Richard Chauvel – Unless Indonesia addresses the failure of the social integration of Papua into Indonesia, the issue of Papua will end up at the United Nations.

This was the warning given on 28 September to an audience of senior policy makers and academics by Bambang Dharmono, the former head of the Yudhoyono-era Unit for the Accelerated Development of Papua and West Papua (UP4B).

The retired major general may not have known that two days earlier, Benny Wenda, on behalf of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), had handed a petition to the UN signed by 1.8 million Papuans and Indonesian settlers.

Dharmono's critique of government policies in Papua was consistent with the analysis in the Indonesian Institute of Science's (LIPI) revised "Papua Road Map". LIPI noted that Papua-based and diasporic resistance groups have become stronger and better coordinated in their struggle for a referendum and independence.

Since its establishment in 2015, the ULMWP has gained legitimacy as the representative of many pro-independence Papuans. Partly because of its lobbying, the issue of Papua has been frequently raised at regional meetings in the Pacific and at the UN.

The ULMWP petition read:

"We call on you to urgently address the human rights situation in West Papua and to review the UN's involvement in the administration of West Papua that led to its unlawful annexation by Indonesia – and the human rights abuse that continues today. We call upon you to: – appoint a Special Representative to investigate the human rights situation in West Papua; – put West Papua back on the Decolonisation Committee agenda and ensure our right to self?determination – denied to us in 1969 – is respected by holding an Internationally Supervised Vote (in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolutions 1514 and 1541 (XV)."

There is nothing new in the issues raised by this petition. Self-determination and human rights abuses have long been the key issues of Papuan international lobbying. The demand for self-determination rests on pro-independence Papuans' interpretation of Papua's integration into Indonesia during the 1960s. They claim this was illegitimate as Papuans were excluded from the negotiations.

The Papuan arguments about the history of integration are as well-established as the opposing arguments of the Indonesian government. These arguments are central to how Papuans think about the conflict and they provide much of the motivation for their struggle. However, it is the continuing reports of human rights abuses that resonate in international forums.

These reports highlight the securitisation of governance and failure to integrate Papuans into the Indonesian state. The importance of this petition is that it is the first occasion the ULMWP has attempted to provide physical evidence of popular support in Papua for its demand for self-determination and its allegations of human rights abuses.

The ULMWP claimed that the petition was signed by 1,804,421 people of a population of 3,612,854. How this number of signatures could be assembled under the watchful eyes of the Indonesian authorities invites some scepticism about the numbers.

But leaving aside the veracity of the numbers, one of the objectives of the petition was to distinguish itself, as an expression of popular opinion, from the 1969 Act of Free Choice, in which 1,026 government-selected Papuans voted unanimously for incorporation in Indonesia. It is as if the ULMWP petition was asking the UN to rectify its mistake in 1969, by giving Papuans a(nother) vote.

The number of indigenous signatories represents 70.9 per cent of the indigenous population of West Papua. However, the number of settler signatures claimed – 96,254 – represents a much smaller portion of the total number of settlers, which is 1,203,184. Given the difficult position of the settler communities in the Papua conflict, caught between the Indonesian government and the pro-independence Papuans, it is significant that the ULMWP collected any settler signatures at all.

Nevertheless, it raises the question of whether, in the eyes of pro-independence Papuans, settlers share in Papua's right of self-determination. If there were ever to be an "internationally supervised vote" would the non-Papuan residents, most of who have settled in Papua under Indonesian administration, have a vote?

As the LIPI analysis noted, the issue of Papua had been frequently raised at the UN in recent years. It was the numerous speeches of Pacific Island leaders in the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council that paved the way for the presentation of the ULMWP petition. The Pacific Island leaders' speeches have given pro-independence Papuans the voice at the UN they had previously lacked. These speeches have been an extension of pro-independence Papuan lobbying in the Pacific, focused on the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and Pacific Island Forum (PIF).

Indonesian diplomacy has been effective in blocking formal support from the two regional organisations for the ULMWP, but that has not prevented some Pacific Island leaders from raising the Papua issue at the UN. Given the lack of consensus about Papua in the MSG and PIF, both Papuan activists and sympathetic Pacific leaders realise that the issues can only be resolved at the UN.

It is unclear whether the ULMWP petition will open the way to further consideration of the Papua issue at the UN. Rafael Ramirez, Venezuelan diplomat and the chair of the UN's Special Committee on Decolonisation, explained that Papua was not an issue for the committee as its mandate only extended to the 17 regions identified by the UN as "non-self-governing territories". These do not include Papua.

Also, it is a principle of the UN to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its members, including Indonesia. Indonesia is a member and its permanent representative to the UN, Dian Triansyah Djani, is the vice-chair of the Committee, so it is in a strong position to thwart the ULMWP's objective to have Papua added to the list of non-self-governing territories.

Indonesia's responses to the speeches of Pacific Island leaders have been less effective. In the General Assembly sessions in 2016 and 2017, Indonesia exercised its right of reply to refute the accusations of human rights abuses made by Pacific Island leaders. In both years, articulate young diplomats have accused the Pacific Island leaders of violating the UN Charter and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Indonesia. Indonesia claimed Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands had been deceived by individuals with separatist agendas and were using the Papua issue to divert attention from their own domestic problems.

On 25 September, Ainan Nuran, the 3rd Secretary in the Indonesian mission to the UN, observed that with modern technology, people would know if abuses had really occurred. This is the crux of the problem for Indonesia now – for all the restrictions on press freedom and access for foreign correspondents, information about abuses in Papua still manages to reach the outside world.

Freddy Numberi, a former minister and former governor of Papua, observed in December 2016 that because human rights abuses had not been addressed effectively they had become the means to internationalise the issue of Papua. In May 2106, then Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political and Security Affairs Luhut Panjaitan announced that the government would establish a team to investigate five cases of human rights abuses. Unfortunately, Papuan human rights activist Mathius Murib, who agreed to cooperate with Luhut's team, reported recently that no significant progress had been made.

The credibility of Indonesian diplomats' presentations at the UN is undermined by continuing reports of human rights abuses by the security forces and by the inability or unwillingness of the Indonesian authorities to address past abuses.

While they might be popular at home, the presentations to the General Assembly of articulate young Indonesian diplomats like Nuran are no substitute for undertaking the much more difficult task of reforming the institutional culture of violence in the security forces and winding back the securitisation of Indonesian governance in Papua.

[Dr Richard Chauvel is an honorary fellow at the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne.]

Source: http://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/self-determination-and-rights-abuses-papua-petitions-the-un/

Gov't must address policy miscalculations on Papua: Report

Jakarta Globe - November 8, 2017

Jakarta – The Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, or IPAC, called out the Indonesian government's "policy miscalculations" on Papua, pointing to its failures in addressing past human rights violations and dysfunctional local elections.

This is despite the current administration's focus on economic development and conflict resolution in the poorest province in Indonesia.

"The basic conclusion is that there are so many actors with so many interests in Papua that any kind of policy coherence remains a distant dream," Sidney Jones, IPAC director, said in a statement.

Many of the government's policies on Papua, according to the report, were based on the assumption that economic interventions alone can address deep political grievances in the province.

The report found that independence movement in Papua has grown more active, in spite of the government's efforts to reduce the independence fighters' influence.

"Higher levels of income and education do not automatically mean greater loyalty to the Indonesian state," the report, released last week, said.

Although the government under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had understood it has to pay more attention to human rights issues to ensure the success of its policies in Papua, IPAC noted that senior staff underestimated "how complex and politicized the problem had become or how trivial some of its initiatives given the magnitude of what Papua had suffered in the past."

Outstanding human rights cases remain unsolved and little progress has been made since Jokowi set out to fulfill his promises to Papua as president, revealing another policy miscalculation that initially thought "addressing human rights in Papua would be relatively easy."

Papua suffers not only from past human rights violations, but ongoing issues of torture, excessive use of force, lack of accountability and restrictions on civil liberties, the report said.

At the 27th session of the United Nations Universal Periodic (UPR) Review in Geneva, Switzerland, in May, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the government is committed to resolve allegations of human rights abuses in Wamena, Wasior and Paniai in Papua after several countries voiced their concerns at the meeting.

In 2016, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said it had begun an investigation into a shooting incident in Paniai in Dec. 2014 that killed five civilians.

In 2003, Papua independence activists allegedly attacked a District Military Command (Kodim) in Wamena, which was swiftly followed by torture, murder and the burning of civilians' houses allegedly perpetrated by military officers in retaliation.

In June 2001, the killing of five Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers in Wasior led to the torture and murder of civilians that was allegedly committed by the police and the military.

In its report, IPAC recommended the government "force the Attorney-General's Office and Komnas HAM to work together" in cases of human rights abuses.

Election frauds

IPAC also highlighted the need for accurate statistics, which it argues will help solve the issue of fraudulent local elections.

"One critical step the Jokowi administration could take that could simultaneously help clean up Papua, reduce corruption and serve development goals would be to get an accurate head count of Papuans, including their places of origin," the report said.

In order to achieve this, IPAC recommended the appointment of a professional task force that is fully funded and free from political influence to undertake a special census, both in Papua and West Papua, and tasked to produce recommendations on "how to address inflated statistics and swollen voter rolls."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-must-address-policy-miscalculations-papua-report/

TNI deploys soldiers to hunt down armed assailants in Tembagapura

Jakarta Post - November 7, 2017

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has deployed two platoons as reinforcements to the police to hunt down armed assailants blamed for a recent series of attacks in the area.

Last week, an exchange of fire with unidentified gunmen on Utikini Bridge in Tembagapura resulted in the death of Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officer First. Brig. Berry Pramana Putra.

"Soldiers have been deployed to help the police. We want the perpetrators arrested," Cendrawasih Military Commander Maj. Gen. George Elnadus Supit said on Monday.

He said the assailant group consisted of 30 to 50 people, with half of them believed to be armed. He said the group often used civilians as "human shields."

"They also fraternize with residents. So, be patient, we need time. We don't want to be reckless. We don't want innocent people to become victims," George said.

Meanwhile, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar led a joint briefing in Timika, Mimika, Papua, on Monday, to launch a joint operation to hunt down the unidentified assailants.

"This operation is a state duty to safeguard the NKRI [Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia]. The operation focuses on tackling security disturbances that have seen victims from officers to civilians and mining workers in Tembagapura," Boy said.

"I hope this operation can be carried out with prudence, awareness, intelligence and respect for human rights," he added. (bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/07/tni-deploys-soldiers-to-hunt-down-armed-assailants-in-tembagapura.html

West Papuan refugees in PNG urged to register

Radio New Zealand International - November 7, 2017

West Papuan refugees in Papua New Guinea are being urged by the country's authorities to register for citizenship.

This week PNG's Immigation and Citizenship Service Authority appealed to all West Papuans living in the Niugini islands region to get in contact.

It's the latest stage in a project to register and formalise the status of all West Papuan refugees in PNG which has been underway almost three years.

