluku Republic flag," Semuel said.

"But these actions should be seen as part of the freedom of expression, which should be protected by law. These people, though, have been arrested and accused of conspiring against the state. And they've often been tortured and imprisoned for up to 20 years."

Natalius Pigai, a native Papuan and serving commissioner on the National Commission for Human Rights, or Komnas HAM, said the token release of a handful of political prisoners was not enough to bring peace to Papua.

"Pardons are something a president regularly hands out. What we need is a grand design, not just a ceremonial pardoning of political prisoners," he said.

Natalius accused the president of trying to win brownie points with the international community, after the fallout from the execution of foreign drug convicts, by freeing the prisoners without having any serious plan to address the underlying causes for the unrest in Papua.

He said Joko must start engaging in dialogue with the people in Papua to understand their points of view and what they wanted, as part of the "grand design" to bring peace and prosperity to the region.

"People in Papua want to feel the government's presence; they want the government to pay attention to their lives, not just exploit Papua as a campaign tool before the international public," Natalius said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/presidents-promises-papua-little-sign-meaningful-change/

Indonesia criticized for restricting media access in Papua

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2015

Jakarta – Human Rights Watch (HRW) says redress for human right's abuses against people who peacefully express support for self-determination in Papua is often obstructed by a lack of transparency fueled by official restrictions on media access.

"The Indonesian government has for decades effectively blocked foreign media from freely reporting in Papua by only allowing access to foreign journalists who get special official permission to visit the island," HRW said in a statement on Saturday.

The New York-based rights group said the government had rarely approved these applications, hampering efforts by journalists and non-government groups to report on breaking events.

"Official minders invariably shadow journalists who do get official permissions, strictly controlling their movements and access to people they want to interview," the statement said.

HRW noted that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo himself had told a group of foreign reporters during his visit to Papua's provincial capital of Jayapura on Saturday that he would declare a complete lifting of those restrictions on May 10.

However, the group said, the President did not provide any details, and it was uncertain how quickly and how effectively the Foreign Ministry, which has long regulated foreign media access to Papua, would implement the measure.

"There are also serious questions about the degree to which Papuan security forces will respect the right of foreign media to freely operate in Papua," said HRW.

The government detained two French journalists, namely Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat, for violating news coverage regulations in August 2014. "Indonesian authorities detained the two French journalists who were producing a documentary, and threatened them with 'subversion' charges for allegedly filming members of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM)," said HRW.

On Oct. 6, 2014, a court in Papua's city of Jayapura convicted them of "abusive use of entry visas," sentenced them to time served, and released them the same day.

HRW added that although the government permitted Indonesian domestic media to report from Papua, there were serious questions about the reliability and objectivity of their reporting in the face of government efforts to control the flow of information from the island.

"Official documents leaked in 2011 indicate that the Indonesian military employs about two dozen Papua-based Indonesian journalists as informers," it said.

"The military has also financed and trained journalists and bloggers, warning them about alleged foreign interference in Papua, including by the US and other governments," it went on.

HRW Asia deputy director Phelim Kine said if President Joko Widodo was serious about addressing Papua's violations of human rights, he should start by releasing all political prisoners, freeing the media, and demanding meaningful investigations into abuses.

"Every one of Indonesia's political prisoners is an affront to basic human dignity and makes a mockery of Indonesia's claim to being a rights- respecting nation," he said. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/10/ri-criticized-restricting-media-access-papua.html

Indonesia releases Papuan political prisoners as president pledges reforms

Agence France Presse - May 10, 2015

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, told reporters on Saturday that the government would lift decades-old reporting restrictions for foreign journalists in West Papua and a group of political prisoners in the insurgency-hit eastern province would be released.

The moves signalled that Widodo, who took office last year, is easing the tight grip that Jakarta has long kept on the mineral-rich province, where poorly armed fighters have for years fought a low-level insurgency against the central government.

Widodo has taken a keen interest in West Papua, pledging to improve livelihoods in the heavily-militarised area which lags behind other parts of Indonesia in terms of development.

The five political prisoners – convicted over a 2003 raid on an Indonesian military weapons arsenal – were granted clemency by Widodo in a ceremony at Abepura prison, in the provincial capital Jayapura.

Dozens of West Papuan separatists are in jail for committing treason for acts such as raising the pro-independence Morning Star flag and taking part in anti-government protests.

Widodo shook hands with the five Melanesian prisoners at the prison, presenting each with a letter confirming the remainder of their sentences was being waived.

"Today we are releasing these five detainees to stop the stigma of conflict in Papua," he told reporters at the prison. "We need to create a sense of peace in Papua. This is just the beginning."

The release marks a change in approach from previous governments. During the 10-year rule of president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, only one political prisoner in West Papua was granted clemency, according to Human Rights Watch.

However Andreas Harsono, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, called on Widodo to go further by offering all prisoners amnesty. Prisoners have to request clemency and admit guilt before it is granted, but this is not a requirement for an amnesty.

Widodo also revealed in an interview with a group of reporters in Abepura that foreign journalists would be allowed full access to the province. "Tomorrow I will declare it," he said.

However, implementing the change could prove tough. Harsono predicted there would be resistance from some quarters, including the foreign ministry which currently oversees the visa issuing process. He said there would also be "a lot of pressure to implement it" in the coming months.

Indonesia has long been deeply sensitive about foreign journalists covering Papua. Applying for permission to go there is complex, and it is rarely granted.

Punishments for foreigners caught illegally reporting can be harsh – two French journalists were given short jail terms last year for trying to make a documentary on the separatist movement without authorisation.

There are still regular flare-ups of violence in West Papua, where insurgents are fighting on behalf of the mostly ethnic Melanesian population.

Indonesian troops are regularly accused of abusing West Papuan villagers in the name of anti-rebel operations, but Jakarta denies allegations of systematic human rights abuses.

Jakarta took control of West Papua, which forms half of the island of New Guinea, between 1963 and 1969 from former colonial power the Netherlands, after a much criticised process dubbed the Act of Free Choice.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/10/joko-widodo-releases-five-west-papuan-political-prisoners-and-pledges-reforms

Foreign journalists now 'free' to report on Papua, says Jokowi

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2015

Jakarta – Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto confirmed on Sunday that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had made an official press statement revoking the restrictions that prevented foreign journalists from covering Papua.

He said the President made the statement while in Kampung Wameko, Hurik, Merauke, Papua, where he was attending a harvest ceremony, on Sunday.

"Starting from today, foreign journalists are allowed to and can visit Papua as freely as they can any other part of Indonesia," said Jokowi as repeated by Andi, as reported by tempo.co.

Andi further said foreign journalists did not have to request special permission from the Foreign Ministry to report on Papua. "This will be just the same as making news reports in other regions," he said.

Jokowi said that from now on, Indonesia must be able to think positively and build trust, which he considers to have long been waning.

He refused to respond to a journalist's question on reports that most foreign journalists in Papua focused their work on reporting on the activities of armed groups on the island. "Please don't raise such questions anymore. That's enough," Jokowi said.

Indonesia had long maintained a cautious approach toward foreign journalists who aimed to cover Papua. For the past decade, journalists intending to report on Papua were required to fill out permission request forms, which needed approvals from various government institutions. Only a few requests were granted by the government. Any foreign journalists caught making news reports without permits could face criminal charges.

In 2014, two French journalists, Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat, were arrested and jailed for not having the proper permits to report in Papua. The journalists were caught trying to make a documentary on the Papuan separatist movement. (dyl/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/10/foreign-journalists-now-free-report-papua-says-jokowi.html

In Papua, Jokowi frees 5

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2015

Ina Parlina and Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – In an effort to foster peace in restive Papua province, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo granted clemency on Saturday to five political prisoners incarcerated in Jayapura.

The five Papuans, convicted of breaking into a military arsenal in Wamena in 2003, were immediately released after receiving letters confirming that the remainder of their sentences would be waived.

Jokowi personally handed over the documents to the men – Apotnaholik Lokobal, Linus Hiluka and Kimanus Wenda, each sentenced to 20 years in prison, as well as to Numbungga Telenggen and Yafrai Murib, who were sentenced to life.

"[We must] see the granting of clemency from the context of conflict resolution and in a framework of making Papua a land of peace," Jokowi told reporters at Abepura prison. "Today, we're releasing these five detainees to stop the stigma surrounding conflict in Papua," he said.

Jokowi added that the release was only the beginning. "There will be a follow-up by granting clemency or amnesty to other [political prisoners] in other regions," he added, referring to around 90 other political prisoners currently incarcerated throughout the nation.

Jokowi said the government expected the prisoners to join the community and take part in development projects after their release.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly said that the clemency might also cover those involved in the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist movement.

Latifa Anum Siregar, the lawyer representing the five, applauded Jokowi's move. "The clemency shows that the government is taking one step forward in upholding democracy," said Latifa, who is also the director of the Democratic Alliance for Papua (ALDP).

"We hope that the President will make another move by granting clemency to other political detainees and prisoners, making room for freedom of expression and promoting dialog."

Others, however, have criticized Jokowi. A representative of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence's (Kontras) Papua office said that Jokowi should have given amnesty.

"It is supposed to be amnesty, instead of clemency. There's nothing special about clemency. Amnesty instead could set a benchmark in a democracy," Kontras' Papua office coordinator Olga Helena Hamadi said. Yasonna defended Jokowi's move, saying that it signified goodwill from the government.

"Amnesty is not entirely under the President's authority since it needs approval from the House of Representatives. We are concerned about the political process at the House," he said.

Jokowi has pledged to develop Papua, which remains one of the poorest regions in the country despite its abundant natural resources.

On the presidential campaign trail last year in Papua, Jokowi pledged that he would also open access to Papua and West Papua for foreign journalists and international organizations.

Later on Saturday, Jokowi ordered Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Moeldoko and National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti to stop using repressive measures in Papua. He called on the security personnel to promote dialogue with the Papuan people.

"Dialogue is important to build trust. Now, there's only distrust. The TNI and police hesitate to do something because of distrust. The same goes for the Papuan people," he said. -

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/10/in-papua-jokowi-frees-5.html

Indonesian president Widodo grants clemency to Papuan political prisoners

Agence France Presse - May 9, 2015

Indonesian president Joko Widodo has ordered the release of a group of political prisoners in Papua in a rare conciliatory gesture to the restive eastern province.

Five men, convicted over a 2003 raid on an Indonesian military weapons arsenal, will walk free from Abepura prison near Papua's provincial capital of Jayapura, after being granted clemency by Mr Widodo while he was in the province.

Separatists in Papua have for decades fought a low-level insurgency against the central government. Dozens remain imprisoned for acts of treason that include raising the separatist Morning Star flag and taking part in anti- government protests.

Mr Widodo shook hands with the five ethnic Melanesian prisoners at Abepura, presenting each with a letter confirming the remainder of their sentences had been waived.

"Today we are releasing these five detainees to stop the stigma of conflict in Papua," he told reporters at the prison. "We need to create a sense of peace in Papua. This is just the beginning." Critics call Widodo's softer Papua approach 'image crafting'

The release marks a change in approach from previous governments. During the 10-year rule of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, only one political prisoner in Papua was granted clemency, according to Human Rights Watch.

Mr Widodo, who took office in October, has pledged to improve livelihoods in Papua, which remains deeply poor and underdeveloped compared to other parts of Indonesia despite its abundant natural resources.

However activists said releasing a handful of prisoners was not enough, and accused Mr Widodo of seeking to burnish his image.

The president has faced a storm of international outrage since putting to death seven foreigners last week, with Australia withdrawing its ambassador over the execution of Bali Nine pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran and the United Nations expressing deep regret.

Human Rights Watch Indonesia researcher Andreas Harsono said the move was "more like image-making". "It's a good step but it's nothing new," he said.

He called on Mr Widodo to go further by granting prisoners an amnesty. Amnesty can be granted without prisoners having to admit guilt, unlike clemency, which requires prisoners to admit guilt before being granted. Some prisoners in Papua have repeatedly refused to seek clemency when invited to do so by the government.

There are still regular flare-ups of violence in Papua, where poorly-armed insurgents are fighting on behalf of the mostly ethnic Melanesian population.

Indonesian troops are regularly accused of abusing Papuan villagers in the name of anti-rebel operations, but Jakarta denies allegations of systematic human rights abuses.

Foreign journalists typically face a lengthy process to obtain permission to report in Papua and requests are often turned down.

Authorities take a hard line on those caught reporting illegally. Two French journalists were handed short jail terms last year after being arrested while making a documentary on the separatist movement without permission

Jakarta took control of Papua, which forms half of the island of New Guinea, in 1963 from former colonial power the Netherlands.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2015-05-09/indonesian-president-joko-widodo-grants-clemency-to-papuan-political-prisoners/1445544

Indonesia told to end attacks on freedom of expression in Papua

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2015

Jakarta – Amnesty International is calling on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to take immediate steps to end the Indonesian security forces' increasing attacks on freedom of expression in the country's Papuan region.

On the eve of the president's visit to Papua, at least 264 political activists there have been arbitrarily arrested and detained by the Indonesian police over the last week, as part of a systematic clampdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, Amnesty International said in statement on Friday.

Political activists from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and the People's Regional Parliament (PRD) had planned peaceful protests around the 52nd anniversary of the handover of Papua to the Indonesian government by the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) on May 1, 1963.

In the West Papua province, the Manokwari district police arrested 12 KNPB activists on April 30 while they were distributing flyers about the planned demonstration in Manokwari city.

The following day, the police arrested more than 200 protesters who were on their way to a demonstration near the office of the Manokwari Papua Customary Council. Security forces, both police and military, also used excessive force to disperse a peaceful demonstration in Kaimana city on May 1 and arrested two KNPB activists.

In the Papua province, police arrested at least 15 KNPB and one PRD activist in Merauke on May 1 to prevent them from organizing a demonstration. Meanwhile, in Jayapura, the local district police arrested 30 KNPB activists on the same day as they were walking to the Papua Parliament's office, the site of a planned demonstration. According to the police, the arrests took place as these groups did not have permission to undertake the protest.

While most activists have been released without charge, these arbitrary arrests highlight the on-going repressive environment faced by political activists in the Papuan region.

Amnesty International said it recognizes that the Indonesian government has the duty and the right to maintain public order on its territory. However, it added that the government must ensure that any restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are no more stringent than are permitted under international human rights law, including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Indonesia is a party.

Furthermore, Amnesty pointed out, under Indonesian law groups organizing public protests are only required to inform the police, but these regulations are consistently ignored by the security forces in Papua who continue to unnecessarily restrict various form of protest against the state by students, political groups and non-governmental human rights organizations. In some cases, Amnesty said, security forces have used excessive force against peaceful protesters. (her)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/08/indonesia-told-end-attacks-freedom-expression-papua.html

Rights activists slam Indonesia's security approach to Papua

UCA News - May 8, 2015

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – The security situation cited by police to justify violent action in Papua is little more than a guise, rights activists warned this week, after calling on Indonesia's government to rethink its policy.

"Their freedom to express political aspirations is tackled by officers who a priori believe that Papuans are separatists, so there's no freedom for them," said Poengky Indarti, executive director of the Jakarta-based watchdog Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial).

Speaking at a workshop held in Jakarta on Wednesday, Indarti and other rights monitors highlighted a troubling attitude among officials. "There is a kind of tendency where murder or violence against Papuans is [seen as] something banal," she said.

Among the recent cases highlighted was last week's arrest of 264 Papuans who attempted to hold a rally marking the integration of West Papua with Indonesia. In December, police opened fire on protesters after clashes broke out, killing at least four teenagers.

"Things like this don't happen in any other area in Indonesia, just in Papua," noted Indarti.

West Papua was integrated with Indonesia in 1969, and remains under heavy police and military occupation. Over the past half-century, an estimated 500,000 Papuans have been killed in what the government claims is an attempt to stamp out separatism. Foreign and local media access is heavily restricted, as are rights groups attempting to monitor the situation.

Nur Kholis, who heads the National Commission on Human Rights, said police have failed to respect or integrate the local culture. "The government approach used so far can't accommodate the interest of Papuans any longer," he said.

Responding to the activists' criticisms, Insp-Gen Tito Karnavian, a former Papua police chief, acknowledged that human rights violations happening in the region sometimes involved the police. But he insisted such violations were punished, and claimed that "principally, [we] treat [people] equally before the law".

