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Indonesia News Digest 39 – October 17-23, 2017

West Papua Aceh 1965 anti-communist purge Women's rights & gender Labour & migrant workers Freedom of assembly & association Political parties & elections Surveys & opinion polls LGBT & same-sex marriage Corruption & abuse of power Freedom of religion & worship Islam & religion Sex, pornography & morality Land & agrarian conflicts Jakarta & urban life Transport & communication Criminal justice & legal system Foreign affairs & trade Infrastructure & development Analysis & opinion

West Papua

Brimob officer dies in exchange of fire with armed group in Papua

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2017

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – First. Brig. Berry Pramana Putra, a member of the National Police's Mobile Brigade stationed in Timika, Papua was killed in an exchange of fire with unidentified gunmen on Utikini bridge, Tembagapura, Mimika regency on Sunday.

Berry died during a pursuit of armed assailants who were allegedly behind a shooting incident in the mining area of US-based PT Freeport Indonesia at Mile 60 to 67, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said.

"The victim died on the scene while Mobile Brigade members were in an exchange of fire with an armed criminal group on Utikini bridge, a day after the group shot at two patrol vehicles owned by PT Freeport," he said in Jayapura on Monday.

He alleged the group was behind security disturbances in Freeport's mining area. He also suspected it was the same group who seized two Steyr assault rifles and ammunition from members of the Mobile Brigade two years ago, as the same weapons were believed to have been used in the shooting that killed Berry. The allegations arose from the bullet casings found at the scene.

"We have identified the group, although we will not yet publish the name of the group," Boy added.

No additional security personnel would be added despite the incidents, he said, adding that police would handle the issue in accordance with law enforcement procedures to end the security disturbances in Papua.

The Papua Police delivered the body of First. Brig Berry to his hometown in Bengkulu in a release ceremony led by Boy. As Berry died on duty, the police also granted him a posthumous promotion to one level above his rank to Brig. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/23/brimob-officer-dies-in-exchange-of-fire-with-armed-group-in-papua.html

Trouble in Indonesian tourist paradise

Deutsche Welle (DW) - October 22, 2017

The islands of Raja Ampat are set to be Indonesia's next tourism hotspot – but locals fear the government is failing both them and the environment in its development push.

Raja Ampat – which means Four Kings – is made up of 1,500 islands and is home to about 1,400 varieties of fish and 600 species of coral – making it one of the most biodiverse marine habitats on earth. Indonesia's government is intent on turning the area into a tourism hotspot, building hotels, restaurants and investing in new harbours.

But on a palm-fringed island about two hours boat ride from Raja Ampat's capital Waisai, villagers still live in simple huts that lack electricity and clean water, while the nearest high school is scores of miles away. Locals told they had seen no improvements to their lives despite the dramatic rise in visitors. According to government estimates around 15,000 tourists now come to the area each year – up from less than 5,000 in 2010. "They've hurt us indigenous people. They took our land, our water and our forest. We feel betrayed," Paul Mayor, chief of the island's Byak Betew tribe, said of the government's tourism drive. "That's our land, our ocean, which now is a world-class tourist destination, but we've gained nothing from the influx of tourists," he added.

Mayor also criticised authorities for failing to properly protect the area's unique ecosystem, pointing to a catastrophic cruise ship crash in March, which damaged 13,500 square metres of pristine coral reef. The 4,200-ton Caledonian Sky ran aground near the island of Kri carrying 102 passengers and 79 crew, but half a year later no one has been held accountable. Researchers from the University of Papua, who assessed the impact of the accident, said restoring the damaged reef could cost as much as $16.2 million. The head of tourism for Raja Ampat, Yusdi Lamatenggo, said the company operating the boat – Noble Caledonia – will be summoned to appear in court soon but so far they have not accepted responsibility or paid any damages.

In the meantime, he told, steps were being taken to prevent further accidents by establishing clearly demarcated cruise ship routes and world-class harbours. But the accident has fuelled feelings of mistrust and exclusion often felt by Papua's indigenous Melanesian population. The resource-rich region was annexed by Jakarta in 1969 and most Papuans feel they have not been given an even share of its natural riches. The military retains heavy influence in the region and regularly stifles dissent.

After taking office in 2014, president Joko Widodo pledged to speed up development in Papua, but many locals insist they have been forgotten. "There has been no change," Ariel Fakdawer, head of Saukabu village in Raja Ampat told. "The yearly Raja Ampat festival, for example, attracts thousands of tourists but we gain nothing from that. We are still poor, but the organizers of such festivals, outsiders, they have made a fortune," he added. Indigenous groups say they need communication satellites, electricity, better infrastructure, and the right to govern themselves by customary law. "The government never fulfils our needs because they don't understand what we want," chief Mayor said. "I believe the government has to approach us by bearing in mind our cultural needs. They have to talk to us indigenous people," he insisted.

But not everyone is against the rush to open up Raja Ampat to the world. Villager Medzke Karoswaf explained: "This is a modern world. We cannot live isolated like in a cave forever. We have to be open minded. Like it or not, we don't live alone in this world." is/ch (afp)

Source: http://www.dw.com/en/trouble-in-indonesian-tourist-paradise/a-40672287

Freeport vehicles shot at by unidentified assailants

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2017

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – Unidentified perpetrators shot at two vehicles in a gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) mining area in Tembagapura, Mimika, Papua, on Saturday.

The driver of one of the vehicles, M. Jamil Lampung, 49, sustained injuries from broken glass.

The first vehicle shot at was a PTFI patrol vehicle driven by Jamil at 8:05 a.m. He was passing through Tembagapura district when unknown assailants fired shots at his vehicle. Bullets hit the left door and the windshield of his vehicle.

Jamil, who was on his way to pick up patrol officers at a sports hall, was rushed to Tembagapura Hospital.

"He underwent minor surgery during which pieces of glass were removed from his arms. He has been discharged from the hospital. The medical team says he is in good condition," said Papua Police spokesperson Sr.Comr. AM Kamal on Saturday.

The second vehicle shot at was another patrol vehicle driven by a man identified as Joseph Nelson Hatch Jr., 49, a United States citizen.

"Bullets hit the left door and the left front tire of the vehicle. The tire deflated but the driver continued to drive to the Tembagapura Police. He did not sustain any injuries," said Kamal. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/21/freeport-vehicles-shot-at-by-unidentified-assailants.html

Gunmen shoot Freeport contractor in Papua

Jakarta Globe - October 21, 2017

Jakarta – Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US mining giant Feeport-McMoRan, has confirmed that a shooting incident occurred near its mining site in Papua on Saturday (21/10), a company official said. No fatalities were reported.

Riza Pratama, vice president for corporate communication at Freeport Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe that the incident took place at 8 a.m. near Tembagapura, about an hour drive from the Grasberg mine. Unidentified men fired at a car driven by an employee of the company's contractor, Mitra Siaga.

"Investigation is ongoing. The road from Tembagapura to Hidden Valley has been temporarily closed," Riza said, adding that the victim sustained light injuries when the car's windshield was shattered by the shots. Police were not available for comment.

Last month, two shootings were recorded near Freeport's facilities in Papua.

In August, the government allowed the world's largest cooper producer to keep operating its Grasberg cooper and gold mine, as the company had eventually agreed to divest a 51 percent stake – a requirement set upon miners under Indonesian law.

Recently, the company has been facing numerous labor disputes.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/gunmen-shoot-freeport-contractor-papua/

Tension lingers in Papua's Tolikara after election

Radio New Zealand International - October 20, 2017

Tensions remain high in Tolikara in West Papua's Highlands amid ongoing election-related unrest.

Tolikara is one of a number of regencies in Indonesia's Papua province that have conducted local-level elections this month. Discord between supporters of various Tolikara candidates repeatedly boiled over into rioting or fighting in recent weeks.

It even spread to the national capital Jakarta, where dozens of supporters of one losing candidate attacked the office of the Home Affairs Ministry.

Supporters of John Tabo hurled projectiles at the building and ministry vehicles in protest at the re-election of Usman Wanimbo as regent. Two people were seriously injured.

Police are maintaining a heightened security alert in Tolikara itself, where authorities have urged all candidates to calm their supporters.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/342010/tension-lingers-in-papua-s-tolikara-after-election

Aceh

Muhammadiyah mosque burned in Aceh

Jakarta Post - October 18, 2017

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization Muhammadiyah has urged Aceh authorities to track down and arrest the persons responsible for an arson attack on one of its mosques in the province.

An unidentified crowd set ablaze on Tuesday evening the At Taqwa Mosque – which was under construction – in Sangso village, Bireun regency, in an assault the organization said had tainted tolerance in Aceh.

"Whoever burnt our mosque [in Bireun] are simply intolerant individuals," former Muhammadiyah leader Din Syamsuddin told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Din said that he was informed about the incident by the leadership of Muhammadiyah's Aceh office in the early hours of Wednesday.

Rejection of the mosque's construction emerged three years ago when plans for it was first revealed. Din said that the organization even received threats as it proceeded with the construction plan.

But Muhammadiyah officials made sure they had fulfilled all the legal requirements to build the mosque, he added.

It remains unclear who was behind the arson attack. "We have reported the incident to the police and hope that they can soon track down the individuals who burned down the mosque." (ahw)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/18/muhammadiyah-mosque-burned-in-aceh.html

1965 anti-communist purge

US Embassy account of 1965 mass killings hard to prove: Minister

Jakarta Globe - October 22, 2017

Jakarta – Recently declassified United States Embassy archives documenting Indonesia's 1965 mass killings may not be included in legal proceedings before their veracity can be established, Chief Security Minister Wiranto said.

On Tuesday (17/10), the National Security Archive at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., released 245 pages of 39 secret archives compiled by the US Embassy in Indonesia between 1964 and 1968. The documents show that the Indonesian Armed Forces, or ABRI, as it was known at the time, started conducting a public campaign of mass killings against the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965.

However, the Indonesian government said the archives are not valid and therefore cannot be used in legal proceedings. "We cannot make those US archives part of our investigation process," Wiranto said in Jakarta on Thursday.

He said an examination was necessary to establish whether the information contained in the archives was factually correct.

"It is difficult to find evidence and witnesses," Wiranto said. He added that incidents that occurred in the past would have been resolved fairly and effectively under the prevailing circumstances, laws and conditions in society at that time.

Conversely, it will be difficult to prosecute those crimes in a different period under laws that have already developed, amid a changing social environment, he said.

Wiranto said the government has conducted many coordinating ministerial meetings in a bid to settle the matter. "Komnas HAM [National Commission on Human Rights] was also involved in those meetings," he added.

Separately, Amnesty International country director Usman Hamid said in Jakarta on Friday that the most important thing the government could do was to investigate whether the archives contained the truth, rather than being doubtful of the content just because it came from abroad.

"Do the facts described in these archives contain the truth?" Usman said. He pointed out that the government can examine the detail contained in the archives.

"For example, it is written that on Dec. 28, 1965, it was recorded that ABRI soldiers took people regarded as PKI members to a desolate area and massacred them before burying their corpses," Usman said.

Moreover, he explained that on Dec. 31 of the same year, ABRI soldiers secretly handed over at least 10 prisoners accused of being communists to vigilantes for execution.

"This report mentions the date, month, year, names, numbers and what institutions were involved. It is so clear," Usman said.

He urged the government to also present its own evidence by making military archives public. "This is actually what we are hoping for," Usman said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/us-embassy-account-of-1965-mass-killings-hard-to-prove-minister/

Amnesty International urges gov't to reveal archives on 1965 mass

Jakarta Globe - October 22, 2017

Jakarta – Amnesty International has urged the government to use the information contained in recently declassified United States Embassy archives on the Indonesian mass killings of 1965 as new momentum to reveal the truth and deliver justice to survivors.

The US National Declassification Center published the so-called Jakarta Embassy Files, consisting of 39 secret archives containing approximately 30,000 pages, in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (17/10). The archives, which span the period between 1964 and 1968, were revealed to the public at the request of George Washington University's National Security Archive.

"Amnesty International urges the Indonesian government to do same [release secret archives] to ensure accountability and justice for the survivors," Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said in Jakarta on Friday.

The documents consist of reports and telegrams from the US Embassy in Jakarta to the US State Department to inform it of systemic human rights violations in Indonesia. Ambassadors serving during this period were Howard P. Jones (1958-1965) and Marshall Green (1965-1969).

Usman said despite a strong response to the revealed documents, it is not yet clear what impact the declassified documents will have on efforts to find the truth.

"There needs to be a comparison between the newly revealed documents and other findings by the government, civilians and academics. [...] Thus, we are pushing state institutions, including the TNI [Indonesian Military], which is repeatedly mentioned in the documents, to also open their archives to complement the internationally disseminated discourse," Usman said.

Responding the revelation, Chief Security Minister Wiranto said on Thursday that the declassified files cannot automatically be taken into account in legal proceedings as they need to be examined first.

Amnesty International has also documented human rights violations between 1965 and 1966. The public can access its archives at www.indonesia1965.org.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/amnesty-international-urges-govt-to-reveal-archives-on-1965-mass-killings/

Australian journalist Frank Palmos cited in declassified US files

Sydney Morning Herald - October 21, 2017

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Among a trove of chilling declassified documents that reveal the US government's knowledge and support of a campaign of mass murder against Indonesia's Communist Party in the mid 1960s, one "important cable" cites as its source a "reliable Australian journalist". Australian journalist and historian Frank Palmos, who at the time was the Indonesia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and other newspapers, has no doubt the secret telegram is referring to him.

"Then US Ambassador to Indonesia Marshall Green used to laugh I knew much more than he did," Dr Palmos, who is now in his 70s, told Fairfax Media.

Dr Palmos – one of the obvious inspirations for the novel The Year of Living Dangerously, later made into a movie starring Mel Gibson – was among the first foreigners in the world to witness the scale of the purge which killed up to 500,000 alleged communists.

This week the National Security Archive in the US published newly declassified documents from the US Embassy in Jakarta from 1964-1968 after activists, scholars, film-makers and a group of US Senators called for the files to be made public.

The revelation about the pivotal moment in Southeast Asian history comes as the spectre of mass violence re-emerges in the region today, in the Philippines gripped by a drug war, and Myanmar, where government troops set upon Rohingya villages in Rakhine State.

The National Security Archive says Telegram 1516 from the American Embassy in Jakarta was an "important cable" that reported on conversations between Western observers and activists from the Indonesian Communist Party, known as the PKI.

The telegram, dated November 20, 1965, says a "reliable Australian journalist", who spoke fluent Indonesian, was the first Western journalist to visit Central Java on October 10.

"He said he talked to PKI cadres in number of places in Central Java... and found them thoroughly confused and claiming lack of any foreknowledge of Sept 30 movement," the telegram says.

The September 30th Movement was an aborted coup, blamed on the PKI, during which six high-ranking army officers were kidnapped and killed. It triggered an Indonesian Army-led massacre of alleged communists and anyone with suspected leftist leanings.

"The cable suggests US officials were well aware that alleged PKI supporters and members being arrested or killed in an army-led campaign of repression and mass murder had no role in – or even knowledge of – the September 30th movement," the National Security Archive says.

Despite this, the National Security Archive says, "the United States began moving to offer substantial covert support for the campaign".

Dr Palmos said he and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation journalist Don North travelled to Western and Central Java 10 days after the abortive coup to gauge the scale of PKI involvement.

"I wanted to find out whether this was a Jakarta-headed operation or a wholesale, well-informed, thoroughly impregnated PKI movement," Dr Palmos said.

The landscape was eerily deserted, with rice farmers who had supported the PKI already apprehensive about a military crackdown.

"The red star communist flags were already coming down indicating they were taking refuge," Dr Palmos said. "I was fairly brave in those days but I was still scared stiff."

Dr Palmos was not surprised to learn that PKI cadres in Central Java had been unaware of the coup.

His earlier reporting on the so-called "Long March" from Surabaya to Jakarta in May 1965 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the PKI – which fizzled out by the time it reached Bekasi – had convinced him the Communist Party had no substantive army in Central Java.

"The farmers seemed to sum up the situation: I will support the party (PKI) and vote for the party but I am not going to fight for the party," Dr Palmos said.

Dr Palmos documented the horror of the anti-communist purge – "beheading was the most common form of killing but for large scale executions shooting was normal," he wrote in The Sun News-Pictorial, then Melbourne's largest newspaper.

However he believes that had the PKI succeeded in staging a coup the bloodletting would have been worse.

"The only thing that buoys me when I go back over 65 is that had the PKI come in [to power], [Indonesia] could have gone the way of Cambodia, where Pol Pot massacred almost 40 per cent of his population."

The 1965-66 communist massacre remains highly sensitive in Indonesia. Last month, police were forced to fire tear gas and water cannons to disperse anti-communist protesters who falsely claimed an event at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute Foundation was a meeting of communist supporters.

In 2015 the Ubud Writers Festival cancelled sessions discussing 1965 – the first act of censorship in the history of the popular international event.

Amnesty International issued a statement in August saying there had been at least 39 cases since 2015 where authorities disbanded events related to 1965.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/australian-journalist-frank-palmos-cited-in-declassified-us-files-on-communism-purge-in-indonesia-20171019-gz4bii.html

Release of US documents on 1965 reinforces International People's

Kompas.com - October 20, 2017

Moh. Nadlir, Jakarta – The International People's Tribunal on 1965 (IPT 65) says that the information revealed in 39 documents on the mass killings following the September 30 Movement (G30S) in 1965 held by the US is nothing new.

This was revealed by the IPT's head of research and data collection Sri Lestari Wahyuningrum at the Amnesty International office in Jakarta on Friday October 20.

"These documents made up a significant part of what was considered by [IPT] judges when handing down a verdict on the involvement of the United States, Britain and Australia in the [1965] Indonesian genocide", said Ayu, as Sri Lestari Wahyuningrum is called.

Nevertheless said Ayu, the 30,000 pages of documents validate and reinforce the final verdict by the IPT which stated that there were 10 categories of humanitarian crimes in 1965.