There are an estimated 10,000 of the refugees living in PNG, most of whom fled from neighbouring Indonesia in a mass exodus in 1984.

Many of the refugees live in remote parts of PNG such as Western Province, the porous province abutting PNG's border with Indonesia's Papua region

As part of its project to update its database and register the refugees, the Authority has already covered Southern and Momase regions.

To date, over a thousand West Papuans have been granted PNG citizenship.

The authority is now trying to register as many West Papuans as possible in the Islands region, which includes Manus province where a number of the refugees have lived for four decades or more.

According to a spokesperson from the Authority, once refugees make contact for registration, they can then obtain citizenship.

Before 2014, the fee for West Papuans seeking PNG citizenship was 10,000 kina, but the government has since made it free for this group of people.

Citizenship status allows the refugees to have full rights and access to public services as other Papua New Guineans.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/343298/west-papuan-refugees-in-png-urged-to-register

Armed group set kiosks on fire in Papua

Jakarta Post - November 5, 2017

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – Civilians were reportedly on the receiving end of attacks by armed assailants who set kiosks on fire following attacks against security personnel around a mining area operated by PT Freeport Indonesia in Tembagapura, Mimika regency, Papua.

"Five kiosks owned by local people in Kampung Utikini were set ablaze by an armed group at 2 a.m. on Sunday," Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Cmr. Victor D Mackbon told journalists on Sunday.

There were no casualties as the owners had not been in theirs kiosks at that time, he added.

The arsons occurred just some 100 meters from the Tembagapura Police dormitory. The owners had left the scene on Oct. 24 following shots fired at an ambulance carrying a patient, a doctor and nurses from Utikini to Tembagapura Hospital, Victor said.

The arsons occurred just some 100 meters from the Tembagapura Police dormitory.The arsons occurred just some 100 meters from the Tembagapura Police dormitory. (Courtesy of Papua Police/file)

He added that, before the kiosks were set ablaze, an unidentified gunman had been seen crossing the street to the location, and not long after that the fire started.

A fire exchange reportedly took place between the assailants and members of the Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) during the blaze.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Cmr. AM Kamal said armed people had also opened fire on vehicles belonging to PT Freeport in the area between Mile 69 and Ridge Camp, hitting a windshield and a door. Only bulletproof vehicles pass the route after the incident.

A Brimob officer died in an exchange of fire with armed assailants, also in Utikini, in late October, amid escalated attacks in the mining area. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/05/armed-group-set-kiosks-on-fire-in-papua.html

International academics for West Papua to launch its European branch in

Tabloid JUBI - November 4, 2017

Nabire, Jubi – International Academics for West Papua (IAWP) is a network that was started in 2016 by a group of academics concerned about the ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua, will launch its European region branch this month.

The IAWP welcomes academics from all countries and all disciplines. The aim of the network is to express extreme concern about the prevalence of human rights abuses carried out by Indonesian security forces in West Papua. It was officially launched in the Australia-Pacific region on September 1 at the University of Sydney's conference, 'Beyond the Pacific: West Papua on the World Stage', hosted by the West Papua Project.

The ribbon was cut by West Papuan leader, Jacob Rumbiak, to an audience of Papuans and their international supporters. It also included and welcome the network's new patrons, Dr Benny Giay and Professor Noam Chomsky.

The European branch of the International Academics for West Papua is set to launch on Wednesday November 15 at the British Houses of Parliament in 4:30PM Grimond Room, Portcullis House.

The branch will be launched during an introductory meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on West Papua, a cross-party group of MPs and Lords which seeks to promote West Papuan self-determination and human rights at a high political level.

The launch will feature talks from several academics and researchers on issues from British foreign policy in West Papua to the thorny issue of a proposed independence referendum. It will be joined by parliamentarians, activists, journalists and legal professionals. Below is IAWP official open letter launched in September 2016, as well as it platform of foundation:

Open letter to the Government of Indonesia

We academics from around the world express extreme concern about the prevalence of human rights abuses carried out by Indonesian security forces in West Papua. Since 1969, the Indonesian army has routinely fired into non-violent demonstrations, burned down villages and tortured civilian activists and bystanders.

Despite being routinely barred from the provinces, independent observers like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Tapol have all documented severe and endemic human rights violations by Indonesia across West Papua. Indonesian special forces and counter-terrorism units like Kopassus and Detachment 88 – trained by Western countries – are implicated in beatings, extra judicial assassinations and mass killings. Such a heavy military presence, combined with racism and structural economic discrimination against the indigenous Papuan population, can only result in conflict and abuse.

We therefore call upon the government of Indonesia and our own governments to take urgent and effective action to ensure that:

The Indonesian military swiftly withdraws from West Papua and that Indonesia demilitarise the region as a first step towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict;
Indonesia releases political prisoners and allows international media, NGOs and observers into West Papua;
The international community takes a firm stance on human rights abuses in West Papua and calls for Indonesia to respect the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Indonesia is a party;
Military and police training and arms exports for Indonesia are terminated until human rights abuses in West Papua cease, including Australian, American, British, Canadian, Dutch, New Zealand, training and funding of the Indonesian police's counter-terrorism unit, Detachment 88, at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation;
Indonesia and the International Community recognize the historic injustice of the 1969 'Act of Free Choice', by which the population of West Papua was denied its right to self determination and coerced into joining Indonesia, and that they take steps to address the historic injustice in a manner supported by the majority of Papuans.

Signed by:

Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritis, MIT
Michael Webb, Lecturer, University of Sydney
Camellia Webb-Gannon, Research Fellow, Western Sydney University
Helen Gardner, Associate Professor, Deakin University
Grant McCall, Affiliate, University of Sydney
Nicholas Lawrence, Associate Professor, University of Warwick
Marcus Campbell, University of Sydney
Stephen Hill, Emeritus Professor, University of Wollongong
Julian McKinlay King, Researcher, West Papua Project, University of Sydney
Thomas Petersson, Senior Lecturer, Malardalen University
Robert Amery, Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide
Grant Walton, ANU
Selogadi Mampane, Part-time Lecturer, Vega University
Cornelis Mara, University of Papua
Megan Williams, Senior Lecturer, UTS
Michael Atkins, Lecturer, City of Bristol College
Vivienne Yeki, Teacher, Christchurch Teachers College
Adeline Cooke, Visiting Lecturer, University of Central Lancashire

Source: http://academicsforpapua.orgEditor: Zely Ariane

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/international-academics-west-papua-launch-european-branch-britain/

Indonesian air force to deploy squadron of fighter jets in Biak

Antara News - November 1, 2017

Biak, Papua – The Indonesian Air Force plans to deploy a squadron of fighter jets in the Manuhua Airbase in Biak Numfor district, Papua province, next year after its status has been upgraded to type A from type B.

"Biak will have a squadron of fighter jets. The plan has been incorporated to the TNI (National Defense Forces) chief's program. The program has been notified to Manuhua Airbase," Commander of the Manuhua Air Force Base, Colonel Fajar Adriyanto, said after a get-together with religious figures and journalists at Gunadi Angkasa building on Tuesday.

The presence of fighter jets at the airbase is expected to strengthen state security defense particularly in the Indonesian eastern provinces of Papua and West Papua, he said.

He said the Air Force has made preparations including facilities and infrastructures for the operation of the squadron of fighter jets.

"The Manuhua Air Force Base in Biak has been equipped with apron facility for fighter jets. All the facilities can be used now," he said.

He expressed hope that the squadron of fighter jets, coupled with Air Force personnel including those from Manuhua airbase, Air Force Special Troops of Command Battalion No 464 and Radar Unit No 242 will strengthen security and surveillance of air space in Papua and West Papua provinces.

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/113287/indonesian-air-force-to-deploy-squadron-of-fighter-jets-in-biak

Labour & migrant workers

Government to intensify job creation in 2018

Jakarta Post - November 6, 2017

Jakarta – The government is to intensify its labor programs next year in 100 regencies and cities in its effort to boost job creation, kontan.co.id reported on Monday.

The program will be undertaken by a number of ministries, including the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, and the Transportation Ministry.

Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Putro Sandjojo has said that 30 percent of the ministry's Rp 60 trillion (US$4.44 billion) budget would be allocated for its labor intensification program, which was expected to create 5.7 million jobs.

Meanwhile, the Public Works and Housing Ministry will disburse Rp 11.2 trillion to create an estimated 236,656 jobs.

"Each worker will receive Rp 3.314 million per month, which will be paid weekly or monthly," Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono was quoted by kontan.co.id on Monday.

Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said his ministry would allocate 7 percent of its Rp 48 trillion budget for the labor intensification program.

He said most new workers would be employed in the airport construction and expansion projects. "Airport projects create many jobs, because there will be land clearing work and also construction work," Budi Karya said on Sunday.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said the government would issue a joint regulation for ministries that will be participating in the labor intensification program. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/06/govt-to-intensify-job-creation-in-2018.html

Number of unemployed rises to 7.04 million

Jakarta Post - November 6, 2017

Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has recorded an increase in the number of unemployed people to 7.04 million in August, 2017, up from 7.03 million in the same month last year.

BPS head Suhariyanto said the rise in the number of unemployed people was caused by the emergence of new job seekers. "In one year, the number of unemployed people increased by 10,000, to 7.04 million," he said in Jakarta on Monday

Meanwhile, the open unemployment rate had decreased to 5.5 percent in August, 2017 from 5.61 percent in the same month last year.

"The number of new job seekers is recorded at 3 million per year. The number of workers and jobless people will always increase in line with the growing population," he said, adding that the most important thing was that the open unemployment rate decreased.

BPS also recorded that 11.41 percent of senior high school graduates are unemployed, the largest percentage among other school/university graduates.

BPS recorded that the number of employed people reached 128.06 million in August 2017, compared to 125.44 million in August 2016. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/06/number-of-unemployed-rises-to-7-04-million.html

Said Iqbal now says Ahok was 'a better protector of the people' than new

Kompas.com - November 2, 2017

David Oliver Purba, Jakarta – Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) president Said Iqbal says that former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok had far more courage in setting the provincial minimum wage (UMP) than the current Jakarta governor and deputy governor, Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno.

"It turns out that Ahok had far more courage and was a better protector of the people in setting the UMP compared with [the new Jakarta governor and deputy governor] Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno who prefer to make loose promises", said Iqbal in a written statement received by Kompas.com on Thursday November 2.

Iqbal said that in determining the Jakarta UMP for 2016, Ahok did not use calculations based on Government Regulation Number 78/2015 on Wages (PP No 78). Ahok instead raised the 2016 UMP by 14.8 percent, yet if he had used the PP No 78 the increase would have been only around 10.8 percent.

Ahok, according to Iqbal, used the PP No 78 when setting the 2017 Jakarta UMP at 3.3 million rupiah a month. Baswedan also used the PP No 78 when setting the 2018 UMP which became 3.6 million rupiah, an increase of around 8.71 percent.