Much of the problems, he argued, stemmed from economic disparity. Improving social services, he said, would likely lead to "the disappearance of separatism".

But for Papuans, decades of gross human rights violations cannot be easily undone.

Ones Sahuniap, secretary-general of the National Committee for West Papua, said that he sees Indonesia as colonial occupiers. "Not to mention how the police and military personnel treat us. We could be arrested only for shouting in the streets," he told ucanews.com.

Marthen Goo, a Papuan activist, stressed that Papuans were only fighting the government's many injustices. "Inhumane acts, showed by the state and its security personnel like the police, are shameful," he told ucanews.com.

"There is no right to life, democracy and law enforcement for Papuans. Papuans' right to life is on the edge of [the police and military personnel's] weapons," he said.

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/rights-activists-slam-indonesias-security-approach-to-papua/73541

Aceh

North Aceh to segregate men and women, force kids to study Koran

Jakarta Globe - May 14, 2015

Muhammad Hamzah, North Aceh – Authorities in Indonesia's North Aceh district are set to impose a new bylaw segregating men and women in all public places, as part of the enforcement of shariah practiced in Aceh province.

Fauzan Hamzah, a district councilor, said the Islamic criminal code, or qanun jinayat, regulating the matter was passed last month and the district administration would begin disseminating information about it to the public before enforcing the bylaw.

"After a six-month introduction, we want the regulation to immediately go into force in North Aceh," Fauzan said on Thursday.

The newly passed bylaw will separate boys and girls in classrooms, from elementary school all the way to university. It will also prohibited unmarried men and women from riding on the same motorcycle or bicycle, unless in an emergency situation.

Operators of tourism sites and facilities will also be required to provide separate sections for the genders, while entertainment activities such as music shows or karaoke performances at weddings or school events will be prohibited.

Elementary and junior high school students will not be permitted to leave their family home after dark and must participate in Koran recital lessons.

Vendors will not be allowed to sell clothing that does not comply with shariah guidelines on "modesty," and no business may be conducted during prayertime, which takes place five times a day. Mannequins and statues in animal shapes will be banned from the district's stores.

Violators of the new bylaw will face a range of consequences, from having to submit a written apology, to facing exile from their village.

Muhammad Thaib, the North Aceh district head, said the bylaw was expected to be fully enforced within the next two to five years.

"To impose this law, we have mobilized public order officers in each subdistrict," he said, adding that the bylaw was issued "for the sake of the people of North Aceh."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/north-aceh-segregate-men-women-force-kids-study-koran/

Human rights & justice

May 1998 monument hailed as 'sign of state responsibility'

Jakarta Post - May 15, 2015

Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta – The families of those who died in the May 1998 riots, as well those who survived, expressed relief on Wednesday that a monument marking the unresolved violence had finally been officiated, as activists commended the administration's role in realizing the monument.

The monument is the result of cooperation between the administration and the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan).

The families and survivors said it had eased much of the stigma, fueled by the view that the victims were looters and by the denial that many were raped.

"A neighbor told me my child deserved to die because he was among those who looted the mall," said Imas, the mother of 17-year-old victim Kholid Yusmana. Imas is not sure where her child's remains are, but comes every May to Pondok Ranggon public cemetery to pray for those who died.

Many people went missing on May 13. It was later revealed that the nearby Central Plaza Klender, now Citra Mall Klender, had caught fire, killing almost everyone inside. Over 100 graves at the cemetery in one of the blocks are marked "Korban tragedi Mei 98 [victim of May 98 tragedy]."

"You should all receive special privileges as the victims of the May riots," said the administration's Citizen Monitoring Unit assistant to the deputy head Marulah Matali, who attended the event on behalf of Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

The city, he said, would ensure that the parents of the missing and dead would receive their rights, such as allowances for the poor and health coverage.

Ahok, during his tenure as the Jakarta deputy governor, laid the first stone for the memorial last year, which marked the beginning of its construction.

The monument designer, Awan Simatupang, said he had designed the monument in the form of a hand sewing a piece of torn fabric, to symbolize damaged situations and victims' families' wounds that needed to be healed by truth and justice. "I chose a piece of fabric and a needle because most of the mothers of the victims are tailors," he said.

Komnas Perempuan chairwoman Azriana said her organization was glad that the administration had responded favorably to the families' demands. "This is a sign of the state's acknowledgement and responsibility for the tragedy," she said.

No one has been held accountable for the May riots in Jakarta and other cities, which followed the May 12, 1998 shootings of four students at Trisaki University. The May 1998 monument was officiated by the victims' families, Komnas Perempuan and the administration at Pondok Ranggon cemetery.

Denial was the main obstruction to realizing the monument, said former commission chairwoman Yuniyanti Chuzaifah.

Current chairwoman Azriana said that "until today, many still deny there were victims of sexual assault", despite the findings of the government- appointed Joint Fact-finding Team, which said there were 89 victims of rape, sexual assault and torture, mainly Chinese Indonesians.

"Continuing to push for victims to testify amid the absence of guarantees for their safety corners the victims even more, worsening their recovery process," Azriana said.

"We do not talk of May 1998 to gain revenge," Nancy Widjaja of the Indonesian Chinese Women Association told The Jakarta Post, "but to ensure that such a thing never happens again. The young generation must know how to maintain harmony. Indonesia is not Indonesia without its diversity."

City officials said Pondok Ranggon would be included as a "religious destination" for tourists. (prm)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/15/may-1998-monument-hailed-sign-state-responsibility.html

Please don't forget us, say families of May riots victims

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015

Jakarta – Kusmiyati, 51, showed photos of the funeral for her 15-year-old son, Mustofa bin Topik, who died in the Central Plaza shopping mall fire – now Citra Mall – in Klender, East Jakarta, on May 13, 1998.

"He asked for permission to play with his friends but never came home," she said Tuesday during a May riots commemoration event in the mall's parking lot. Kusmiyati finally found her son's burned body at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta on Saturday, after he had been missing since the previous Thursday when the fire occurred.

Ruyati Darwin, 67, mother of Eten Karyana, said her son was just an ordinary English teacher who stopped by the mall on his way home from work.

"I was told he tried to save a little kid who was trapped in the burning mall. However, he never came out and left only ashes and a wallet," she said on the verge of tears.

Kusmiyati and Ruyati have never given up hope in pursuing justice and truth for their sons and other victims of the May riots. Together with other victims' families and several human rights organizations, they took part in an event held at the mall on Tuesday.

The first ever cultural event held to remember the riots was themed "17 Years of Staying Hopeful, Building Victims' Strength" and was organized by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) and the Families of Missing Persons Associations (IKOHI). The event featured East Jakarta officials, lawmakers, young artists, community members and victims' families.

IKOHI secretary-general Zainal Muttaqin said Tuesday that he hoped the event could reach a wide audience. "The May riots are part of our country's difficult past, which needs not only reconciliation but also justice and the revealing of the truth," he said on Tuesday.

Komnas Perempuan chairwoman Azriana said she hoped the tragedy would never be forgotten. "Each year the commemoration is conducted to preserve our memories because the event happened 17 years ago. We don't want today's generation to forget," she said.

Nadia Felisia, a 22-year-old student of Trisakti University in West Jakarta, said she was aware of the riots but expressed doubt that her peers were aware of it. "I asked them if they knew of the May riots and they said they only knew four Trisakti students were killed near the campus. That's all," she said.

As many as 3,500 Trisakti University students sprinkled flower petals at the May 12 Tragedy Monument in West Jakarta on Tuesday and marched to the State Palace to honor their deceased seniors and demand the government resolve the human rights tragedy.

Raksa Santana, 22, a student of Atma Jaya University in South Jakarta, expressed concern about campus activism that was not disseminating information about the May riots effectively.

"If they give a speech, they are just talking to people who already know the facts, leaving others behind. You can't build awareness by throwing your fist in the air, instead embrace people by your side," he said.

Berkah Gamulya, the manager of a socially concerned band, Simponi, said that creative media, such as film and music, must be involved in disseminating information to ensure youngsters were reached and aware of the tragedy. (prm)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/please-don-t-forget-us-say-families-may-riots-victims.html

Government to hold reconciliations for 7 gross human rights violations

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) said on Wednesday it was probable that seven unresolved gross human rights violations, including the Talangsari case, would be settled via non-judicial means.

"They will be resolved through a reconciliation process. We want to move away from the shackles of so-called 'investigations' which will likely bring us to blame one another," AGO spokesperson Tony Tribagus Spontana said as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The six other gross human rights violation cases are Trisakti, Semanggi 1 and 2, Wasior, Papua, the 1965 mass killings and the so-called Petrus (acronym for mysterious shootings) campaign in 1983.

Tony admitted it would not be easy for the government to settle the seven human rights violation cases, as many happened decades ago, hampering efforts to find new evidence, witnesses and perpetrators.

Therefore, he said, the AGO had invited the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to discuss ways to create a proper settlement mechanism that was acceptable for all parties. "The AGO and Komnas HAM will establish a joint secretariat to settle those cases," said Tony. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/govt-hold-reconciliations-7-gross-human-rights-violations.html

Govt criticized for inability to bring May 1998 perpetrators to justice

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2015

Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has criticized the state's inability to uncover the perpetrators behind the May 1998 tragedy and to make them responsible for the human rights violations they committed.

In a statement quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Tuesday, Komnas Perempuan said it was unfortunate to see that the May 1998 tragedy's main actors remained unknown while the families of victims had continued to fight for truth, justice and the recovery of their loved ones.

To keep the tragedy in people's minds, Komnas Perempuan pushed the state via the Jakarta administration to build the May 1998 Monument at the Pondok Rangon cemetery in East Jakarta.

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama is scheduled to inaugurate the memorial monument on Wednesday. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/12/govt-criticized-inability-bring-may-1998-perpetrators-justice.html

Political parties & elections

Police name 2 more Golkar politicians suspects for alleged forgery

Jakarta Globe - May 14, 2015

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – Two additional Golkar Party members have been named as suspects in an alleged document forgery scandal within the political party.

"There are two new suspects, but I'm still waiting for confirmation from the investigators for when the suspects will be questioned," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said on Thursday.

A police investigator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the two suspects were Mochammad Juli from the party's Lebak chapter and Suhardi from Tangerang.

The pair are charged with document forgery after allegedly falsifying a letter giving permission to attend the Golkar national congress held by Agung Laksono's faction in Ancol, North Jakarta.

Agung's rival, Aburizal Bakrie, filed a report to police accusing a number of party functionaries of forging letters which permitted their attendance to the congress. The police previously have named Hasbi Sani and Dayat Hidayat as suspects in the same case.

The suspects will be charged with violation of Article 263 of the Criminal Code and could face six years in prison if found guilty.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-name-2-golkar-politicians-suspects-alleged-forgery/

PDI-P ministers in spotlight over salary double-dip

Jakarta Globe - May 14, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia's chief welfare minister claims not to know anything about having resigned from the House of Representatives last year, following revelations that she and another minister from the party of President Joko Widodo are continuing to receive their salaries as legislators.

Puan Maharani, the coordinating minister for human and cultural development, said on Wednesday that it was her party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, that was supposed to have taken care of the paperwork for her resignation as a legislator, to which she had been re-elected in the April 2014 elections.

She said it was the party's decision to nominate her as a minister in Joko's cabinet, and hence the party's responsibility to arrange for her leaving the House.

"It was the party that handled it with the chairwoman," Puan said as quoted by Vivanews, referring to PDI-P chief Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also her mother.

Puan also denied that she was still receiving her salary as a legislator, in addition to her pay and perks as a minister.

That claim, however, goes against publicly available data from the House that show Puan and PDI-P colleague Tjahjo Kumolo, now the minister for home affairs, as never having resigned from the House.

A search of the House's personnel database fails to turn up resignation forms from either Puan or Tjahjo, and no forms from the PDI-P naming their replacements. The paper trail on the two individuals ends with letters from then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inaugurating them as legislators on Sept. 30 last year, less than a month before they were appointed to Joko's cabinet.

Winantuningtyastiti, the House secretary general, whose office is responsible for personnel matters, confirmed that as long as they were still registered as legislators, Puan and Tjahjo were still drawing a salary from the House. "They get everything, except the allowances that go with certain activities," she said on Wednesday as quoted by Kompas.

House Deputy Speaker Taufik Kurniawan urged the secretary general to resolve the issue, adding the PDI-P should have ensured immediately after they were named to the cabinet that all their paperwork was in order.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/pdi-p-ministers-spotlight-salary-double-dip/

Golkar and PPP in limbo ahead of regional elections

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Opposition has mounted against a plan to amend local election laws that had been proposed to allow the Golkar Party and the United Development Party (PPP) to participate in this year's regional elections, leaving the two parties with only one option- reconciliation.

More parties have joined the ruling Great Indonesian Coalition to oppose a plan to revise the 2011 law on political parties and the 2015 Regional Elections (Pilkada) Law.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto reiterated the party's stance on rejecting the plan, saying that it would set a bad precedent for the future.

"We prefer to focus more on regulations that benefit more people. It's better for all of us to work together and support the efforts by the government as well as the KPU [General Elections Commission] to set up the rules of the game without changing the existing laws," Hasto said on the sidelines of a meeting with the KPU at its headquarters in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.

Hasto said the PDI-P would instruct its lawmakers to toe the party line on the issue.

Executives from parties within the ruling coalition back the PDI-P's stance. Dossy Iskandar from the Hanura Party said that political parties "could not change the laws only to meet the interests of certain parties".

Meanwhile, political parties from the opposition coalition also reject the plan. Executives from the Gerindra Party, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Democratic Party and National Mandate Party (PAN) also rejected the amendment proposal.

The decision to amend the laws was made following a meeting between leaders of the House of Representatives and KPU last week that aimed to give the election commission a legal basis to allow Golkar and PPP to submit the latest court ruling over their leadership battle if both failed to end months of infighting or if either of them failed to provide a final and binding ruling over the matter by the candidate registration period in July.

By including such a condition in its regulation on local elections, the KPU allows Golkar and the PPP to contest in the 269 elections to take place simultaneously on Dec. 9 this year, in spite of an ongoing internal conflict.

"Reconciliation is of course the best solution but it's difficult to achieve because none of us is willing to compromise," Epyardi Asda of the PPP said. Ade Komarudin from the Aburizal Bakrie camp of Golkar also said that " a legal battle is inevitable".

The House is expected begin deliberations on the amendment process as soon as it resumes it's sitting session on May 18. Deputy House Speaker Fadli Zon said that the House leadership would consult the matter with President Joko " Jokowi" Widodo to secure the President's support.

Critics of the amendment plan have urged the government and KPU to drop the plan. Titi Anggraini from the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) lambasted the House, saying that "the lawmakers' insistence on the amendment reflects their arrogance".

"It will set a bad precedence because the House, which comprises representatives from political parties, will change laws to ensure that their agendas are accommodated," Titi said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/golkar-and-ppp-limbo-ahead-regional-elections.html

Surveys & opinion polls

Survey issues Jokowi with PDI-P warning

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2015

Jakarta – The public is demanding that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo keep his distance from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI- P), according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by the Indonesian Group of Public Opinion Discussion and Studies, showed 34.4 percent of respondents wanted Jokowi to maintain a distance from his political party.

"The public deems that Jokowi is still facing difficulties breaking free of the PDI-P's influence," Paramadina University political communication observer Hendri Satrio said on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com during the release of the survey in Jakarta.

Hendri said the survey showed that the public expected Jokowi could be independent in making decisions.

Based on the survey, 60.7 percent of respondents said Jokowi was still under the influence of his party, which leads the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition at the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, 32.2 percent of respondents viewed that Jokowi should maintain good ties with the PDI-P, which is led by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/11/national-scene-survey-issues-jokowi-with-pdi-p-warning.html

Media & journalism

Biak Numfor regent seeks forgiveness from Indonesia press

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2015

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Biak Numfor Regent Thomas Ondy has apologized to all members of the Indonesian press over a recent violent incident he committed against a local journalist.

In a letter with the official logo of the Biak Numfor regent, Ondy said he sought to apologize to the Indonesian press for beating Fiktor Palembangan, a journalist with the Cenderawasih Pos newspaper in Jayapura, Papua. Biak administration spokesperson Agus Filma handed over the letter to Cenderawasih Pos editor in chief Yonatan Randabunga and representatives of several press institutions, namely the Indonesian Journalists Association's (PWI) Papua chapter, the Indonesia Journalist Network (IJN), the Indonesian Television Journalist Association's (IJTI) Papua chapter and the Alliance of Independent Journalists' (AJI) Papua chapter.