In their verdict, the panel of judges declared that the Indonesian [state] was at fault and must be held liable for the crimes against humanity. "This absolutely confirms and reinforces the IPT 1965 judge's verdict", said Ayu.

Because of this Ayu is urging the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) to conduct a follow up investigation or reinvestigate the crimes against humanity and genocide in relation to these documents.

Moreover, said Ayu, this should include other serious human rights cases such as the abduction of activists in 1997-1998 and the May 1998 anti-Chinese riots in Jakarta.

"To this day the perpetrators of the crimes in 1965 have continued to persecute those accused of being communists. The pattern continues to be repeated. Aceh, Papua, East Timor, Talangsari, Tanjung Priok and other incidents are the inventory of the 1965 perpetrators", she said.

Not only this, Ayu says that the Indonesian government must take concrete steps to provide justice to the victims of 1965 both in judicial and non-judicial terms by establishing a Presidential Committee for the Disclosure of Truth and Clarification of History.

"Historical justice is important at this stage. Because without this it will be impossible to pursue other follow up measures because this is the factual and empirical basis that we want to proceed from", she said.

Finally, Ayu hopes that the international community will support a role for the United Nation's Special Rapporteur in advancing the rights of the victims to truth, justice, reparation and guarantees that such serious crimes will not be repeated in the future.

"The government must also take concrete steps to end impunity and realise the four pillars of victim's rights now and in the future", said Ayu.

39 documents

Published by BBC Indonesia, the US diplomatic cables on the 1965 tragedy were released to be public by three US foundations. The documents comprise cables from and sent to the US related to the mass killings in 1965.

The 39 documents comprising some 30,000 pages are records by the US Embassy between 1964 and 1968. They contain, among other things, information surrounding the tensions between the military and the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), including the after effects of the mass slaughter.

The data and facts are seen as opening a curtain on Indonesia's history that up until now has been tightly closed. To this day, the state, particularly the Indonesian military (TNI), have avoided talking about or revisiting the dark history of the 1965 tragedy.

The facts presented in the US diplomatic cables refute the sole narrative that the victims of the 1965 tragedy were communists or those who were indeed linked with the abduction and killing of six generals by the G30S and its efforts to seize power on September 30, 1965.

PKI members and sympathisers were "confused and claimed not to know about the September 30 issue", read one US Embassy diplomatic report dated November 20, 1965.

Cautious response

The Indonesian government itself will not act prematurely to the release of the documents. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu says that Indonesia cannot just trust documents from another country so Indonesia will respond cautiously.

"It's like this, in America, not just ordinary people, but even presidents are assassinated. So what's important is that we remain cautious", said Ryacudu at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Thursday October 19.

Ryacudu was referring to the assassination of the US's 35th president, John F Kennedy in November 1963. Throughout its history, there have been four US presidents that have been assassinated. Aside from Kennedy there was Abraham Lincoln (the 16th president), James A. Garfield (20th) and William McKinley (25th).

According to Ryacudu, Indonesia and the US have a good relationship and he is also good friends with US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Ryacudu said that he will be communicating with Gates in regard to the documents.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Dokumen AS soal Tragedi 1965 Perkuat Putusan Hakim IPT 1965".]

Source: http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2017/10/20/22555631/dokumen-as-soal-tragedi-1965-perkuat-putusan-hakim-ipt-1965

What the United States did in Indonesia

The Atlantic - October 20, 2017

Vincent Bevins – A trove of newly declassified diplomatic cables reveals a surprising degree of American involvement in a brutal anti-communist purge in Indonesia half-a-century ago.

In Indonesia in October 1965, Suharto, a powerful Indonesian military leader, accused the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) of organizing a brutal coup attempt, following the kidnapping and murder of six high-ranking army officers. Over the months that followed, he oversaw the systematic extermination of up to a million Indonesians for affiliation with the party, or simply for being accused of harboring leftist sympathies. He then took power and ruled as dictator, with U.S. support, until 1998.

This week, the non-profit National Security Archive, along with the National Declassification Center, published a batch of U.S. diplomatic cables covering that dark period. While the newly declassified documents further illustrated the horror of Indonesia's 1965 mass murder, they also confirmed that U.S. authorities backed Suharto's purge.

Perhaps even more striking: As the documents show, U.S. officials knew most of his victims were entirely innocent. U.S. embassy officials even received updates on the executions and offered help to suppress media coverage. While crucial documents that could provide insight into U.S. and Indonesian activities at the time are still lacking, the broad outlines of the atrocity and America's role are there for anyone who cares to look them up.

What is often sorely lacking, however, is an appreciation of the importance of the event or how fundamental the violence was to achieving U.S. goals at the time. Compared with the Vietnam War or a subsequent series of right-wing coups in Latin America, Indonesia 1965 is virtually unknown. But considering the U.S. government's foreign-policy goals at the time—halting the spread of communism and bringing countries around the world into its sphere of influence—Suharto's bloody purge was a huge win. The decimation of the PKI and Suharto's rise to power constituted a major turning point in the Cold War

John Roosa is an associate professor of history at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and author of a seminal book on Indonesia in 1965. After reviewing the new documents and their media coverage this week, he told me that much "of the U.S. foreign policy establishment viewed it as a great victory that they were able to sort of 'flip' Indonesia very quickly." Indonesia is the world's fourth-largest country by population size, and its communist party was the world's third-largest, after China and the Soviet Union.

Roosa added that a major problem with framing the events of 1965 is that it's often claimed the United States simply "stood by," as the bloodbath occurred, which is incorrect. "It's easy for American commentators to fall into that approach, but the U.S. was part and parcel of the operation, strategizing with the Indonesian army and encouraging them to go after the PKI."

Some elements within the U.S. government had been trying to undermine or overthrow Sukarno, Indonesia's anti-colonial independence leader and first president, far before 1965. In 1958, the CIA backed armed regional rebellions against the central government, only calling off operations after American pilot Allen Pope was captured while conducting bombing operations that killed Indonesian soldiers and civilians. Agents reportedly went so far as to stage and produce a pornographic film starring a man wearing a Sukarno mask, which they hoped to employ to discredit him. It was never used. Then for years, the United States trained and strengthened the Indonesian army. After John F. Kennedy's death derailed a planned presidential visit to Jakarta and relations worsened with the Johnson administration, Sukarno strengthened alliances with communist countries and employed anti-American rhetoric in 1964.

In 1965, when General Suharto blamed the military purge on a PKI coup plot, the CIA supplied communications equipment to help him spread his false reports before moving into power and overseeing the industrial-scale slaughter, as previously released government documents showed. Several of the documents released this week indicate that the U.S. embassy had reliable information that placed blame on rank-and-file PKI members—information that was entirely inaccurate, but nevertheless had encouraged the army to exploit this narrative.

It has long been known that the United States provided Suharto with active support: In 1990, a U.S. embassy staff member admitted he handed over a list of communists to the Indonesian military as the terror was underway. "It really was a big help to the army," Robert J. Martens, a former member of the embassy's political section, told The Washington Post. "They probably killed a lot of people, and I probably have a lot of blood on my hands, but that's not all bad."

Much of the American press at the time did not take a radically different view. In a June 1966 column in The New York Times, entitled "A Gleam of Light in Asia," James Reston wrote that "The savage transformation of Indonesia from a pro-Chinese policy under Sukarno to a defiantly anti-communist policy under General Suharto is the most important of these [hopeful] developments. Washington is being careful not to claim any credit... but this does not mean Washington had nothing to do with it."

It should not be entirely surprising that Washington would tolerate the deaths of so many civilians to further its Cold War goals. In Vietnam, the U.S. military may have killed up to 2 million civilians. But Indonesia was different: the PKI was a legal, unarmed party, operating openly in Indonesia's political system. It had gained influence through elections and community outreach, but was nevertheless treated like an insurgency.

Earlier this month in Central Java at the Sekretariat Bersama 1965, one of Indonesia's main organizations for the remembrance of these events, I met a survivor of the 1965 massacre. "I believed in President Sukarno and our revolution. At the time our country had the official 'NASAKOM' ideology, which meant that Nationalists [NAS, from Nasionalisme], Muslim groups [A, for agama, or 'religion' in Indonesian] and Communists [Komunisme] were all supposed to work together to build the country," he said. "Yes, I worked on the left side of politics, broadly under 'KOM,' and there was nothing wrong with that."

Though he worked as a schoolteacher and not as an actual PKI member, he said he was arrested and tortured for days, before watching his cellmates dragged off one by one, never to return. He was spared, for reasons he never understood, and spent over a decade in prison. But it wasn't only communists and leftists who were victimized. Untold numbers of people were tortured, raped, and killed for being accused of being communists, or for belonging to an ethnic minority, or simply being an enemy of some member of the officially-sanctioned death squads.

Another common problem with the framing of Indonesia 1965 is that the mass violence is often couched as coincidental to Suharto's rise to power, rather than serving as a prerequisite for it. Historians broadly agree that the anti-communists in the military could have never taken power without crushing the PKI by some means.

"Suharto could not have come to power without the extermination of the PKI," said Brad Simpson, the historian at the University of Connecticut who worked with the National Security Archive to digitize and publish U.S. embassy documents this week. He agrees with Roosa that the depiction of the United States as simply a bystander is problematic.

More documents revealing what happened in Indonesia in 1965 are likely to come, Simpson tells me. But they're unlikely to offer a complete picture of what both governments were up to in 1965 – they won't for instance, include information from the U.S. military and the CIA. The Indonesian government has offered practically nothing. "Literally no Indonesian official records are publicly available anywhere, so we're really reliant on Western archives," Simpson said.

This is because much of Indonesia's political elite still relies on Suharto's original—and false—narrative for their legitimacy. The country's powerful military leaders fight any investigations that might lay blame on them. Suharto's government produced a crude, wildly inaccurate propaganda film depicting Communists torturing and killing military officers while communist women perform a wild dance.

The methods Suharto used may have inspired other Washington-backed right-wing putsches around the world. According to several accounts of Santiago, Chile, in the days before the U.S.-backed coup that deposed Salvador Allende, cryptic graffiti showed up on walls around the city. Referring to the capital of Indonesia, they read, "Jakarta is coming."

Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/the-indonesia-documents-and-the-us-agenda/543534/

Telegrams confirm scale of US complicity in 1965 genocide

Indonesia at Melbourne - October 20, 2017

Jess Melvin – There is much outrage in the United States that a foreign state might have attempted to influence its 2016 Presidential Election. The release on 17 October of a cache of previously classified telegrams sent from the US Embassy in Jakarta provides new and damning evidence that the US is no stranger to the dark arts of covert regime change.

It's not new news that the US openly supported the rise of Suharto's New Order military dictatorship as a means of halting the seemingly unstoppable advance of communism during the height of the Cold War (in July 1966 Time magazine described Suharto as "the West's best news for years in Asia"). But these telegrams provide new insights into just how much knowledge the US had of the consequences of this support.

The new telegrams confirm the US actively encouraged and facilitated genocide in Indonesia to pursue its own political interests in the region, while propagating an explanation of the killings it knew to be untrue.

The new telegrams, published by the National Security Archive (NSA), show Embassy staff were aware systematic mass killings, which they describe as a "slaughter", were occurring throughout the archipelago, from West Papua to Sumatra. They also demonstrate a knowledge of Indonesian military killing techniques.

In one telegram, dated 28 December 1965, Embassy staff in East Java report how "victims are taken out of populous areas before being killed and bodies are buried rather than thrown in river", while other victims were "being delivered to civilians for slaughter".

In another telegram, dated 31 December 1965, Embassy staff explain the "army is quietly releasing nightly 10 to 15 prisoners to Muslims for execution". The system of transporting prisoners to remote killing sites and releasing prisoners from military-controlled jails into the hands of civilian "executioners" (algojo) was used by the military to allow it to deflect its own agency in the killings.

US complicity in the genocide has previously been established by historians. It is already known, for example, that US Embassy officials had encouraged the military to seize state power during the lead-up to the killings. In March 1965, US Ambassador to Indonesia Howard Jones (1958-April 1965) observed that an "unsuccessful coup attempt by the PKI [Indonesian Communist Party]" would provide the ideal pretext for the military to launch its own disguised coup. Once this plan was initiated on 1 October 1965, US officials insisted that the military should continue its attack against the PKI, even after it became clear that the military was facing no resistance.

The US also provided covert material support for the killings. Telegrams released by the US State Department in 2001 revealed that in October 1965, the US had supplied telecommunications equipment to the military to facilitate its attack, while in December it transferred Rp 50 million to the military-sponsored Kap-Gestapu death squad.

At the time of the killings, US President Johnson and then US Ambassador to Indonesia Marshall Green (June 1965- 1969), made a point of never commenting publicly on the unfolding violence in Indonesia. The reason given for this silence was that nobody knew for sure how many people had been killed and that condemnation of the killings could have left the US open to charges of "interference" in Indonesia's domestic affairs.

This explanation was clearly disingenuous. Instead, US officials co-opted media outlets to actively spread military propaganda accounts of the killings both inside and outside Indonesia. This propaganda account described the killings as the result of a spontaneous uprising by "the people" and alleged that the 30 September Movement – a failed internal-military action that was used by the military to justify its own attack against the PKI – had been masterminded by the PKI and China. These claims were later repeated by Green in his 1990 memoir.

The new telegrams confirm that US Embassy staff were aware PKI members around the country appeared to have no prior knowledge of the 30 September Movement. They also reveal the Embassy knew that news reports republished by the Indonesian military claiming Chinese involvement in the 30 September Movement were "a hoax" that had originated in Hong Kong.

As Green explained on 4 May 1966, allegations of Chinese involvement had been manufactured to serve "the propaganda needs of the moment", namely to deflect blame for the Movement away from Soekarno. He had then stated bluntly that "we [US Embassy staff] do not think the Chinese were a primary factor in the September 30 Movement". This did not stop the US (and Green personally) from repeating these claims. In both cases, the Embassy's willingness to circulate what it knew to be "fake news" helped to incite the killings. Indeed, this propaganda account of the killings remains intact in Indonesia to this day.

Two additional revelations stand out from the telegrams. The first is that the US knowingly repeated military attempts to portray the killings as the result of spontaneous religious violence. In addition to the report noted above, that documents the military's attempt to blame Muslims for the killings, Embassy staff reported in December 1965 that Islamist groups in Medan, North Sumatra, were issuing instructions that it was a religious obligation for Muslims to participate in the killing of communists. The PKI, it was explained, were the lowest level of infidel, "the shedding of whose blood is comparable to killings chicken[s]".

This revelation supports my research from Aceh that the military deliberately encouraged such announcements as a means of easing the consciences of civilians that it was ordering to participate in the killings, while also deflecting attention away from its own central role in the violence. The US encouraged this interpretation in its internal telegrams by suggesting the killings possessed the "colouration of [a] Holy War".

The second additional revelation that stands out from the telegrams is that the US was keenly aware the military was using the killings to implement a draconian military dictatorship. While it is common knowledge that the US has routinely supported right-wing military dictatorships throughout the global south, it is not widely known just how quickly Soeharto's military dictatorship crystallised in Indonesia.

The telegrams confirm my previous findings that the military specifically used legislation established under the guise of the Ganyang (Crush) Malaysia campaign (1963-1966), to bring civilian government under its command, mobilise civilian militia Hansip groups and initiate a purge of the civilian bureaucracy. This "new order", as the new dictatorship was being tentatively described, was consolidated throughout Sumatra by the end of December 1965 and resulted in the military becoming the "new political arbiter" in the country. This account contradicts the common assumption that the military did not seize power in Indonesia until March 1966.

The release of these new telegrams comes at a critical time in Indonesia. Despite over half a century passing since the 1965 genocide, support for the military's attack against the PKI remains the founding ideological basis for the post-Soekarno Indonesian state. Despite hopes during the early reformasi (reform) period that Indonesia would come to terms with its dark past, this hope – which was reignited with the election of Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in 2014 – is now rapidly fading. The former New Order elite is consolidating itself under the leadership of retired general and Gerindra Party Chariman Prabowo Subianto, who is widely expected to run against Jokowi in the 2019 Presidential Election.

The spectre of communism is proving to be a potent rallying point. Just last month, anti-communist demonstrators believed to be supported by Prabowo succeeded in demanding police shut down a discussion at the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), on the laughable basis that the organisation was hosting a secret congress of the PKI. Religious and race-based hate speech drawing from 1965-era rhetoric appear to be on the rise in the country.

Individuals with a vested interest in maintaining the current status quo in Indonesia often claim that addressing the 1965 period will open the wounds of the past. In fact, they actively keep the wounds of the past open to justify their own position. This form of genocide denial in Indonesia is, of course, strengthened by the US's own reluctance to come to terms with its own involvement in the killings.

There is little prospect the current US government will do anything but repeat former administrations' implicit acknowledgements that the killings were justified. When Donald Trump speaks about "making America great again" it can be assumed – if he can think so far back – that the victory of anti-communist forces in Indonesia would feature as a successful example of foreign regime change.

Nothing justifies the mass extermination of civilians. The telegrams confirm the US government knew full well that this is what it was supporting. We live in a time when truth and lies are becoming increasingly blurred. This makes it only the more important to hold those in power to account.

[Dr Jess Melvin is Henry Hart Rice Faculty Fellow in Southeast Asian Studies and a Postdoctoral Fellow in Genocide Studies at Yale University. She completed her PhD, "Mechanics of Mass Murder: How the Indonesian Military Initiated and Implemented the Indonesian Genocide: The Case of Aceh," at the University of Melbourne in 2014. Jess Melvin participated in the NSA's declassification project.]

Source: http://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/telegrams-confirm-scale-of-us-complicity-in-1965-genocide/

US supported mass killings of half a million Indonesians in 1965

Asian Correspondent - October 19, 2017

Max Walden – Newly declassified documents have reaffirmed that the United States government knew about and provided support for the killings of an estimated 500,000 to a million Indonesians in 1965-66 by the Indonesian military and affiliated vigilante groups.

Described by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century", the 1965 massacre was sparked by an attempted coup in September of that year by a group of left-leaning generals and Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) leaders.