Setting the UMP, he continued, should not be based on PP No 78 but Law Number 13/2003 on Labour (UU No 13/2003).

The calculation of the UMP according to PP No 78 is based on inflation and economic growth, while the calculation of the UMP according to UU No 13/2003 is based on the reasonable living cost index (KHL), inflation and economic growth.

If it was based on this formulation, said Iqbal, a reasonable UMP for Jakarta would be 3.9 million.

"So (Anies-Sandi) lied and broke their own promises in the political contract which they both officially signed with workers that make up the Jakarta Labour Coalition", said Iqbal.

Baswedan and Uno signed a political contract with workers during the 2017 Jakarta regional election. In the political contract it stated that there was an agreement that Baswedan and Uno would not set the Jakarta UMP based on PP No 78.

On the other hand, Iqbal said that Ahok and Baswedan both prioritise the interests of employers rather than workers.

Notes

KSPI president Said Iqbal, who supported former Special Forces (Kopassus) commander retired General Prabowo Subianto's failed 2014 presidential bid, also supported the Prabowo backed Baswedan-Uno ticket in the 2017 Jakarta regional elections. In late 2016 the KSPI leadership setup a coalition of workers in the form of the Indonesian Labour Movement (GPI) and the Indonesian Muslim Workers' Movement (GMPI) in order to take part the anti-Ahok demonstrations by hard-line Muslim groups known as the Defend Islam Actions, which eventually saw Ahok being charged and later jailed for blasphemy and loosing the election to Baswedan.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Said Iqbal: Ternyata Ahok Jauh Lebih Ksatria Ketimbang Anies-Sandi".]

Source: http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2017/11/02/18545951/said-iqbal-ternyata-ahok-jauh-lebih-ksatria-ketimbang-anies-sandi

Anies broke promise on minimum wage: Labor unions

Jakarta Post - November 2, 2017

Jakarta – Labor unions have expressed their disappointment over the city's 2018 provincial minimum wage (UMP) that is even lower than promised.

The Jakarta administration has set the UMP at Rp 3.6 million (US$265) on Wednesday, lower than the Rp 3.9 million, which the labor unions demanded. On Tuesday, Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno promised that the figure would be the midpoint between those demanded by the two parties.

The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) said the wage was set based on Government Regulation (PP) No. 78/2015. This was not in line with the campaign promise by newly elected Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, said KSPI chief Kahar S. Cahyono.

"When Anies ran for the election, he made a political contract with labor unions, promising not to set UMP based on the government regulation. We are disappointed with Anies and Sandi," Kahar told kompas.com on Thursday.

During the campaign, he explained, Anies promised to set the wage in accordance with Law No. 13/2003, which measures wages based on basic cost of living, inflation and economic growth. Meanwhile, the PP 78/2015 only measured it from inflation and economic growth.

On Wednesday, Anies set the UMP at Rp 3.6 million, 8.71 percent higher than the city's minimum wage this year.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/02/anies-broke-promise-on-minimum-wage-labor-unions.html

Jakarta sets 2018 minimum wage at Rp 3.6 million

Jakarta Post - November 1, 2017

Jakarta – The city administration reached a decision on Wednesday to set the provincial minimum wage at Rp 3.6 million (US$265). The figure is 8 percent higher than last year's minimum wage of Rp 3.3 million.

"Workers will enjoy the raise, while businessmen will not bear a heavy burden given recent sluggish economic conditions," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said on Wednesday.

Labor unions previously demanded a minimum wage of Rp 3.9 million based on calculations that took into account the basic cost of living (KHL), while businesses asked for Rp 3.6 million.

"We hope all parties can accept this, and we believe that amid sluggish economy growth, [the new minimum wage] can help both workers and businessmen keep the wheels of economy moving," Anies added. (vny/wnd)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/jakarta-sets-2018-minimum-wage-at-rp-3-6-million.html

Freedom of speech & expression

Indonesian Instagrammer faces prison time for meme

Human Rights Watch Dispatches - November 8, 2017

Andreas Harsono – Dyann Kemala Arrizzqi's Instagram feed is filled with her travel photos, demonstrations of her prowess at traditional Balinese dance poses, and wry memes. But now the content of her Instagram feed may get her sent to an Indonesian prison.

That's because police in Jakarta arrested her last week for posting an Instagram meme in September that purportedly violates the defamation article of Indonesia's Internet Law and the Criminal Code, which allows for prosecution under criteria including "ruining one's good name."

The meme in question was a photoshopped picture of Setya Novanto, the speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives and chairman of the powerful Golkar party, showing him in a hospital bed hooked up to a respirator and heart monitor.

The Novanto meme is one of several that have circulated on social media in Indonesia that publicly ridicule the speaker's reaction to corruption allegations leveled against him involving a massive graft case concerning US$175 million of lost state revenues.

Suggesting that Novanto was unfit to be the target of the corruption probe, Golkar circulated a photo of him in a hospital bed suffering from apparent heart and kidney problems. That initial image has now sparked a host of copycat memes mocking the speaker.

Although a Jakarta court dismissed the corruption charges against Novanto last month, he has continued to respond to these memes by reporting a total of 68 Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter account holders for criminal defamation, including Arrizzqi. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison. Police have yet to file charges against other individuals who Novanto has reported.

Criminal defamation laws have a chilling effect on people's willingness to express critical thoughts or opinions, particularly when the wealthy or powerful are implicated – and this has long been the case in Indonesia.

While international human rights law permits governments to restrict freedom of expression to protect the reputation of others, these restrictions must be both necessary and narrowly defined. Arrizzqi's prosecution for criminal defamation is an entirely disproportionate punishment for the alleged harm to the speaker's reputation, and Novanto should be the first to recognize this.

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/11/08/indonesian-instagrammer-faces-prison-time-meme

IT Ministry and free speech advocates argue against Setya Novanto's

Coconuts Jakarta - November 3, 2017

News that the Jakarta police had arrested a woman on Tuesday for allegedly spreading "defamatory" memes about House Speaker Setya Novanto, who is infamous for dodging corruption charges throughout his career, is being seen not only as an attempt by a powerful politician to silence his critics but also as a chilling attack on the freedom of speech for all Indonesians.

Dyann Kemala Arrizzqi, a 29-year-old woman and member of the Indonesian Solidarity Party, was arrested by the police on Tuesday evening for spreading humorous memes critical of Setya. Although Dyann has since been released from detainment, she could still potentially face up to six years in jail for violating Indonesia's draconian Law on Information and Electronic Transactions (UU ITE) which criminalizes the creation or dissemination of any information that could be considered defamatory or insulting (to anybody) online.

Although UU ITE has been used frequently in the past by politicians and other elites to attack their critics, Setya's reporting of Dyann, as well as the owners of 32 other social media accounts that spread memes about him, might represent the most simultaneously frivolous and frightening use of the law yet.

SAFEnet, an NGO that works to protect freedom of speech in Indonesia, issued a press release today demanding that the police immediately stop persecuting the meme-spreaders and for Setya's lawyers to revoke their report.

While UU ITE is meant to prevent the spread of hate speed and slander, freedom of speech laws in Indonesia should still protect the right of people to make legitimate criticisms and satire. SAFEnet's coordinator, Damar Juniarto, argued that the memes, in this case, represented legitimate criticism of Setya, as they pertained to his avoidance of questioning by authorities over his role in the massive e-KTP graft scandal and his history of avoiding corruption charges despite overwhelming evidence.

"The distribution (of the memes) can not be separated from the context of the widespread public anger over the legal proceedings in the e-KTP mega corruption case which allegedly involves Setya Novanto. Instead of meeting the call (to be questioned by officials), Setya Novanto suddenly became sick and did not answer their call," Damar said as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

Erasmus Napitupul, an activist at the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR), also said that the police acting on Setya's report would frighten the public into not speaking out against politicians. "It creates a climate of fear and people are afraid to criticize (officials)," Erasmus said as quoted by Kompas.

Even the Communication and Information Technology Ministry (Menkominfo), which is charged with upholding many aspects of UU ITE, disagrees with Setya and the police in terms of whether the memes in question constitute a violation of the law.

Henri Subiakto, who works as an advisor at Menkominfo, said the memes could not be considered a form of defamation but would instead be classified as satire.

"(These memes) are satire and can be considered expressions of opinion. If, for example, they explicitly accused (Setya) of avoiding questioning because he was afraid of getting caught for his crime, that could be considered a (defamatory accusation)," Henri said on Thursday as quoted by Jawa Pos. "If it's just for satire, for fun, then that falls under freedom of expression," he added.

Despite the public outcry against the arrest, members of Setya's Golkar Party are steadfast in their support for the House Speaker's war on mean memes.

"If (making memes) becomes the habit of all Indonesians, it means we must live amongst those memes. How are the people supposed to live like that?" asked Golkar Secretary General Idrus Marham yesterday as quoted by Kompas.

We'd ask, how are people supposed to live when they're so frightened of criticizing political elites that they can't even hit the share the button on a silly meme?

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/ministry-free-speech-advocates-argue-setya-novantos-criminalization-memes/

House Speaker Setya Novanto, infamous for dodging corruption charges,

Coconuts Jakarta - November 2, 2017

The photo purporting to show Setya Novanto receiving intensive care at Jatinegara Premier Hospital spawned a meme that has now led to at least one arrest.

While Indonesia's speaker of the house, Setya Novanto has been implicated for his alleged involvement in numerous major corruption cases throughout his political career, he has always managed to escape the charges and has never even been arrested.

Which is just one of the many differences between Setya and Dyann Kemala Arrizqi, a 29-year-old woman who did get arrested yesterday by the Jakarta Police for having allegedly created and spread "defamatory" memes about the senior Golkar politician.

One of the memes in question is based on a photo of Setya lying in a hospital bed that was shared by Golkar members in early October as to refute allegations that the house speaker had avoided questioning by the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) for his involvement in the massive e-KTP graft case by faking illness.

Many netizens found aspects of the photo to be... suspicious. For example, the EKG machine next to him shows a flat heart rate, which seemed to suggest he had no heartbeat or wasn't hooked up to the machine. People began making fun of the photo by altering the picture, spawning a meme that quickly grew viral.

Although Setya never publicly responded to the meme at the time, we have now learned that he actually hired several lawyers on October 3 to file police reports on his behalf against people who made and spread the memes for violating the country's draconian Law on Information and Electronic Transactions (UU ITE) which criminalizes the creation or dissemination of any information that could be considered defamatory or insulting (to anybody) online.

Dyann's arrest was based on a report filed by Fredrich Yunadi, one of Setya's attorneys, on October 10. It alleges that she spread a number of pictures and videos defamatory to the House Speaker through Instagram and other social media networks on October 7. One of the memes shown by police shows Setya's in his hospital bed, but with his head replaced with that of Bane, the villain from The Dark Knight Rises.

It turns out that Dyann is a member of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), a young political party that has anti-corruption as one of its major platforms and whose members have been outspoken in its criticism against Setya. Police say that Dyann has confessed to spreading the memes but did it just for fun and not for profit or at the request of other political actors.