"As a form of our regret over the act and also as an effort to fix and build our harmonious relationship with mass media as the working partner of the government, we hereby convey our deep apologies to the related parties and Indonesian members of the press in all areas across the country," Regent Ondy said in his letter on Tuesday.

"Hopefully, this could be a valuable experience that will not happen again in the future," he went on.

IJN Papua chairman Robert Isodorus Vanwi said he appreciated the Biak regent's apology. "He has a great spirit as he is willing to admit his mistake and to seek to apologize. Hopefully, this will be the last incident [of violence against a journalist] in Papua," he said.

IJTI Papua chairman Ricardo Hutahaen said the Biak regent's written apology was a wise move as it showed his efforts to maintain a harmonious relationship between the Biak Numfor administration and the press.

"It's really wise and this is the first time in Papua that a government official has directly sought an apology over a violence-against-journalists incident via a written letter," he said.

The attack on Fiktor, which occurred on Saturday, was reportedly triggered by an article written by the journalist on a fire that engulfed the Biak Market, published in the Cenderawasih Post's Saturday edition.

"The regent was angry because in his article, the journalist did not mention Biak authorities' efforts to extinguish the fire," said Yonatan. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/12/biak-numfor-regent-seeks-forgiveness-ri-press.html

Police urged to take action against Biak Numfor regent

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2015

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Around 70 journalists from various print and electronic media outlets in Papua on Monday staged a rally at the Imbi Park in Jayapura, urging the police to take action against Biak Numfor Regent Thomas Ondi for allegedly beating Fiktor Pekambanfan, a journalist with the Cendrawasih Pos newspaper in Biak.

"We urge the police to investigate the beating of Fiktor completely and the investigation of the case should be transferred from the Biak Police to the Papua Police," said Isak Womsiwor, one of protesters, during the rally on Monday.

The incident, which occurred at the Ridge Study Studio in Samofa district, Biak, on Saturday, left Fiktor with bruises on his face.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Monday, Fiktor said the incident was triggered by an article on a fire that engulfed the Biak Market he wrote and published in the Cenderawasih Pos' Saturday edition.

"I thought Regent Ondi was just kidding. I had attempted to avoid his punches but he kept punching me in my mouth. I felt five punches," he said.

The regent was reportedly angry because in his article, Fiktor did not mention the efforts conducted by Biak authorities to extinguish the fire.

"The article was focused on the incident; therefore, we did not write about efforts conducted by the local authorities. This was not because we purportedly aimed to cover up their efforts but it's simply because we wanted to focus our article on the fire itself," Cenderawasih Pos editor-in-chief Yonathan Randabunga said.

"This is why we want the Papua Police to handle this case because it would be difficult for the Biak Police to process this case as it involves the top figure in the regency," he said. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/11/police-urged-take-action-against-biak-numfor-regent.html

Environment & natural disasters

Weak moratorium endangers peatlands in Riau

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2015

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Indragiri Hilir/Jakarta – Thousands of hectares of peatland in Indragiri Hilir regency, Riau, are under threat by the advance of palm oil company PT Setia Agrindo Lestari (PT SAL), which has begun to clear the area to make way for new plantations.

An indirect subsidiary of palm oil giant First Resources Limited, PT SAL obtained a location permit for the 17,059-hectare property, spread over five villages in Gaung district, from the Indragiri Hilir administration in 2012, a year after former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued a presidential instruction (Inpres) banning the issuance of new permits to clear primary forests or peatlands.

The forest moratorium, which was extended in 2013, mandates the protection of primary forests and peatlands.

When Perspektif Baru Foundation and Kemitraan invited journalists from media companies, including The Jakarta Post, to visit a part of the PT SAL concession in Pungkat village last Wednesday, a new trench was opened by the company workers. The trench passes through the cleared area, which is the size of several soccer fields.

By siphoning vegetation felled by the land clearing toward the village, the trenches have caused water supplies have become polluted, locals say.

"The water has been murky for the past few days. We are lucky this is the rainy season, so we can still gather rainwater. I can't imagine how we will survive during the dry season," said Masniar, a Pungkat resident.

The village has depended on water from the peatland areas during the dry season since 1974.

Widely renowned for their boat-building skills, villagers also source wood from the peatland forest.The community has begun to worry about the future. Last year, 21 residents were jailed for burning nine excavators belonging to the company.

In its 2014 financial report, First Resources Limited, which is publicly listed in Singapore, stated it held a 46.7 percent stake in PT SAL.

Riko Kurniawan from the Riau chapter of the NGO Indonesian Forum fot the Environment (Walhi) said many palm oil companies still disregarded the forest moratorium, since it carried no punishment for violators.

He said that was why President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo needed to issue a presidential regulation (Perpres) rather than an Inpres as in previous regulations, in order to strengthen the moratorium and apply sanctions on lawbreakers.

"Palm oil companies easily get away with getting new licenses, as the moratorium carries no legal consequences," said Riko.

In the permit documents PT SAL obtained from the Indragiri Hilir administration, the peatlands in the company concession was characterized as "critical land", a term which usually used for deserted area. In fact, the area consists of lush peat forest that has local residents have utilized to sustain their livelihoods.

The peatlands are also prone to fires, particularly if the company utilizes the customary slash-and-burn practice to clear the land for plantations.

Riko said that trenches were commonly found in peatlands to drain them before they are dried and left to burn. Before planting the palms, companies usually opt for the burning method to reduce acidity of the pealands, which is the cheapest method.

Aside from the forest moratorium, peatlands are also protected by Government Regulation No. 71/2014 on peatland ecosystem protection and management. The regulation outlines the sanctions on companies that convert peatland into other uses at a depth of three meters or more.

Indragiri Hilir Regent HM Wardan said he had been the reviewing the licenses held by PT SAL, which were issued by his predecessor, Indra Mukhlis Adnan. The regency administration has ordered the company to halt its operations since May last year. Thomas, a PT SAL public relations officer, said the company's concession had been registered as areas for other use (APL) when the company first applied for the permit, making it available for conversion.

He said the company has continued working despite the local administration order, because it insists it has obtained its permits in accordance with established procedures.

"We have opened peat swamp forests in other regencies in Riau, so this is not the first time for us," said Thomas. The other regencies, he said, included Kampar, Rokan Hulu, Bengkalis and Siak.

Thomas also denied that the company was preparing to drain the peatlands, saying the trenches had been built keep water in the area – a method known as "canal blocking".

The Environment and Forestry Ministry's deputy for environmental damage control and climate change, Arief Yuwono, said that palm oil companies should comply with regulations.

"There is a clear regulation [in the forest moratorium] that there should not be new permits on peatlands," he said.

Arief added that forestry regulations should not be taken lightly. He said companies and local administrations could use other regulations on the books since the moratorium imposed no sanctions.

Regarding the utilization of peatlands, he suggested that all parties refer to the PP 71/2014.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/12/weak-moratorium-endangers-peatlands-riau.html

Health & education

Indonesia's universal health scheme: one year on, what's the verdict?

The Guardian (Australia) - May 15, 2015

Lauren Razavi – Indonesian healthcare has traditionally been fragmented: private insurance schemes for those who could afford it, basic state provision for the very poorest, and NGOs in specialised areas providing support in between.

However, in January last year, Indonesia's government launched an ambitious project: to establish a compulsory national health insurance system with the aim of making basic care available to all by 2019.

The scheme, Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN), was implemented by the newly-formed social security agency Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial Kesehatan (BPJS). It sought to improve the situation for citizens stuck in the middle of healthcare provision – too poor to afford health insurance but deemed not poor enough for government help.

Under JKN, all citizens are now able to access a wide range of health services provided by public facilities, as well as services from a few private organisations that have opted to join the scheme as providers. JKN care aims to be comprehensive, covering treatment for everyday concerns such as flu through to open-heart surgery, dialysis and chemotherapy. Private insurance continues to play a role by providing for excess or additional coverage of services not included in JKN.

Those in formal employment pay a premium equivalent to 5% of their salary, with 4% payable by employers and 1% payable by employees. Informal workers, the self-employed and investors pay fixed monthly premiums of between 25,500 IDR (#1.34) and 59,500 IDR (#3.12) in a tiered system of first, second and third-rate care depending on the contributions they choose to pay.

However, more than a year on, the JKN scheme has been subject to intense criticism. Academic studies by the Gadjah Mada University Centre for Health and the Paramadina Graduate School of Diplomacy have concluded that it will be impossible for all Indonesian citizens to access health insurance by 2019, as the BPJS had projected. "The plan is too ambitious," says Yaslis Ilyas, a public health analyst at the University of Indonesia and critic of the project.

The issue of unequal access lies at the heart of the debate – largely a result of problems with the administration of the scheme. "Personnel have low competency and the JKN management has been ineffective," Ilyas believes. "In addition, the population of jobless people and those working in the informal sector in Indonesia is very high."

The scheme has been less effective in areas where visiting a clinic or hospital involves long and sometimes expensive journeys to urban areas. This lack of infrastructure has meant that the scheme has been far from universal during its first 15 months.

For those citizens who are unemployed or work in the informal sector in Indonesia, NGOs have historically been the ones to plug the gaps in healthcare provision. The John Fawcett Foundation, for example, an NGO treating preventable blindness, works in the poorest and hardest-to-reach parts of Indonesia.

It is these areas that have struggled to gain access to healthcare through the JKN scheme so far. "Communication and transportation are definitely big problems for healthcare access under JKN, especially for those who live in remote areas or islands," Ilyas explains.

Some local people, especially in cities, are also sceptical about the programme's benefits. "JKN has definitely not been entirely successful. It has been extensively advertised in the media, and many people are talking about it, but anybody with money would not use it," says Kiki Handayani, 38, who has lived and worked in both Bali and Jakarta over the past few years, and whose father enrolled in the JKN scheme last year. "It's easy enough to register – you provide ID, employment details and a photograph, then you receive a card. But many people complain that it does not provide the service promised," Handayani adds.

However, Irfan Humaidi, speaking for BPJS Kesehatan who supply the new healthcare service, robustly defends it. "In the first year of the social health insurance implementation, BPJS achieved a membership of 133.4 million when the target was 121.6 million, and BPJS has already paid the claims submitted by hospitals [as a result of the scheme]," he says.

"Based on an independent survey, customer satisfaction is 81% and awareness of the new social health insurance system is 95%. Complaints have been resolved within 1.5 days on average. Just a year after implementation, we have made many important achievements for the nation," he adds.

And despite the criticisms, many still have high hopes for the programme. "Our staff are very optimistic about the BPJS scheme," said Mary Northmore-Aziz, founder and chair of the Bali Smile Foundation, an NGO that helps people with craniofacial disabilities obtain healthcare. "They know it's a big undertaking but seem very optimistic about its impact on their lives. A husband received good quality heart care for free in our local public hospital. Others are delighted that their families will be covered, so private arrangements won't be needed."

While the JKN scheme is, in principle at least, an improvement for some sections of Indonesian society, it still has a long way to go if it is to become truly universal by 2019.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/may/15/indonesias-universal-healthcare-insurance-verdict

Inept management deprives millions of water

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015

Jakarta – Most city-run water companies across the country have failed to meet national targets for clean water access due to poor planning and management, according to the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

The BPK revealed Tuesday that of 102 city-run water companies (PDAM) audited, 83 had not met the 2010-2014 National Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) target of providing 67 percent of the country's total population with access to clean water.

Eighty-three of the 102 companies examined from January 2013 to June 2014 set targets lower than the national target, which ranged from 22 to 65 percent. "Their respective targets are even lower than the RPJMN target," BPK spokesman Yudi Ramdan Budiman said Tuesday in a press conference.

Under the 2010-2014 RPJMN, public access to clean water is listed as one of 11 national priorities in the health sector.

Yudi said that in addition to falling short of the national target, most state water companies had failed to reach the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target of providing access to clean water to 68.87 percent of the nation's population.

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2012, only 58.05 percent of the country's population of around 250 million had access to clean water – 10.82 percent lower than the MDG target.

Yudi said the city-run water companies' failure was partly due to improper planning, with 95 local administrations yet to determine effective policies or implementation strategies. "This shows that regional governments have a low commitment to ensuring the fulfillment of a very basic public need," he said.

Under Government Regulation No. 16/2005 on the development of drinking water provision systems, regional administrations are required to formulate local policies and strategies for providing a supply of clean water.

The regulation also stipulates that local governments can use region-owned enterprises (BUMD) as organizers of tap water supply systems.

Yudi added that local water companies also suffered from the poor management of funds. He said that 40 of 102 PDAMs had charged prices to customers that prevented them from covering costs. From this number, Yudi said, only three had been granted government subsidies.

"If they set their tariffs lower than [the amount needed to cover] production costs, the shortages should have been compensated by governments," he said.

Yudi said state water companies also lacked proper customer management, with 37 of them yet to develop an accurate billing system or a customer database. "This is important if there are changes in the classification of customers," he said.

Public policy observer Agus Pambagio said the lack of access to clean water was correlated with poor management of water resources. Agus said companies should have been able to provide the public with a sufficient supply of clean water, but that they were unable to properly maintain the quality and quantity of water resources.

"If water resources become polluted, this will lead to a surge in production costs. Then the companies will not be able to reach their targets, as tariffs cannot be increased," Agus told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. (alm)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/inept-management-deprives-millions-water.html

One-third of Indonesia children suffer from stunted growth: NGO

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2015

Jakarta – As many as 8.9 million Indonesian children, 37 percent of them, are suffering from stunted growth caused by malnutrition, a humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children and families is saying.

Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI), a partner organization of World Vision, says it has also found that 3.3 million Indonesian children, or 12 percent of them, have lower-than-expected body weights, which may eventually affect their health and productivity in the future.

WVI's communications director Priscilla Christin said on Sunday that among the major causes of the malnutrition currently affecting millions of Indonesian children was people's tendency to consume instant processed food instead of fresh food.

"We are trying to educate community members that the first 1,000 days of life, starting from when they are still in the womb up until 2 years of age, is a golden period. Thus, we must take care of children's dietary intake during this period," she said in a campaign event held at the National Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta, on Sunday.

Priscilla said WVI was approaching and working with community members to create a better understanding about the importance of nutrition during childhood for the sake of the children's future.

"We have proved that active participation from the communities through the activities of various local integrated health posts (Posyandu) are effective in solving malnutrition cases," she said.

WVI has been running its child, family and community welfare programs since 1995 in 55 regencies and municipalities in nine provinces across Indonesia. (prm/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/10/one-third-ri-children-suffer-stunted-growth-ngo.html

Sex workers & prostitution

Police get serious as call girl scandal deepens

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2015

Bayu Marhaenjati & Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – The National Police have pledged full assistance to the South Jakarta Police as the latter investigate an upscale prostitution ring said to involved hundreds of top actresses and models.

South Jakarta Police arrested on Saturday a suspected pimp, Robby Abbas, 31, for allegedly supplying prostitutes to senior government officials and businessmen at a rate of Rp 80 million to Rp 200 million ($6,080 to $15,200) per session.

Robby on Monday confirmed that he had a list of 200 women for hire, aged between 22 and 30. "More than half of them are celebrities, but not all," he told reporters at the South Jakarta Police headquarters.

With his face hidden beneath a mask and sporting the orange jacket of a police detainee, Robby said that he started out as a makeup artist in 1998. He said his work allowed him to gain access to many actresses and models, and before long people began asking him to introduce them to the celebrities.

"I've been pimping since 2012," he said. "I was asked to supply some celebrities. I've since supplied many of them. I personally hook them up for a 20 percent cut."

But Robby said it was the women themselves who negotiated the prices. "Sometimes I only get Rp 1 million to Rp 3 million. In a month I only make one or two [deals], and some months none at all," he said.

Robby also claimed he was picky about the johns, whom he said were mostly business executives and government officials.

"I look at the way [the johns] talk, their appearance, where they're from and where they live," he said. "Some [girls] I offer [to the johns] but normally it's [the johns] who ask 'do you know this model?' If I do, then I introduce [the model] to them."

Robby said he offered the girls through personal messaging services such as BlackBerry Messenger and WhatsApp, with johns expected to book a day or two in advance.

The scheme was unraveled after a raid on Wednesday at a five-star hotel in South Jakarta, in which police arrested Robby and a B-list actress and model identified only by the initials A.A.