Documents published on Tuesday by George Washington University's National Security Archive, in an "unprecedented collaboration" with the National Declassification Centre, show that the US government had "detailed knowledge" of the mass killings that targeted communists, leftists and ethnic Chinese across Indonesia in the wake of the failed, so-called Sept 30 movement.

They detail that the US embassy in Jakarta was recording the names of executed PKI members and "actively supported" the army's efforts to annihilate the communist party in Indonesia – at that time the third largest in the world. A further million alleged communists were imprisoned.

Amid the Cold War, this event saw the ousting of Sukarno and ascendency of right-wing General Suharto who would come to rule the country for 32 years.

Rights groups including Indonesia's Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Watch and Indonesia's Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) have long pushed for the declassification of US files.

The release of some 30,000 documents this week also came after US Senator Tom Udall filed a resolution to then-President Obama after he watched American director Joshua Oppenheimer's documentaries about 1965, The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence.

One cable from a US consular officer in Surabaya dated Nov 24, 1965, noted the "slaughter" of thousands of PKI members across East Java by Ansor – the paramilitary wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which remains the largest Muslim organisation in Indonesia.

The officer reported cut throats of victims, dozens of bodies floating down local rivers, and the murder of 15,000 people in a single village. Killings in the region had the "colouration" of being a "Holy War: Killing of infidel" allowing executioners passage into heaven, it said.

Historians and activists have long documented the role of the United States in the atrocities in Indonesia. Tellingly, the US declined to participate in the International People's Tribunal for 1965 in The Hague, Netherlands led by civil society groups in November 2015.

The Tribunal's final report found that: "The US gave sufficient support to the Indonesian military, knowing well that they were embarked upon a programme of mass killings and other, criminal conduct for the charge of complicity in crimes against humanity to be justified."

"The clearest evidence of this was the supply of lists of names of PKI officials when there was strong presumption that these would facilitate the arrest and/or execution of those named."

The documents released by the National Security Archive this week also demonstrate US awareness of anti-Chinese propaganda and violence, including a concerted campaign to blame the September 30th movement on Communist China and of the targeting of Indonesian-Chinese businesses in Surabaya by paramilitary groups.

"The US government now needs to release the remaining documents, not only for the historical record of one of the 20th century's worst atrocities, but as a long overdue step toward bringing redress to the victims," said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch this week.

The 1965 massacres remain a hugely taboo topic in Indonesia, demonstrated last month by the siege of a community legal centre in Jakarta by ultranationalist and Islamist groups for hosting an event for victims of the massacre.

While the Indonesian Human Rights Commission's released its findings from a four-year investigation into the killings in 2012, the Attorney General's office has never accepted the report. There is yet to be any legal redress for victims or their families.

"The US government can help the Indonesian government shine a light on the 1965-66 massacres," said Kine. "Meaningful accountability for those heinous crimes – including the role of the US government – requires full-disclosure and declassification of all relevant official information."

Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/10/us-government-supported-mass-killings-half-million-indonesians-1965/

Despite release of US documents on 1965, TNI to stick with its

BBC Indonesia - October 19, 2017

Abraham Utama – The Indonesian Military (TNI) says that it will not changes its policies or views on the September 30 Movement (G30S) in 1965 regardless of the release of 39 secret US documents that have been opened to the public and "reveal a number of new facts".

TNI Information Centre chief Major General Wuryanto said that the secret documents released by the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) cannot change the facts revealed by the Extra-Ordinary Military Tribunal (Mahmilub) trials held between 1966 and 1978.

"We will continue to adhere to the guidelines of the Extra-Ordinary Military Tribunal and the historical testimonies at the time", Wuryanto told BBC Indonesia on Tuesday October 17.

Over a period of 12 years following the G30S, the government held at least 24 military tribunals to try senior Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) officials who were accused of being behind the planed coup d'etat and murder of six Army generals.

The accused in the trials included, among others, Air Force Vice Admiral Omar Dani, [former Foreign Affairs Minister] Soebandrio, Sjam Kamaruzzaman [believed to be a PKI operative working in army circles] and [presidential guard commander and G30S leader] Lieutenant Colonel Untung. All of the accused were found guilty.

Wuryanto also denied that the TNI in 1965 had supplied logistics to Islamic mass organisations or para-military groups to support the mass killing of PKI members and sympathisers.

In a telegram dated November 26, 1965 from a staff member at the US Embassy in Surabaya, East Java, to the US Secretary of State, it notes that "Civil guards or civilian security personnel from Kediri [in East Java] have been provided with arms in order to confront those accused of being communist".

"It was a spontaneous act by society. If the TNI had funded it, where did the funds come from? The whole situation at the time was complex and difficult", said Wuryanto.

One of the facts revealed by the declassified documents released this week was the possibility of providing assistance to the TNI in its confrontation with the PKI.

On October 23, 1965 the political advisor to the US Navy's Central Command for the Asia Pacific Region (CINPAC), Norman Hannah, sent a letter to the US Ambassador to Indonesia, Marshall Green.

In the letter Hannah requited a statement by Green that the Indonesian military authorities will communicate with the US if they do indeed need assistance in confronting the PKI.

Hannah said, "I suspect that this assistance could possibly be in the form of covert operations and direct assistance such as transportation, money, communication equipment or weapons".

Meanwhile Muhammadiyah Youth chairperson Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said that the different parties should not equivocate about these new facts surrounding the 1965 affair.

Muhammadiyah, the second-largest Islamic mass organisation in Indonesia after the Nahdlatul Ulama, was also cited in one of the secret US documents.

"These facts are a lesson, so they don't need to be covered up or negated. There's no need. As long as it can be debated out academically, there isn't any problem", said Dahnil.

In a telegram from the US Consulate in Medan, North Sumatra, to the US Embassy in Jakarta dated December 6, 1965, it says that Muhammadiyah has "instructed its members to kill people who are linked with the PKI".

"PKI members are categorised as infidels, killing them is being treated as being the same as slaughtering a chicken", the document reads.

Dahnil admitted that he does not know exactly what instructions were issued by Muhammadiyah in relation to the execution of communist groups. Nevertheless, he said, the atmosphere following the 1965 affair was indeed very tense.

The coordinator of the International People's Tribunal into the 1965 affair (IPT 65), Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, believes that the release of the 39 secret US documents offers an "opportunity for the government to revise [its official] history".

According to Nursyahbani, up until now the government has "closed its eyes" to information about the 1965 affair, whether it be the views of the victims or from researchers and overseas observers.

"The state denial has been very strong, as if they don't want to hear the voices of the victims, particularly the research results. The government absolutely does not want to look into it", she said.

Nursyahbani is pessimistic however that there will be a resolution or reconciliation of the 1965 affair in the near future. She bases this opinion on the attack by an anti-communist mob on the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) in late September. The attack was based on accusations that the LBH was holding a communist seminar.

"The attack was a step back because the government just allowed the mob to run wild. Jokowi [President Joko Widodo] himself has said that if the PKI is revived, just clobber them. It was precisely these words that were mimicked by the demonstrators at the LBH", she said.

Bradley Simpson, the director of Indonesian and East Timor studies at the University of Connecticut, plans to hand over a compilation of the 39 declassified documents to the Indonesian National Archives and the National Library.

Simpson says that the Indonesian government should use the compilation as key materials to resolve the 1965 affair which he says has dragged on for too long.

"I hope that these documents will be able to push civil society in Indonesia to demand that the government accept these new facts related to the [1965] affair", he told BBC Indonesia.

Prior to NARA releasing the declassified documents, in 2015 the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) published a report by their agents in Jakarta on the same subject. The report released by the spy agency contained data and predictions on the most probable outcomes following the G30S affair.

Since the reformasi era following the overthrow of Suharto, research in the form of both books and documentary films have come out contradicting the government's version of the 1965 affair. Most of these works have been banned or persecuted when presented to the public.

On several occasions public screenings of the films "Jagal" (The Act of Killing) and "Senyap" (The Look of Silence) by award winning US filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer have been forcibly closed down by certain social organisations (ormas).

The Attorney General's Office banned the circulation of the 2006 book "A Pretext for Mass Murder: The September 30th Movement and Suharto's Coup d'Etat in Indonesia" by John Roosa. The book contained facts about the G30S based on documents by Western countries.

In April 2016, a government-sponsored National Symposium on 1965 which was initiated by, among others, retired TNI general Agus Widjojo and Presidential Advisory Board member Sidarto Danusubroto, brought together the children and grandchildren of revolutionary heroes and senior PKI figures. Both parties agreed to resolve the 1965 issue through mutual forgiveness.

A month later a number of social organisations and retired generals held a counter symposium. They insisted that the PKI was the party that was most responsible for the 1965 affair.

Meanwhile the Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs, Wiranto, said at the time that the government planned to establish a National Reconciliation Council as a vehicle to resolve past human rights violations.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Dokumen rahasia AS soal Peristiwa 1965 diungkap, TNI 'tak akan ubah sejarah'".]

Source: http://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-41632433

Muhammadiyah plays down report of its alleged complicity in 1965

Jakarta Post - October 18, 2017

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in the country, has played down newly declassified US diplomatic cables that indicate the organization's involvement in the mass killing of members and alleged sympathizers of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965.

Among some 30,000 pages of files from the US embassy in Jakarta – declassified on Tuesday – it was revealed that Nahdlatul Ulama, its youth wing Ansor and Muhammadiyah organized the executions under the direction of the Army.

According to the documents, the Muslim organizations assisted in the killings that occurred in many parts of the country, including in East Java, Medan, South Sumatra and Makassar. The Army was also said to have recruited Catholics to help with its mass killing campaign in Central Java.

A Dec. 6, 1965 cable from the US Consulate in Medan to the US Embassy in Jakarta reported that preachers in Muhammadiyah mosques were telling congregations that all who consciously joined the PKI must be killed, saying they "are classified as the lowest order of infidel, the shedding of whose blood is comparable to killing chicken."

"This appears to give Muhammadiah Muslims wide license for killing. Policy of reformist Muhammadiah very similar to 'Final Interpretation" issues by conservative NU, suggesting Muslim opinion here practically unanimous on disposal of PKI members," the cable said.

Muhammadiyah secretary-general Abdul Mu'ti said the US files should be further verified to ensure their reliability. He added that even if it was true that Muhammadiyah preachers called for the killing of PKI members, "personal statements could not be considered as the stance of the organization."

A Dec. 21, 1965 cable from the embassy's first secretary Mary Vance Trent to the US state department noted that at least 100,000 people had been killed as a result of anti-PKI violence, with some 10,000 killings in Bali by mid-December. The killings continued for several more months, resulting in an estimated 80,000 dead there. (ahw)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/18/muhammadiyah-plays-down-report-of-its-alleged-complicity-in-1965-massacre.html

Army planned to overthrow Sukarno in 1965: US declassified files

Jakarta Post - October 18, 2017

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Newly declassified US government files have revealed that the Indonesian Army planned to overthrow Sukarno after failing to convince him that the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was behind the failed coup attempt against him.

The documents, made public on Tuesday after a declassification review that started under Barack Obama's administration, has shown that US diplomats at the Jakarta Embassy had details and ongoing knowledge of the political upheaval that swept through Indonesia at the height of the cold war in 1965.

In a telegram dated Oct. 12, 1965 sent by US ambassador to Indonesia Marshall Green to US Secretary of State, Green reported a conversation with the German Ambassador to Indonesia, who revealed a possibility of the Army deposing Soekarno, who was then known as an anti-Western figure close to communist regimes.

The Army's representative was said to have approached the German ambassador after Sukarno refused to read papers demonstrating the evidence of "PKI complicity in Sept. 30 movement" presented by the Army, referring to the failed coup attempt that took the lives of six Army officers.

"[The Indonesian] Army is now considering possibility of overthrowing Sukarno himself and is approaching several Western Embassies to let them know that such a move is possible," the telegram read.

The Army representative, however, emphasized that the Army was still considering and had yet to come to a decision about deposing Soekarno. "If it was done, it would be through a sudden move without warning and Sukarno would then be replaced by a combined civilian-military junta," the telegram said, quoting the statement of the Army's representative. (ahw)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/18/army-planned-to-overthrow-sukarno-in-1965-us-declassified-files.html

How the U.S. came to declassify 30,000 pages of Indonesian Embassy

Voice of America - October 18, 2017

Krithika Varagur, Jakarta, Indonesia – On Tuesday, nearly 30,000 pages of declassified records from the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta between 1964 and 1968 were published in a collaboration between the National Declassification Center (a body within the National Archives) and the nonprofit National Security Archive, located at George Washington University. The period includes the Indonesian military's mass killing of 500,000 to 1 million suspected Communists in 1965-66, which the U.S. materially supported at the time.

It is the largest and most significant release from the National Declassification Center, which was created by a 2009 Executive Order from then-President Barack Obama in order to improve transparency. The files provide further detail on how the U.S. Embassy kept track of the mass killings, as well as hoped to undermine labor movements, as the country transitioned into the Suharto military dictatorship.

An ambitious undertaking

"The National Declassification Center responded to our and other scholars' criticism over several years... that the Center shouldn't just work on the low-hanging fruit, the classified 'administrivia,' but take public interest, and scholarly interest, into account, and set priorities with public input," said Tom Blanton, director of the nonprofit National Security Archive. "My early impression had been that the NDC was avoiding the highest-level and most highly classified files," he said. "Many scholars had asked for the Indonesia embassy files from the 1960s to be declassified, because of the mass murders and historical turning points that took place then."

"This is the first time the National Declassification Center has pursued a project due to public interest," said Bradley Simpson, a University of Connecticut professor who founded the Indonesia/East Timor Documentation Project. He said that two high-impact documentaries from Joshua Oppenheimer on the mass killings, a subsequent resolution from Oppenheimer's Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) to President Obama, and a formal request from Indonesia's Human Rights Commission to the U.S. government were all factors in their release.

Simpson led a team of seven volunteers who helped scan and digitize the documents, which will be posted online in a searchable database. It was a labor of love, but worth it given the nature of modern research, said Simpson, who founded the Documentation Project in 2002. The government is only required to hand over physical files that are marked for declassification, which is unwieldy for subsequent scholars interested in the material.

"This is a good blueprint for how the National Archive can make formerly classified documents available to the public for posterity," he said.

Documentaries' ongoing impact

It is hard to overstate the impact of the documentaries The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence, which are respectively about the perpetrators and victims of the 1965-66 killings, on the renewed conversation over Indonesia's mid-century anti-Communist purge. For a long time the issue was verboten, even though so many families were personally impacted by it.

Barack Obama, who moved to Jakarta as a child in 1967, later recalled in his memoir how news of the very recent killings only reached his mother as "innuendo, half-whispered asides."

"I am especially grateful to Joshua Oppenheimer for his work to bring this moral outrage into the public view," said Senator Udall, in a statement released on Tuesday.

"Today represents real progress," said Udall. "But in Indonesia, many of the individuals behind these murders continue to live with impunity, and the victims and their descendants continue to be marginalized and unrecognized... Here in the United States, we must encourage the continued democratic progress of a vital ally, and we must confront our own role in these terrible acts."

Gaps remain

The release of files on US involvement in Indonesia began in 2000, when the American State Department released Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968.

The major extant question, even after this new dump of Embassy files, is about the complete nature and extent of American support for the Indonesian military during the killings.

It is already known that the CIA provided radios, for the military to coordinate murders across the archipelago, and "kill lists" of Communist Party-affiliated individuals. The full story would require the further declassification of CIA and Defense Attache files from the period, said Simpson. "But the raw material of intelligence gathering is among the most closely held secrets in the U.S. government. There is no guarantee that those documents will ever see the light of day."

There is precedent for the U.S. government to use declassified files as a diplomatic tool: in 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry delivered hard disks of CIA records on Chile's Gen. Augusto Pinochet and Argentina's "Dirty War" of military repression to those countries' governments.

"So it could happen with Indonesia too," said Simpson. "But it's unlikely at the moment. I don't think the Trump Administration is interested in questions of human rights or historical accountability, regarding Indonesia or otherwise."

Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/us-declassified-indonesian-embassy-files/4075504.html

Embassy files expose US 'support for Indonesia communist killings'

Associated Press - October 18, 2017

Stephen Wright, Jakarta – Declassified files have revealed new details of US government knowledge and support of an Indonesian army extermination campaign that killed several hundred thousand civilians during anti-communist hysteria in the mid-1960s. The thousands of files from the US Embassy in Jakarta covering 1963-66 were made public on Tuesday after a declassification review that began under the Obama administration.

The files fill out the picture of a devastating reign of terror by the Indonesian army and Muslim groups that has been sketched by historians and in a US State Department volume that was declassified in 2001 despite a last-minute CIA effort to block its distribution.

In 1965, Indonesia had the world's third-largest communist party after China and the Soviet Union, with several million members, and the country's president, the charismatic Sukarno, was vociferously socialist and anti-American.

US officials despaired of Indonesia's apparently unstoppable drift into the communist fold and were ecstatic when conservative generals imposed martial law in Jakarta, seized state radio and set out to annihilate the country's communist party on the pretext that it had tried to overthrow the government. Within months, the army would prevail in its power struggle with Sukarno, shifting Indonesia's political orientation to the US and opening its huge market to American companies.

The newly released files underline the US Embassy's and State Department's early, detailed and ongoing knowledge of the killings and eagerness to avoid doing anything that would hinder the Indonesian army. Historians had already established that the US provided lists of senior communist party officials, radio equipment and money as part of active support for the army.

The documents also show that US officials had credible information that contradicted the Indonesian army's lurid story that the kidnapping and killing of seven generals in an abortive coup by junior officers on September 30, 1965, which paved the way for the bloodbath, was ordered by the Indonesian communist party and Beijing.

The documents specifically mention mass killings ordered by Suharto, a general who within months would seize total power and rule Indonesia for more than three decades, and the pivotal role in carrying out the massacres by groups that today remain Indonesia's biggest mainstream Muslim organisations: Nahdlatul Ulama, its youth wing Ansor and Muhammadiyah.