Police have said that reports against several other individuals were also filed by Setya's lawyers but Dyann is the only one who has been named a suspect. In total, Setya's lawyers brought 60 memes as evidence against Dyann and the others. Dyann could potentially face up to six years in jail if found guilty.

After avoiding questioning with his meme-spawning medical excuse, Setya was eventually named a suspect by the KPK in the e-KTP case but was able to win a pretrial motion that effectively nullified his suspect status, leading to another meme, #ThePowerofSetNov, created by netizens both awed and frustrated by his power to seemingly avoid any and all corruption charges.

The KPK has indicated that they would try to have Setya named a suspect again, possibly using FBI documents that allege the house speaker asked for a bribe from an e-KTP case witness who later committed suicide (after telling the media that his life was threatened due to his involvement in the case). But at the moment, they're having difficulty even getting Setya to show up for further questioning.

The e-KTP graft case is only the latest instance of Setya dodging corruption charges. He famously was forced to step down as House speaker in 2015 after he was recorded allegedly misusing President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's names to try and secure shares for himself in contract re-negotiations with PT Freeport Indonesia. Setya not only avoided any criminal charges but he was reinstated as house speaker by Golkar last year.

There are too many other cases of Setya's alleged corruption to mention here so we'll just point you to the Wikipedia article.

What does it say about the state of justice in Indonesia when a politician like Setya can continue to act the way he does with impunity, while somebody who makes a meme about him gets arrested immediately? You tell us.

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/setya-novanto-infamous-dodging-corruption-charges-gets-woman-arrested-defamatory-memes/

Police arrest woman accused of spreading Setya's hospital photo

Jakarta Post - November 2, 2017

Jakarta – Police have arrested a woman suspected of distributing online content deemed defamatory to House of Representatives Speaker and Golkar chairman Setya Novanto.

Head of the Jakarta Police's cybercrime division, Sr. Comr. Asep Safrudin, said that the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Dyann Kemala Arrizqi, had been charged under the Information Technology Law (ITE) law.

"She is currently being questioned. So far, she said that she had been playing around when uploading the photo on social media," Asep said as quoted by kompas.com.

In early October, a photo of Setya lying on a hospital bed began circulating online and soon went viral on social media, with creative meme makers quick to add deriding captions. Netizens also pointed to a number of oddities in how Setya had posed for the shot.

Many focused on the electrocardiogram machine in the left-hand corner of the photo. The device measures a patient's heart beat, but the one in the picture revealed a flatline – which indicates the patient is already dead.

Setya's lawyers filed a complaint against Dyann to the Jakarta Police on Oct. 10, claiming that she had distributed defamatory materials online. On Wednesday, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) issued a statement that Dyann was one of its members, who was based in Tangerang, Banten.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/police-arrest-woman-accused-of-spreading-setyas-hospital-photo.html

Political parties & elections

Agus Yudhoyono continues political safari, meets with Prabowo

Jakarta Post - November 1, 2017

Jakarta – Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the son of former president and Democratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, continued his trip to meet senior figures in an attempt to gain support and possible political alliances.

Agus paid a visit to Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto at the latter's private residence in Kertanegara, South Jakarta, on Tuesday evening, or one week after he met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla in Makassar, South Sulawesi, last Friday.

Democratic Party Deputy Secretary-General Rachland Nashidik said Prabowo and Agus talked about geopolitical issues in their one-and-a-half-hour meeting.

He added that they also discussed the situation in Indonesia, which many people say is in dire need of a leader who can embrace all societal elements and is not selfish.

"Both of them specifically discussed the idea of a leader who can unite different political views in the country's democracy," said Rachland, as quoted by kompas.com. "They also prayed and wished for the health and success of each other," he said.

Many political experts believe that Agus' political maneuver was part of a scheme to enter bigger political competitions in the near future, after he was defeated in this year's Jakarta gubernatorial election. (foy/ebf)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/agus-yudhoyono-continues-political-safari-meets-with-prabowo.html

Surveys & opinion polls

Consumer trust weakens in October: Bank Indonesia

Jakarta Post - November 7, 2017

Jakarta – A recent Bank Indonesia survey shows that consumer trust has weakened in October due to a perceived decrease in jobs, declining incomes and continuing poor economic condition in the coming six months, Antara reported on Monday.

Monday's announcement of the survey results shows that the consumer trust index in October fell by 3.1 points month on month to 120.7 points. The survey involved 4,600 households in 18 cities.

"Eleven cities saw weaker consumer trust. The worst were Ambon and Mataram," the central bank said in a statement, reported Antara. The statement also noted that although consumer trust had weakened, it remained within optimistic levels.

As for the economy, BI found that consumer perception had weakened across nearly all indexes: the employment index fell by 5.8 points and the income index declined by 0.1 point, particularly among respondents with monthly incomes between Rp 1 million (US$74) and Rp 3 million.

The central bank also found that consumers also tended to avoid spending on secondary goods like electronics, furniture and other household items.

Meanwhile, consumer expectation in the next six months to April 2018 also fell by 3.4 points, as reflected in weakened expectation across all indexes: employment, business and income. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/07/consumer-trust-weakens-in-october-bank-indonesia.html

One in five Indonesian students support Islamic caliphate: Survey

Reuters - November 2, 2017

Jakarta – Nearly 20 percent of high school and university students in Indonesia support the establishment of a caliphate in the world's largest Muslim-majority country over the current secular government, a new survey showed this week.

Indonesia has in recent years seen its long-standing reputation for religious tolerance come under scrutiny as hardline Islamic groups muscle their way into public and political life in the young democracy.

The vast majority of Indonesians practice a moderate form of Islam and the country has sizeable minorities of Hindus, Christians, and people who adhere to traditional beliefs. Religious diversity is enshrined in its constitution.

The survey by a Jakarta-based organization polled over 4,200 Muslim students, mostly in top schools and universities on Java island, home to over half the country's population. Nearly one in four students said they were, to varying degrees, ready to wage jihad to achieve a caliphate.

"This indicates that intolerant teachings have already entered top universities and high schools," pollster Alvara, which carried out the survey, said in its report released Tuesday.

"The government and moderate Islamic organizations must start taking tangible steps to anticipate this and be present in student circles with language that is easy for them to understand," the report added. Hardline Islamic groups late last year led mass street rallies against Jakarta's former governor, a Christian, whom they believed had insulted Islam. They eventually succeeded in derailing Basuki Tjahaja Purnama's re-election bid in April this year, and he was subsequently jailed for blasphemy. The ruling was criticized globally as unjust.

Groups like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) call for sharia law to be imposed on the country and believe its leaders should only be Muslim.

The survey showed that the vast majority of students disagree with the establishment of an Islamic caliphate and violence.

But authorities have repeatedly warned against the creeping influence of radical Islamic thought among student organizations and in campus activities.

President Joko Widodo and his government are trying to contain the rising influence of hairline groups, especially in universities and Islamic boarding schools.

A presidential decree banning any civil organizations deemed to go against the country's secular state ideology was approved by parliament last month. Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a largely peaceful organization that calls for the establishment of a caliphate in Indonesia, was the first group to be disbanded under the decree.

President Widodo has made several speeches at Islamic boarding schools around the country emphasizing Indonesia's diversity and the importance of national unity.

In September, Widodo called at a conference of around 3,000 university rectors for the promotion of the country's secular ideology, 'Pancasila', in education.

[Reporting by Jessica Damiana and Jakarta bureau; Additional reporting and writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Michael Perry.]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-islam-radicalism/one-in-five-indonesian-students-support-islamic-caliphate-survey-idUSKBN1D20KW?rpc=401&

Internet & social media

Personal data protection bill 'priority' for House, ministry claims

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2017

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – The Communications and Information Ministry will urge the House of Representatives to pass the personal data protection bill as the latter has listed it in its 2018 national priority legislation program (Prolegnas), the ministry's highest ranking official said.

"The House has confirmed that the bill, which was initiated by the ministry, is prioritized for deliberation and has been included in next year's Prolegnas," said the ministry's director general for post and informatics technology, Ahmad Ramli, on Tuesday.

The bill has been in the 2015-2019 Prolegnas since 2016, but there has been no progress in the deliberation of the draft law.

Concerns about personal data security has emerged recently after the government required every prepaid mobile phone subscriber to register their number using their family card (KK) and resident identity number (NIK). Resident IDs hold several sensitive personal data including fingerprints and mothers' maiden names.

Activists, who criticized the requirement, said Indonesia does not have laws regulating the protection of personal data in the electronic system and the only policy regarding the matter had been a 2016 ministerial regulation.

The government dismissed these concerns and said there were regulations guaranteeing the security of the civil registry data.

"Six articles in the 2013 Civil Registry Law have ensured security, with the maximum punishment for any parties convicted of abusing the data being 10 years imprisonment, a Rp 1 billion [US$73,893] fine and termination of cooperation agreement," the Home Affairs Ministry's director general of population and civil registration, Zudan Arif Fakrulloh, said. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/08/personal-data-protection-bill-priority-for-house-ministry-claims.html

High-school students uninstall WhatsApp over pornography fears

Detik News - November 7, 2017

Yakub Mulyono, Jember – Hundreds of students from the Muhammadiyah 5 Vocational High School (SMK) in Jember, East Java, have uninstalled WhatsApp (WA) from their mobile phones as a form of protest because WA can access content that contains pornography.

Before uninstalling WA, the students gathered on the school grounds and held up posters slamming pornographic content on WA and urging the students to delete the application.

"We and all of our friends have agreed to uninstall this application because we are afraid of unintentionally seeing things that we shouldn't see", one of the students Hani Olivia told journalists on Tuesday November 7.

According the Computer Technology and Networking vocational student, she found out that WA has pornographic contents from reports in the media. After checking, it turned out that the reports were indeed true. In the end she and her friends agreed to uninstall the application from their phones.

"We deleted it immediately. We only found out that there was improper content from media reports", said Hani.

SMK Muhammadiyah 5 Jember school principle Abduroziq supported his student's actions and along with other teachers at the school also uninstalled WA from their mobile phones.

According to Abduroziq, they agreed they would only use WA again when the content that smacks of pornography is removed. "Up until now there is still content in it that smacks of pornography, so we won't be using WA", he asserted.

Abduroziq also hopes that policy makers will take immediate action because there are already more than 1 billion users of the WA application.

"Many of these of course are children. If there is pornographic content, it could poison their minds", he said. (iwd/iwd)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Tolak Konten Porno, Pelajar di Jember Hapus Aplikasi WA".]

Source: https://news.detik.com/msite/berita-jawa-timur/d-3716871/tolak-konten-porno-pelajar-di-jember-hapus-aplikasi-wa

After WhatsApp threat, Indonesia steps up Internet obscenity purge

Reuters - November 6, 2017

Cindy Silviana, Jakarta – Indonesia said on Tuesday it will summon executives of messaging services and search engines, including Google, to demand they remove obscene content, but dropped a threat to block WhatsApp Messenger after "GIF" images were taken off the service.