The woman later told police that she had just finished a "short time" engagement at the hotel where she was paid Rp 80 million for a three-hour session. She claimed she could earn up to Rp 1.6 billion a month as a call girl.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Audie Latuheru, the South Jakarta Police's chief of detectives, said police had charged Robby but would treat A.A. as a witness in the case. She was later released from custody. Police also plan to question all the women on Robby's list as well as his high-profile clients.

South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Wahyu Hadiningrat said Robby also catered to foreign johns. "Based on the evidence, [Robby's list of johns] reaches as far as Boston, Kuala Lumpur and Thailand, aside from local [johns] in Bali, Surabaya and Jakarta," he said.

"What is clear is that the clients are people with money, because the prices range from Rp 80 million to Rp 200 million for a three-hour session," Wahyu said. "For overseas, the price is different. It can reach up to Rp 200 million plus the airfare."

The National Police's chief of detectives, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, pledged his office's full support of the investigation, during a visit to the South Jakarta Police headquarters on Monday specifically to consult on the case.

"The whole investigation will be carried out by the [South Jakarta Police], while we will back them up. This includes my own cybercrimes team," he said.

"Whoever breaks the law will be prosecuted. We're not ruling out the possibility that some rogue [government] officials are involved. But we have to look for more evidence. So far it is only [Robby's] own claims, which need to be proven."

Waseso also warned the public not to speculate about the celebrities on Robby's list of women for hire. "We can't just throw out accusations. Just trust where the investigation will lead," he said.

He also warned of similar rackets taking place on a smaller scale. "They might not be as big but they do exist," he said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-get-serious-call-girl-scandal-deepens/

Graft & corruption

Antigraft campaign loses again

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has suffered another blow in its fight against graft after the South Jakarta Court District ordered it to drop its corruption case on former Makassar mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin.

The verdict on Ilham was the first to be delivered following a recent Supreme Court (MA) ruling that allows suspects in criminal cases to file a pretrial motion to challenge the legality of a probe launched against them. The MA issued the ruling on April 28 in response to a judicial review request from PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia official and graft convict Bachtiar Abdul Fatah.

Ilham withdrew his pretrial petition in early April after seeing the court reject similar motions filed by other KPK suspects, but soon reregistered the petition after the MA issued the April 28 ruling.

In Tuesday's ruling, the sole judge overseeing the hearing at the South Jakarta District Court, Yuningtyas Upiek, said that during the weeklong pretrial hearing the KPK failed to prove it had collected two strong pieces of evidence before naming Ilham a suspect in a Rp 500 billion (US$38 million) graft case involving city-run water company (PDAM).

Acting KPK chairman Johan Budi said the KPK would comply with the South Jakarta District Court ruling by temporarily dropping its probe on Ilham, while investigators collect more evidence in the case, which caused the state to lose Rp 38 billion.

"The option [to rename him a suspect] is on the table. We will study the ruling thoroughly to find out what's lacking from our investigation. Soon after, we may launch a new probe," Johan said Tuesday.

Johan said the KPK would file a cassation petition or judicial review to the MA to challenge the ruling. Earlier, the MA said a cassation or judicial review of a pretrial hearing was unconstitutional.

Johan said there was no option but to try to continue the investigation on Ilham because the KPK was prohibited by the 2002 antigraft law from halting any graft investigation.

In addition to Monday's verdict, the South Jakarta District Court ruled that the KPK's move to raid Ilham's office and freeze his bank accounts was "illegitimate".

The court ordered the KPK to rehabilitate Ilham's reputation, who was named a suspect by the KPK in April 2014. "We order [the KPK] to restore [Ilham's name] and further restore all his rights in the case," the judge said, reading the official ruling.

During the pretrial hearing, which began on April 4, KPK legal division team members presented copies of all the documents and evidence the KPK had collected before naming Ilham a suspect last year.

However, the judge said the KPK should have presented originals, not copies, since copies could not be used to defend the KPK's claim that it had complied with the existing regulations while conducting its investigation into Ilham.

Among the documents the KPK team presented during the trial were copies of the contract that PDAM Makassar had signed with the companies winning the project, a list of witnesses that had been questioned, confiscated documents obtained during raids in Makassar and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) report on the state losses resulting from Ilham's alleged offenses.

Johan insisted KPK investigators had all the original copies of the documents, adding that the KPK team brought only the copies of the documents to the court because pretrial hearings were not to focus too heavily on the key facts and findings of the investigation.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/antigraft-campaign-loses-again.html

Ex-KPK leader targets police in pretrial suit

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2015

Haeril Halim, National – Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto has filed a pretrial motion at the South Jakarta District Court, challenging National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti and detective division chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso's decision to name him a suspect in January, his lawyer confirmed on Sunday.

The lawyer, Zulfickar Hajar, said the decision was taken following a recent verdict by the Constitutional Court allowing citizens to use pretrial hearings to challenge legal allegations levied against them, a move that was previously considered to be against the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP).

Zulfickar said he had filed the petition on May 7 and was waiting for the court to issue a schedule for the hearing. "In addition to the suspect status, Pak Bambang also wants to challenge his arrest as well as the police's move to conduct a physical raid on him," Fickar said on Sunday.

Bambang, as well as former KPK chairman Abraham Samad, faced prosecution days after they decided to name Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, now National Police deputy chief, a suspect in a bribery case, on Jan. 13.

Fickar said he was upbeat that the judge would rule in favor of Bambang as it was clear that the police's move against the former lawyer in a perjury case dating back to 2010, one year before he assumed his KPK position, was not pure law enforcement but an attempt to take revenge against the decision to name Budi a suspect.

On Jan. 19, the police received a report from a member of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), a political party with links to Budi. It took the police four days to proceed with the report before arresting and naming Bambang a suspect in the case on Jan. 23.

On Jan. 26, Badrodin, who at that time served as National Police deputy chief, sent a formal letter to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo regarding Bambang's suspect status, a move that led Jokowi to suspend Bambang from his post as KPK commissioner.

"If we look at the chronology it can be seen that it was not pure legal enforcement. There was an intention to criminalize the KPK, especially Pak Bambang," Fickar said.

Separately, Abraham's lawyer, Dadang Trisasongko, said the former KPK commissioner had also considered filing the same petition challenging the police decision to name him a suspect in a forgery case, which temporarily toppled him from his chairmanship at the KPK.

On Feb. 17, the South and West Sulawesi Police named Abraham a suspect for illegally listing a woman identified as Ferriyani Lim on his family ID to help her obtain a passport in Makassar in 2007, four years before he was sworn-in as KPK chairman in 2011.

"We're still discussing the options with other lawyers in our team," Dadang said, adding that the team was deciding whether to file the petition with district courts in Makassar or South Jakarta.

According to Dadang, the move depended on whether the team wanted to challenge the South and West Sulawesi Police or the National Police.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/11/ex-KPK-leader-targets-police-pretrial-suit.html

KPK's TNI plan may worsen row with police

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The House of Representatives, antigraft campaigners and several high-profile figures have rejected the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) plan to recruit Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel for several key positions and say the move will worsen institutional conflicts among the forces and the antigraft body.

Dwi Ria Latifa, a member of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs, accused the KPK of looking for an ally to defend it from the police following the standoff between the two institutions, which was caused by a case involving National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan.

The police went on the attack against the KPK after the antigraft body named Budi a suspect in a graft case. Although the suspect status was later dropped, the police have continued to target KPK personnel with various allegations. The latest was the police's move to arrest one of the KPK's top investigators, Novel Baswedan.

Ria further said that requiring TNI personnel to resign or retire from the military before applying for a job at the KPK would not eliminate the ties of those personnel to the TNI, a condition Ria said could create a potential conflict of interest.

"This is no longer about the police vs the KPK, but who can guarantee that the two [allies] will not get involved in any conflict in the future if the KPK wants to investigate an active TNI member? The KPK should not solve a problem by creating another one," the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Ria said recruiting TNI personnel as KPK officials would violate the country's Constitution, which granted no authority for soldiers to be involved in law enforcement activities.

"Article 30 of our 1945 Constitution says only the police and now the KPK and the Attorney General's Office [AGO] have the right to enforce the law, not the TNI, which has been assigned to defend the country in a state of war," Ria said.

"The Reform Era brought to an end the TNI role in any activities other than defense. Don't use the [KPK-police] conflict as an excuse to return to a situation where the TNI has a tight grip on the country [like in former president Soeharto's era]," Ria said.

Earlier on Friday, KPK chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki told TNI chief commander Gen. Moeldoko that military personnel were welcome to apply for several high-ranking positions in the antigraft body, including the agency's director for investigation, the director for internal supervision and heads of the legal and the public relations divisions as well as prevention deputy.

Transparency International Indonesia secretary-general Dadang Trisasongko described the KPK's initiative as "politically and legally incorrect", adding that the move would not solve recurring standoffs between the KPK and the National Police.

"Going ahead with the plan will create chaos in the country's constitutional system, which has been long established. The KPK will be strong if it receives support from [President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo] and the House," Dadang told the Post on Sunday.

Jimly Asshidiqie, a member of an independent team assisting Jokowi to resolve the standoff, decried the plan, adding that it was better to employ civil servant investigators as KPK investigators rather than military investigators.

"People could interpret that the move is politically motivated. That will create more conflict. If politicking is used to fight politicking then the conflict will continue forever," Jimly said.

He also reminded the police not to conduct any controversial moves against the KPK in the future, to fully solve the standoff.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/11/KPK-s-tni-plan-may-worsen-row-with-police.html

KPK turns to TNI for help

Jakarta Post - May 9, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed on Friday that it had offered several key positions to high-ranking personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Interim KPK chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki said he had told TNI chief commander Gen. Moeldoko that military personnel were welcome to apply for several high-ranking positions in the antigraft body.

"Well, if [military personnel] are competent then I don't see any problems with the vacant positions being filled by soldiers. This way, the TNI can also join forces with the KPK," he said.

Ruki said there were a number of vacant positions that needed to be filled immediately, including the agency's director for investigation, the director for internal supervision and heads of the legal and the public relations division.

Also vacant is the position for prevention deputy, occupied until recently by Johan Budi, who is now one of the KPK's interim KPK commissioners.

Ruki, a retired police general, added that the KPK had also offered the positions to candidates from some of the country's top universities, other law enforcement agencies and ministries.

KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha maintained that there was nothing out of the ordinary with the KPK joining forces with the TNI as several retired military personnel were already working with the antigraft body.

"There are several retired TNI personnel who are working as guards at the KPK's detention centers. The head of security is also a military member who is in the process of resigning [from the TNI]," he said.

Priharsa said the KPK was chronically understaffed and it would need at least 1,000 new personnel. "They could be hired to work from Sabang [Aceh] to Merauke [Papua] in prevention and supervision [divisions]."

The KPK has long recruited most of its staff members, especially investigators and prosecutors from the National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) in line with the 2002 KPK Law.

The law also stipulates that the investigators and prosecutors should be temporarily suspended from those two law enforcement institutions during their tenure at the KPK.

News of the KPK's intentions to recruit members of the TNI, often considered a rival force to the National Police, broke as the two law enforcement agencies were engaged in a stand-off that many thought was far from over, especially following the arrest of top KPK investigator Novel Baswedan last Friday for his alleged involvement in the assault of a suspected criminal during his tenure at the Bengkulu Police in 2004.

The arrest was part of a string of events thought to have stemmed from the KPK's decision to name Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, now the deputy police chief, a graft suspect only days before he underwent a confirmation hearing as police chief candidate at the House of Representatives.

In retaliation, the police named then KPK commissioners Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto suspects in petty criminal cases.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya confirmed the KPK leaders had spoken to Moeldoko about the proposition during a recent informal meeting, but he rebuffed suggestions that the TNI was launching a war against the police force. Fuad, however, said that TNI personnel could take up the offer based on their ranks.

"Some positions offered [at the KPK] may be equivalent to different ranks in the TNI. For the KPK deputy position, for example, we may appoint a three-star general, while a director position may be equal to a two-star job at the TNI," Fuad said.

Fuad also said the TNI was ready to deploy personnel to serve as KPK investigators, although the antigraft body had yet to ask for that sort of assistance.

Fuad also said that any TNI members who would fill the posts at the KPK would quit their military service first. "They must undergo formal procedures to change their statuses from military members to civil servants. Or they can also file for early retirement," he said.

Meanwhile, the National Police declined to comment on the KPK's plan. "We are not in a position to comment on the issue," police force spokesman Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/09/KPK-turns-tni-help.html

KPK confirms TNI recruitment option

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2015

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Erwin Sihombing & Banjir Ambarita, Jakarta/Jayapura – The Corruption Eradication Commission has confirmed that it is considering recruiting military officers to join its ranks, but denies that they will be assigned as investigators. Taufiequrachman Ruki, the interim chairman of the commission known as the KPK, said he and other antigraft leaders recently met with Indonesian Military (TNI) commanders and suggested that several vacant posts at the KPK could be filled by TNI officers.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with TNI officers joining the KPK. Of course they would have to go through the same selection process and once they pass they would have to give up [their military role] and become civilians," Ruki said.

The KPK chairman said the agency needed to recruit some 286 people, including for 72 strategic posts that are currently vacant.

Ruki said these vacancies were for the KPK's chief of graft prevention, director of preliminary investigations, legal bureau head and chief spokesman.

Interim KPK deputy chairman Johan Budi said serving military officers could also stand in as head of the KPK's security division. "Not as investigators, but in supporting roles," Johan said, adding that the KPK was still studying the regulations to see if such recruiting was even possible.

TNI officers are currently only permitted to assume certain civilian posts, such as with the Defense Ministry, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya revealed the plan on Tuesday, saying the TNI was ready to send out "its finest investigators" to work with the KPK.

TNI chief Gen. Moeldoko said on Friday that the KPK had promised certain posts to the military. "It is agreed that the role of a KPK secretary general will be filled by a two-star general and the KPK's internal supervision chief will be filled by a one-star general," he said in Jayapura, Papua province.

Mahfudz Siddiq, the chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission I, which oversees defense, intelligence and foreign affairs, described the plan as a "blunder" and promised to veto it.

Mahfudz said the government must underline the military's role as a defender against outside threats, not as a law-enforcement institution.

He said House Commission I would not allow the initiative to move forward. "We will also ask for the TNI's clarification on the matter," he said.

Activists have stopped short of welcoming the plan, saying that while the move could strengthen the KPK, it could also hinder the body's independence – particularly as the TNI has failed to reform itself and remains financially murky.

Ray Rangkuti, director of the Indonesian Civil Society Circle (Lima), said the KPK may want to forge stronger ties with the military to stand up against the National Police, widely perceived as the most corrupt institution in Indonesia.

After the January naming of police general Budi Gunawan as a suspect in a graft case, the police have opened criminal investigations against dozens of KPK leaders and investigators, in apparent retaliation. Ray said the TNI's presence at the KPK would at least make police think twice about continuing their witch hunt.

"This threat [of police retaliation] is very real and has seriously weakened the KPK," he said. "The TNI's willingness to join the KPK should be seen as a positive move to keep the fight against corruption alive."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/KPK-confirms-tni-recruitment-option/

Stepping up graft war, police may oust KPK

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2015

Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – The police have revealed that they are investigating the high-profile graft case revolving around the acquisition of uninterruptible power supply units for Jakarta schools – among other cases – leading activists to conclude that the institution may be attempting take over the role of the nation's respected anti-corruption agency.

Officers have also indicated that they would investigate other corruption cases, including at the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry's upstream oil and gas regulator (SKK Migas).

Activists have applauded the law enforcers' recent moves, calling however on the police to more actively and consistently fight corruption in the future.

The chairman of rights group Setara Institute, Hendardi, said the police's recent scrutiny into graft allegations surrounding the procurement of UPS devices last year could prove wrong those who had long discredited the police force as an institution rife with corruption and one that offered poor public service.

"This is an antithesis to the public judgement, in which [the] police's capability in handling graft cases has often been doubted," Hendardi told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

"Police seem to want to gain the public trust and reform their image, which has been damaged by corruption cases," the activist added.

He also said that the UPS graft investigation may be a sign from the police that they don't want the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to be the sole legal institution that tackles graft in Indonesia. "They [want to show] that they can do it, too," Hendardi said.

He added, though, that if police wanted to earnestly win back the public trust, they must not discriminate and select certain cases only, while abandoning others.