A December 21, 1965, cable from the embassy's first secretary, Mary Vance Trent, to the State Department referred to events as a "fantastic switch which has occurred over 10 short weeks". It also included an estimate that 100,000 people had been slaughtered.

In Bali alone, some 10,000 people had been killed by mid-December, including the parents and distant relatives of the island's pro-communist governor, and the slaughter was continuing, the cable said. Two months later, another embassy cable cited estimates that the killings in Bali had swelled to 80,000.

A cable that was part of the 2001 State Department volume showed that by April 1966, the embassy was staggered by the scale of the murders and acknowledged, "We frankly do not know whether the real figure is closer to 100,000 or 1,000,000". Even the Indonesian government had only a "vague idea" of the true number, the cable said.

The release of the documents coincides with an upsurge in anti-communist rhetoric in Indonesia, where communism remains a frequently invoked bogeyman for conservatives despite the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly three decades ago and China's embrace of global capitalism.

Discussion of the 1965-66 period that departs from the Suharto era's partly fictional account of a heroic national uprising against communism is still discouraged. A landmark symposium last year that brought together aging survivors of the bloodbath and government ministers sparked a furious backlash. And last month, an anti-communist mob led by retired generals attacked a building in central Jakarta where activists had planned to discuss the killings.

"The mass killings of 1965-66 are among the world's worst crimes against humanity, and our country's darkest secret," said Veronica Koman, an Indonesian human rights lawyer.

"The 1965-66 survivors are all very old now, and I'm afraid that they will not see justice before they die. Hopefully with these cables coming to light, the truth can emerge and perpetrators can be held accountable."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/embassy-files-expose-us-support-for-indonesia-communist-killings-in-1960s-20171018-gz3cqg.html

Indonesia to check accuracy of secret US documents on army plans to

CNN Indonesia - October 18, 2017

Riva Dessthania Suastha, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will check the validity and accuracy of scores of recently declassified US documents on the September 30 Movement affair in 1965 and the army's plan to overthrow then President Sukarno.

"What we need to do before drawing any conclusions is to check the accuracy and validity of these reports", said Indonesian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir at a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday October 18.

Arrmanatha said that the documents need to be verified because they include reports from the ambassador and the US Consulate General in Jakarta at the time.

The documents he said contain explanations by US diplomatic representatives about the situation in Indonesia based on perceptions, information and the access that they had throughout 1964-1968.

According to Arrmanatha, the validity of all of the reports has to be verified against actual events and facts.

Arrmanatha made the statement following the release of as many as 39 documents totalling some 30,000 pages on the TNI AD (Indonesian Army) and the PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) which were published by the non-profit National Security Archive (NSA), the National Declassification Center (NDC) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and posted on the website http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/on October 17.

The documents, which are in the form of daily records between 1964 and 1968 cite, among other things, efforts by the AD to push Sukarno aside and destroy the left in Indonesia, executions of the PKI leadership and the involvement of US officials in supporting the AD.

The documents note that the overthrow of Sukarno needs to be understood from the approaches made by the AD to several Western embassies. This was done in order to look into the possibility that such a move would be successful.

"According to an official at the German Embassy, the AD Indonesia is currently considering the possibility of overthrowing Sukarno", read a telegram dated October 12, 1965 and sent by the US Embassy in Jakarta to the US Secretary of State.

Moves to garners support to overthrow of Sukarno were also made by former Finance Minister Sjarifuddin Prawiranegara who approached USAID official Edwin L. Fox. Sjarifuddin appreciated US efforts in dislodging communism and establishing democracy in Vietnam.

The US Embassy was also aware of the slaughter of PKI members by "Ansor" [the youth wing of the Islamic mass organisation Nahdlatul Ulama] in different parts of East Java. A missionary who had recently returned from Kediri in East Java on November 21, 1965 saw 25 bodies floating in a river. The Mojokerto Mission reported seeing 29 bodies in a river.

The release of these archive documents is a response to a growing interest in the remaining documents on the mass killings in 1965-1966 held by the US.

The documents also touch on the Indonesia-US relationship, British efforts to establish Malaysia and extensive secret US operations aimed at triggering a clash between the army and the PKI.

Up until now, stories surrounding the 1965 affair have been dominated by the sole narrative of Suharto's New Order regime. That the September 30 Movement was carried out by the PKI in order to seize power. The army generals were murdered. And Suharto, who later became president, emerged as the country's saviour.

CNN Indonesia attempted to contact the head of the TNI's information centre, Major Wuryanto and the head of the Army's information office, Colonel lfret Denny Tuejeh in relation to this report but neither have responded. (has)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "RI Cek Akurasi Dokumen Rahasia AS soal Penggulingan Sukarno".]

Source: https://www.cnnindonesia.com/internasional/20171018175806-106-249278/ri-cek-akurasi-dokumen-rahasia-as-soal-penggulingan-sukarno/

Defense minister can't comment on US documents because he was

CNN Indonesia - October 18, 2017

Joko Panji Sasongko, Jakarta – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu says he will meet with the US Secretary of State to request an explanation about the publication of secret documents related to the 1965 affair in Indonesia.

The documents show that the US government knew about efforts by the TNI AD (Indonesian army) to destroy the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and overthrow then President Sukarno.

Ryacudu said that the meeting with the US Secretary of State will take place on October 25 in the Philippines. During the meeting he hops that he will be able enquire in detail about the issue.

"I will be meeting with the Secretary of State later. I will meet with the American Secretary of State on the 25th (of October)", said Ryacudu at the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on Wednesday October 17.

Ryacudu claims that he does not know about the documents in any detail. The former army chief of staff equivocated that he was still a kid when the 1965 affair took place. He also said he doesn't understand why the documents, which are classified as secret, were in the hands of the US government.

"I don't know, I was still a kid back then. Later in the Philippines I'll be meeting with him (the US Secretary of State). I will ask about it. He may not know either, he may have still been a kid too", he said.

Ryacudu is sure that the publication of the documents will not have an influence on the political situation in Indonesia, particularly in terms of responding to the 1965 tragedy.

"I say no (it won't have an influence). [But] it depends on us whether we want to stir things up or not. If we don't want to, well we won't, there's no need. Sometimes we ourselves often make an issue out of nothing", he said.

TNI chief General Gatot Nurmantyo meanwhile says that he will try to read the documents soon. Right now he is reluctant to comment on the documents that say the TNI AD was planning to overthrow President Sukarno and destroy the PKI.

"Let me read them first. I haven't read them yet. I don't know about it yet, if I haven't read them how can I comment", said Nurmantyo at the DPR building.

Nurmantyo said however that every country has its own policies on the release of secret documents it holds. In the case of Indonesia, he said, secret documents are held by the State Intelligence Agency (BIN). "I don't know yet, I'll ask the State Intelligence Agency", said Nurmantyo.

The army general was reluctant to comment on the impact the publication of the documents will have. "I haven't read them so how can I comment. You can't say something's good or bad if you don't know yet", said Nurmantyo.

Earlier, the US government released declassified documents citing plans by the TNI AD to destroy the PKI and overthrow Sukarno. The 39 documents comprise some 30,000 pages.

The documents were published by the non-profit National Security Archive (NSA), the National Declassification Center (NDC) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and posted on the website http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/on October 17.

The documents, which are in the form of daily records between 1964 and 1968 cite, among other things, efforts by the AD to push Sukarno aside and destroy the left in Indonesia, executions of the PKI leadership and the involvement of US officials in supporting the AD. (pmg)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Ryamizard Bereaksi soal Dokumen Penggulingan Sukarno dan PKI".]

Source: https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20171018191804-20-249301/ryamizard-bereaksi-soal-dokumen-penggulingan-sukarno-dan-pki/

Declassified embassy cables confirm army plot to overthrow

Detik News - October 18, 2017

Erwin Dariyanto, Jakarta – Following the September 30 Movement (G30S) movement in 1965 there were tensions between the military and then Indonesian President Sukarno.

In mid-October the issue of an army coup d'etat emerged and became the subject of serious discussions within foreign embassy circles in Jakarta at the time.

"According to the German Embassy office in Indonesia, the Indonesian military may be planning to overthrow Sukarno and has approached several Western embassies to inform them of the possibility that such a move may take place", read a diplomatic cable from US Ambassador Marshall Green to the Secretary of State in Washington dated October 12, 1965.

The German Embassy obtained the information from a German businessperson in Indonesia who got it from a senior Indonesian military officer.

An informant at the German Embassy in Jakarta also reported that on October 10, 1965 President Sukarno received a senior military officer at the State Palace. The senior military officer presented Sukarno with a report on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) rebellion on September 30.

President Sukarno however refused to read the report. Bung [brother] Karno became enraged because he believed it slandered the PKI. "The general then left feeling frustrated", read the US Embassy diplomatic cable.

The classified cables were released to the public on Tuesday October 17 and quoted by Detik.com from the website http://nsarchive2.gwu.edu on Wednesday October 18.

The release of the classified diplomatic cables was made possible through cooperation between three non-profit US foundations: The National Security Archive (NSA), the National Declassification Center (NDC) (both non-profit) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Thirty-nine documents (between 1964 and 1968) consisting of 30,000 pages were released. They contain reports on, among other things, tensions between the military and the PKI as well as tensions between senior army (TNI AD) officers and President Sukarno.

The Australian Embassy in Jakarta also confirmed the information. In a report, the Australian Embassy clearly states that the general received by Sukarno on October 10 was the then defense minister AH Nasution. It was Nasution that wrote the report on the PKI rebellion.

Nasution twice tried to get Sukarno to read the report. Unfortunately, Sukarno was concerned about the contents of report. It was this according to the reports by the foreign embassies in Jakarta that created the tension between Sukarno and the TNI AD.

The German businessperson informant said that the military would, as soon as possible, try to overthrow Sukarno. "If carried out, it would be done through a sudden move without warning and Sukarno would be replaced with a combined military and civilian junta", read the report.

The TNI AD also asked Western embassies for economic assistance in the form of food and money after Sukarno had been overthrown. (erd/jat)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Saat Isu Sukarno Dikudeta Jadi Perbincangan Dubes Asing di Jakarta".]

Source: https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3689361/saat-isu-sukarno-dikudeta-jadi-perbincangan-dubes-asing-di-jakarta

U.S. Embassy tracked Indonesia mass murder 1965

National Security Archive - October 17, 2017

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. government had detailed knowledge that the Indonesian Army was conducting a campaign of mass murder against the country's Communist Party (PKI) starting in 1965, according to newly declassified documents posted today by the National Security Archive at The George Washington University.

The new materials further show that diplomats in the Jakarta Embassy kept a record of which PKI leaders were being executed, and that U.S. officials actively supported Indonesian Army efforts to destroy the country's left-leaning labor movement.

The 39 documents made available today come from a collection of nearly 30,000 pages of files constituting much of the daily record of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 1964-1968. The collection, much of it formerly classified, was processed by the National Declassification Center in response to growing public interest in the remaining U.S. documents concerning the mass killings of 1965-1966. American and Indonesian human rights and freedom of information activists, filmmakers, as well as a group of U.S. Senators led by Tom Udall (D-NM), had called for the materials to be made public.

The documents concern one of the most important and turbulent chapters in Indonesian history and U.S.-Indonesian relations, which witnessed the gradual collapse of ties between Jakarta and Washington, a low-level war with Britain over the formation of Malaysia, rising tension between the Indonesian Army and the Indonesian Communist Party, the growing radicalization of Indonesian President Sukarno, and the expansion of U.S. covert operations aimed at provoking a clash between the Army and PKI.

These tensions erupted in the aftermath of an attempted purge of the Army by the September 30th Movement – a group of military officers with the collaboration of a handful of PKI leaders. After crushing the Movement, which had kidnapped and killed six high-ranking Army generals, the Indonesian Army and its paramilitary allies launched a campaign of annihilation against the PKI and its affiliated organizations, killing up to 500,000 alleged PKI supporters between October 1965 and March 1966, imprisoning up to a million more, and eventually ousting Sukarno and replacing him with General Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for the next 32 years before he himself was overthrown in May 1998.

In an unprecedented collaboration, the National Security Archive worked with the National Declassification Center (NDC) to make the entirety of this collection available to the public by scanning and digitizing the collection, which will be incorporated into the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) digital finding aids. When completed, scholars, journalists, and researchers will be able to search the documents by date, keyword, or name, providing unparalleled access, in particular for the Indonesian public, to a unique collection of records concerning one of the most important periods of Indonesian history.

Of the 30,000 pages processed by the NDC, several hundred documents remain classified and are undergoing further review before their scheduled release in early 2018. While some of the documents in this collection were declassified and deposited at NARA or the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library in the late 1990s, many thousands of pages are being made available for the first time in more than 50 years.

The documents

The documents in the files of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta range widely, from the daily operations of the Embassy to observations on Indonesian politics, economics, foreign policy, military affairs, the growing conflict between the United States and Sukarno, the conflict between the Army and PKI, the September 30th Movement and the mass killings that followed, and the consolidation of the Suharto regime. While most of the documents in this briefing book concern the events of September 30, 1965, and their aftermath, we have included a handful of others to give a sense of the range and historical significance of the larger collection for an understanding of the broader consolidation of the Suharto regime.

Source: http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/indonesia/2017-10-15/indonesia-mass-murder-1965-us-embassy-files

Files reveal US had detailed knowledge of Indonesia's anti

Associated Press - October 17, 2017

Jakarta – Declassified files have revealed new details of US government knowledge of and support for an Indonesian army extermination campaign that killed several hundred thousand civilians during anti-communist hysteria in the mid-1960s.

The thousands of files from the US embassy in Jakarta covering 1963-66 were made public on Tuesday after a declassification review that began under the Obama administration.

The files fill out the picture of a devastating reign of terror by the Indonesian army and Muslim groups that has been sketched by historians and in a US state department volume that was declassified in 2001 despite a last-minute CIA effort to block its distribution.

In 1965, Indonesia had the world's third-largest communist party after China and the Soviet Union, with several million members, and the country's president, the charismatic Sukarno, was vociferously socialist and anti-American.

US officials were ecstatic when conservative generals imposed martial law in Jakarta, seized state radio and set out to annihilate the country's communist party on the pretext that it had tried to overthrow the government. Within months, the army would prevail, shifting Indonesia's political orientation to the US and opening its huge market to American companies.

The newly released files underline the US embassy's and state department's early, detailed and ongoing knowledge of the killings and eagerness to avoid doing anything that would hinder the Indonesian army. Historians had already established that the US provided lists of senior communist party officials, radio equipment and money as part of active support for the army.

The documents specifically mention mass killings ordered by Suharto, a general who within months would seize total power and rule Indonesia for more than three decades, and the pivotal role in carrying out the massacres by groups that today remain Indonesia's biggest mainstream Muslim organizations: Nahdlatul Ulama, its youth wing Ansor and Muhammadiyah.

A 21 December 1965 cable from the embassy's first secretary, Mary Vance Trent, to the state department referred to events as a "fantastic switch which has occurred over 10 short weeks". It also included an estimate that 100,000 people had been slaughtered.

In Bali alone, some 10,000 people had been killed by mid-December, including the parents and distant relatives of the island's pro-communist governor, and the slaughter was continuing, the cable said. Two months later, another embassy cable cited estimates that the killings in Bali had swelled to 80,000.

The release of the documents coincides with an upsurge in anti-communist rhetoric in Indonesia, where communism remains a frequently invoked bogeyman for conservatives despite the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly three decades ago and China's embrace of global capitalism.

Discussion of the 1965-66 period that departs from the Suharto era's partly fictional account of a heroic national uprising against communism is still discouraged. A landmark symposium last year that brought together ageing survivors of the bloodbath and government ministers sparked a furious backlash.

"The mass killings of 1965-66 are among the world's worst crimes against humanity, and our country's darkest secret," said Veronica Koman, an Indonesian human rights lawyer. "The 1965-66 survivors are all very old now, and I'm afraid that they will not see justice before they die. Hopefully with these cables coming to light, the truth can emerge and perpetrators can be held accountable."

Indonesia's Muslim mass organizations are among those reluctant to face scrutiny for their role, which in the fevered atmosphere of 1965 was characterized by Islamic leaders as a holy war against atheists.

Under the direction of the army, the Muslim organizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah were enthusiastic participants in mass murder, carrying out indiscriminate killings as well as organized executions, according to the documents. They also mention the army's recruiting of Catholics to help with its extermination campaign in central Java.

A December 1965 cable from the US consulate in Medan, Indonesia, reported that preachers in Muhammadiyah mosques were telling congregations that all who joined the communist party must be killed, saying they are the "lowest order of infidel, the shedding of whose blood is comparable to killing chicken".

A detailed four-page report covering mid- to late November 1965 by the US embassy's political affairs officer, Edward E Masters, discussed the spread of mass executions to several provinces and the role of youth groups in helping to solve the "main problem" of where to house and what to feed PKI prisoners. PKI is the Indonesian acronym for the country's communist party.

"Many provinces appear to be successfully meeting this problem by executing their PKI prisoners, or killing them before they are captured, a task in which Moslem youth groups are providing assistance," the report said. A cable from earlier in the month mentions an estimated 62,000 prisoners in the province of Central Java alone.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/17/indonesia-anti-communist-killings-us-declassified-files

Indonesia massacres: Declassified US files shed new light

BBC News - October 17, 2017

Rebecca Henschke, Jakarta – The US knew people were being "delivered for slaughter" during a political purge in Indonesia during the 1960s, declassified documents reveal.

At least 500,000 people were killed between 1965 and 1966, after the army and local Muslim militia went on a rampage following an attempted coup.

It was one of the worst massacres of the 20th Century, but, at the time, Washington remained silent. But these newly released memos reveal they had detailed knowledge of events.

The documents show US staff describing them in telegrams as "slaughter" and at times "indiscriminate killings", exposing an intimate knowledge of the Indonesian army's operations to "completely clean up" the Communist Party and leftist groups.

It is thought as many as three million could have lost their lives within a year.

The violence – which was a taboo topic in Indonesia for almost 50 years and remains extremely sensitive even today – was unleashed after communists were accused of killing six generals at the end of September 1965.