The Internet is already partly censored in Indonesia, but the latest steps mark an escalation against a background of growing conservatism in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

"We will call all providers, including Google to clean up their network," said Semuel Pangerapan, a director general at Indonesia's communication and informatics ministry.

Google, which is owned by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ministry vowed on Monday to block Facebook Inc's (FB.O) WhatsApp Messenger within 48 hours if the service did not ensure that obscene Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) images were removed.

WhatsApp said on Monday that message encryption prevented it from monitoring the animated graphics files, known as GIFs, that are available on the app through third-party services.

It said it had asked the government instead to work with those providers, which integrate their technology into WhatsApp to allow users to enter keywords to search for GIFs.

Tenor Inc, one of the third parties, said on Tuesday it had "already implemented a fix for the content issues".

Users of Whatsapp Messenger on iPhones were unable to access Tenor GIFs on Tuesday. "We see now that they have done what we asked," Pangerapan said. "Therefore, we won't block them because they have responded to us."

WhatsApp Messenger is widely used in Indonesia. Civil servants and ministers, including Minister of Communication and Information Rudiantara, are among the heaviest users. Giphy Inc., a New York City GIFs company that also works with WhatsApp, did not respond to requests for comment. Giphy offers partners a feature to filter inappropriate images.

Indonesia's warning did not appear to target Gboard, a keyboard app developed by Google that provides comparable GIF search results but must be installed separately from WhatsApp on most devices.

Rudiantara has vowed in the past to clamp down on pornography sites and, after meetings with representatives of Google, Twitter Inc and Facebook in August, he said his ministry's priority was to protect Indonesians from content that promoted radicalism, terrorism and drugs.

Rudiantara, who uses one name, said however that the government was not trying to foster "a regime of censorship".

Netizens skeptical

Indonesia blocks access to websites offering criticism of Islam, dating services and sex education, research published in May by Tor Project, a non-profit maker of Web browsing tools, showed.

Indonesia had 69 million monthly active Facebook users by the first quarter of 2014, ranking it fourth globally after the United States, India and Brazil, company data showed.

Some reaction on Indonesian social media to the threatened block of WhatsApp was skeptical.

"While you're at it, why don't you block Twitter too, (and) if necessary all browsers in the Playstore, because it's way easier to search for porn there than on WhatsApp," wrote one Twitter user, with the handle @jnessy.

The country's regulators have reached settlements with several technology companies after threatening to shut them down. In August, Indonesia announced it would block Giphy's website for showing gambling-related ads. Access was soon restored after it agreed to cooperate with regulators.

Bans were similarly rescinded in recent years on social media websites, such as Tumblr, and the chat app Telegram, which regulators had said was "full of radicals and terrorist propaganda."

The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) had urged the communications ministry to block pornographic GIF images accessible via emoticons, complaining that children could easily reach them, according to news website kompas.com. Terms of use for WhatsApp, Tenor and Giphy specify users must be at least 13.

[Writing by Ed Davies and John Chalmers; Editing by Clarence Fernandez.]

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-whatsapp-indonesia/after-whatsapp-threat-indonesia-steps-up-internet-obscenity-purge-idUKKBN1D615J

Ministry urged to block lewd content on WhatsApp

Jakarta Post - November 6, 2017

Jakarta – The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) has called on the Communications and Information Ministry to block access to lewd GIF images on WhatsApp.

The request was made regarding content accessible via emoticons on the popular instant messaging app.

"The YLKI is urging the ministry to take measures to stop the spread of the pornographic content," said YLKI executive director Tulus Abadi as quoted by kompas.com on Monday.

He said the issue should not be left unresolved because it could have negative impacts, especially on minors who inadvertently see some of the inappropriate content, he went on.

"This is really not positive for the development of children and teenagers," said Tulus.

With certain key words, users can easily find lewd pictures. GIF content is in form of moving pictures usually provided by third parties. (agn/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/06/ministry-urged-to-block-lewd-content-on-whatsapp.html

Six thousand sites blocked for carrying negative contents

Antara News - November 5, 2017

Painan, W Sumatra – The Communication and Information Ministry has blocked some 6 thousand sites containing negative contents, including radicalism, communism, and pornography last year, an official said.

"At the end of 2016, we blocked 800 sites with negative contents. In total, we have blocked 6 thousand sites," Gun Gun Siswadi, a member of the communication and information ministers expert staff, stated in a public discussion forum here on Saturday.

After all, other sites with negative contents still emerge, he noted. "In this regard, the active role of parents is needed to supervise their children," he added.

In the era of globalization, everything can be accessed through mobile phones or computer sets. Hence, supervision is an effective step to anticipate the impact of the sites with negative contents, he remarked.

In addition to supervising children, the public can protect themselves from becoming targets of the sites with negative contents, he explained.

He further called on the public to exercise caution while disseminating various contents in the social media or face the law enforcement agency for violating the electronic information and transaction law.

"Be wary of disseminating contents, either their own contents or those from other people. If they have been disseminated, law enforcement officers will easily trace them although they have been deleted," he revealed.

Nearly 52 percent of the country's population of 250 million is "internet literate," and 80 million of them have smart phones, he pointed out.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/113341/six-thousand-sites-blocked-for-carrying-negative-contents

Health & education

Deadly as well as disgusting? Dog meat targeted by activists in

Asian Correspondent - November 8, 2017

Max Walden – Last year, more than 1 million dogs were killed across Indonesia – the world's largest Muslim nation.

While Indonesian Muslims largely believe that dogs are haram or forbidden under Islam, these killings were not undertaken by religious fanatics but rather members of an unregulated trade in the animals' meat.

Incredible numbers of dogs are rounded up annually from streets across the Southeast Asian nation – including many private pets – and slaughtered primarily in residential areas, according to animal rights organisations.

Last week, several local and international activist groups launched the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition, aiming to stamp out the butchering and consumption of canine meat in the archipelago forever.

Spearheaded by the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), Change for Animals Foundation (CFAF), Animal Friends Jogja (AFJ) and the Humane Society International (HSI), the campaign aims to raise awareness of the cruelty involved in the dog meat trade as well as the public health risks posed to the broader population.

"There is an ever-growing opposition to the dog meat trade in Indonesia and globally," said Lola Webber of the CFAF. Indeed, this campaign has even attracted the support of British comedian Ricky Gervais.

"We are committed to working with the government to identify solutions to ensure the protection of animal welfare and public health and safety, which are gravely compromised by the trade," Webber added.

Who eats dog?

Only 7 percent of Indonesia's population eats dog, but its consumption by various cultural groups is considered traditional cuisine. Many believe that it holds special health benefits, including making men stronger or more sexually proficient.

In Solo, Central Java, dog meat stalls promote their products as being traditional Javanese jamu medicine.

Rangga from Yogyakarta told Asian Correspondent he ate his first dog meat in junior high school at a family cultural event held by the local Toraja community, who originate from South Sulawesi and are predominantly Christian.

"I ate it because my friends said it was tasty and good for warming your body," he said, stating that dog meat is available at some street stalls in various locations across the city. "So in college, I often ate it because it tasted good. But that was before I had a pet dog at home."

Now the proud owner of a dog he calls his "angel", Rangga said that he was influenced by people campaigning that "dogs are not food" to refuse when his friends ask him to eat dog with them. "I think the way that they kill and process dogs into food is quite sadistic."

Animal activists agree. Marc Ching, the founder of the Los Angeles-based Animal Hope and Wellness foundation which saves dogs from slaughter, has said that treatment of dogs in Indonesia is the "most sadistic" of anywhere else they are killed for their meat.

Public health risk

The Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition seeks to highlight the public health risk posed by the dog meat trade – particularly that involving the spread of rabies.

"Indonesia's dog meat trade is as brutal as it is unsafe, threatening to undo all of Indonesia's hard work towards achieving rabies-free status by 2020," said Kelly O'Meara, a spokesperson for Humane Society International.

It is illegal under Indonesian law to transport animals into officially "rabies-free" areas including the capital Jakarta, but such bans are virtually impossible to police.

The coalition claimed that dogs are often transported from places like Cianjur, West Java into urban centres – posing a major public health risk. Rabies disproportionately affects the poor and young people, with a high proportion of cases among 5 to 15-year-olds.

Back in July, the Governor Pastika of Bali ordered a crackdown against the trade, after an ABC News report exposed brutal treatment of dogs and the serving of dog meat to unknowing tourists as satay.

Other Asian countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore have already imposed regulations on their dog meat industries. Dog-Meat Free in Indonesia is calling for an outright ban of its trade and consumption altogether. "Only a tiny fraction of society are reliant on it as a primary source of income [but] the dog meat trade threatens the health and safety of the entire nation," said Karin Franken of the Jakarta Animal Aid Network.

"If Indonesia is to achieve its goal to eliminate rabies by 2020, urgent action is required by the government and all sectors of society."

Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/11/deadly-well-disgusting-dog-meat-targeted-activists-indonesia/

Baby's death sparks call for Indonesia to crack down on big tobacco

ABC News - November 5, 2017

Adam Harvey, Indonesia – A young Indonesian couple who believe cigarettes killed their baby son want the country's Government to shut down the nation's powerful tobacco industry.

One-month-old Muhammad Hafizh died of pneumonia after breathing in second-hand cigarette smoke at a family function. His parents said they had no idea such a short exposure could be fatal.

"I hope the Government will shut down the cigarette manufacturers," Hafizh's mother Fitria Lestari said. "Cigarettes here are worse than narcotics – but narcotics only kills the user, while cigarette addicts kill the people around them."

Hafizh was exposed to cigarette smoke at a party to celebrate the new baby. "Cigarettes were the culprit," the baby's father Hegidi Ichwanur said. "We believe smoking was the main factor," Fitria agreed. "Everything was fine before then."

Fitria and her husband said the smokers were relatives who refused to put out their cigarettes. She said they were ignorant of the potential damage.

They said the baby was exposed for about five minutes, but was severely affected by the smoke. Hafizh developed breathing difficulties and they took him to hospital. "He spent 10 hours in the ER," Fitria said.

"They said his condition was improving and he was moved into the ward, but then he started declining.

"He was coughing, his pulse was getting weaker and weaker... the doctor asked us to pray for him.

"I had to give up on him. I said to him, 'My dear baby, you may go if you want to go, mum and dad were pleased with you'. And then he was gone."

Cheap cigarettes driving Indonesia's deadly addiction

Indonesia the highest rate of smoking among men in the world. Sixty-five per cent of males older than 15 smoke daily, though just 2 per cent of women are smokers. A typical smoker consumes three packets of cigarettes per day.

Most of the smokers started when they were very young. The World Health Organisation says about a quarter of boys aged 13 to 15 are smokers.

The prevalence of smoking is assisted very cheap cigarettes – packets sell for less than $2 – and community tolerance of cigarettes.