He also warned police against handling the UPS case merely for the sake of restoring their tainted image after a major conflict with the KPK – following the latter's naming of the then-police chief candidate, Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, as a bribery suspect in January.

Police have since launched investigations into KPK leaders over a series of old cases, leading to the suspension of some, including chairman Abraham Samad. This move has been widely seen as retalation for naming Budi a suspect.

"Police need to continue to handle cases indiscriminately," Hendardi added. "They must also deal with cases of violence and criminalization committed by their own officers."

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Emerson Yuntho said police must conduct the UPS investigation as part of their job as a law enforcement institution, but expressed doubt that their motives were solely to uphold the law.

"That's a positive move by police. Why now, though? They should have done [something like this] years ago," Emerson said on Thursday.

ICW has been among the loudest critics of the police's alleged criminalization attempts against KPK officials. "The question is whether the police truly want to eradicate corruption or if they just want to show off, for certain purposes," Emerson added.

Emerson also said that there has been an assumption growing among the public that the police's current show of force in the UPS case was intended to slowly eliminate the KPK's functions.

"Given the institution's history, it's normal that many doubt their motives in eradicating corruption. [There is an assumption] that they want to take over the KPK's authority in dealing with graft cases," the activist added.

Emerson said that when the KPK was established as an ad-hoc agency in 2002, this was in response to the police being seen as a failure in fighting graft cases, tarnished with internal corruption and with a low capacity to enforce the law.

It turned out that the ad-hoc agency was able to do its job very well, as it is now embraced by the public and feared among officials.

KPK prosecutors have sent to jail hundreds of corrupt government officials, including a number of cabinet ministers, police generals and regional heads, as well as senior officials from political parties.

National Police Commission (Kompolnas) member Adrianus Meliala, though, said the police were simply doing their job.

"There's nothing extraordinary about the police performance lately. They're merely doing their job as law enforcers; nothing more," Adrianus said on Thursday. "The people often subject the police to baseless opinions. When police investigate one case that involves certain people, they allege this is criminalization."

"[The police] have to remember that [corruption] eradication is under the KPK's supervision. So when police or the AGO [Attorney General's Office] investigates one [graft] case, it must be supervised by the KPK," legal expert Todung Mulya Lubis said, adding that the three institutions must improve their coordination and put their institutional egos aside.

"Corruption eradication doesn't need rivalry. The three agencies must unite and establish fair coordination. We don't need any more drama... It must be stopped," Todung said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/stepping-graft-war-police-may-oust-KPK/

Yudhoyono's circle received illicit funds from ministry

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The first hearing in the trial of former Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry secretary-general, Waryono Karno, at the Jakarta Corruption Court revealed on Thursday that cash collected from rigging a series of procurement projects at the ministry partly ended up in the hands of individuals affiliated with former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's State Palace.

Thursday's hearing saw Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors indict Waryono for corruption, accusing him of embezzling a total of Rp 11 billion (US$835,872) of dirty money between 2011 and 2012 in his capacity as secretary-general when the ministry was led by Jero Wacik, one of Yudhoyono's right-hand men.

Waryono's indictment revealed that the ministry had paid Rp 185 million on two separate occasions to Yudhoyono's presidential adviser on political communications, Daniel Sparringa. The indictment did not reveal why the money was paid to Daniel, who is also a lecturer at Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java.

"At least Rp 185 million was paid to Daniel Sparringa," KPK prosecutor Fitroh Rohcahyanto said as he read the indictment at the court on Thursday.

The KPK grilled Daniel in relation to the allegations on June 25, 2014, at which time he maintained his innocence. Daniel has denied any wrongdoings in the case.

"I have explained everything that I knew about the case to KPK investigators to clarify the allegations. I am ready to help the KPK to make the case crystal clear," Daniel said in June 2014.

Fitroh also said that the ministry spent Rp 25 million to fund Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) activities; Rp 70 million to Ansor, the youth wing of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama; Rp 53 million to 83 journalists; as well as Rp 10 million to the Association of Islamic Students (HMI).

"Rp 5 million was given to Ms. Silva, an official at the State Secretariat, for a THR [holiday bonus]. Part of the embezzled money, around Rp 20 million, was used to pay amenities for the energy ministry's auditors," the indictment said.

The ministry was also said to have financed a lunch with Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) officials. It was not known whether payment for the lunch was related to the BPK's attempt to audit the ministry's budget use.

Meanwhile, KPK prosecutors said that Waryono himself received Rp 150 million from the scheme, adding that the rigging of the projects was carried out based on his orders.

Thursday's hearing also found that the energy ministry had extorted the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas), an agency under its supervision, demanding it give $140,000 to the energy ministry.

Waryono instructed his subordinates to collect the money from SKKMigas to be given later to the House of Representatives Commission VII overseeing energy and minerals. The payment was made so that Commission VII members would give their approval to the ministry's budget for 2013.

"The defendant gave $140,000 in the form of dollar bills to Sutan Bhatoegana, who served as the House of Representatives Commission VII chairman, through Irianto Muchi [Sutan's staffer]," prosecutor Fitroh Rochayanti said at the court.

Sutan is currently standing trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court for allegedly receiving the $140,000 from the energy ministry.

Waryono stands accused of violating articles 3 and 5 of Law No. 13/1999, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars for state officials who enrich themselves, other parties and corporations.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/08/yudhoyono-s-circle-received-illicit-funds-ministry.html

Islamic law & morality

Getting a beer amid strict alcohol ban in South Tangerang

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2015

Jakarta – "All roads lead to Rome. I can still easily buy beer as some shops near my house sell it," said 19-year-old Bianca AN when asked whether she found it difficult to buy her favorite beer after the enactment of a ban on the sale of alcohol in her city, South Tangerang.

"The ban means nothing to me," said Bianca, who wrongly believed that at her age it was legal for her to consume alcohol.

A bar owner in Serpong, South Tangerang, who spoke on condition of anonymity, criticized the bylaw issued by the South Tangerang administration, which prohibits the sale of any kind of liquor and beer in the city.

"The bylaw contradicts a regulation issued by the Trade Ministry, which bans minimarts from selling alcohol, but allows hypermarkets, supermarkets, bars and restaurants with special permits to sell it," said the middle-aged businessman.

However, like Bianca, the bar owner said so far his business had encountered few difficulties but that he needed to exercise caution with the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), which sometimes raided bars and cafes in the area.

"They raided my restaurant in March and confiscated some of our goods. However, after the raid, we ran our business as usual," said the businessman, who opened his bar several years ago.

Meanwhile, an Italian restaurant in Serpong, South Tangerang, has seen a drastic drop in sales because many of its regular customers have dropped off as since March it has not sold wine or beer.

The cashier, who wished to be known only as RB, said most customers were expatriates living in the area. "Many customers canceled their orders after they knew we didn't sell alcohol anymore," she said.

Seamus Deery, a 33-year-old Irishman living in the BSD compound, South Tangerang, said he was disappointed with the bylaw because he could not get beer easily and bars were not always his first option if he wanted to drink alcohol. "I still drink beer but it now means I have to go to a bar, which I don't always want to do," he said.

Separately, Indonesian Retailers Association deputy secretary-general Satria Hamid said his association would request the South Tangerang administration to review the bylaw and allow the sale of alcohol in places where demand was high, such as places with higher concentrations of tourists and expatriates.

South Tangerang is home to dozens of multinational companies, international schools and middle- and upper-class housing complexes such as Bintaro Jaya, BSD City and Alam Sutera.

South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany signed Bylaw No. 4/2014 in January last year, stipulating that no individuals or businesses, including supermarkets, karaoke bars, restaurants or bars were allowed to produce, distribute or sell alcoholic drinks.

Branding itself a "smart, modern and religious", destination, the city is facing poor infrastructure and corrupt bureaucracy complaints from its own residents.

Airin is implicated in a graft case involving the construction of health facilities worth Rp 7.8 billion (US$607,000) carried out by her administration in 2011. The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has named seven suspects in the case, including Airin's husband, Tubagus Chaeri "Wawan" Wardana, who is also the younger brother of disgraced former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah.

Meanwhile, the city's Industry and Commerce Agency secretary, Malikuswari, said the city had implemented the bylaw to avoid alcohol abuse. (rbk)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/08/getting-a-beer-amid-strict-alcohol-ban-s-tangerang.html

Regional autonomy & separatism

After Papuans released, Indonesia urged to free Maluku prisoners

UCAN News - May 14, 2015

Katharina R. Lestari & Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Indonesia's release of five Papuan political prisoners must be quickly followed by granting amnesty to political prisoners from neighboring Maluku province, activists say.

At least 24 pro-sovereignty activists from Maluku remain behind bars, according to Samuel Weileruny of the Maluku Civil Community Advocacy Center. These include nine political prisoners who were sentenced in mid- January to prison terms of up to four years on charges of treason.

"What we fight for is the truth, and we do it in peaceful and dignified ways," Weileruny told ucanews.com in an interview.

He said that jailing political activists for treason was improper. "Treason means a threat expressed with violence. People committing treason should at least have weapons so as to equally fight against the state. But we don't do that," he said.

Pro-sovereignty activists in Maluku have long advocated for an autonomous state known as the Republic of South Maluku (RMS).

RMS attempted to secede in 1950 but was defeated by Indonesian forces the same year. A low-level armed struggle followed on Seram Island until 1963. But in recent years, the movement has become more symbolic in nature, with activists participating in banned RMS flag-raising and peaceful ceremonies.

Simon Saija is one such activist. He was among the nine arrested last year for marking the April 25, 1950 anniversary of RMS's original declaration of independence. After President Joko Widodo this weekend granted clemency to the five Papuan political prisoners, one of Saija's relatives, who did not want to be named, said political prisoners from Maluku also deserve leniency.

"The fight of political activists in both Maluku and Papua isn't the same, but they both fight for their rights," the relative said. "So don't just send them to jail."

Yanes Balubun, a lawyer for the nine Maluku defendants, didn't want to compare the situation in Papua with the one in Maluku, but he noted that they are now both peaceful movements. "This is the same political stance, which is done in a peaceful way. So the Indonesian government should treat them the same," he told ucanews.com.

Moshe Tuwanakotta was jailed in 2004 after he brought an RMS flag to a peaceful rally that year. He questioned why some Papuan political prisoners were released, but not activists from Maluku.

"Political prisoners in Maluku must be released too, just like our friends in Papua. Why did Jokowi grant clemency only to Papuan political prisoners? Maluku also has political prisoners," he said.

Widodo granted clemency to the five Papuan political prisoners on Saturday during a trip to Papua. The president had earlier visited Maluku, though he did not announce any clemency deals there.

Andreas Harsono, the Indonesia researcher for Human Rights Watch, said he met with the Papuan political prisoners after their release. Their accounts of a conversation with Widodo leads him to believe that prisoners from Maluku may eventually be freed as well.

"If we see from Jokowi's talk with those released Papuan political prisoners, it seems that freedom will also be afforded to political prisoners in Maluku, remembering that many political prisoners remain behind bars," he said.

Either way, many observers see Widodo's clemency deal for the Papuans as being insufficient. Activists say clemency implies an admission of guilt; they are arguing instead for a general amnesty.

"We hope that [the president] grants amnesty or abolition instead of clemency," said Weileruny. "Clemency is a pardon, it means we are guilty. If we are guilty, it means that what has been done, like torture and limitations on our rights, is justified."

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/after-release-of-five-papuans-indonesia-urged-to-free-maluku-political-prisoners/73583

God's revelation behind Sultan's decisions

Jakarta Post - May 9, 2015

Sri Wahyuni and Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – After almost two weeks of uncertainty surrounding issues of succession within the Yogyakarta Palace, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X – now Hamengku Bawono X – finally appeared in public on Friday afternoon to clarify the matter.

Speaking at a meeting held at Ndalem Wironegaran, the residence of his eldest daughter Gusti Kanjeng Ratu (GKR) Mangkubumi – formerly GKR Pembayun, the sultan said that the recent decisions he made were based on a revelation from God he received through his ancestors, kings of the Mataram kingdom.

"I don't mind getting scolded or questioned by my brothers. I will not do anything about it because I would have been afraid of getting scolded by God [if the decisions were not made]," the sultan said before 300 people sitting on the floor of the residence's joglo hall, listening to his explanation.

The sultan also sat on the floor while giving his explanation, accompanied by his wife GKR Hemas and four of his five daughters.

The sultan, however, declined to give details on how he received the revelation. "I cannot explain further. This is very personal," he said. He only called on the people to accept his two recent decisions, called sabda raja (king's proclamation) and dhawuh raja (king's command).

During the meeting, the sultan elaborated on sabda raja and dhawuh raja, respectively regarding the change in his royal name and the naming of his eldest daughter as GKR Mangkubumi, which many have seen as an effort to make her his heir.

The sultan also said that the residence of GKR Mangkubumi was chosen as the site to explain the sabda raja and dhawuh raja instead of the palace because he did not want to be accused of gathering the masses at the palace for support.

"This has to be done here and only because it was requested by the people," Sultan said. He also said that both decisions were made suddenly because of the timing in which he received the revelation.

"It was clear in the revelation that the decisions had to be made on Wage Thursday [April 30] and Wage Tuesday [May 5]," said the sultan, adding that preparations for both processions were carried out quickly.

He also said that his brothers had been invited to the occasions but none showed up. "I am OK with it. There are risks to every decision we make."

With regard to the issue of succession surrounding the issuance of the dhawuh raja, the sultan said that the revelation he received told him to change GKR Pembayun's title to GKR Mangkubumi. He said that it did not mention anything about naming her a crown princess.

However, he admitted that during the dhawuh raja procession, he told his eldest daughter – after receiving the new title GKR Mangkubumi – to sit on the special chair that only the heir of the palace could sit on.

GKR Mangkubumi, whose complete title is now GKR Mangkubumi Hamemayu Hayuning Bawana Langgeng Ing Mataram, said that she learned about her new title only when she was called to come forward by her father during the procession to receive the title.

"I realize I am bearing a great name in my title. With a great name also comes great responsibility," said the 43-year-old after the meeting.

Sociologist and Javanese culture observer Bayu Wahyono of Yogyakarta State University (UNY) said that the sultan's moves had transformed the palace's regulations. "Historically and culturally, the Mataram kingdom [the previous name of the palace] has always been open to change," Bayu said.

Separately, Javanese art practitioner Bondan Nusantara expressed his satisfaction with the sultan's explanation on the matter. He also expressed hope that the palace would not be divided like the Surakarta Palace.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/09/god-s-revelation-behind-sultan-s-decisions.html

Governance & administration

Political tensions mount for Indonesia's Widodo as economy skids

Reuters - May 11, 2015

Kanupriya Kapoor & Gayatri Suroyo, Jakarta – When Indonesian President Joko Widodo summoned his economy ministers to the palace last week to discuss growth slumping to its lowest level since 2009, they weren't the only ones to show up.

Dozens of senior figures from Widodo's political party arrived to make their views heard after data showed Southeast Asia's largest economy is smaller, in real terms, than when he took office in October.

"We're here to convey to the government that budget disbursement has been slow because ministers have not done their jobs," said party official Olly Dondokambey, after he and colleagues swept through the palace gates in a showy motorcade.

Widodo has vowed to lift economic growth to 7 percent on average over his five-year term, but critics and even some of his own advisers say the economy has actually gone into reverse because of incompetent ministers and bungling bureaucrats.

Slow progress boosting growth and sniping from within Widodo's party have left the former furniture salesman, who many people hoped would be able to spur a quick economic recovery, increasingly isolated.

"There is too much bad, bad policymaking that's happening right now," said one senior executive at a multinational company in Jakarta. "It's a combination of people trying to learn on the job and not getting stuff done."

A slump in commodity prices has added to the economic headwinds for the resource-rich economy.

Widodo did move quickly when global oil prices plunged by scrapping petrol subsidies and freeing up some US$20 billion to spend on ports, roads and railways.

But the country's slow-moving bureaucracy has struggled to spend the cash, and many infrastructure projects, pivotal to boosting investment, are tied up in red tape. As of April 25, the government had spent only 7 trillion rupiah ($537.8 million), or 2 percent, of its 290 trillion rupiah budget for infrastructure spending.

Slow government spending was partly behind the slide in gross domestic product growth to 4.7 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, the president's deputy chief of staff, says palace officials know the economy is slowing but feel they are being let down by a cabinet heavy on politicians and short on experienced technocrats.