It was the peak of the Cold War, and the struggle for power between the Communists, the military and Islamist groups was in full swing.

'Delivered for slaughter'

Five decades later, the contents of the US telegrams are chilling. According to one from US embassy staff in East Java, dated 28 December 1965, "victims are taken out of populous areas before being killed and bodies are buried rather than thrown in river" as they had been previously.

The telegram says prisoners suspected of being communists are also "being delivered to civilians for slaughter".

Another document compiled by the US embassy's first secretary, dated 17 December 1965, was a detailed list of the communist leaders across the country and whether they had been arrested or killed.

But the documents also make for uncomfortable reading for Indonesia's biggest and most powerful Muslim organisations.

A December 1965 cable from the US consulate in Medan in Sumatra said that Muhammadiyah preachers were telling people it was a religious obligation to "kill suspected communists".

They were the lowest order of infidel, "the shedding of whose blood is comparable to killing chicken", the report said. The US cable said this was being interpreted as a "wide licence for killing".

Another telegram notes that people with no connection to the Communist Party were being killed by the youth arm of Nahdlatul Ulama because of "personal feuds".

Breaking the silence

Brad Simpson, founder and director of the Indonesia and East Timor documentation project, pushed for the files' release

"These documents show in great detail just how aware US officials were of how many people were being killed," said Mr Simpson, noting "the US stance at the time was silence".

Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono also says his extensive research has found no public comments from the US government at the time about the killings.

Mr Simpson said there was growing public interest in Indonesia to know the truth after years of state anti-communism propaganda.

"Indonesians can now read for themselves and learn about these important events in Indonesian history as part of a larger struggle for justice and accountability," he said.

The 39 formerly classified documents come from a collection of files, daily records and memos from the US embassy in Jakarta during the period 1964-1968.

They have been released by the National Declassification Centre, a division of the US government's National Archives and Records Administration. More documents, including CIA files, are set to be released later this year.

Revisiting the violence

Lieutenant General Agus Widjojo's father was one of the Indonesian generals killed in the alleged communist coup.

When the BBC showed Gen Widjojo the documents released on Tuesday, he said: "I cannot say anything to justify or reject what is explained in these documents, but basically the tragedy of 1965 was a struggle for power between the Communist Party and the army."

He denied knowledge of reports in the US memos about ethnic Chinese being killed in the violence and their businesses being burnt down.

"I have no knowledge that the violence went as far as that, the intensity of the violence and the atrocities I have no first-hand witness or information," he said. But he believes the country needs to go through a truth-telling process.

"We should bring all parties concerned together to share their experiences but there must be one condition – the victims, they have to be at peace, they have to move on and see in reflection the tragedy of 1965 from the point of view of Indonesia in 2017."

He says Indonesian society, including his own institution, the military, is not ready to openly discuss the killings. Attempts at holding seminars to mark the anniversary of the killings last month were shut down by violent demonstrations from right-wing groups.

A 2012 Oscar-nominated documentary, The Act of Killing, is among a list of films about the killings banned in Indonesia.

"We are not looking for a situation to reopen the wounds, we are looking for a situation to heal the wounds and to move on," he said., "We would like to focus on what went wrong as a society that we were able to conduct such violence and such killings in such large numbers in such a short time."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41651047

Women's rights & gender

Indonesia: Online 'virginity auctions' reflect wider tensions over

Asian Correspondent - October 19, 2017

Craig P. Oehlers – Controversial website nikahsirri.com exploded onto the Indonesian online dating scene in September 2017. The site quickly grabbed the attention of the Indonesian public, due to its promise of finding partners or "mitras" for each of its members for the purpose of "nikah siri", as well as for promoting "virginity auctions".

Some of the concerns stemmed from the historical way in which the concept of "nikah siri" has often been exploited in Indonesia. "Nikah siri" is a form of marriage recognised under Islamic law but is not regarded as official by the Indonesian government. The unofficial nature of such marriages has often meant women married in this way enjoy few rights. In more serious cases, "nikah siri" has allegedly led to instances of underage marriage as well as short-term marriages that were a front for prostitution.

But the issue that most scandalised the Indonesian public was undoubtedly the site's offer to facilitate "virginity auctions". Asian Correspondent's review of nikahsirri.com has confirmed that the site was explicit in its encouragement of female virgins to register in exchange for financial benefit.

Dr Dina Afrianty, a researcher at the Institute for Religion, Politics and Society at the Australian Catholic University and affiliated with Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Indonesia, said: "Nikahsirri.com had huge potential to lead to violence against women. The way the site portrayed 'women' and girls as commodities promoted the perception that those who 'purchased' them could do anything to these women and girls."

The exploitative nature of nikahsirri.com was further highlighted in the way the site placed pressure on female members (known as "mitras") to accept proposals. Specifically, the site explicitly stated "mitras" who rejected the proposals of "clients" would run the risk of their "value" diminishing, as well as the potential for their accounts to be blocked by site administrators.

Unsurprisingly, the site's creator Aris Wahyudi was arrested under Indonesia's Pornography Law and the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, and the site was blocked in Indonesia within several days of the launch (nikahsirri.com is still accessible from the US).

Nevertheless, Indonesian police have reported that around 5,300 people had registered with nikahsirri.com before the clampdown, suggesting a high level of genuine interest by Indonesians. In addition, nikahsirri.com has not been the only online platform that emerged In Indonesia in 2017 to promote relationships that critics claim marginalise women. AyoPoligami, a dating app with around 10,000 members, has also received substantial public attention due to its promotion and facilitation of polygamous marriages in Indonesia.

The speed at which nikahsirri.com grew during its brief existence, and the fact that it was not alone in its online promotion of gender inequality in Indonesia, raises an important question: Are sites such as nikahsirri.com merely "one-off" pseudo-religious businesses catering to a small niche market, or are they instead a reflection of a much wider problem in Indonesian society?

This is a fair question to ask, particularly in light of the fact that the launch of nikahsirri.com occurred just weeks after an Indonesian judge stated that women should be subject to "virginity tests" prior to marriage. And he is not alone in this perspective. In 2015, Human Rights Watch drew attention to the ongoing practice of "virginity tests" for women seeking to join the Indonesian military or police force.

While academics and activists interviewed by Asian Correspondent unequivocally condemned nikahsirri.com, opinion was divided on what the site reflected about gender equality and women's rights in Indonesia more broadly.

Dwi Rubiyanti Khalifah, Indonesian representative of human rights organisation Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), said she viewed nikahsirri.com as a "criminal" enterprise but opined "nikah siri" is a "small phenomenon" compared to the significant improvements in women's rights in Indonesia, particularly in health, education and legal reform.

In contrast, Dr Rachel Rinaldo, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder, told Asian Correspondent: "While I see the apps and websites as being more like 'publicity stunts', I do think they represent a certain worldview that sees women as being tradeable commodities, not fully human, and that is obsessed with male control of women's bodies and sexuality."

This view of the threat to women's rights by patriarchal elements was shared Dina, who said "nikahsirri.com and AyoPoligami are reflective of a wider pattern of entrenched discrimination against women (in Indonesia), just like the 'virginity tests' and the introduction of the array of religiously inspired local regulations which specify certain expectations about... women's roles and their place in public and domestic spheres."

Dina said this discrimination is partly due to the recent trend in which, "Indonesia's domestic politics have increasingly brought religion into a more prominent role... in the socio-cultural and political life of Indonesia."

Despite rising religious conservatism in Indonesia, the growth since 2015 in the number of Indonesian users of online dating (for the purposes of casual relationships) has outstripped growth in users of online matchmaking services (for those seeking long-term relationships or marriage) over the same period, according to data from Statista. At the same time, studies by researchers Riatu Qibthiyyah and Ariane J. Utomo point to the rise of the average age of marriage for Indonesian women between 2013 and 2016. Some factors behind this shift include better access to education and more paid employment opportunities for women, potentially suggesting greater empowerment for Indonesian women.

This data contrasts with other developments in Indonesia such as debates about "virginity tests" and the Constitutional Court's rejection of proposal to raise the marriageable age for girls from 16 to 18 in 2015. This contradiction paints a picture in which social and religious conservatives are competing with progressive elements within Indonesian society. It could be argued that the popularity of, and the backlash against, nikahsirri.com and AyoPoligami are some of the visible manifestations of these deeper ongoing tensions.

Blocking sites like nikahsirri.com is important and necessary when they impinge on the safety and well-being of women and girls. However, such actions alone will not address lingering patriarchal attitudes that lead to discrimination against women. Indonesia has indeed witnessed the rise of impressive women leaders, including Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti and former trade minister Mari Elka Pangestu.

Nevertheless, they alone cannot, and should not, be expected to be primarily responsible for the attainment of gender equality and better women's rights in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. The responsibility lies instead with all Indonesian leaders – women and men, secular and religious – in ensuring that the antiquated ideas about women, which give birth to sites like nikahsirri.com, are pushed to the fringes of Indonesian society, if not completely discredited.

[This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not reflect the views of Asian Correspondent.]

Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/10/indonesia-online-virginity-auctions-reflect-wider-tensions-regarding-womens-rights/

Labour & migrant workers

With paper in hand, Indonesian maids fight exploitation

Thomas Reuters Foundation - October 17, 2017

Kuala Lumpur – Like millions of Indonesian women who earn a living through domestic work, Leni Suryani thought that long hours for a meager salary was just the lot of a maid.

But a pilot training scheme for domestic workers helped her improve her skills and earn a certificate, giving her the confidence to ask for a higher salary.

"I have been a domestic helper for 15 years, I didn't think this piece of paper is important, I was wrong," said the 33-year-old mother, who worked as a maid in Singapore and Malaysia for six years before returning to Indonesia in 2003.

Suryani is one the first graduates from the training which aims to enhance domestic workers' skills and win recognition for their work as a profession in a bid to fight exploitation and modern slavery.

While Indonesia is a major provider of maids for places like Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Middle East, some four million Indonesian women are also employed in households locally to cook, clean or to look after children and the elderly.

Maids account for the biggest group of Indonesian women who work. Despite this, they are not considered formal workers, leaving them vulnerable to abuses and unprotected under local labour laws.

Excessive working hours, lack of a formal contract, unpaid wages are just some of the most common abuses Indonesian domestic helpers face, according to campaigners.

Unlike their counterparts who work overseas, who must go through extensive training regulated by the government, there are no such provisions for local maids.

Suryani said she brushed up her skills on cooking different cuisines, housekeeping and childcare during her training, as well as learning English and using computers.

At the end of the 200-hour course last year and after a test, she received a certificate given by a national professional certification board that recognised her skills.

"It taught me how to work more efficiently," Suryani told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Jakarta.

"My employer, an American expatriate family, was happy with the certificate I got and the way I work, it gave me confidence to ask for a higher salary and they agreed."

Overworked, underpaid, unprotected

The International Labour Organization (ILO), which runs the training with local workers' groups, said about 200 women have been trained in different batches since 2016, with the most recent group of 40 completing their course in August this year.

Its national advocacy specialist, Irfan Afandi, said domestic work is poorly regulated in Indonesia, and most maids are overworked, underpaid and unprotected.

Some earn as little as the equivalent of $150 each month. "The laws don't see them as formal workers and many maids themselves are unaware of what exploitation is," Afandi said.

"They think working from 6am to 8pm is normal and they should do anything they are told – from cooking to car washing and gardening. There is no clear scope of their job."

Globally over 40 million people are trapped as slaves last year in forced labour and forced marriages, new estimates by key anti-slavery groups last month showed.

This includes those who work as domestic workers, and Asia Pacific has the second-highest prevalence of modern slavery after Africa.

Widespread abuses and near slave-like living conditions of Indonesian women who work abroad as domestic helpers have captured the media limelight in the past but such mistreatment within Indonesia often gets less attention.

The ILO's training not only teaches domestic workers skills, but also educates them on workers' rights.

"They are confident because now they are professional domestic workers. They learnt the skills, it increases their employability and prospects for better work conditions," Afandi said.

For Suryani, the certificate help to break the stereotype that her work is "unskilled" and only meant for the poor and uneducated. She is now volunteering to train other domestic workers and pass on what she has learnt. "I am a proud domestic worker," she said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/paper-hand-indonesian-maids-fight-exploitation/

Freedom of assembly & association

Government to crack down on fake supporters of Pancasila

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2017

Jakarta – The government has said it will ban organizations it believes promote anti-Pancasila values while claiming to be defenders of the state ideology.

"They try so hard to portray themselves as supporters of Pancasila while their public speeches contradict their claims," Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said as quoted by kompas.com during a gathering at his office on Wednesday.

Tjahjo did not provide details about the groups or individuals he was referring to, but assured that the government had strong grounds to act against them.

"They can deny it but we have gathered evidence that confirms these groups and individuals obviously aim to replace Pancasila," he added.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) senior politician defended the government's decision to issue a regulation-in-lieu of law (Perppu) on mass organizations, which granted the government the power to disband organizations without due process.

The House of Representatives is currently deliberating the Perppu and will soon decide whether or not it will pass it into law.

"The Perppu is not meant to apply pressure to certain groups. It was issued because the state is obliged to create strong legislation to protect Indonesia," he said. (msa/ahw)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/19/government-to-crack-down-on-fake-supporters-of-pancasila.html

Minister: It's not just the police, TNI's responsibility to

Kompas.com - October 18, 2017

Moh. Nadlir, Jakarta – The government says there are still groups of social organisations (ormas) and individuals that explicitly want to replace the national ideology of Pancasila.

This was revealed by Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo during a National Defense and Archipelago Outlook Coordinating Meeting at the Human Resources Development Agency building at the Home Affairs Ministry in Jakarta on Wednesday October 17.

"People can equivocate about whatever they like, but the evidence demonstrates that there are still groups, individuals who explicitly and openly want to replace Pancasila", said Kumolo.

According to Kumolo, these ormas and individuals defend themselves as hard as they can not wanting to be labeled anti-Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945, unity in diversity (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika) and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

Kumolo however declined to say which ormas groups and individuals he was referring to as anti-Pancasila. "These people openly defend themselves as hard as they can, yet their speeches are clear", said the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician.

Kumolo believes that these ormas groups and individuals represent a concrete threat to the survival of the nation. "A minor example, they get into higher educational [institutions], they baiat [inaugurate, appoint, promote] our university students, this has been ignored for 10 years, this is a threat to the nation", he said.

According to Kumolo, the government gives all citizens the freedom to establish an ormas but only on the condition that its ideology and activities do not deviate from the ideology practiced by the state.

"Please go ahead, ormas who want to proselytize yes well it must be in accordance with the Al-Quran, those who are Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, please go ahead. But don't deviate from aqidah [the basic tenants of Islam, Islamic teachings, morals], let alone replace Pancasila. This quite frankly is what we are facing", he said.

Kumolo added that all parties have the authority to confront this threat, it is not just the obligation of Polri [national police] and the TNI (Indonesian military).

"This isn't [just] the responsibility of the TNI-Polri, but all of us together. Pancasila, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, NKRI and UUD 1945 are final and non-negotiable. Laws allow freedom of association, to establish any kind of ormas, but they must be bound by this", he said.

Because of this therefore, the government in July issued Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2/2017 on Social Organisations (Preppy Ormas).

"The government was forced to issue the Perppu. It wasn't to put pressure on any group, but the state is obliged to draft regulations that are firm and protect Indonesia. So we didn't all of a sudden just make the Perppu but we anticipated it together", he said.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Mendagri: Masih Ada Ormas dan Perorangan yang Ingin Ganti Pancasila".]

Source: http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2017/10/18/11051731/mendagri-masih-ada-ormas-dan-perorangan-yang-ingin-ganti-pancasila

Political parties & elections

More than 20 political parties register to compete in 2019

Jakarta Globe - October 18, 2017

Jakarta – Twenty-seven political parties have registered with the General Elections Commission, or KPU, to compete in the legislative election in 2019, an official said on Tuesday (17/10).

A two-week period of registration ended on Monday and required documents from 10 of the registered parties, most of which are Indonesia's biggest and have participated in previous elections, were declared complete.

The remaining 17 parties were given one more day to complete their registration documents, Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) official Fritz Edward Siregar said.

"The process is ongoing but parties that haven't registered beforehand can't participate," Fritz told reporters at his office in Jakarta.

Parties that have registered included the Democratic Party, Golkar, Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), National Awakening Party (PAN), National Democratic Party (Nasdem), National Mandate Party (PAN), People's Conscience Party (Hanura), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP).

There were also new parties that registered with KPU this year, including the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), the United Indonesian Party (Perindo) and the Peaceful and Benign Islamic Party (Idaman).

Political parties in the 2019 legislative elections are scheduled to be officially announced in February.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/20-political-parties-register-compete-2019-legislative-election/

Surveys & opinion polls

Gatot could be Jokowi's potential running mate: survey

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2017

Jakarta – Despite his high approval ratings, according to recent surveys, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo still needed a right running mate to boost his chances for reelection in the 2019 race, Pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia executive director Burhanuddin Muhtadi said on Friday.

"[Jokowi's] vice presidential candidate is important to garner higher electability among Muslim voters," he said during a discussion.

Indikator's latest survey showed that, of 16 potential running mate candidates for Jokowi, former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil were the favorites, Burhanuddin said.

"Ahok's supporters are loyal, but the numbers are not increasing. Gatot, meanwhile, is a potential vice presidential candidate because he could steal support for Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, Jokowi's strongest rival," he said.

He added that both Ahok and Sri Mulyani would not give electability benefits to Jokowi because their supporters were mostly also Jokowi's.

They came from the post truth group, he said, adding that they believed Jokowi had not been representing them. Burhanuddin said Gatot's voters were coming from the post truth group therefore he could boost Jokowi's electability.

Meanwhile, Budi Arie Setiadi, the chairman of pro-Jokowi group PROJO, said Jokowi would not choose a running mate based on those figures. "He would choose someone who would work with him to achieve the goals of the people." (dra/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/20/gatot-could-be-jokowis-potential-running-mate-survey.html

LGBT & same-sex marriage

Suspicion that LGBT rights are 'Western agenda' fuels Indonesian

Sydney Morning Herald - October 21, 2017

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Suspicion that gay rights is a "Western agenda" aimed at destroying Indonesian culture has helped fuel an unprecedented crackdown on the nation's LGBT community.