Although, in one community at least, that tolerance is being tested. In a gaudily-painted district on the banks of a swollen Jakarta river, residents are making a stand against Indonesia's most lethal addiction.

In what may be an Indonesian first, smoking is banned inside all homes in this East Jakarta kampung, or urban village. "People thought it was an impossible idea," an organiser of the smoke-free kampung, 23-year-old Nobby Sail Andi Supi, said.

"It's hard to challenge people's smoking habits – especially the elderly people. They say 'I've been smoking for many years, and I'm just fine'."

Community ban helping residents curb habit

Residents have signed pledges against smoking in their homes, and have painted all the homes in the district in bright colours to highlight their efforts.

They said the community spirit was having an impact. "I feel ashamed – I'm smoking while my neighbours do not," a local man named Adi said.

He says he once smoked three packs of cigarettes per day – and is now down to half a pack. "The social punishment makes us change voluntarily," he said.

In Indonesia it is rare for anyone to stand up against tobacco companies. Cigarette advertising in Indonesia is pervasive – not just in movie theatres or on television, but in posters stuck to the side of delivery trucks, or houses.

Cigarette companies have even paid for kampung paint jobs – turning one neighbourhood in Yogyakarta into a Phillip Morris advertisement.

Baby Hafizh's mother said the Government must move against the tobacco industry. "The difficulty here is that so many things are sponsored by cigarette companies – like sporting events," she said.

"If the Government can't shut them down, then they should increase taxes so that cigarettes are very expensive."

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-05/indonesia-the-push-against-tobacco-smoking-giants/9117814

Tertiary education & campus life

Indonesian authorities target universities as hotbeds of radicalism

Asian Correspondent - November 8, 2017

Amid fears of rising Islamic radicalism in the world's largest Muslim-majority country Indonesia, authorities are targeting the nation's universities. Some have become breeding grounds for extremism.

Last month, under prodding from the government, thousands of students across the nation made an anti-radicalism pledge. It followed an unprecedented gathering in late September of some 3,000 academics in Bali, who also pledged to fight extremism and defend the non-Islamic constitution.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo banned hardline group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) earlier this year on the basis that its ideology contradicts the official one of Indonesia – Pancasila – which enshrines religious pluralism and tolerance.

A viral video last year showed students at an Indonesian university declaring their allegiance to establish a caliphate as dictated by HTI drew concern from authorities.

"Radical organisations can spread like a virus in universities," said Professor Muhammad Sirozi, rector of the State Islamic University Raden Fatah in Palembang on Sumatra.

"These are not the organisations that students form themselves, but they are from outside," he said at a briefing that outlined ways to help universities tackle radicalism following the Bali conference.

Students support a caliphate

Survey data released last week by Jakarta-based Mata Air Foundation and Alvara Research Centre showed that one in five high school and university students in Indonesia reported to support the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in the archipelago.

"This indicates that intolerant teachings have already entered top universities and high schools," said the report's authors.

"The government and moderate Islamic organisations must start taking tangible steps to anticipate this and be present in student circles with language that is easy for them to understand."

About a quarter of 4,200 Muslim students in the research – which was conducted across a range of academic faculties in 25 of the top universities in Indonesia – said they were, to varying degrees, ready to wage jihad to achieve this aim.

Hizbut Tahrir, an international organisation established by a Palestinian Islamic scholar in 1953, has been banned in many Muslim-majority countries and in fact operates predominantly in Western democracies.

One of its former members in Indonesia is Bahrun Naim, who went to fight for Islamic State in Syria and is accused of masterminding a series of attacks in Indonesia since early last year.

An officially registered organisation in Indonesia since 2000, HTI has sought a judicial review in the constitutional court over its disbanding.

"They never gave us a chance to defend ourselves. Is it not an authoritarian and repressive action?" said HTI spokesman Yusanto, who likened the crackdown to the tactics used against opponents under former strongman President Suharto.

Asked whether HTI was still operating, Yusanto said no one could ban members from their duty to do "Dakwah" (missionary work) and those activities would continue.

Universities ripe for recruitment

One former HTI member, Ayik Heriansyah, said the group tries to enlist support from influential members of society and sympathisers in the security forces to overthrow governments, or what it terms "the handing over of power".

Universities have been a key recruiting ground. Heriansyah, who was once chairman of HTI at the University of Indonesia, said potential recruits were usually invited to an Islamic study group.

After about three months, they might be asked to participate in intensive Hizbut Tahrir study, said Heriansyah, who said left the group after a falling out with its central board.

Indonesia has 394 state universities and about 3,000 private ones. Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir told reporters in July that HTI members were lecturers "in many universities". He warned they could be sacked unless they proffer loyalty to Pancasila.

Yusanto said, however, no lecturers who were HTI members had been sacked. A Home Ministry spokesman said a task force set up to find members in the civil service had not found any so far.

Heriansyah said the ban on the group would simply push it underground. "They are still running the movement as usual, but with a new structure and stewardship," he said.

Targeting high schools

The group has also gained a strong presence in state universities that train public school teachers, meaning new teachers could spread HTI ideology to high school pupils.

A survey published last December by the Institute for the Study of Islam and Society, showed that 78 percent of 505 religious teachers in public schools supported implementing Syariah law in Indonesia. The survey also found that 77 percent backed Islamist groups advocating this goal.

Muhammad Abdullah Darraz, director of the Maarif Institute, which promotes religious and cultural harmony, said HTI had targeted religious lessons at state high schools to spread its ideology.

Clerics offered their services for free, often with school principals and teachers being unaware of their affiliation, he told Reuters. HTI spokesman denied this was a strategy but said members were obliged to do missionary work without charge.

Indonesia's biggest Islamic groups, the moderate Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, which claim to have about 120 million members between them, back the crackdown on HTI.

Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, chairman of NU's GP Ansor youth wing, said that Indonesia had been built by many religions and cultures, but "HTI came and wanted to change this diversity into one nation called an Islamic country."

[This piece was originally published on our sister website Study International. Additional reporting by Reuters.]

Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/11/indonesian-authorities-target-universities-hotbeds-radicalism/

LGBT & same-sex marriage

Transgender women of Indonesia have a champion in a 26-year-old doctor

NPR - November 2, 2017

Matthew Ozug – Below a highway overpass in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, college students eat fried noodles and spicy chicken stew from brightly lit food stalls that fill this gritty space. The noise of cars and trucks rumbling overhead mingles with the sound of jets landing at the nearby airport.

A singer's voice begins to pierce this dense cacophony. She has woven palm fronds into her hair to create a headpiece that crowns her sparkly pink outfit. Diners tip her before turning back to their meals.

Mika Askiyah, 39, is busking on the street. To earn a living, waria in Indonesia often do sex work or sing on the street for tips.

The busker's name is Madame Ruly and she is a fixture in the Yogyakarta community of waria – loosely, though imperfectly, translated as transwomen. The word combines two Indonesian words: "wanita," or woman, and "pria," or man.

As a third gender, waria – biological men who live as women – have been part of Indonesian society for as long as anyone can remember, many years before the modern gay rights movement in the country. Yet they are often disowned by their own family members who disapprove of their children coming out as transgender.

Day-to-day survival can be a struggle. To make a living, many waria in Indonesia do sex work or sing on the street for tips. Both of those jobs are technically illegal but are often tolerated by the authorities.

Despite the obstacles they face, the waria find strength in asserting their identity. In a sense, it's unifying, "because they're marginalized by everyone," says Sandeep Nanwani, a 26-year-old doctor and a candidate for a master's in global health delivery at Harvard University.

Nanwani is an irrepressible spirit who seems both wise beyond his 26 years and full of youthful energy. Growing up in Indonesia's capitol, Jakarta, he lost his mother to cancer when he was in middle school. The experience inspired him to become a doctor.

Nanwani took some time off from his medical studies in Indonesia to volunteer in public health clinics. The doctors he worked with were trying to account for the efficacy of their HIV/AIDS prevention. Specifically, they wanted to know if condoms that were distributed were being used. Nanwani's job: sort through the trash in men's restrooms to count the used condoms.

Today, as part of his graduate school field work, Nanwani helps provide medical care to many of the waria in Yogyakarta. Byron Good, a professor of medical anthropology at Harvard, says the young doctor's commitment to social justice is rare even among global health physicians. Good compared him to the MacArthur "Genius" winner, Dr. Paul Farmer, who is known for working to provide health care to the rural poor in Haiti.

"Sandeep has a remarkable commitment to the poor and to issues of social justice," Good said. "It's difficult to find physicians anywhere in the world like that. But he also has a commitment to spend the time and go hang out with the poor. To hang out with the waria."

At an abandoned patch of land behind a strip of hotels that serves as an informal housing complex for many older waria in Yogyakarta, Nanwani checks in on a patient: Madame Wiwik. In her late 60s, Wiwik has a bulbous nose and eyebrows drawn on in dark pencil. Wiwik sits on a mattress on the floor in a dark concrete room, one of the unofficial (and illegal) dwellings the waria rent. She plays a recording of a songbird on her phone and winces in pain. Madame Wiwik recently had a stroke and her words are slurry; she struggles to lift her arms above her shoulders. Dr. Nanwani says Madame Wiwik has no medication, "not even aspirin to prevent future strokes. Nothing."

That need for medical care among waria became critical in the early 2000s, when the HIV epidemic exploded here. Sandeep says the toll on the waria was devastating.

An older waria named Vinolia Wakijo watched the epidemic decimate her community. Today, Wakijo, whom everyone calls Mami, is 61. She's effectively the matriarch of waria in this city. In 2007 she established Kebaya, a group home for people with HIV that receives some government funding. In the ten years that she has operated Kebaya, 46 people with AIDS have died there.

It's been ten years since Vinolia Wakijo started Kebaya as a group home for people with HIV, some of whom are waria. She's the matriarch of waria in the city of Yogyakarta.

Today ten people live in the home, and the Kebaya family continues to grow. For the first time, there's a baby living there: an 11-month old girl named Nira. Her mother was a sex worker who died of AIDS, and the warias have taken her in. Nira has her own room and a slew of de facto aunties who take turns holding her and trying to make her giggle.

Nanwani is known throughout the waria community of Yogyagarta and is clearly more than a doctor. He comes to Kebaya almost daily, he says, just to check in. But it's not an easy community to work with. Sometimes clients simply disappear. With no fixed address it can be impossible to track them down or find out what happened to them. Nanwani still wonders whether he could have done more to help some of his patients, who became friends — and then vanished.

Still, Nanwani says the rewards from working with the waria are profound: "They provide care for me as much as I provide care to them. Waria endure suffering through humor and laughter, and I just love that."

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/11/02/560281649/transgender-women-of-indonesia-have-a-champion-in-a-26-year-old-doctor

Corruption & abuse of power

Police probe KPK leaders over alleged falsification

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2017

Safrin La Batu, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is facing new pressure after the National Police launched an investigation into alleged document forgery by its chairman Agus Rahardjo and his deputy Saut Situmorang.