"The president has led the way, he has cleared up here and there himself, rather than the government. So I hope that the ministers will follow. If I were the president, I'd command them to," he said.

Widodo's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is taking advantage of his troubles to push for greater representation in the government. That could come, they hope, with a cabinet reshuffle.

One senior palace adviser, who asked not to be named, said Chief Economics Minister Sofyan Djalil and Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro would probably survive a cabinet reshuffle because they are seen by investors as safe pairs of hands.

However mid-ranking ministers, such as those responsible for trade, industry, planning and public works, may be dropped.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla has repeatedly said a reshuffle could take place within weeks. Widodo has not commented on the matter, but with opinion polls showing public dismay as inflation nudges higher, a near-term reshuffle is widely expected.

In their defense, ministers say they have been hindered by a re-write of Widodo's budget. "The new government had to start again with the revision of the state budget in February," Djalil told reporters.

He said problems with bureaucracy are being fixed and tenders have been made for all projects under the public-works ministry, which oversees the bulk of infrastructure spending.

Ministers say they are confident the economy is over the worst, though concede growth could be as low as 5.2 percent this year, below the official target of 5.7 percent. Djalil insisted Widodo is not disappointed with the economics team, though "everybody needs to move faster."

If the economy doesn't recover soon then Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the political or military establishment, may find it hard to resist pressure to include more PDI-P in a new cabinet.

A reshuffle less than a year into his presidency could be seen as a failure to appoint competent officials in the first place, Jakarta-based Concord Consulting group wrote in a research note.

"There is also no guarantee that the replacements will fare any better, especially if the process of selecting new ministers is marred with political interests," it said.

Source: http://www.irrawaddy.org/asia/political-tensions-mount-for-indonesias-widodo-as-economy-skids.html

Jakarta & urban life

Jakarta remembers May 1998 tragedy

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015

Jakarta – The Jakarta administration and the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) officiated on Wednesday a monument in remembrance of the May 1998 tragedy.

The construction of the monument began last year with support from then deputy governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama at the Pondok Ranggon public cemetery in East Jakarta where many victims of the tragedy are buried.

Komnas Perempuan chairwoman Azriana said on the sidelines of the event that the presence of the city's officials gave hope to the victims' families. "This shows us that the state admits that the rights of some residents were abused in the tragedy," she said.

Ahok, who was initially scheduled to attend the ceremony, canceled his attendance at the last minute. Marulah Matali, assistant to the deputy head of the Jakarta Citizen Monitoring Unit who attended the event on behalf of the governor, said that Ahok saw the monument as a symbol of unity and companionship among residents.

"This is not a monument that symbolizes pain, but a reminder to all of us to stay positive, calm and to not be easily provoked [by sensitive issues]," Ahok said in his written speech read by Marulah. (prm)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/jakarta-remembers-may-1998-tragedy.html

Jakarta celebrates World Water Day even as city runs out of clean water

Jakarta Globe - May 9, 2015

Carlos Roy Fajarta Barus, Jakarta – Marking the 23rd World Water Day, seven ministries on Saturday signed a mutual agreement to revitalize the National Movement of Water-Saving Partnerships at the Pluit Reservoir City Park. All this took place while Jakarta's demand for clean water goes unmet.

The city needs up to 1.5 million cubic meters of clean water every day, but municipal water operators Aetra Air Jakarta and Perusahaan Air Minum Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) can only meet around half the city's demands.

Clean water managed by Aetra and Palyja during this time has just reached 520 million cubic meter per year, but much to lose due to leaks and theft worth 40 percent. Meanwhile, only 300 million cubic meters of clean water get effectively distributed to the citizens and industries.

A water expert from University of Indonesia, Firdaus Ali, said today there are 10.8 million Jakartans officially recorded at Jakarta's Population and Civil Registry Agency. However, during day time that number can balloon to 13 million.

"PAM Jaya through Aetra and Palyja claimed that the scope of their pipelines reaches 62 percent, whereas it is just 38 percent really distributed to the citizens. Such matter is very far from the MDG's target in 2025 at which Indonesia in every region is mandated to be able to reach 80 percent," Firdaus said on Saturday.

Firdaus hoped President Joko Widodo's administration will seriously reconsider the plan to build 49 dams as he considered the number of dam in the country to lag India, Japan, the United States and China. "By comparison, India has 1,500 dams, Japan has 3,000 dams, the United States has 6,100 dams, China has 21,000 dams, but Indonesia has only 284 dams, so Indonesia's number of dams is still far behind."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta/jakarta-celebrates-world-water-day-even-as-city-runs-out-of-clean-water/

Armed forces & defense

Association slams military's arrests of sugarcane farmers

Jakarta Post - May 15, 2015

Bambang Muryanto and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Yogyakarta/Surabaya – The Indonesian Sugarcane Farmers (APTRI) has complained over the cooperation between the Agriculture Ministry and the Indonesian Military (TNI), which has resulted in arrests of farmers concerning allegations of hoarding subsidized fertilizer.

According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two institutions, signed in January 2015 to help achieve self sufficiency by 2017, the TNI was tasked, among other things, with helping monitor the distribution of subsidized fertilizer.

In practice, however, soldiers from the military's subdistrict command (Koramil) and district command (Kodim) levels have arrested sugarcane farmers for hoarding subsidized fertilizer.

"We want an improvement in the policy," APTRI chairman Soemitro Samadikoen said on the sidelines of the association's national working meeting in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.

He expressed the concern that if nothing was done about the practice, reaching the planned self-sufficiency in sugar by 2017 would be fail. Indonesia presently imports 2.8 million tons of sugar annually.

APTRI deputy-secretary general M. Nur Khabsyin concurred, saying that such arrests would make farmers afraid of using subsidized fertilizer, so that they would not be able to produce good products and would instead suffer financial losses.

He said Indonesia was home to between 450,000 and 500,000 sugarcane farmers and 59 sugar factories.

Nur added that there had been misorientation among soldiers in conducting their field tasks. Instead of monitoring the distribution of subsidized fertilizer, they had instead monitored farmers using the fertilizer.

"Farmers keeping subsidized fertilizer at home were arrested and were accused of hoarding fertilizer," said Nur.

He added that in each of the regencies where there was a sugar factory, farmers had been arrested by soldiers for subsidized fertilizer possession. According to the regulation, a farmer can keep subsidized fertilizer for two hectares of sugarcane plantations at the maximum.

Agung Amrullah of APTRI PG Lestari Situbondo, East Java, said this had limited the yield that a farmer could obtain from planting sugarcane.

Agung said that to maximize revenue, farmers usually rented over two hectares of fields to plant sugarcane. Yet, in Gresik, East Java, a farmer was arrested for using subsidized fertilizer on over two hectares. "The regulation really makes farmers confused," Agung said.

Farmer Taufik Hidayat from Central Java and Suwandi of Madiun, East Java, told similar stories. Both also urged the government to revise the policy. "Soldiers have the task of holding guns, not arresting farmers," Taufik said.

Region II retail marketing manager of fertilizer producer PT Petro Kimia Gresik, Rohmad, admitted that arrests had occurred. "A distributor of ours was arrested. A kiosk owner with stock for three weeks was also arrested," Rohmad said.

Agriculture Ministry fertilizer and pesticide director Muhrizal Sarwani asked APTRI to advise the ministry on the issue.

Spokesperson of the regional military command (Kodam) V Brawijaya in East Java, Lt. Col. Washington Simanjuntak, denied misconduct, saying that what the soldiers had done in the fields was according to their commander's commands.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/15/association-slams-military-s-arrests-sugarcane-farmers.html

Virginity tests cruel, inhuman: Human Rights Watch

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2015

Jakarta – New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says virginity tests have been recognized internationally as a violation of human rights.

The procedure particularly violates the prohibition against cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 16 of the Convention against Torture, both of which Indonesia has ratified.

"The Indonesian armed forces should immediately stop the discriminatory, arbitrary and gender-based violence of so-called virginity tests," HRW's women's rights advocacy director Nisha Varia said in a release on Thursday.

She made the statement ahead of the world conference of the International Committee on Military Medicine (ICMM), a Belgium-based intergovernmental organization dedicated to fostering professional collaboration between members of the Armed Forces Medical Services of all states, which is set to take place in Bali from May 17 to 22.

"The ICMM should make clear to the Indonesian Military that this abusive practice has no place in a job application process or an individual's choice of whom to marry and should not be inflicted under a veneer of 'military medicine'," Varia said.

HRW found that the testing required all women applying to enter the military or planning to marry military officers included invasive "two- finger tests" to determine whether female applicants' hymens were intact.

"Finger test findings are scientifically baseless because an old tear of the hymen or variation of the size of the hymenal orifice can be due to reasons unrelated to sex," it says.

HRW says a military doctor at a military hospital in Jakarta told the group that the test was part of the mandatory military exam. It is given early in the recruitment process as part of a applicants' physical exam.

Officers who wish to marry require a letter of recommendation from their commanders, who only issue such letters upon confirmation that the respective officer's fiancee has undergone a medical examination, including a virginity test, at a military hospital.

Female military recruits said that military officers informed them that the tests were crucial to preserving the dignity and the honor of the nation, HRW says.

"A retired Air Force officer wondered how she could 'defend the honor of our nation if we cannot defend our own honor' by undergoing virginity tests," it says.

"Two military wives said that they were told that virginity tests helped stabilize military families, in which the husbands often travel for months."

HRW notes that in December last year, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo announced that his ministry would stop administering virginity tests to women aspiring to be civil servants.

In a hearing at the House of Representatives on Jan.21, Health Minister Nila Moeloek promised to raise the issue at a Cabinet meeting. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/14/virginity-tests-cruel-inhuman-hrw.html

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Military insists on virginity tests to determine 'naughty' female recruits

The Guardian (Australia) - May 14, 2015

Beh Lih Yi, Jakarta – Indonesia has been urged to drop a "discriminatory and invasive" virginity tests for female military recruits, but the military insisted the practice was necessary to check whether the women are "naughty".

Human Rights Watch on Thursday said the examinations – commonly carried out through a "two-finger test" by medics to see whether the hymen is intact – are a form of gender-based violence and unscientific.

The Indonesian military defended the practice, saying it was part of health check requirements for potential new recruits and it will continue the test.

"We need to examine the mentality of these applicants. If they are no longer virgins, if they are naughty, it means their mentality is not good," Indonesian military spokesman Fuad Basya told the Guardian.

He said the test has been carried out "for a long time" and that it can determine whether the women have "accidentally" lost their virginity or were sexually active. He said those who failed the test are not eligible to join the military.

"We will continue to carry out the test because to be a military person, the most important thing is your mentality. Physical and intellectual requirements are secondary," Basya said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Indonesian President Joko Widodo to immediately abolish the requirement.

"The Indonesian armed forces should recognise that harmful and humiliating 'virginity tests' on women recruits does nothing to strengthen national security," HRW women's right advocacy director Nisha Varia said.

It is not the first time the issue of virginity tests has drawn anger in Muslim-majority Indonesia, with the police facing criticism last year for subjecting women to the checks.

In a report last year, HRW highlighted that female police recruits were forced to strip naked before they were given the "two-finger test".

In the latest research conducted between May 2014 and April this year, HRW interviewed 11 women who are military recruits and fiancees of military officers and found a similar practice is widespread in the military force. Basya however denied fiancees of officers were also subjected to the test.

In a "two-finger test", the examining doctor notes the presence or absence of the hymen and the so-called laxity of the vagina in efforts to assess whether the women are "habituated to sexual intercourse".

"I felt humiliated. It was very tense, it's all mixed up," an unidentified female military applicant who underwent the test in 2013 was quoted as saying in the research. "What shocked me was finding out that the doctor who was to perform the test was a man."

A female physician described how the young women were "totally unwilling" to be positioned like women given birth during the tests, saying it was a "torture".

The research was released ahead of an international conference on military medicine on Indonesia's resort island of Bali next week. HRW is lobbying support from the conference's member countries – including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia – to pressure Indonesia to cease the virginity tests.

Parts of Indonesia are still socially conservative and value female virginity highly. In February, an Indonesian district on the main island of Java was forced to scrap a plan for virginity tests for high school girls in order to graduate after it sparked a huge public outcry.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/14/indonesian-military-insists-on-virginity-tests-to-determine-naughty-female-recruits

President promises to allocate Rp210 trillion as military budget

Antara News - May 13, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo has vowed to set aside a budget of Rp210 trillion for the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) next year, up from the Rp98 trillion allocated this year, if the economy grows by 7 percent.

The president made the promise during the ceremonial groundbreaking of the construction of the Jakarta Regional Military Commands Moh. Ridwan Meuraksa Hospital here on Wednesday.

"The prosperity of soldiers can be improved if the economy grows well, particularly if stability is guaranteed. Of course, this will all depend on you," Jokowi, as the president is affectionately called, said.

He stated that if the economy grew by 7 percent, the TNI budget, which is only some Rp98 trillion this year, can increase to Rp210 trillion.

"This can be achieved anywhere if stability of security is guaranteed. If security and economic stability are maintained, we can concentrate on economic development. Our economy is facing global financial pressures. The global economy is facing a downward trend, but I am sure if the stability of security is maintained, the economy will grow by 7 percent," he affirmed.

The head of state added that the government had worked out stages of tasks to be performed to achieve the goals.

Moreover, Jokowi expressed hope that with the increase in allowances of military personnel, they will improve their performance as their allowance comes from public money.

He pointed out that soldiers must return all (the allowance they earn) in the form of their best services. "They should do their best, nothing other than that."

Jokowi further noted that Indonesians were already proud of the TNI, which guards the Unitary State of Indonesia. Therefore, soldiers should uphold peoples pride and respect by doing their best in carrying out their tasks.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/98921/president-promises-to-allocate-rp210-trillion-as-military-budget

Judicial & legal system

Constitutional Court ruling on pretrial must be reviewed

Jakarta Post - May 15, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioner Busyro Muqoddas has criticized South Jakarta District Court judge Yuningtyas Upiek Kartikawati's decision to order the antigraft body to drop its investigation into former Makassar mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin.

Busyro said the judge had overstepped her authority in dealing with the pretrial mechanism.

A former Judicial Commission chairman, Busyro said that a pretrial mechanism, which could only last seven days and be heard by a single judge, did not have the authority to examine preliminary evidence that law enforcement institutions used as a basis to name an individual a suspect in a criminal case.

Busyro further said that it was the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court, which assigns five judges to examine a graft case for at least two months, that had the authority to examine KPK evidence and make a claim on whether the evidence was valid.

"I think this practice [pretrial mechanism] should be subject to scrutiny to see whether our Criminal Law Procedures Code [KUHAP] allows a pretrial hearing, which is presided by a sole judge, to examine the quality of evidence used by law enforcement agencies in naming a suspect," Busyro said on Thursday.

The verdict on Ilham was the first to be delivered following a recent ruling by the Constitutional Court (MK), not the Supreme Court, as previously reported, which allows suspects in criminal cases to file a pretrial motion to challenge the legality of a probe launched against them.

The Constitutional Court issued the ruling on April 28 in response to a judicial review request from PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia official and graft convict Bachtiar Abdul Fatah, who in 2013 was sentenced to two years in prison in an environmental project graft case.

Last year, Bachtiar won his pretrial lawsuit to challenge his suspect status and was temporarily released, but the Attorney General's Office (AGO) later decided to proceed with the case.

The Chevron official hired lawyer Maqdir Ismail, who had also served as legal counsel to National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan when filing a pretrial petition against the KPK at the South Jakarta District Court in February.

Budi had his pretrial petition granted by the court. The KPK later dropped its bribery investigation into Budi following the pretrial victory, which legal experts deemed contradictory to the KUHAP.

Busyro also blamed the Constitutional Court ruling for the KPK's setback, saying that the ruling, which had not been unanimously agreed to by all nine court justices, needed further discussion, or even revision if possible, on how it should be implemented in the future.

"The MK ruling should be tested by experts and legal practitioners [before implementation], not to mention that three [of the nine] justices had dissenting opinions on it," Busyro said.

Meanwhile, acting deputy KPK chairman Johan Budi said that the antigraft body would suspend its investigation into Ilham, but emphasized that it was just a matter of time before the KPK opened a new probe into the former mayor in the Rp 500 billion (US$38 million) graft case involving city-run water company (PDAM).

"The KPK will order a new investigation after we have studied the pretrial ruling thoroughly," Johan said on Wednesday.