As other countries in the region move towards recognising LGBT rights – Taiwan will become the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage, Australia is conducting a postal survey on the issue and Thailand has passed legislation outlawing discrimination on the grounds of gender expression – Indonesia is moving in the opposite direction.

Human Rights Watch says anti-LGBT incidents have significantly increased over the past 18 months amid a "spike in noxious rhetoric from public officials and politicians".

"LGBT rights are seen as a Western agenda," prominent Indonesian gay activist Dede Oetomo told Fairfax Media. "The focus is always on same-sex marriage, which honestly us activists don't think will come any time soon."

Mr Oetomo said the Indonesian LGBT movement was not even demanding same-sex marriage, with the focus on rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

Last year Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu claimed the LGBT movement was part of a proxy war to conquer Indonesia that was more dangerous than nuclear war.

"It's dangerous as we can't see who our foes are, but out of the blue everyone is brainwashed – now the (LGBT) community is demanding more freedom, it really is a threat," he was quoted saying in Tempo.com.

"In a proxy war – another state might have occupied the minds of the nation without anyone realising. This sort of brainwashing is dangerous, as it skews the mindset of our nation away from our base ideology."

Mr Oetomo said donors and foreign embassies who support the LGBT community – even indirectly through poverty alleviation programs – must now do so very discreetly. "We had a national gay and transgender meeting and some of the donors said do not put our logo on the banner."

Earlier this month 51 people were arrested at a sauna in Jakarta popular with gay men. Homosexuality is legal in Indonesia, except in the ultra-conservative province of Aceh, which enforces Sharia law.

Meanwhile Indonesia's parliament is considering national legislation that would ban LGBT content on TV by the end of the year.

"I'm obviously concerned because it is a move backwards towards conservatism," Mr Oetomo says. "Activists in our organisation say it it is going to continue until the 2019 (presidential) election. If we get an Islamist president like in Turkey it will become worse."

On October 13 the United Nations human rights office expressed deep concern about a wave of LGBT arrests in Azerbaijan, Egypt and Indonesia saying they violated international law. It's this kind of international condemnation that can backfire here.

"Since Western countries, particularly the US, are now championing LGBT rights as human rights, the association of LGBT rights with Western schemes to destroy Indonesian culture are aggressively perpetuated and strengthened," Hendri Yulius, a lecturer and researcher of gender and sexuality studies and author of Coming Out wrote in New Mandala.

Indonesia has a long history of embracing diverse sexualities. The Bugis from South Sulawesi recognise five genders, including transgender priests known as bissu. In East Java, the traditional dance Reog Ponorogo depicts the relationship between a warrior and his boy.

"These cultures have existed for a long time in Indonesia but people forget it, they think (LGBT) is imported," says transgender woman Yulianus Rettoblaut, who is known as Mami Yuli.

Mami Yuli is the much loved defender of the waria, Indonesia's transgender community of biological men who believe they were born with the souls of women.

"We don't hide, we came out, I am who I am and we have lived comfortably in the community for years since I started dressing up like a woman."

But now Mami Yuli worries that waria are the most at risk of being targeted in the war on homosexuality in Indonesia.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/suspicion-that-lgbt-rights-are-western-agenda-fuels-indonesian-crackdown-20171020-gz5fao.html

Corruption & abuse of power

House speaker skips graft trial, sues immigration office

Jakarta Globe - October 21, 2017

Jakarta – House Speaker Setya Novanto skipped a court hearing related to the misappropriation of funds in the electronic identity cards project, known as e-KTP, at the Jakarta Anticorruption Court on Friday (20/10), citing "other important activities."

Setya, whose suspect status in the case was dropped by a pretrial, was scheduled to appear as a witness in a trial of Andi Agustinus, also known as Andi Narogong, a businessman who is accused of being involved in the e-KTP graft scheme. The project was worth Rp 5.9 trillion ($443 million).

Setya also skipped a previous summons on Oct. 9, as on that day he had a medical check-up.

"Today, we are going to hear witness testimonies in a trial session of suspect Andi Agustinus. [The Corruption Eradication Commission] KPK has just received a letter from the House saying that its Speaker Setya Novanto cannot attend the trial," KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said on Friday.

Setya reportedly asked KPK prosecutors to read his investigation report (BAP) instead. "KPK prosecutors are considering his request and [have to decide] whether he will be summoned again," Febri said.

The case has been investigated since 2015. The first trial started in March and in July saw the Home Ministry's former officials Irman and Sugiharto sentenced to seven and five years in prison. The graft resulted in Rp 2.3 trillion state losses.

Looking for loopholes

The Immigration Office has barred Setya from leaving Indonesia until April next year, as requested by the KPK. The Golkar Party chairman has in turn sued the office at the Jakarta State Administrative Court.

Setya's action was recorded on the court's website on Friday. According to the KPK, the suit is pointless.

"Based on the law, the KPK can prevent someone from travelling abroad... so if the substance of the suit is about the ban, then it's very weak," Febri said. "The Immigration Office only acted in accordance with the law, they are right," he added.

The court that has dropped Setya's suspect status at the same time refused to lift the travel ban.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/house-speaker-skips-graft-trial-sues-immigration-office/

Setya dodges KPK summons yet again

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2017

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto has once again skipped a summons to testify as a witness at Friday's hearing on the e-ID graft case.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutor Wawan Yunarwanto told the bench during the hearing's opening at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Friday that Setya was unable to attend because he had an engagement related to his position as Golkar Party chairman.

Separately, KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah confirmed that the anti-graft body had received a letter from the House on Setya's absence.

"[He] could not attend the summons to testify as a witness at the hearing because he had another engagement; hence, he asked that the court replace the agenda of hearing his testimony with reading out his interrogation file," Febri told journalists at the KPK headquarters in Jakarta on Friday.

This was the second time Setya had failed to appear at the court to deliver his testimony in connection with the e-ID card hearing. He also did not appear at the Oct. 9 hearing, which was also scheduled to hear his testimony, because he had a medical checkup that day.

When presiding judge Jhon Halasan Butar Butar realized that this was the second time Setya had failed to meet a summons, he asked the prosecution to explain its plans regarding the witness.

"We will keep trying to get the witness to testify," Wawan replied. "We will reschedule [the summons]." (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/21/setya-dodges-KPK-summons-yet-again.html

Gov't will not interfere in ongoing dispute between KPK and House

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2017

Jakarta – Chief Security Minister Wiranto said the government does not have the capacity to interfere in the ongoing dispute between the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, and the House of Representatives over the graft case surrounding national electronic identity cards, known as e-KTP.

"The president has said that it should be resolved within the legislative sphere," Wiranto said in Jakarta on Thursday (19/10).

However, Wiranto said the government will not accept any elements that weaken the antigraft agency.

"The president has repeatedly stated that the intention to weaken the KPK does not exist. Any intention to weaken the KPK must not happen," he explained.

The minister said the KPK was established to eradicate state corruption in the country.

"This point must be highlighted. The government has no intention to weaken any legal institutions that settle legal issues in Indonesia," Wiranto said.

The KPK was established in 2003 to combat corruption. In 2015, the agency discovered corruption surrounding the multi-trillion rupiah e-KTP project, in which some law makers were arrested and named as suspects.

The agency said more names will be announced in coming months. House Speaker Satya Novanto was previously declared a suspect in that case, but was later cleared after filing a pretrial motion in Jakarta.

As a result of the KPK's targeting of lawmakers surrounding the e-KTP case, the House of Representatives issued a right of inquiry to investigate the effectiveness of the antigraft body.

The KPK is currently awaiting the conclusion to a judicial review at the Constitutional Court to assess whether the House is justified in issuing their right of inquiry before answering any official summons to parliament.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-will-not-interfere-ongoing-dispute-KPK-house-representatives-minister/

Sandiaga's business colleague named suspect in land embezzlement

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2017

Jakarta – The business partner of Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno, Andreas Tjahjadi, who together with Sandiaga was reported to local authorities on land embezzlement allegations, has been named a suspect by the Jakarta Police.

Sandiaga and Andreas were reported by Edward S. Soeryadjaya in March this year for allegedly misappropriating funds in the sale of piece of land in Curug, South Tangerang, in 2012.

Jakarta Police general crimes director head Nico Afinta said Sandiaga would be questioned as a witness in the case.

"We haven't [named Sandiaga a suspect]. We're still completing Andreas' investigation report," Nico said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Andreas would be questioned this week and the interview would determine the course of the investigation, Nico said.

"When Pak Andreas fulfills our summons, we will use his testimony as a reference for further investigation," Nico said.

Sandiaga has denied the allegations, saying the case was fabricated for political gains. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/20/sandiagas-business-colleague-named-suspect-in-land-embezzlement-case.html

Kalla rejects idea of police anticorruption squad

Jakarta Post - October 18, 2017

Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Tuesday that the National Police should not establish an anticorruption squad, as the force has proposed to lawmakers.

Kalla said the country should focus on optimizing the performance of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as well as the existing anticorruption units at the police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

"[With] the KPK, it is enough. In fact, the police already have authority [to handle corruption cases]. That doesn't mean they need a new team to execute such responsibilities. [We] should focus on the KPK and support it," Kalla said at his office on Tuesday as quoted by antaranews.com.

The plan to establish such a squad has been fully supported by the House of Representatives.

The National Police have proposed a Rp 2.6 trillion (US$192 million) allocation from the state budget to establish the squad.

Around Rp 768 billion would be for the wages of 3,560 personnel, Rp 359 billion for investigation tasks and Rp 1.55 trillion for equipment and facilities.

The police's plan sparked concern from the public as it seemed to be part of a "political agenda" to undermine the KPK.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said he wanted the squad to have the same authority as the KPK. The antigraft body currently has both investigative and prosecutorial powers, while the police can only conduct investigations, prosecutions must be left to the AGO.

Tito said he would elaborate on the plan to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. (foy/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/18/kalla-rejects-idea-of-police-anticorruption-squad.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Could anti-Chinese violence flare again in Indonesia?

South China Morning Post - October 22, 2017

Jeffrey Hutton – At the Orion Plaza in the North Jakarta suburb of Glodok, Along Jenggot solders a connector onto a satellite dish cable. He has worked here since before 1998, when rioters stormed the mall, looted its shops and set it ablaze. The ceiling fell in, Jenggot recalls. The walls are still charred in places.

Now the owner of a small electronics repair shop at the mall, Jenggot worries whether the same strife will erupt again. "It can happen," the 50-year-old said. "They are using race and religion now. We know the capacity of the politicians now."

After a toxic election campaign that centred on race and religion, many in this sprawling city had hoped tensions would ease. But for many, those hopes were dashed this week when the capital's newly minted governor, Anies Baswedan, during his inaugural address appeared to pit the country's majority against ethnic Chinese and other minority groups.

In remarks that triggered a barrage of criticism on social media, Baswedan called on the Muslim majority "pribumi" – a loaded term to refer to anyone not a visible minority – to become "masters of an independent country". For some the comments underscored worries that Baswedan would not live up to earlier assurances that he would protect religious and ethnic minorities.

"Anies has promised to respect minorities and be a governor for all residents of Jakarta. However, his attitude is often the opposite," said Soe Tjen Marching, an ethnic Chinese activist and writer.

"He consciously or unconsciously emphasises division and discrimination. Although he promised to respect minorities, this seems like just lip service."

Baswedan, a former academic and education minister in the cabinet of President Joko Widodo, owes his election to the support from hardline Muslim groups targeting the incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.

Better known as Ahok, Purnama ran afoul of Muslims when a doctored video circulated on social media that appeared to depict him insulting the Koran. He did not, but groups such as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) ran with it, in part because they objected to being governed by a non-Muslim.

"The most important thing for us is to have a Muslim governor," said Sugito Atmo Pawiro, the FPI's chief lawyer.

Late last year, the Islamic group and their allies mobilised hundreds of thousands onto the street in a successful effort to force police to charge Purnama with blasphemy. Purnama was jailed in May. "This was a very big struggle and God willing we prevailed," said Sugito.

As Purnama's case went to trial during the election campaign earlier this year, Baswedan, a moderate Muslim in step with the country's secularist traditions, allied with the FPI, which supports the introduction of sharia law, in a bid to secure a big chunk of the Muslim vote. It worked and Baswedan, who had never held elected office before, swept to victory with nearly 60 per cent of the vote.

But Baswedan has already needed to back pedal on his promises after meeting resistance from the central government. For now, he has shelved a programme that would offer low-income housing loans without a deposit. The central bank has warned that this violates lending regulations but Baswedan has said he can find a way around those rules. His promise to stop a land reclamation project in Jakarta Bay also seems likely to come up against resistance from President Widodo's administration, which favours the plan as a way to hold back a rising sea from a city that is sinking about 15cm every year.

But it's Baswedan's implicit promises that have some analysts worried. Yenny Wahid, director of the think tank The Wahid Institute, said Baswedan, who does not have his own party to back him, will be under pressure to splash out on mosques, Muslim religious festivals as well as to appear at overtly religious events.

"There will be government funding for hardline causes," said Wahid, who is the daughter of the former President Abdurrahman Wahid. "Once you give more space to them they will posture for more."

Baswedan and his deputy, the private equity banker Sandiaga Uno, declined repeated requests for comment.

Baswedan's transition from Muslim moderate to conservative marks a complete reversal of many of the beliefs he expressed in public. While campaigning for Widodo during the presidential election in 2014 local media quoted him saying: "Indonesia is built on a foundation respecting diverse ethnicities and religions. The FPI is a radical group that forces Islamic values that will tear down that building."

The about-face may be understandable given what was at stake. The governorship is widely viewed as a launch pad to the presidency. Widodo, a former mayor of Surakarta, generated a national profile after winning the office in 2012 by kick starting badly needed infrastructure projects and extending health and education services to the poor. Purnama became governor when Widodo won the presidency in 2014.

While deals with the devil are nothing new in politics, in Indonesia, where democracy is barely two decades old, fanning the flames of sectarianism and interethnic strife risks throwing progress off track.

Ethnic Chinese were driven from their homes from angry mobs in Medan, Jakarta, and elsewhere after the fall of former dictator Suharto on rumours Chinese were hoarding rice and driving up the price. Hundreds of thousands of suspected leftists and ethnic Chinese were slaughtered after the abortive coup in 1965 that helped bring Suharto to power.

"It could start a trend," said Yuli Ismartono, a veteran local journalist and editor with Tempo, a publication banned for seven years under Suharto. "The question is will it work in the future? It's very worrying."

To be sure, the mass rallies of last year have not been repeated. The demonstrations aimed at deposing Purnama were largely peaceful. FPI's Sugito has said his organisation will respect Jakarta's diversity – to a point. "We appreciate diversity as a gift from God," said Sugito. "But there must be no tyranny from a minority."

Source: http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2116288/could-anti-chinese-violence-flare-again-indonesia

Special church service in Yogyakarta canceled after threats of

Jakarta Globe - October 21, 2017

Jakarta – A special service to observe the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, set to take place in Yogyakarta on Friday (20/10), had to be canceled amid threats of religious violence.

The event organizers said they previously coordinated with police and the relevant authorities and everything appeared to be in order until a few days ago, when the caretaker of Kridosono Stadium, where the service was scheduled to take place, informed them that the venue would no longer be available.

"We regret that the decision regarding the security situation in Yogyakarta was taken by a party that does not have the authority to do so and that this has become the reason for the cancelation [of the event]," organizing committee member Bunawan said, as quoted by Suara Pembaruan.

Bunawan said there had been threats that the event would be disrupted, but he did not provide any further detail.

The service was supposed to form part of a national celebration to mark the Protestant Reformation that began in Wittenberg, Germany, in October 1517 when Martin Luther sent his 95 theses on what he viewed as abuses by the Roman Catholic Church to the archbishop of Mainz. This sparked a movement that eventually led to a split between Catholicism and Protestantism.

The celebration will take place in at least 17 cities across Indonesia, including Jakarta.

The service in Yogyakarta was scheduled to be led by Rev. Stephen Tong, the head of the Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia. However, some groups claimed that he was going to perform a healing service, which they believe can be used to convert non-Christians.

"Rev. Stephen Tong was only going to lead the service. In his more than 60 years as a Christian, Rev. Stephen Tong has never led any healing services," Bunawan said.

Last December, a group calling itself the Ahlu Sunnah Defenders (PAS) also forced the cancelation of a Christmas service Rev. Tong was scheduled to lead.

Although Indonesia is officially a secular state, there has been increasing concern about rising religious intolerance since the end of former President Suharto's authoritarian rule in 1998.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/special-church-service-in-yogyakarta-canceled-after-threats-of-religious-violence/

Islam & religion

International Al Azhar conference promotes moderate Islam,

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2017

Panca Nugraha, Mataram – Some 400 participants attending the International Conference of Al Azhar Alumni at the Islamic Center in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), have discussed topics ranging from tolerance and a moderate Islam to contemporary preaching in the technological era.

The three-day conference officially kicked off on Wednesday. Participants came from 15 countries, including Australia, Egypt, India, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Thailand and Yemen, members of the World Association for Al Azhar Graduates (WAAG) and the Al Azhar International Alumni Organization.

"Moderate Islam, which is taught by Al Azhar, also means developing tolerance toward differences in ideas," WAAG deputy chairman Syeikh Muhammad Abdul Fadil Al Qusi said in his speech. Abdul said that Islam in NTB was an example to the rest of the world of a tolerant, moderate Islam.

NTB Governor M. Zainul Majdi said that the harmony and tolerance among different religions in the province was the reason why Lombok was chosen as the host for the conference.

He said that the picture of a tolerant Islam in NTB was also a reflection of Muslims across the archipelago and that Islam was about contribution, development, harmony and peace.