The country's top antigraft body has already been beleaguered thanks to persistent political moves by lawmakers activists believe are aimed at undermining the KPK.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto confirmed Wednesday that the police had been investigating the case, which was a follow-up of a report filed by one of the lawyers of House of Representatives speaker and Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto.

He said Agus and Saut had been reported over alleged abuse of power surrounding a travel ban document issued by the KPK against Setya on Oct. 2. "The alleged crimes are falsifying a document or abuse of power," Setyo said.

It had been two days after the South Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of Setya's pretrial motion and annulled the KPK's decision to name him a suspect in the high-profile e-ID corruption case.

Setyo denied reports saying Agus and Saut had been named suspects. According to the 2002 KPK Law, a KPK leader who is named a suspect shall be suspended from his or her position.

Setyo said police investigators, as of Wednesday afternoon, had questioned six witnesses, including one linguistics expert, three criminal law experts and one constitutional law expert. Both Agus and Saut had not been questioned.

KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said the antigraft body would stand ready to face the police's investigation against Agus and Saut and provide legal aid for the two.

"We believe the National Police will be professional in this regard," Febri said, adding that the corruption fight should be given priority. (bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/08/police-probe-KPK-leaders-over-alleged-falsification.html

KPK remains tight-lipped over Setya status

Jakarta Post - November 7, 2017

Kharishar Kahfi and Bagus BT. Saragih, Jakarta – It doesn't take much to get people talking about Setya Novanto these days.

The seasoned politician, a close ally to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has made a series of successful legal maneuvers, much to the dismay of those in the forefront of the country's anti-corruption struggle.

In a recent pretrial challenge, the South Jakarta District Court ruled that evidence and testimony against Setya were inadmissible and so the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) decision to name him a suspect was declared void.

The House of Representatives speaker and Golkar Party chairman had previously been named a suspect for his alleged role in corruption pertaining to the budget for e-ID procurement from 2011 to 2012, which allegedly resulted in Rp 2.3 trillion (US$170 billion) in state losses. It is one of the biggest cases in the KPK's history.

Pessimists said the ruling was just another example of Setya's influence and power to utilize Indonesia's imperfect judiciary system.

Setya's deft but controversial moves include a recent police report against netizens who posted satirical memes deemed to be ridiculing him. It took only days for the police to track down and arrest one suspect.

But antigraft activists, and those who still have faith in the country's anticorruption movement, kept their fingers crossed. The law allows the KPK to rename Setya a suspect so they believe he is not totally off the hook yet.

Inevitably, a viral image that suggested the KPK had just named Setya a suspect again quickly raised the spirits of such people on Monday.

The letter depicted in the image bore the KPK letterhead and appeared to be signed by KPK director of investigations Brig. Gen. Aris Budiman on Nov. 3. The letter also implied that a new sprindik (letter ordering the start of an investigation) into Setya had been issued on Oct. 31.

Many media outlets were too impatient to wait for official confirmation from the antigraft body and decided to run the story, with at least two major national newspapers making it their cover story.

KPK Bantah Ada SPDP Baru untuk Setya Novanto – News Liputan6https://t.co/BezMINfkJU

"Dari Awal saya ragù berita tsb – mana Berani KPK" – Muhammad Said Didu (@saididu) November 6, 2017

And on Tuesday, KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah confirmed it had indeed issued a new sprindik related to the e-ID case.

"It's a new sprindik with the name of the suspect in it," he told reporters. However, he declined to reveal further details when asked about the viral image.

Setya's lawyer, Fredrich Yunadi, brushed off the circulating image saying he had never received such a letter.

Also on Tuesday, KPK investigators questioned several politicians as witnesses in the case, including Golkar's Chairuman Harahap, Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa and Rudy Alfonso, as well as Teguh Juwarno from the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Miryam S. Haryani from Hanura.

Chairuman and Agun remained tight-lipped about their questioning on Tuesday, while Rudy gave a brief response to journalists' questions. "[This is] about SN," he said, referring to Setya.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) deputy coordinator Agus Sunaryanto said it was understandable that the KPK needed more time to work on the e-ID investigation and possibly rename Setya a suspect.

"However, the KPK should move quicker. I'm worried that many political moves such as the House's inquiry into the KPK will affect its performance," Agus told The Jakarta Post.

Former senior Home Ministry officials Irman and Sugiharto have already been found guilty in the case. Businessmen Andi Agustinus, aka Andi Narogong, and Anang Sugiana Sudihardjo have also been implicated, with the former currently on trial.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/07/KPK-remains-tight-lipped-over-setya-status.html

Finances of opposition leader Prabowo and other public figures exposed

Jakarta Globe - November 6, 2017

Jakarta – Three well-known public figures, including children of the late President Suharto and opposition party leader Prabowo Subianto appear in the Paradise Papers, a global investigation released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, or ICIJ, on Sunday (05/11).

The Paradise Papers put a spotlight on the trillions of dollars moved through offshore tax havens by politicians, business owners, millionaires and powerful people across the globe.

The report exposed 13.4 million leaked documents – obtained by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared with the ICIJ – including loan agreements, financial statements, emails, trust deeds and other paperwork from over nearly 50 years from offshore law firm Appleby, Singaporean company Asiaciti Trust and official business registries in Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Lebanon, Malta, Trinidad and Tobago.

ICIJ highlighted the name of retired general and leader of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto, as well as two children of the late President Suharto, Hutomo Mandala Putra – also known as Tommy Suharto, head of Humpuss Group – and Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih for having registered companies in tax havens overseas.

The ICIJ, however, posted a disclaimer on its site, saying that the organization did not intend to suggest or imply that any people or companies included in the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database have broken the law or acted improperly.

The Jakarta Globe has not independently examined the documents.

"We started [combing through the data] from the beginning of this year. [There are only] 200 Indonesian names and 15 companies," Wahyu Dhyatmika, an editor for Tempo Media Group and an investigative reporter, told the Globe.

Indonesia's Tempo is one of 95 media partners that explored 13.4 million leaked files. According to Wahyu, Tempo paper and magazine will release other names one by one this week.

Wahyu said the Paradise Papers and their predecessor, the Panama Papers, come from different databases, though multiple names appear on both lists.

Naming names

Wahyu said journalists involved in the report support a fairer tax policy for all. "Instruments that allow countries to track the wealth of their residents must be prepared," Wahyu said.

Hestu Yoga Saksama, the tax office's spokesperson, said the government will "follow-up with the latest data and information from various sources" including the Paradise Papers, but has refused to comment on Tommy's or Prabowo's companies.

"We can't name a taxpayer specifically to the public," Hestu said, referring to secrecy rules in a 2009 law about general provisions and tax procedures and a 2016 law about tax amnesty.

Hestu, however, noted that the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) – which will begin operations in September 2018 for Indonesia – will provide more detailed, wider and verified data compared to the independent report obtained by journalists.

Tommy joined Indonesia's tax amnesty program last year. During a press photo opportunity in Jakarta in September 2016, he said his family should "make the best use of the initiative" by joining the program.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/business/finances-opposition-leader-prabowo-public-figures-exposed-paradise-papers/

Novel case difficult to solve: Police

Jakarta Post - November 1, 2017

Jakarta – Six months after the acid attack against the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) top investigator Novel Baswedan, the National Police have yet to name any suspect in the case.

The National Police's Criminal Investigation Department chief Comr. Gen. Ari Dono Sukmanto said Novel's case was difficult to solve because of a "hit-and-run" method where the perpetrators immediately withdrew from the scene. Such cases, he said, may take years to solve.

"Hit-and-run cases are indeed relatively difficult. Although it does not necessarily mean we will fail. It has only been a few months since the attack [and too early to conclude the investigation]," Ari say on Wednesday, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.

In a similar case, the police managed to arrest the suspects after four years of investigation, he added.

On April 11, Novel was attacked by two unidentified men who threw acid on his face, causing him to suffer serious injuries to his eyes. At the time of the attack, Novel was leading a KPK investigation in the e-ID graft case, which has implicated several members of the House of Representatives and high-ranking government officials.

The police, Ari said, had questioned dozens of witnesses but nothing had led to a significant breakthrough in the investigation. "For now, [we only have] these witnesses. [But] we will continue to look for further information," Ari said.

Novel, who is currently receiving medical treatment in Singapore, is scheduled to undergo a second operation to his left eye later this month. (foy/ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/novel-case-difficult-to-solve-police.html

Terrorism & religious extremism

Support for Islamic State? In Indonesia, there's an app for that

South China Morning Post - November 8, 2017

Resty Woro Yuniar – Robbing banks, dealing drugs, stealing motorcycles – these are the kind of activities popularly associated with the world of terrorist group funding. But to the modern jihadi they're all a little passe.

ATM smash and grabs, thefts and laundering money from front charities may have been all the rage as recently as 2014, but since 2015 online donations have been the avenue of choice for Islamic State supporting groups hoping to finance attacks in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

That's according to a new joint study by the country's National Counterterrorism Agency, State Intelligence Agency, and Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), which examined the banking transactions involved in terror cases between 2014 and August 2017.

"Terror groups now call for donations through social media [and messaging platforms] such as WhatsApp groups or Twitter," said Kiagus Ahmad Badarudin, chairman of the PPATK. "Bitcoin and PayPal are also used to move their money."

Social media appealed to terrorists because it was practical, easy and borderless, Badarudin said. Most donations over social media were small, ranging from US$100-US$1,000, but the flow of aid was continuous and tough to track, he said.

Terror cells were also receiving contributions from legal businesses such as small-scale merchants and phone credit sellers, Badarudin added. The shift online was, in part, due to a tightening of the net by security services.

"Jemaah Islamiyah in particular used a network of charities to siphon funds for militant operations. Those charities fell under scrutiny by security forces and more or less dried up as a funding source," said Zachary Abuza, professor at the National War College in Washington, referring to an infamous Southeast Asia-wide jihadist network.

"It is not a surprise that pro-Islamic State groups have turned to social media to make appeals for donations as Islamic State has such a slick and widespread presence across so many different social media platforms."

Indonesia has clamped down on Islamic extremism in recent months, arresting at least 160 pro-IS militants since the first attack linked to the group in January last year. At the end of October, police arrested nine suspected terrorists in East and Central Java, South Sulawesi, and Riau.

In East Java, authorities arrested a man with ties to Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant in Syria who masterminded the 2016 Jakarta attacks that killed eight people. The man had been communicating with Naim through the messaging app Telegram, where the pair had belonged to a group called 'Kulak Tahu' (tofu seller).

Encrypted messaging platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp are proving popular not only with active terror cells in Indonesia, but even with militants who are already behind bars. Authorities suspect the services are used by imprisoned terrorists, using mobile phones smuggled into their jails, to propagate their ideologies and even direct attacks from the comfort of their cells.

For this reason, the Indonesian communications ministry in July temporarily blocked web-access to Telegram, rescinding the order only after the company's CEO Pavel Durov pledged to help the ministry close down radical chat groups.