Yuningtyas ruled against the KPK after the antigraft body presented only copies of documents on investigation evidence in Ilham's case during the one-week hearing.

The KPK insisted that revealing the original documents in a public hearing could compromise the ongoing investigation, but Yuningtyas said that she would only accepted the KPK's pretrial arguments if it could provide original copies of the investigation documents during the pretrial hearing.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/15/constitutional-court-ruling-pretrial-must-be-reviewed.html

Kuhap, court reform needed to uphold justice and legal system – activists

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2015

Jakarta – Activists on Friday called on the government and legislature to deliberate on a planned revision of the Criminal Code of Procedures following last week's ruling by the Constitutional Court to expand the jurisdiction of pretrial hearings.

The court had ruled that a pretrial hearing can also pass judgement on a suspect's legal status, giving the judge the authority to examine if law enforcers had enough preliminary evidence to investigate and charge someone.

Earlier, a pretrial motion could only rule on the technical aspects of an investigation, such as the arrest and seizure of property.

The court also clarified one article of the code, known as the Kuhap, saying that laying charges against a person must be based on two pieces of evidence and that law enforcers were obliged to first question the suspects about the accusations against them.

The ruling would force law enforcement agencies to stop abusing their authorities and lay bogus charges on their enemies, the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform said.

But it also means courts will have to cope with an influx of suspects, including corrupt officials and hardened criminals, looking to have the charges against them dropped.

"We urge the government as well as the House of Representatives to immediately revise the Kuhap," ICJR executive director Supriyadi saidon Friday.

Proposed revisions include an added requirement of the establishment of a team of judges to conduct pretrial examinations. The judges can then decide if a case is fit for trial. "This is necessary to make sure law enforcers don't get testimonies or admissions by force," Supriyadi said.

A revision of the Kuhap would also prevent suspects from trying to get charges against them dropped, he added. "A pretrial hearing was intended to provide control and supervision of the law enforcement process, but this could be derailed," he said.

Rivai Kusumanegara of Peradi, the national bar association, said the Constitutional Court's ruling added another layer to the judicial process, which he argued went against the principle of a speedy, simple and cheap court system.

"This will definitely hinder law enforcers' work and stop them from finishing ongoing cases. The Kuhap revision needs to be enacted immediately to ensure that such problems are prevented and addressed," Rivai said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/kuhap-court-reform-needed-uphold-justice-legal-system-activists-say/

Criminal justice & prison system

Bali Nine: Lawyer who alleged bribery refuses to attend Judicial Commission

Sydney Morning Herald - May 12, 2015

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – The lawyer who made the explosive claim that the judges who sentenced Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran to death were corrupt says he no longer wishes to comment on the case.

Muhammad Rifan is due to give evidence to a Judicial Commission inquiry investigating the bribery claims next week.

However Mr Rifan, who is understood to have received threatening phone calls over the claims, says he cannot see the point of attending now both Australians are dead. "Can it help them come to live again? If it could I would," Mr Rifan said.

Fairfax Media revealed just days before the executions that Mr Rifan claimed the judges who imposed the death penalty asked for more than $130,000 in exchange for a prison term of less than 20 years.

However, a deal allegedly fell through after the judges told Mr Rifan they had been ordered by senior legal and government members in Jakarta to impose the death penalty.

Mr Rifan has come under intense pressure over the allegations and it was rumoured earlier this month he had been arrested following police questioning. He later denied he had been arrested or was facing further police questioning.

However asked if he would attend the Judicial Commission inquiry next week, Mr Rifan said: "I don't want to comment on this case anymore, I don't see the urgency. Besides, it wasn't me who filed the report to the Judicial Commission."

Mr Rifan said both men had been executed and he didn't want to prolong the sufferings of their families.

However Chan and Sukumaran's most recent lawyer, Todung Mulya Lubis, said that if Mr Rifan was summoned by the Judicial Commission he must attend. "We gave the judicial commission his phone number and address," Professor Mulya said.

Asked if Mr Rifan could be summoned by force, Professor Mulya said the Judicial Commission was a state institution that could ask for help.

Professor Mulya this week presented signed documents to the Judicial Commission based on "disturbing information" from Mr Rifan that the judges had requested money.

He said he had answered six questions and was prepared to be further questioned. "We submitted several newspaper clippings and recorded conversation between us and Muhammad Rifan," Professor Mulya said.

He said they also submitted a statement from Chan and Sukumaran but the two men should have been examined as witnesses. "But Sukumaran and Chan have been executed," Professor Mulya said. (With Karuni Rompies)

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/bali-nine-executions-lawyer-who-alleged-bribery-refuses-to-attend-judicial-commission-20150512-ggzfo8.html

Evidence clearing JIS janitors 'withheld'

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2015

Febriamy Hutapea, Jakarta – The December 2014 sexual assault convictions of cleaners employed by ISS at the Jakarta Intercultural School dominated local media for weeks as questions over the legitimacy of the charges were raised.

The charges involved allegations of abuse of a 6-year-old male student at the school's kindergarten campus. The boy's mother went public with laboratory results she claimed proved her son had contracted genital herpes from the alleged rapes.

Police investigators were so sold on this "evidence" that they had the accused janitorial staff tested for genital herpes – under the mistaken assumption that if the victim had herpes, so too must at least one of his alleged attackers.

The single laboratory report that appeared to support the claim of genital herpes in the boy was obtained from the iSOS clinical laboratory in Jakarta following an examination on March 20, 2014.

The findings included a positive test for antibodies against the virus that causes genital herpes: herpes simplex virus 2, or HSV-2.

However, clinical microbiologist Kevin Baird of Oxford University explained in court and to the media the importance of considering which type of anti-HSV-2 antibody was present: IgG or IgM. The iSOS laboratory tests came up negative for IgG and positive for IgM.

Baird further explained how the IgM test for HSV-2 was highly unreliable, often resulting in a positive for other innocent and common infections like chicken pox or strep throat, and not HSV-2.

The US Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization both often warn of the possibility of false results from IgM tests. Baird expressed the views of health authorities that a positive IgM for HSV-2 must not be considered proof of HSV-2 infection.

No medical expert, however, could declare testing had proved that the boy did not have herpes. That would require a second finding of IgG negative for HSV-2 at least a month after the initial test – consecutive negative IgG tests months apart would confirm the absence of HSV-2.

However, during the trials of the janitorial staff, no such follow-up laboratory tests were made available in the prosecution's dossier of the case – it was the iSOS laboratory report alone that was available throughout the trials.

Baird could not say that the boy did not have the HSV-2 infection – only that the evidence did not prove he did.

However, on April 7 this year, evidence was introduced into the civil case filed against JIS by the boy's mother, seeking $125 million in damages, which revealed that follow-up testing on the boy for HSV-2 in fact had been carried out.

The first follow-up test was done at Pondok Indah Hospital in May 2014 and again showed a negative IgG result. Then, on July 16, 2014, the boy was examined at the National Police hospital's clinical laboratory with the same findings: a negative IgG and a now "borderline positive" IgM test.

Neither laboratory report had been included in the prosecution dossier against the cleaners and were unknown and unavailable to the legal teams defending the cleaners.

The Jakarta Globe spoke with Baird about the significance of the recently revealed findings.

Q: You testified and provided a sworn affidavit concerning a laboratory report from the police hospital of findings on the alleged victim examined on July 16, 2014. Why is that report so important in the criminal case against the JIS cleaners and the civil suit against JIS?

A: That report, taken with the initial lab examination of The boy at iSOS on March 20, 2014, proves that the boy did not have genital herpes or any other sexually transmitted infection as late as July 16, 2014.

The positive IgM result, which many misunderstood as proof of infection, was thus confirmed as a false positive result. This is a fact because the boy tested negative for IgG in March and again in July. No one actually infected with herpes remains IgG negative for so many months.

It means he does not have herpes, and the same goes for the many other sexually transmitted infections included in both of those examinations.

I think the importance of this fact to both the criminal and civil cases in the JIS affair is obvious – the only objective physical evidence that the boy had been sexually assaulted is an error. It does not exist.

Q: When you testified in the case you argued only that the IgM test was unreliable and did not prove the boy had herpes. In the civil case you say the boy does not have herpes. What swayed you on this crucial point?

A: The police hospital laboratory report of July 16, 2014, changed everything so far as the scientific facts. This was not included as evidence in the dossier against the cleaners, and that dossier was all that was made available for examination by the defense lawyers.

No one on the defense was aware of the report until long after the verdicts against the cleaners had been issued. The plaintiffs in the civil suit against JIS entered that report into evidence and we were finally able to consider it.

The attorneys also introduced into evidence a description of a laboratory examination of the boy conducted Pondok Indah Hospital in May of 2014 that showed the same findings – negative IgG for genital herpes. This also was excluded from the dossier against the cleaners.

Q: Can you explain the importance of this regarding the convictions of the cleaners?

A: Four of the five men accused of raping the boy repeatedly were reported by the police hospital laboratory as being infected with genital herpes.

They were described in the dossier as positive for HSV-2 IgG. We know genital herpes is highly contagious. A single sexual contact with a partner shedding herpes virus is all that is required to become infected.

The prosecution alleged those men gang-raped the boy more than a dozen times over a period of four months.

It is virtually impossible that such abuse could have occurred and the boy emerge from it with no sexually transmitted infection whatsoever, especially with four attackers known to be infected with genital herpes.

The objective laboratory evidence from both the cleaners and the alleged victim speak loud and clear – those attacks could not have occurred as described in the charges filed. In my opinion, the new evidence forensically exonerates the cleaners.

Q: If the reports from the Pondok Indah Hospital and police laboratories was so important in this case, why were they not included in the dossier against the cleaners?

A: I cannot imagine any medically trained person not understanding the significance of consecutive negative IgG tests for genital herpes months apart.

The law enforcement officers and prosecutors involved in the JIS affair of course have no medical training. If they received guidance and advice from medical professionals on this technical matter, it apparently was either incompetent or not heeded.

The fact is, the evidence from the boy in those three examinations proves he was not exposed to any sexually transmitted infection, and the mismanagement of that crucial evidence – both by flawed technical interpretation and a failure to place key evidence in the dossier – prevented this fact from being considered by the judges who ultimately convicted the cleaners.

Why and how this happened is a question for the people who created and managed that evidence. I believe it quite likely that those actions caused a tragic miscarriage of justice.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta/evidence-clearing-jis-janitors-withheld/

Foreign affairs & trade

Poll: Australians cautious about damaging relations with Indonesia

Deutsche Welle - May 8, 2015

Following the execution of two Australian drug convicts despite repeated pleas to Jakarta for clemency, a new poll reveals that Australians have a strong preference for a restrained diplomatic response from Canberra.

"Despite strong opposition to the death penalty for drug trafficking, it seems that Australians are cautious about taking strong actions against Indonesia in response to the executions of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan," commented Dr Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, on the poll results released on Thursday, May 7.

After a decade in prison for their role in masterminding the so-called "Bali 9" plot to bring heroin to Australia from the Indonesian resort island of Bali, Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 34, were killed by firing squad in the early morning hours of April 29. They were among seven foreign and one Indonesian drug convicts executed on that day after Jakarta rejected last- ditch pleas for clemency from around the world.

Despite the controversial punishment that sparked highly emotive debates around the world, most Australian adults (59 percent) say that private diplomatic protests are the course of action they would prefer their government to take following the incident, according to the nationally representative telephone survey commissioned by the Sydney-based think tank.

Calls for restraint

As a direct reaction to the executions, Canberra withdrew its ambassador to Jakarta – a step it had never taken with regard to Indonesia. But the poll also reveals that only a minority (42 percent) agreed with the move. Moreover, the predominant view is that normal diplomatic relations with Indonesia should be suspended for only a few months.

When presented with a range of possible time periods and asked "for how long should Australia suspend normal diplomatic relations with Indonesia," only a third of Australians (34 percent) advocated a period longer than four months.

There is also scant support for suspending Australian aid projects (28 percent agreeing) or suspending military and law enforcement cooperation (27 percent). The least supported action is for applying trade sanctions, with only 24 percent of those surveyed agreeing.

Further poll results suggest that the executions will have little impact on Australians' travel plans, buying habits or business dealings with Indonesia. When asked whether they would be more or less likely to "travel to Bali or anywhere else in Indonesia" or "buy Indonesian products," significant majorities of the population (63 percent and 71 percent respectively) said it would make no difference.

Nor do the majority of Australians (76 percent) think that Australian companies should be less willing to do business with Indonesia following these executions.

Almost three-quarters of Australians continue to oppose the death penalty for drug trafficking. Despite the strong opposition, however, attitudes to the idea that the Australian government should lead an international drive to abolish the death penalty worldwide are less clear cut.

A slight majority say Canberra should play an active role in pushing for the abolition of the death penalty internationally (51 percent, compared with 45 percent saying it should not).

No mercy

In the meantime, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has continued to defend his tough stance against convicted drug traffickers, saying they would not receive a presidential pardon since Indonesia is facing an "emergency" over drug use.

Yohanes Sulaiman, a political expert from the Indonesian Defense University, told DW he believes President Widodo, who was often viewed as weak compared to his presidential rival during last year's election, is trying to convey the image of being a decisive leader in a country where there seems to be public support for the death penalty.

Some 60 convicts are believed to be on death row in Indonesia for drug- related crimes. Around half of them are foreigners. Jakarta had an unofficial four-year moratorium on executions until 2013, and there were no executions in 2014.

Aaron Connelly, an Indonesia expert at the Lowy Institute, told DW that the executions have made President Widodo a manifestly unpopular figure in Australia and that it is difficult to tell how long that feeling will linger.

Nevertheless, he pointed out that while Australians are genuinely anguished at the executions of their compatriots and offended by the manner in which the process that led to their deaths was conducted, their leaders also understand the importance of the relationship for geopolitical and security reasons, and will hesitate before withdrawing cooperation that benefits both countries.

"At a lower level, it seems likely that police cooperation between Australia and Indonesia may suffer, because Australian police provided the intelligence that led to the arrests of the so-called Bali 9. Beyond those immediate steps, it is hard to say how Australia will react."

Crucial relationship

That said, the partnership with Jakarta remains important to Australia for reasons of security, and it is in Australian interests to ensure the relationship gets back on firmer footing in the medium to long term, Connelly added.

Despite the political irritants of the past two years, including the spat over reports that Australia may have spied on high-level Indonesian politicians, there is a great deal of ongoing intergovernmental cooperation in many areas of public administration, including police and customs, as Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at the analytics firm IHS, told DW.

"In addition to police and military co-operation, Australia is one of Indonesia's key economic partners, with bilateral trade and investment reaching 15 billion AUD in 2013," said Biswas. "There is also an estimated cumulative investment of 11 billion AUD in Indonesia by Australian companies in mining, manufacturing and infrastructure projects."

Bilateral trade in services is also growing in importance, as Biswas pointed out. "Thousands of Indonesians study at Australian universities and institutes each year and there is also a large flow of Australian tourists to Indonesia," said the economist.

In fact, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently stated he was confident Australia could restore its relationship with Indonesia despite anger over the executions.

"I am confident that we will be able to rebuild the relationship," Abbott told reporters in Sydney. "It's important to Australia, it's important to Indonesia and it's important to the wider world that Australia and Indonesia's friendship is strong and growing in the months and years ahead," the prime minister added.

Source: http://www.dw.de/poll-australians-cautious-about-damaging-relations-with-indonesia/a-18436472

Economy & investment

Spicing up growth

The Economist - May 9, 2015

In late April Indonesia's president, Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, wooed foreign moneymen at a big international conference. Investing in Indonesia will bring "incredible profits", he promised. "And if you have any problems, call me."

Two days later, at a summit of Asian and African dignitaries, Jokowi struck a different note. He called for "a new global economic order that is open to new emerging economic powers" to avoid the "domination of certain groups and countries".

That is not necessarily a contradiction: you can pursue foreign cash while also arguing that international financial institutions grant developing countries too little power. But the change in tone was striking: from open, affable and welcoming of foreign money to prickly and suspicious of it. In his first seven months as president, Jokowi has tended to present the first face to the world, particularly to potential investors. But Indonesia's policies still show too much of the second. That has grave implications for the country's future.

Jokowi says he wants Indonesia to return to 7% annual growth – a rate unseen since the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, but not unusual before it. In fact, the economy is slowing. In the first quarter of this year it grew by 4.7% year on year, down from 5% in the previous quarter. On a quarterly basis, it has been shrinking for six months now.