The Arab people used to teach Indonesians about Islam and it was now Indonesia's turn to share their experience of living harmoniously, he added. (dra/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/19/international-al-azhar-conference-promotes-moderate-islam-tolerance.html

Sex, pornography & morality

Indonesia's secret nudist community defying the law

BBC News - October 22, 2017

What is it like to be a nudist in a country that prizes modesty and where public nudity is strictly forbidden? Clara Rondonuwu of the BBC's Indonesian service went to meet some members of the country's nudist community to find out.

There isn't a single thread on Aditya's body. As he speaks to me, droplets of hot oil splash on to his bare belly from the large frying pan of sand crabs, eggs and Chinese cabbage.

"I love doing everyday things in the buff, including cooking my meals," he says. "I take a great deal of pleasure in being naked anytime I want to. I feel happier and way more comfortable without clothes."

Aditya is taking a risk though and therefore doesn't want his full name revealed. Under majority Muslim Indonesia's anti-pornography laws, it is illegal to be naked in public.

Yet he meets regularly with four other nudists in private. "We could face jail time if we appeared nude in public," he explains. "Which is the reason why we let it all hang out in private." A closely knit group

Aditya has been a nudist in his spare time since 2007. "I was surfing the web, reading articles about nudism and got really into it. It seemed that it was the life path I had been looking for," he says.

He made contact with other nudists in the country – they are a small but committed and closely knit group. Jakarta's naturist group now has about 10 to 15 members, both men and women.

Aditya feels that being naked gives them a stronger connection and lasting bond. "We can be ourselves. No one body shames you no matter how fat or paunchy you are or because of your flaccid penis, breast size or birthmarks. You are nude."

He dreams of travelling to nudist colonies in countries like France, where his lifestyle choice would be accepted as something not unusual.

Yet while Indonesia's law doesn't allow for public nudity, this does not mean that there are no opportunities to go bare. The group gets together from time to time, renting a holiday villa, like recently in a mountainous area outside Jakarta.

"Within seconds, we disrobe," he says. They just spend a normal day together, with conversations ranging from anything like politics to work life.

He tells me he just got back from a beach escape at one of Indonesia's best-kept secret destinations, where he is far from the discrimination he would face elsewhere in the country.

It's not a nudist site, but it is "well hidden by the dense foliage," he explains. Even so, he took precautions. "I picked my time carefully, and went for walks really early in the morning."

Reckless?

Despite the risks, Aditya also posts openly about his lifestyle on nudist websites.

Among his many Instagram accounts, there was also a private one where he uploaded his nude pictures. One of them showed him fully nude, standing inside a church.

He has since deleted the account as he could be found guilty under Indonesia's anti-pornography law. "My fellow naturists said I was pretty reckless to open up on the internet," he explains.

But he thinks all these posts were necessary to change the many misconceptions about his lifestyle.

"People here in Indonesia think that nakedness has something to do with sex," he says, pointing out that nudity is not the same as exhibitionism.

"If we strip off together they assume it is a sex party. The truth is, there is nothing sexual about it. People are so hypocritical when they think that being fully clothed is more polite than being open."

A difficult lifestyle

Another naturist who lives on Borneo does not want to be named, and agrees that being a naturist in Indonesia is a "difficult lifestyle decision".

He looks enviously at places like France and Germany, where nakedness is more accepted, and thinks Indonesian businesses could cater more to the nudist market.

Their best shot would be Bali, which is less strict than the rest of majority Muslim Indonesia. But he says the existing nudist-friendly resorts "cater to foreigners only".

Rewind 40 years and nudity was common in places like Bali – women would often walk around topless, and bathe naked.

There are no public nude beaches on the mostly Hindu island, though a number of coastal areas remain popular with nudists because they are protected by rocks.

The manager of one resort in Bali says he has two properties which advertise themselves as "clothing optional" and that there are 10 other such resorts in the tourist centre of Seminyak alone.

Additionally, "some of the villas do not promote themselves as naturist-friendly, but many foreigners do go naked in there," he says. "Nudism is common for the upper-class people."

The hotel manager told the BBC he only accepts foreign guests, but said that other resorts might take Indonesian nudists too.

Abused for being different

Aditya says he wants to educate society that he and his fellow naturists are human beings just like everyone else.

"Most people tend to be overly expressive when they see something unusual to them. Look how aggressive they are to transgender people, they beat them."

"What I do is not pornography," he says. "I feel sad when they judge me and think of me as immoral, some even called us animals. I am just being myself, it's nothing grotesque. I don't harm anyone."

At times, he explains, he feels like challenging all these misconceptions in social media.

Yet then again, he often just doesn't have the energy to engage in what he says are long and useless conversation with internet trolls. "Most people here still cannot deal with nudity."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41396130

Land & agrarian conflicts

Govt's land reforms draw criticism, conflicts persist

Jakarta Globe - October 21, 2017

Jakarta – Greater access by local communities to Indonesian forests marks progress in a push by the government for land reforms, officials said on Friday (20/10), despite criticism that the efforts still lead nowhere.

Cases including land grabbing are common in the one of the world's most natural resources-dependent countries.

More than 1 million hectares of forests across Indonesia have been designated to be managed by about 250 households in the past three years, government data shows.

The figure is expected to reach 2 million by the end of this year, and nearly 3 million in 2019, said Abetnego Tarigan of the Presidential Staff Office.

"It's much bigger than what was achieved in previous years... [the process] is not as fast as we had earlier imagined, but we're making improvements," Abetnego said in Jakarta.

Activists say, however, that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration has not addressed the real problems yet.

"The government has been talking about land reforms over the past years, but what kind of reforms?" said Ronny Maulana of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA).

Conflicts between local communities and forestry, mining and plantation companies were recorded on 1.2 million hectares of land and forests last year, KPA data shows.

"The government has to immediately go to the field for stocktaking," Ronny said, adding that the reforms must be designed from the bottom-up, and not the other way around.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/govts-land-reforms-draw-criticism-conflicts-persist/

Government likely to miss target of distributing 5m land

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2017

Jakarta – The government is unlikely to meet its target of distributing 5 million land certificates this year as part of its land-reform program because by October it had distributed less than half the target.

"We could publish half of the target," said Agrarian and Land Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil in Jakarta as reported by kompas.com on Friday. He referred to data collected up to the middle of October.

Previously, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had instructed the minister to distribute 5 million free land certificates to farmers by the end of this year.

Jokowi demanded the minister be strict with regard to the target during the launch of an oil palm tree replanting program in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra, last week.

"This year, 5 million land certificates have to be distributed, next year, the figure becomes 7 million and the following year it becomes 9 million," he told 1,300 oil palm farmers during the event.

Sofyan said his ministry was facing various problems in issuing land certificates because ownership of many plots of land was disputed or still had the status of forest land.

But he expressed his optimism that his ministry could achieve 90 percent of the target by the end of this year. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/20/government-likely-to-miss-target-of-distributing-5m-land-certificates.html

Jakarta & urban life

Deputy governor's official residence open for religious activities

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2017

Jakarta – Since Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno decided not to live at the official residence on Jl. Denpasar in Kuningan, South Jakarta, the house has been made available for religious activities.

"The house is now open 24 hours a day and seven days a week for majlis taklim [Quran study groups] and citizens activities," Sandiaga said on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.

He added that the house was also open for Christian citizens who wanted to hold Sunday services. "Feel free to use this house, because this is our house," Sandiaga added.

He also said that, besides religious activities, citizens could also use the house for other meetings. (ecn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/23/deputy-governors-official-residence-open-for-religious-activities.html

North Jakarta group cancels Alexis Hotel protest

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2017

Jakarta – Some 1,000 people who intended to demand the closure of North Jakarta's Alexis Hotel, widely believed to be a high-class brothel, have canceled their protest plans for Thursday afternoon following discussions with the police.

Mohamad Yusuf, coordinator of the North Jakarta Community Forum Presidium that initiated the plan, said the protesters had met with the North Jakarta Police and agreed to cancel Thursday's planned protest.

Yusuf said the group agreed to cancel the protest, because they had been able to convey their wishes to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan through the police

"We have asked a person close to Pak Anies to remind him about his [campaign] promise to close Alexis," Yusuf was quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

Although the group had canceled Thursday's protest, Yusuf said the group might still hold a demonstration in the next few days.

During his gubernatorial campaign, Anies had promised to close the Alexis Hotel in connection with cleaning up the city.

He criticized his rival, then Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, for only acting firmly in evicting low-income residents, but not in curbing high-class prostitution. (cal/wit)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/19/north-jakarta-group-cancels-alexis-hotel-protest.html

Provocative banner taken down from Menteng

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2017

Jakarta – Jakarta's Public Order Agency took down on Wednesday a banner that read "The rise of Pribumi Muslims" on Jalan Raya Menteng, Central Jakarta.

The 10-meter banner stretched out on the road near an intersection. In addition to its provocative message, the banner also bore a photo of Jakarta's new governor, Anies Baswedan, and his deputy, Sandiaga Uno.

Santoso, the operational head of Central Jakarta's Satpol PP, said that the Agency took down the banner to avoid controversy and conflict in the community.

"It is controversial enough. If we keep the banner there, it might cause a misunderstanding. So, as a part of the city administration, we and the police have informed the banner's owner that we will take it down," Santoso said as quoted by Tribunnews.com on Wednesday.

Santoso said that Anies had clarified his controversial speech about pribumi (native Indonesians) and hoped the community would remain peaceful.

"The governor has said that [his speech] referred to native Indonesians and the Dutch during the colonial era. The public should not take it out of context," he said. (dis)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/19/provocative-banner-taken-down-from-menteng.html

New Jakarta governor faces backlash for racially tinged speech

Reuters - October 17, 2017

Kanupriya Kapoor, Agustinus Beo Da Costa. Jakarta – The new governor of Indonesia's capital faced a barrage of criticism on Tuesday for remarks in his inauguration speech that some residents and politicians warned could stoke ethnic and religious tension in the Southeast Asian country.

Anies Baswedan, a former education minister, said in a speech only hours after he was sworn in on Monday that "pribumi" (native or indigenous Indonesians) should take back control of the country from "colonial" influences.

His comments came as tolerance in the Muslim-majority country has been under scrutiny since bitterly fought city elections this year during which Islamist-led rallies targeted the former governor, an ethnic Chinese Christian, in a controversial blasphemy case.

"We 'pribumi' people were oppressed and defeated. Now, after independence, it is time for us to be masters in our own country," Baswedan said in a speech to supporters outside the Jakarta City Hall late on Monday.

The word 'pribumi', which excludes ethnic groups like Chinese Indonesians or Indian Indonesians who have lived in the country for generations, was the top trending topic on Twitter in Indonesia on Tuesday.

"You are of Arab descent yourself sir! So who do you mean when you say 'it's time for pribumi to be masters of the country'?" user @denradityaa tweeted.

Baswedan is a descendant of the Hadrami tribe of Yemen and comes from a family of respected moderate Islamic scholars.

Some took Baswedan's words to single out Chinese Indonesians – a minority that has faced long-running resentment for their control of trade and wealth in Indonesia.

There were also some supporters. "Why are people making a racket about pribumi? If you're born, raised and have Indonesian Id, you're a pribumi. Those who are mad with (the word) pribumi are not Indonesians," @febrin_navarro wrote.

A spokesman for the governor did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but Baswedan was quoted by media as saying the comments referred to the colonial era. "The point is that (the word) was used to explain the Dutch colonial era," he was quoted as saying.

Baswedan and his deputy, Sandiaga Uno, won April's governor election on the back of support from hardline Islamists who have pushed, among other things, vitriolic anti-Chinese rhetoric.

A prominent Islamist leader, Bachtiar Nasir, who backed Baswedan's campaign, said the wealth of Chinese Indonesians was a problem and advocated an affirmative action program for native people.

Neighboring Malaysia runs a controversial affirmative action policy under which ethnic Malays and other indigenous populations enjoy entitlements such as quotas in universities and companies and cheaper property rates.

Indonesia's 250 million people are predominantly Muslim, but it has sizeable Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities and hundreds of ethnic groups.

"Baswedan is ripping the national fabric... with the use of the word 'pribumi'," said Rian Ernest, an ethnic Chinese politician with the Solidarity Party of Indonesia.

"We strongly condemn Baswedan's statement, which does not reflect the spirit of leadership or 'unity in diversity'," he added, referring to Indonesia's national motto.

[Additional repoting by Gayatri Suroyo; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Ed Davies and Nick Macfie.]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-politics-baswedan/new-jakarta-governor-faces-backlash-for-racially-tinged-speech-idUSKBN1CM0ZJ?rpc=401&

Anies's 'pribumi' speech sparks debate, 'racist' comments on social

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2017

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Newly inaugurated Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has already stirred up controversy on his first full day in office, following a speech on Monday in which he used the term pribumi, generally meaning "indigenous". Pribumi can also mean "aboriginal" or "native".

"In the past, we pribumi were the conquered. Now, it's time for us to be the hosts in our own land. We worked hard to get rid of colonialism and we must enjoy our freedom," Anies said in his speech.

His statement has sparked public debate on social media, with #Pribumi becoming a trending topic that had captured 92,800 tweets as of Tuesday afternoon. Many netizens responded satirically to his use of the term, while others engaged in critical discussion on the definition of pribumi.

Jeremiah Karsten (@Kars104) referenced the entire segment of the speech in his tweet: "@Metro_TV By his logic, people who ain't 'pribumi' can't be a host in their own country. #pribumi #R.I.P.CommonSense #DivisiveLeader".

@Metro_TV By his logic, people who ain't 'pribumi' can't be a host in their own country.#pribumi #R.I.P.CommonSense #DivisiveLeader – Jeremiah Karsten (@Kars104) October 17, 2017

Meanwhile, Fisto Riza Satianto (@fistomacho) tweeted, "speaking about pribumi..." and posted a picture of what appeared to be a museum display of Java man replicas.

Noted author Dewi Lestari also joined the topic through her twitter account @deelestari, tweeting satirically, "Waking up and feeling so pribumi. Not."

Waking up and feeling so pribumi. Not. – Dee Lestari (@deelestari) October 17, 2017

Many netizens, including public figures, also expressed their concerns over the governor's use of the term on social media, slamming Anies as "racist" in his first speech as the governor of Jakarta, the multicultural capital of the nation known for its slogan, "Unity in Diversity".

"Shocked! New Jakarta Governor starts his tenure with a striking tone of racism. #pribumi #aniesbaswedan," tweeted @BruceSumendap, while Jj (@pilot_id) tweeted, "#Pribumi We have a 'Trump Like' governor!"

Many comments also noted that pribumi generally excluded Indonesians of Chinese and Arabic descent while satirically pointing to Anies's own indigenousness.

Introvert Unite! (@vishnuvidya) commented: "Using the word pribumi is not wrong. Just stupid on every level. Go check your DNA. You're not a friggin pure blood."

Anies was born in Kuningan, West Java, but his grandfather was of Arab origin. Many accused him of using the indigenous word to offend his losing rival in the Jakarta election, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is of Chinese descent.

Others raised the term's connection to the country's tumultuous political history, particularly with regard to the aftermath of the nationwide 1998 riots that targeted Indonesians of Chinese descent.

Yenni Kwok (@YenniKwok) referred to a picture of the 1998 Presidential Instruction that banned the use of the term and tweeted: "In 1998, Habibie issued president's instruction: stop using terms 'pribumi' and 'non-pribumi' in policies and government."

In 1998, Habibie issued president's instruction: stop using terms "pribumi" and "non-pribumi" in policies & government pic.twitter.com/e9d0lwHL0V – Yenni Kwok (@yennikwok) October 17, 2017

But many others also defended the governor, who is backed by the leading opposition Gerindra Party and the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

One account belonging to Djony Edward posted several Facebook statuses that backed Anies by elaborating on his definition of pribumi as inclusive of Malays, Arabs, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, and all who work for the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, or NKRI.

"Pribumi is fair police, not those arresting ulema and critical figures as in colonialism era," he wrote, adding that "Pribumi is the military that fight together with the people, not for the foreigners."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/17/aniess-pribumi-speech-sparks-debate-racist-comments-on-social-media.html

Transport & communication

Carrying kitchenware, women rally to protest ban on app-based

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2017

N. Adri, Balikpapan – Carrying kitchenware, hundreds of women in green outfits rallied in front of the Balikpapan Legislative Council in East Kalimantan on Tuesday. They demanded that the city administration revoke its decision to shut down app-based ride-hailing services.

"App-based transportation is not just about transporting people," said rally coordinator Mei Christhy. Her statement was followed by the banging of pots and pans by protesters.

"We also rely on their services to take our children to school and extracurricular courses," she said.

Many home-based small businesses also used app-based transportation services to make deliveries.

"The government should instead push conventional transportation services to improve their services," another protester, Nadya, who is a private employee, said.

The protesters were grouped under the Women Movement to Guard App-based Transportation.

In response to the protest, Balikpapan Mayor Rizal Effendi said the city administration had consulted with the East Kalimantan administration. He further asked the app-based transportation providers to obtain permits from the provincial administration.

"Thank God, the matter has been taken care of," the mayor said via his Instagram account @rz_effendi58. (bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/17/carrying-kitchenware-women-rally-to-protest-ban-on-app-based-transportation-services.html

Criminal justice & legal system

More drug dealers to be shot dead: BNN chief

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2017

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said that investigators would continue to shoot on site suspected drug dealers who refused to surrender.

"People said that the BNN cannot shoot on the spot. Why not?" he said at Merdeka Square in Medan, North Sumatra, on Thursday.

According to the BNN, 15,000 Indonesians die every year because of drugs. Budi said that because of this statistic, "stern actions" against drug dealers were justifiable.

The majority of drug dealers, Budi said, were repeat offenders after serving prison terms. "There are too few drug dealers who are dead, while they have killed thousands of people," he said.

Therefore, Budi emphasized that he would not care about criticism against the policy to shoot on site suspected drug dealers. He encouraged all BNN officers across Indonesia to not hesitate to shoot suspects on the spot.

Medan Metropolitan Police chief Sr. Comr. Sandi Nugroho said there were 42 suspects who were shot dead by the police in Medan in the past 10 months.

"This fact should have been a warning to the dealers but illegal drug distribution seems to remain rampant," Sandi told The Jakarta Post. (dra/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/19/more-drug-dealers-to-be-shot-dead-bnn-chief.html

Foreign affairs & trade

Anti-US banners on TNI chief's barred entry taken down

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2017

Jakarta – Banners erected in South Jakarta protesting the United States' decision to bar Indonesian Armed Forcers (TNI) Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo to fly to the country were taken down on Monday.

South Jakarta Public Order Agency head Ujang Hermawan was quoted as saying that the banners were taken down on the grounds that they were provocative.

#FakeNewsIndonesia Spanduk Ancam Dubes AS Dicopot #StopReklamasi pic.twitter.com/UMW7UO5u0R – Ekonomi Hancur!! (@infohargasaham) October 23, 2017

A white banner erected at the Dukuh Atas pedestrian bridge on Jl. Sudirman read: "Kick out US Ambassador from the homeland!" In South Kemang, another banner read: "Send home US citizens from Indonesia!"

#News: Spanduk Usir Dubes Amerika Diturunkan https://t.co/PdArXvkVxX – INFO PONDOK INDAH (@pondokindahinfo) October 23, 2017

Ujang told kompas.com on Monday, "Our officers have taken down the two banners. I will communicate with the Police [to investigate them]." He added that he had instructed his subordinates to check other locations in the municipality for similar banners.

Gatot and his wife, Enny Trimurti, were set to fly on Saturday to Washington, DC for a conference.

The TNI commander had all necessary travel documents, including a US visa and an invitation from the US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, who had asked him to attend the Chiefs of Defense Conference on Countering Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs) on Oct. 23-24.

Gatot was already at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport when an Emirates airline official informed him that the US Customs and Border Protection Agency had barred him and his delegation from boarding the US-bound flight.

The ban has reportedly been revoked. (fac)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/23/anti-us-banners-on-tni-chiefs-barred-entry-taken-down.html

US defense chief apologizes for Gatot being denied entry to US

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2017

Indra Budiari, Clark, Philippines – United States Defense Secretary James Mattis has apologized and has guaranteed there will be no repetition of the incident in which Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo was denied entry to the US.

He delivered the message in a closed-door meeting with Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu in Clark, Philippines, on Monday, according to the ministry's spokesman Brig. Gen. Totok Sugiharto.

"Minister Ryamizard accepted the apology that was conveyed during the short bilateral meeting," Totok told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Both ministers are scheduled to attend the ASEAN Plus Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) in Clark between Monday and Wednesday.

Gen. Gatot was informed that he was barred from entering US as he and his wife, who both had valid visas, were about to fly on Saturday. He was scheduled to attend a conference at the invitation of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford in Washington, DC.

The government is still seeking clarification of the embarrassing incident from the US government.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/23/us-defense-chief-apologizes-for-gatot-being-denied-entry-to-us.html

US refuses to divulge why Indonesian military chief Gatot Nurmantyo

Sydney Morning Herald - October 23, 2017

Jewel Topsfield and Karuni Rompies, Jakarta – The United States is refusing to divulge why it denied Indonesian military chief Gatot Nurmantyo entry to the US as its own embassy in Jakarta scrambles to get to the bottom of the diplomatically embarrassing affair.

The baffling incident threatens to cause ructions in the relationship between the two countries with a banner calling for the expulsion of the US Ambassador erected over a major thoroughfare in Jakarta on Monday morning.

It could also play out domestically in favour of the nationalist General Gatot, who is widely believed to have political aspirations at the highest level and has long believed foreigners are engaged in a proxy war to undermine Indonesia.

Earlier this year General Gatot temporarily suspended military ties with Australia over teaching materials perceived as derogatory at a Perth Army base.

He has previously raised concerns about the US Marines that rotate through Darwin, implying they are there for the eventual takeover of Papua, and spoke of putting a stop to Australia trying to recruit Indonesian officers as spies or agents of influence.

Acting Deputy Ambassador Erin McKee reiterated the Embassy's apology after being summoned to meet Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday morning and said there was "absolutely no issues" with General Gatot Nurmantyo's ability to travel to the US.

"The Embassy is working very hard to understand what transpired around this incident and we hope that it will not happen again," Ms McKee said. "We deeply regret the inconvenience this incident caused."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-refuses-to-divulge-why-indonesian-military-chief-gatot-nurmantyo-denied-entry-20171023-gz6hdh.html

Indonesia demands explanation after US refuses entry to military

WA Today - October 22, 2017

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Indonesia is demanding an explanation after its military chief Gatot Nurmantyo was refused entry into the United States moments before the plane departed from Jakarta on Saturday.

General Gatot – who earlier this year suspended military ties with Australia over teaching materials perceived as derogatory at a Perth Army base – was travelling to Washington to attend a conference at the invitation of General Joseph Dunford, the US's highest ranking military officer.

However he received a notice from United States Customs and Border Protection informing him he could not enter US territory despite having a visa.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC had sent a diplomatic note to the US Foreign Ministry to obtain clarification on what had happened.

"Considering the US Ambassador is out of Jakarta at the moment, the Deputy Ambassador has been summoned to Kemlu (the Foreign Ministry) tomorrow to give an explanation," Mr Nasir said.

Lowy Institute Research Fellow Aaron Connelly said it appeared to be an "administrative SNAFU" given General Gatot had been invited to attend a conference on countering violent extremism by General Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff.

"If there were a substantive issue preventing his entry into the United States, then he wouldn't have been invited," Mr Connelly said.

"But because Gatot has built his reputation on identifying phantom threats to Indonesian sovereignty and pride, a slight like this can only boost his standing among Indonesians in a nationalist mood."

General Gatot had previously raised concerns about the US Marines that rotate through Darwin, pointing out the close proximity to West Papua and Indonesia's giant Masela gas block.

"I, as TNI (Indonesian military) commander, have to wonder what it's all about," General Gatot said in a lecture. "Why not in the Philippines? They have a base there. No problems, but it's Darwin."

He also spoke of putting a stop to Australia trying to recruit Indonesian officers as spies or agents of influence.

"In public speeches he often espouses his pet theory that foreigners are engaged in a proxy war to undermine Indonesia," author and Indonesia commentator John McBeth wrote in Asia Times this month.

President Joko Widodo named General Nurmantyo, the former army chief, to the position of Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) chief on July 8, 2015.

Evan Laksmana, a senior researcher with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, tweeted that entry refusal was a very serious matter for bilateral relations.

He said he was sceptical it was related to typical alleged human rights abuses because the entry refusal was last minute and General Gatot had entered the US before.

Mr Laksmana tweeted that typical refusal of entry was related to military operations and career, as several TNI officers had experienced in the past.

"But not sure how this applies to Gatot. Like most he did have operations in Timor but I can't remember his name coming up in investigations over that period or lately."

Fairfax Media is seeking comment from the US Embassy in Jakarta.

General Gatot, who is believed to have political aspirations when he retires from the military in March next year, stirred controversy last month when he alleged a number of non-military institutions had ordered 5000 illegal firearms from overseas.

Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/world/indonesia-demands-explanation-after-us-refuses-entry-to-military-chief-gatot-nurmantyo-20171022-gz5zhu.html

Jokowi's foreign policy becomes more visible, says ex-envoy to US

Asia Pacific Report = October 20, 2017

Indonesia's foreign policy under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has become more visible regionally and globally, contrary to popular assumptions from the early days of his administration that saw him concerned only with domestic affairs, says a senior diplomat.

Today, October 20, marks Jokowi's third year in office.

"There used to be this perception that President Joko Widodo, in the early days of his administration, was not too concerned with foreign policy, but now we are seeing the opposite," said Dino Patti Djalal, Indonesia's former ambassador to the United States and founder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI).

Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, Djalal highlighted the need to reflect on the past 50 years of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its future, for the sake of Indonesia's presence on the international scene.

He said it was crucial if Indonesia "wants to be a leader recognised by the international community," because Asean is the one domain where its leadership has been "naturally accepted".

"Indonesia's policy toward Asean is the backbone of our foreign policy, so we must continue to lead in the association," Djalal added.

In the context of Asean, Indonesia's leadership has been in the face of the ongoing crisis in Myanmar's Rakhine State, in which more than half a million people have already fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Free, active policy needed

Djalal also noted the importance of free, active and creative foreign policy for Indonesia to be a key player in global peace and cooperation efforts.

According to the seasoned diplomat, one of the challenges for the country's policy in the future will be "non-traditional issues" such as humanitarian crises.

FPCI is hosting its third Conference on Indonesian Foreign Policy (CIFP) in Jakarta tomorrow. The Jakarta Globe is one of the event's media partners.

The conference's 18 sessions will cover a range of topics, with Asean and globalisation as the main theme.

Participants will also discuss the South China Sea dispute and the regional influence of the world's powerful leaders – United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

One of the sessions will be devoted to the potential Indonesia's provincial and district leaders have to tap into international opportunities.

According to Dino, a survey conducted recently by FPCI revealed that so far only a few regions know how to capitalise on the country's position as one of the founders of Asean.

Source: https://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/10/20/jokowis-foreign-policy-becomes-more-visible-says-ex-envoy-to-us/

Infrastructure & development

Jokowi denies claim he becomes economic nationalist

Bloomberg - October 17, 2017

Rieka Rahadiana, Thomas Kutty Abraham and Rosalind Mathieson, Jakarta – Indonesia will turn to private investors for the hundreds of billions of dollars in investment needed to develop the archipelago's infrastructure and natural resources, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said, brushing off claims he was increasingly becoming an economic nationalist.

All major projects will be offered to the private sector, Jokowi, told Bloomberg Television's Haslinda Amin on Saturday in an interview on a hilltop overlooking the picturesque Lake Toba. Government companies would partner with private investors only if there wasn't enough interest among such players, with funding from the national budget the last resort, he said.

Halfway through his term in office, Jokowi is seeking to balance the need for more foreign investment with pressures at home to keep the economy, especially its mineral resources, in local hands. A dispute between the government and Freeport-McMoRan Inc. over the transfer of majority ownership of the US miner's Indonesian unit demonstrates that challenge, while also stoking concern that investors may turn their back on the country.

"Is Indonesia a protectionist? No. We are open for investors," Jokowi said in the interview. "We have cut the negative list to allow more foreign investors. It shows that Indonesia is open." Jokowi has attempted to wean the country off commodities and push investment in value-added manufacturing and services to emulate the success of countries like South Korea. He wants mining companies to build smelters rather than export raw commodities, and divest majority stakes in their businesses.

While that nationalist strategy may help his prospects of being re-elected, it's also undermining efforts to generate more jobs and boost growth. Newmont Mining and BHP Billiton pulled out of Indonesia in 2016, and DP World, the Dubai-owned company that operates ports from China to South America, said last month it won't renew a concession to jointly operate a terminal in the Southeast Asian nation beyond 2019 as conditions set by the government weren't favorable.

Budget pressure

With a legal cap on the fiscal deficit of 3 percent of gross domestic product, and revenues under pressure, Jokowi needs foreign investment to finance his ambitious infrastructure plan. The World Bank estimates Indonesia will need $500 billion over the next five years to build roads, ports and bridges.

While 5 percent economic growth is "good," the government will continue to pursue the 7 percent goal, Jokowi said. Faster growth was the best way to generate more jobs and increase per-capita income of the country's 260 million people, he said.

Jokowi, who completes three years in office this week, rode to power on a wave of political nationalism, pledging to renegotiate contracts with foreign companies. He recently ordered stricter enforcement of a policy requiring manufacturers use more local components, saying the rule was needed to reduce dependence on imports and encourage investment in factories.

At the same time, he's implemented some business reforms to lure investors. He's pledged a one-stop shop for approvals to speed up projects and allowed full foreign ownership of businesses, such as those operating toll roads, cold storage and cinemas.

Business reforms

That's helped Indonesia steadily improve its ranking on the World Bank's ease of doing business index – jumping 18 places to 91 this year. But regulations around land acquisition and permit processes continue to hold back investors, with only about a third of domestic and foreign investment pledges actually realized, according to government estimates.

Jokowi said the government isn't done with reforms yet and will review labor laws. "We will continue to have more sectors open for foreigners to invest their money in Indonesia," he said.

"Indeed, our focus is still on industry, manufacturing, film, theaters and creative industry. There are many and the most important is tourism, we will also open it."

After agreeing in August to hand over a controlling stake in its Grasberg mine to the government, Freeport has been at loggerheads with authorities over how to value the miner's Indonesian unit.

Jokowi said he expects to conclude a "win-win" deal with Freeport in three months. The wrangling over the ownership and license hasn't discouraged investors, he said, adding that foreign companies continue to make fresh investment in sectors including nickel.

Another possible deterrent to investment is the dominance of state-owned enterprises in the economy. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in July that Indonesia should lower its reliance on state firms to undertake projects and instead tap the private sector and foreign funds to finance them.

Jokowi said he's ordered the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry to shrink the number of public companies running everything from airlines to gasoline stations and salt factories to 130 from about 800 by merging some of them.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/17/jokowi-denies-claim-he-becomes-economic-nationalist.html

Analysis & opinion

Racial politics gaining resonance in Indonesia

Asia Times - October 19, 2017

John McBeth, Jakarta – As calculated as it may have been, newly-inaugurated Jakarta Governor Anies Baswaden has started off on just the wrong foot by re-igniting the religious and ethnic controversy which paved the way for his victory over Basuki "Ahok" Purnama, his ethnic Chinese-Indonesian predecessor currently serving jail time for alleged blasphemy.

In a prepared speech after he was sworn in by President Joko Widodo, the former education minister triggered a storm in the press and on social media by declaring it was time for pribumi (indigenous Indonesians) "to be the hosts in our own land."

With his supporters unfurling a banner reading "The success of Anies-Sandi (running mate Sandiaga Uno) is a Symbol of the Rise of the Muslim Pribumi," Baswaden, 48, who is of mixed Arabic blood, went on: "We worked hard to get rid of colonization and we must enjoy our freedom."

"It was clearly well-calculated, although I think he was surprised at the reaction he got," says one senior government official. "He has an ambition to be president, if not in 2019, then in 2024."

Critics say the overall implication of his statement was that anyone who isn't pribumi cannot call themselves Indonesian – this in a country whose national motto, effectively embodied in the Pancasila state ideology, is 'Unity in Diversity.'

But the logic behind the statement was also puzzling given the fact that the once-popular Purnama was the first ethnic-Chinese Christian among 18 mayors and governors who have led Jakarta dating back to the 1945 declaration of independence.

Baswaden and Uno won last April's election with a resounding 57.9% of the vote, well ahead of the 42% polled by Purnama and then-deputy governor Djarot Hidayat; following Purnama's conviction, Hidayat filled in as governor until the October 16 handover.

Although he alienated the poor by clearing riverbanks of slum dwellings that contributed to the city's perennial flood problems, Purnama was a popular and effective administrator who initiated live television coverage of town hall meetings to promote transparency.

In the end, however, the blasphemy charge was enough to bring him down. It was a telling lesson that, on contentious religious issues, many Muslims march in lock-step conformity with the views of conservative clerics in neighborhood mosques.

Once regarded as an enlightened reformist, the American-educated Baswaden has been a disappointment to Muslim pluralists and minority groups for the way he has played the Islamic card to further his political ambitions.

Whether it was his intention or not, his pribumi remark appears to keep alive a strategy that Purnama's rivals used during the Jakarta gubernatorial campaign and may employ again on a wider stage in the 2019 legislative and presidential elections.

Baswaden later struggled to explain that his statement should be seen in context, saying his use of the word pribumi was meant to be historical in nature and had no religious or racial connotation.

But critics asked whether the same excuse could be applied to Purnama's reference to a verse in the Koran, conservatively interpreted as meaning Muslims should not be ruled by non-Muslims, that ultimately cost him his freedom and last April's election.

Vice-President Jusuf Kalla came to Baswaden's defense, saying his critics shouldn't just isolate one word and extrapolate from there – even though a careful reading of the language shows the governor was speaking in the present tense.

But maritime coordinating minister Luhut Panjaitan, a Christian and Widodo's chief political adviser, reminded Baswaden he should be the leader of all Jakarta citizens, not just Muslims. "There should not be pribumi or non-pribumi," he said. "He must be governor to all ethnic groups."

Indonesia's political leaders, Widodo among them, continue to refer to pribumi despite then new president B J Habibie issuing a formal instruction in 1998 that the word should be avoided; the move came after bloody anti-Chinese riots that preceded ex-president Suharto's fall from power that same year.

Indonesians of mostly Yemeni ancestry make up about five million of the 264 million-strong population, compared to an official census of 2.8 million self-identified Indonesian-Chinese, although that number is probably a lot higher.

Ethnic Arabs aren't discriminated against, however, because they are invariably Muslim and do not command the same control over the national economy as the Chinese do, something that has long been a source of social friction.

Baswaden is the grandson of diplomat and freedom fighter Abdurrahman Baswaden, one of several notable Arab-Indonesians who include former foreign ministers Ali Alatas and Alwi Shihab and renowned Dutch-era painter Raden Saleh.

So-called Hadramis are also prominent in the Islamic extremist movement, among them Abu Bakar Bashir, spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network, and Muhammad Rizieq Shihab, self-exiled founder of the violent Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

What remains to be seen now is whether Baswaden continues to pander to his conservative Muslim supporters, perhaps seeing them as a way to broaden his base across the country and eventually take the same path as Widodo to the state palace.

Although he was supported by opposition leader Prabowo Subianto's Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the sharia-based Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) in the Jakarta election, he is still officially an independent and will need party backing to take his political career any further.

With Prabowo expected to run in 2019, Baswaden's long-term bet would seem to be PKS. But at this point Jakartans are more likely to judge him on how he manages the capital's 70 trillion rupiah (US$5.2 billion) annual budget and whether he fulfils his 23 campaign promises, including the creation of 200,000 new jobs.

Ironically, he stands to get some of the credit for the work done first by Widodo, during his two years as governor, and then by Purnama, in the construction of the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems, both of which come into operation in 2019.

Source: http://www.atimes.com/article/racial-politics-gaining-resonance-indonesia/


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