The problem is commodities. Ever since the ancient Romans acquired a taste for cloves, commodities have played a big part in Indonesia's economy. The country is the world's leading exporter of palm oil and tin, the second- biggest rubber exporter and the fourth-largest coal producer. The Grasberg mine in Papua, Indonesia's biggest and easternmost province, is the world's biggest gold mine and its third-largest copper mine. When China's hunger for commodities was growing and prices were high, Indonesia boomed. But since 2011 its growth rate has declined, reflecting China's weakening appetite for raw materials and the dramatic fall in prices this has precipitated.

Jokowi's plan is to rebalance Indonesia's economy away from commodities and towards manufacturing. The country managed a similar shift once before: in the late 1970s and 1980s, as the price for Indonesia's then-abundant oil fell, the government tried to attract foreign investment in industries like food processing and carmaking instead.

By 1990 manufacturing's share of GDP exceeded that of agriculture for the first time, thanks to a winning combination of low wages, decent infrastructure, a stable investment climate and abundant natural resources. That boom ended with the Asian financial crisis and the chaotic fall of Suharto, Indonesia's long-serving strongman, in the late 1990s.

Indonesia today should be even more attractive as a manufacturing hub. It is the fourth-most-populous country in the world, with a huge, fast- urbanising domestic market and a rising consumer class. Workers are cheap: the average manufacturing job pays a base salary of $253 per month, compared with $369 in Thailand and $403 in China. Demography is in its favour: its median age, 29.2, is well below those of Thailand (36.2) and China (36.7).

But Indonesia's bureaucracy is impenetrable and its infrastructure, much neglected since Suharto's day, woeful. Companies spend 50% more on logistics than those in Thailand and twice as much as those in Malaysia. No wonder that foreign investment has stagnated in recent years. Manufacturing's share of GDP, meanwhile, fell from 29% in 2001 to 24% in 2013.

Jokowi has taken some steps to reverse this slide. He launched a one-stop shop for investment approvals in January that has helped speed progress through Indonesia's Kafkaesque bureaucracy (though when dealing with Indonesian bureaucracy, "speed" is a relative concept: according to Wellian Wiranto of OCBC, a Singaporean bank, the one-stop shop has reduced the number of days required to obtain a permit to build a power plant from 923 to 256).

Using savings from the welcome cutting of fuel subsidies late last year, Jokowi has boosted the budget for infrastructure by 53% – the biggest year-on-year increase in Indonesia's history. Better roads and ports should drive down logistics costs. Some of the money is for much-needed power plants: Indonesia has five times Britain's population, but just half of its generating capacity. He has also sought out foreign investment for infrastructure projects.

But many businesspeople worry that the results will not match the rhetoric. Much of Jokowi's infrastructure money will go to inefficient, state-owned enterprises. Indonesia has inflexible labour laws and minimum wages have shot up (albeit from a low base). Moreover, a morass of protectionist rules persists. The number of industries barred to foreign investors, for instance, has grown steadily. Last year the "negative-investment list" expanded to include onshore oil extraction and e-commerce. In 2014 the government banned the export of some raw minerals in a disastrous effort to ramp up domestic smelting; exports of bauxite collapsed from 55m to 500,000 tonnes within a year, without any concomitant rise in alumina or aluminium exports.

Local-content laws abound, covering energy, retailing and carmaking, among other sectors. A long-mulled, much-criticised draft law may soon require companies that sell tablets and smartphones to produce up to 40% of their components in Indonesia. The aim is to boost domestic tech manufacturing; instead, it will probably create a flourishing black market for iPhones and scare off potential investors. Tight immigration rules have cut the number of foreign workers in Indonesia by 16% in three years, to just 64,000 in 2014. Foreign doctors are banned; foreign oil-and-gas workers must be below the age of 55.

Much of this is not Jokowi's doing. Economic liberalism has never really taken hold in Indonesia. Its parliament is always ready to embrace protectionist policies, driven by the widespread belief that foreigners have long plundered Indonesia's resources and left locals none the wealthier. The Asian financial crisis left Indonesia deeply suspicious of foreign capital.

Nor is Jokowi blameless. A decree published without consultation in January unexpectedly banned the sale of beer in minimarts and other small shops across the country, depriving brewers of perhaps half their revenues and startling investors who now fear more surprise regulations. He promised to increase government revenues by bringing more Indonesians into the tax system, but many foreign firms whisper that tax officials are squeezing them harder instead.

Carmaking, led by Japanese firms, is humming along: production is now rising in Indonesia and falling in Thailand. For the past two years more cars have been sold in Indonesia than in any other country in South-East Asia. But Jokowi has lately promoted the potential for a national-car scheme in partnership with Proton, the money-pit that is Malaysia's national carmaker. Jokowi's supporters say he has the right ideas, and stress that he faces strong opposition. But whether bad policies are enacted with Jokowi's support or because he is powerless to stop them matters little: either way, they hinder investment that Indonesia sorely needs.

Geography already puts Indonesia at a disadvantage: it sprawls across more than 13,000 islands, which means that getting goods from one place to another will always be more complicated (and expensive) than just putting them on a lorry. But that makes good policy all the more crucial. When commodities were in demand, Indonesia's business environment mattered less: companies that wanted tin and copper had to go wherever they could be found. Manufacturers can be choosier.

Source: http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21650586-bad-policy-much-bad-infrastructure-holding-indonesia-back-spicing-up

Analysis & opinion

A new start for Papua?

Jakarta Post Editorial - May 12, 2015

Following his campaign pledges, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has signaled a different approach to Papua, announcing on Sunday in Merauke that Papua and West Papua are now open to the foreign press.

The historic trial of two French journalists last October reinforced the message that the foreign media was not welcome in the easternmost provinces – raising constant questions about what the government is hiding.

Theoretically foreign journalists may cover issues in Papua – provided they get permits from numerous institutions, the trial against Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat revealed.

The first attempt by the foreign media to cover Papua will reveal the nature of Jokowi's openness compared to that on the ground. Earlier on Saturday five political prisoners were released from the Abepura prison, as Jokowi granted them clemency for their role in the 2003 raid on a military arsenal in Wamena. "Today, we're releasing these five detainees to end the stigma surrounding conflict in Papua," Jokowi said.

Releasing other political prisoners would make room for freedom of expression and promote dialogue, said the prisoners' lawyer, Latifa Anum Siregar, who has just been awarded the 2015 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.

Papuans have long complained of this "stigma", including the suspicion that every voice hinting at disagreement with the official narrative of Papua's history belongs to the "separatists" – rendering them a legitimate target for persecution on the basis of "subversion", and even arbitrary detention, torture and killings, rights organizations say.

Activists have repeatedly requested such "dialogue" between Papuan and national leaders, but former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono shied away from dialogue attempts that would, on the Papuans' terms, have had to include differences on just how free was the Free Choice of 1963, the basis of Indonesia's claim over Papua.

Papuans further say that their cultural, Melanesian, identity, is not recognized either – while their squabbling elites and migrants from other islands grab the largest slice of economic benefits. In contrast Jakarta's post-reformasi approach has been to throw more money at Papua, critics say, along with the continued security approach.

Worse, as elsewhere, crimes by police and military personnel against civilians are covered by endemic impunity. The domestic press is hampered in covering Papua not only in their resources, but by anxiety over their safety – safety being the trumped-up excuse to bar foreign media.

Noting the government's success in resolving the political conflict in Aceh, in 2009 researchers of the Indonesian Institute for Sciences (LIPI) recommended a "road map" comprising acknowledgement of identity, dialogue including on Papua's history, reconciliation and trials for human rights abuses, apart from a new paradigm on development.

It has taken a new president from outside the entrenched elite to welcome press freedom and release political prisoners in Papua. Hopefully Jokowi can convince citizens that a new approach on Papua will have to include openness and a safe space to voice differences.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/12/editorial-a-new-start-papua.html

Flying the flag of reform?

New Mandala - May 12, 2015

James Giggacher – This weekend has seen some possibly big developments in Papua, where Indonesia President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has released five political prisoners in the disaffected provinces.

He's also promised long-shut out foreign journalists full access to the region, which has been home to a decades-long separatist movement.

The call for independence has seen an almost 50-year insurgency between poorly-armed locals and government forces in the eastern edge of Indonesia's sprawling nation-state. Claims that locals are unfairly targeted by Indonesian security forces are not uncommon.

The five prisoners – Kimanus Wenda, Jefrai Murib, Apotnalogolik Lokobal, Numbungga Telenggen and Linus Hiluka – were arrested in 2003 for a raid on a military arsenal. In a ceremony at Abepura prison in the provincial capital Jayapura, Jokowi shook their hands and gave them their tickets home – letters of clemency waiving their remaining jail time.

"Today we are releasing these five detainees to stop the stigma of conflict in Papua," Jokowi said. "We need to create a sense of peace in Papua. This is just the beginning."

Building on earlier assurances to improve the livelihood of locals who are heavily reliant on development assistance from Jakarta, these latest moves seem to indicate that Jokowi is loosening Indonesia's tight grip on the mineral-rich Papua. But as with most things, the devil is in the detail – or lack of it.

While the release of prisoners in the name of peace might be a welcome move, there is one big unanswered question; what is now the status of the Morning Star flag and other explicit rallying points of pro-independence sentiment?

The Morning Star has become the potent symbol of Papua's calls for independence – a 'freedom flag' that sings to the soul with all the lyrical and symbolic stir of a tartan-clad Mel Gibson facing down an army of English pikemen and Welsh archers in Scotland. It was the flag that flew when the colonial Dutch finally clogged it back to their dikes way back in 1961.

Jakarta takes a dim view of it at the best of times. In 2013, six men were arrested for raising the flag to mark the 50th anniversary of Indonesian occupation of the territory. They faced a possible 15 years in jail. One of the men was so badly beaten by police his trial was delayed.

So the question remains; with the Morning Star shining a light on Papua demands to break away from the sovereignty-sensitive Jakarta, will prosecutors and judges continue to charge and convict Papuans who peacefully raise flags (whether for treason or some lesser charge)? If yes then nothing has changed and there will continue to be political prisoners.

Even if all current prisoners are released, they are likely to be replaced by new ones in no time, a delegation of pro-independence Papuans was charged with treason as they landed in Jayapura airport after a mysterious meeting with Minister of Defence, Ryamizard Ryacudu.

According to rights monitors, who have slammed the arrests as spurious, the five men have been charged with treason under article 106 of the criminal code for wanting to secede from the Republic of Indonesia and could face anywhere between 20 years and life in prison.

This also raises the question of what happens if the raising of the flag and pro-independence speeches doesn't see Papuan activists arrested. Will Jokowi and his government have the stomach for louder calls for independence in Papua? There's also the question of how he will react to foreign leaders calling for change in Papua.

In all of this, Jokowi once again shows that substance cannot be substituted for a smile and a photo-op. He's not given any indication on how he would like authorities to react the next time the Morning Star flag is hoisted again – as it will inevitably be.

Unlike in 1998, when the release of the New Order's political prisoners was accompanied by the abolition of the notorious Anti-Subversion law, there has been no discussion of how judges and prosecutors should interpret the treason articles that Papuan activists are currently jailed for. This is therefore about more than a question of political prisoners; this is about legal processes and how activists end up in jail in the first place. This is about reformasi – or lack thereof.

Releasing current prisoners does not resolve the policy question of how the government responds to non-violent pro-independence speech. And it hardly draws a map to long-term reform.

If the current 90 or so prisoners currently locked up re-engage in peaceful protest will they be thrown back in jail? Or is clemency contingent on becoming a loyal citizen? Authorities appear to assume the existence of an implicit bargain: prisoners are released, but Papuans should in return stop voicing pro-independence sentiments.

It is very possible that Jakarta will try to have it both ways – release some, or even all, current inmates, but continue to declare the Morning Star a "banned" flag, and allow security forces to act against pro- independence activists.

The fact that they gave clemency to this particular group, who were involved in an ammunitions raid in 2003, rather than a flag raising, is telling. The five had already served 12 years of their 20-year sentence, and it is very possible they were up for release soon in any case.

It would seem that in Papua, there is a long way to go before anyone can pin their flag to the mast of reform.

[James Giggacher is editor of New Mandala and associate lecturer in the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs.]

Source: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2015/05/12/flying-the-flag-of-reform/

Make sure that historic Papua policy is carried out

Jakarta Globe Editorial - May 10, 2015

President Joko Widodo made a historic decision when he publicly announced in front of the nation's security chiefs on Sunday that foreign journalists now can freely enter Papua.

This is a huge boost for the image of Joko and Indonesia internationally, after the president received worldwide condemnation for executing 15 drug convicts, mostly foreign citizens, so far this year.

His policy to allow foreign journalists to cover everything in the nation's two easternmost provinces – Papua and West Papua – is a significant step forward that will allow the international community to finally monitor conditions there.

What the international community believes is that there continue to be rampant human right violations in the provinces – including torture and shootings – committed by the country's security forces. The opening up means there will be no more secrets. Any act of violence will be known by journalists and such information will spread around the globe quickly. Joko's decision will thus drastically lessen violence and other human rights violations in the provinces.

Whether or not this is just an attempt to fix his image, we should welcome and laud Joko's brave and historic move to repeal a policy that has lasted ever since Papua joined Indonesia 46 years ago.

This bold move also means that Joko is confident that there is nothing to hide. Allowing foreign media is the right move to weaken the push for independence in the region: If all is well, why resist?

However, we do still need to make sure the decision is actually implemented. We have seen too often that Joko's policies aren't carried out by relevant officials.

Police insubordination in the conflict with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is one blatant example that makes Joko look like a lame duck. Let's hope it's different in Papua.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/editorial-make-sure-historic-papua-policy-carried/

Yogyakarta reforms

Jakarta Post Editorial - May 8, 2015

It is simply beyond our imagination to let the Yogyakarta sultanate, as one of the oldest living monarchies in the country, crumble in the wake of modernism. For some, the existence of the sultanate may look anachronistic in democratic Indonesia, but history showcases undisputed evidence of the city's contribution to the country's advancement of freedom, diversity and equality.

People of the city have been embroiled in a thorny issue that has clearly created a divide after Sultan Hamengkubuwono X made a bold, if not revolutionary, move that many consider a gross violation of the centuries- old tradition and beliefs that founded the sultanate. The controversy will also give the central government a new headache as the sultan's decision to appoint his eldest daughter, GKR Pembayun, the crown princess will require amendments to the 2012 Yogyakarta Special Status Law.

On one hand, revising the law to accommodate the sultan's wishes will pit political brokers in Jakarta against those who aspire to keep the Yogyakarta sultanate as it is. On the other hand, turning a blind eye to the sultan's initiatives constitutes Jakarta's irresponsibility. The central government, through the Home Ministry, is mandated to supervise and guide regional governments to work in harmony to achieve national interests and protect national unity.

Indeed in the eyes of the rest of the royal family, the sultan has broken the rules. He gives up his ancestral title as Kalifatullah, roughly the equivalent of a British king or queen's title of Defender of the Faith, and alters his name to Hamengkubawono (linguists say bawono and buwono similarly mean "universe" but the former is not gender-biased), so as to allow his daughter to assume power. If the Yogyakarta special status is intact she will succeed her father as the governor.

Whether the sultan's move signals his desperation because having no son would force him to relinquish his power to his brothers or one of his half-brothers, is open to interpretation. But, like it or not, the sultan has instigated an overhaul of the Yogyakarta governance system.

Perhaps the reforms he introduced can rival his move to hold a public gathering back in 1998 in which he delivered a landmark speech to demand then president Soeharto to step down while others lacked the guts to do so.

Looking on the bright side of the sultan's decision to allow a woman to take the lead is a global phenomenon that no one can resist. Democratic Indonesia once had a female president and is a fertile ground for women leaders.

Yogyakarta is and should not be an exception. Moreover, there was a precedent in Aceh, where a sultana or female sultan ruled in the 17th century.

Now that the sultan has relinquished his religious attribution as an Islamic spiritual leader, he has put an end to Islamic identification of the Yogyakarta kingdom, which indeed is an encouraging development given Yogyakarta's plural society.

The wheel of change will keep rolling in Yogyakarta – Who knows if the monarchy's submission of its executive power will be the city's next agenda of reforms.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/08/editorial-yogyakarta-reforms.html


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