"Authorities need to be wary of the [usage] of social media because it's very easy to disseminate bank accounts privately there, making it easy for people to donate," said Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict in Jakarta.

For their part, tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and YouTube have teamed up since December last year to curb the spread of radical content. The companies created a shared industry database of unique digital "fingerprints," or so-called "hashes", for terrorism-related images and videos.

"Violent organisations have no place on Facebook, we will take [the radical contents] down when we're made aware of them," said Gullnaz Baig, product policy manager at Facebook Asia Pacific.

The clampdown on Facebook targets such groups regardless of what they post. "If you're Osama bin Laden and you're talking about puppies and kittens, we will still take you down because you are Osama bin Laden," Baig added.

Meanwhile, online payment services such as PayPal and cryptocurrencies are also proving popular with the modern jihadi because they facilitate anonymous payments, according to the PPATK.

Cryptocurrency featured in a bomb scare in 2015, when a man demanded 100 bitcoins in return for defusing a bomb at a mall in Jakarta. That incident, however, was not linked to Islamic State.

The popularity of cryptocurrencies among terrorists has mirrored a shift in wider society. While the Indonesian central bank has ruled against the use of cryptocurrencies as means of payment, this hasn't stopped tech-savvy users from exchanging virtual currencies such as bitcoin through local platforms.

According to bitcoin trading tracker Cryptocompare, Indonesian trading of bitcoin to rupiah has surpassed 29 billion rupiah, or 335 bitcoins, per day.

However, Oscar Darmawan, chief executive of bitcoin exchange platform Bitcoin Indonesia, defended the cryptocurrency, saying that while "one or two terrorists might have tried bitcoin", all transactions were traceable "including the illegal ones".

Terror funding had not entirely migrated online, the report found. It noted that wire transfers by expatriate workers in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Australia had reportedly been used by Indonesian jihadis to buy and import weapons from the southern Philippines. It said terror cells in Indonesia had received US$763,000 in foreign donations between 2014 and 2015.

In one case, Dian Yulia Novi, a former migrant who worked in Singapore and Taiwan, had sent US$800 to an Indonesian terror cell. She was later arrested in Indonesia, suspected of planning a suicide attack on the presidential palace.

Analysts said tracking the origin of terrorist funding was vital both to understanding the groups and preventing future attacks.

"You will never stop terrorism [solely] by trying to cut off their funding streams. It is asymmetrical warfare," Abuza said. "What you need to construct a bomb, or get some automatic rifles to siege a restaurant, or rent a truck and drive it into a crowd, is nothing. But [investigating their financing] is important to target the social networks that terrorist groups rely on."

Source: http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2118968/support-islamic-state-indonesia-theres-app

Mothers found to be primary recruiting targets for radical Islamists,

Jakarta Globe - November 2, 2017

Jakarta – The rise of radical narratives across different institutions in Depok, West Java, has been perpetuated by anti-Western concepts, notions of Muslim inferiority and hatred toward "enemies of Islam," and mothers are primary recruiting targets to disseminate radicalism, a preliminary study from Jakarta-based human rights group Setara Institute showed.

The study, published on Wednesday (01/11) and which focuses on intolerance and increasing radicalism in Bogor and Depok, found that in the latter, messages of intolerance and radicalism are disseminated through mosques, religious groups and Islamic study circles on college campuses.

"We found that the spread of radical narratives are targeting mosques in housing complexes that receive little to no attention from the government," Setara Institute's vice chairperson, Bonar Tigor Naipospos, said during a press conference in Jakarta.

Tigor added that the research also found evidence that mothers specifically are being targeted for recruitment.

"It is first through the mothers that they can then influence the children and husband. There has been evidence of those leaving to fight in Syria being first influenced by their mothers," Tigor said.

The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) does not consider Depok a dangerous area, nor is the city officially considered a hub for radical groups.

In spite of this, Depok has a large potential to become a breeding ground for radicalism due to its proximity to Jakarta, making it a buffer city or transit area for terrorists to hide in, the study showed.

Sudarto, a researcher with the Setara Institute, said that radical narratives in Depok had risen as a form of resistance to Western, and particularly American, ideas.

"Intolerant groups reject the definition of terrorism, which they consider a product of Western ideology to belittle Islam. For several communities in Depok, 'the real terrorist' is the West and the United States, who had stolen oil belonging to Islamic countries," Sudarto said.

He added that radicalism has been further strengthened through spreading notions of Muslim inferiority, whereby Muslims are portrayed as victims and treated unfairly.

To promote this perspective, some groups were found to have spread messages that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is a liar and that his administration is fundamentally against Islam, emphasizing the fact that the president did not meet Muslim demonstrators who rallied in Jakarta on several occasions this past year.

Furthermore, the study also found hatred directed toward groups identified as "enemies of Islam," including communists, Ahmadiyah, the Syiah community and members of the Liberal Islam Network (JIL).

The municipality government of Depok does not currently have any programs or a special budget allocation to fund deradicalization efforts, and considers such initiatives under the authority of the central government, Sudarto said.

"The role of BNPT, especially on deradicalization efforts, is not adequately known by the citizens of Depok. On top of that, the Terrorism Prevention Communication Forum [FKPT] under BNPT does not exist in municipalities and districts, only at the provincial level," Tigor added.

The preliminary findings revealed some challenges that must be addressed if Indonesian cities are to build resilience against the increasing spread of extremism and radicalism, a phenomenon that has taken hold in Indonesia and around the globe.

In order to do that, Tigor emphasized the strong link between intolerance, radicalism and terrorism, and said that local governments must put an effort to tackle rising intolerance and the spread of radicalism.

Setara Institute conducted the study between July and October through covert in-depth interviews and observation methods.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/mothers-found-primary-recruiting-targets-radical-islamists-study-finds/

Freedom of religion & worship

Court recognises Indonesian native faiths in victory for religious

Sydney Morning Herald - November 8, 2017

Jewel Topsfield and Karuni Rompies – Dewi Kanti adheres to a traditional Indonesian religious belief system known as Sunda Wiwitan, which venerates the power of nature and the spirit of ancestors.

She is among perhaps 15 million native-faith followers in Indonesia who have been discriminated against for decades by Indonesia's policy of only recognising six official religions.

As it stands, Indonesians have had to either list their religion as Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist or Confucian on their national identification cards – or leave the religion field blank.

But those who left their ID cards blank had difficulty registering their marriage, obtaining birth certificates, accessing employment as civil servants and applying for government services.

Now, in an historic victory for religious freedom in Indonesia, the Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday it was discriminatory to require native-faith followers to leave the religion field blank.

Constitutional Court Judge Saldi Isra said this was not in line with the spirit of the 1945 Constitution, which enshrines religious freedom.

The court recommended that a seventh category be created – native-faith followers – although the card would not specify the particular faith.

Sunda Wiwitan is one of several hundred native-faith beliefs across Indonesia. They follow an animistic system of belief but over time have been influenced by other religions including Hinduism and Islam.

Ms Dewi welcomed the Constitutional Court decision. "Our fight has borne fruit," she said.

"The most important thing is the restoration of civil rights especially for those who have been stigmatised. Under the repressive New Order regime, I was stigmatised as (following) a deviant sect. This is a realisation on the part of policymakers that there has been an abuse of our constitutional rights."

Despite practising a native Javanese faith, Ms Dewi's husband had been forced to put "Catholic" on his ID card so the couple could obtain birth certificates for their children.

She said it was almost impossible to know how many people still adhered to Sunda Wiwitan, because there were no administrative records. "In 1964 there were around 10,000 to 15,000 of us," she said.

However blasphemy laws passed in 1965 stipulated only six religions would be officially recognised.

"The New Order regime said it was compulsory for all citizens to follow a religion, this was a policy to fight communism because communism was regarded as atheist or not believing in God," said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the vice chairperson of the Setara Institute for democracy and peace.

"Native faith was regarded as not believing in God because it was ethnocentric."

He said the Constitutional Court ruling provided protection to followers of native faiths and granted equality among followers of other religions.

Human Rights Watch Indonesia researcher Andreas Harsono said the court ruling marked the end of Indonesia only recognising six religions.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/court-recognises-indonesian-native-faiths-in-victory-for-religious-freedom-20171108-gzhcvy.html

Rights group welcomes landmark court ruling on native faiths

Jakarta Post - November 7, 2017

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – Jakarta-based rights group Setara Institute has lauded a Constitutional Court ruling that paves the way for native faith followers to declare their faiths on their ID cards, saying the ruling could end long-standing discrimination against minority groups.

Setara said in a statement that the court's ruling, issued on Tuesday, should be followed by efforts to acknowledge the rights of all citizens.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday in favor of native faith followers who had challenged provisions on religion within the 2006 Law on population administration that prevented them from obtaining ID cards.

The court concluded the provisions were discriminatory and unconstitutional, thus allowing the country's native belief followers to state their native faith on civil documents, instead of leaving them blank as stipulated by the law.

The 1965 blasphemy law only recognizes six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

"Ideally the state would not discriminate against its citizens when they declare their religious identity on the population administration register," Setara said.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, who manages population administration, said on Tuesday that the ministry would abide by the ruling, adding it would coordinate with related agencies to compile data on native faiths in Indonesia.

"The Home Ministry, through the Directorate General for Population and Civil Administration, will combine those local beliefs with the existing population administration system," Tjahjo said in a statement. (ahw)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/07/rights-group-welcomes-landmark-court-ruling-on-native-faiths.html

Constitutional Court decision allows followers of indigenous faiths to

Coconuts Jakarta - November 7, 2017

While Indonesia's 1945 Constitution actually enshrines the right of all of its citizens to believe in God through whatever faith they choose, the government only officially recognizes six major religions (Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism).

A small but significant portion of Indonesians still follow indigenous faiths that predate the major religions, but have never been able to declare themselves as such officially since the government did not recognize their faiths as religions, leading to many forms of discrimination both societal and official.

That's why a decision by the country's Constitutional Court, released today, is being hailed as a major step forward for religious freedoms in Indonesia. It strikes down two articles in the country's population administration laws that only allowed citizens to enter one of the six recognized religions on their ID cards (religion being a required field on all ID cards here).

A previous court decision did give people the right to leave the religion field on their IDs blank, but this can also lead to discrimination, including from officials who are unwilling to process ID cards for anybody who refuses to choose one of the six official religions and accusations of atheism (declaring one's atheism can lead to imprisonment in Indonesia).

The Constitutional Court review was filed be adherents of four of Indonesia's aliran kepercayaan (an official term encompassing various forms of Indigenous faiths) including Marapu, Paralim, Ugamo Bangsa Batak and Sapto Darmo.

In explaining the court's decision, Judge Saldi Isra said the Population Administration Law restricts the religious rights of citizens by only allowing them to officially declare their belief in religions recognized by the state.

"This is not in line with the spirit of the 1945 Constitution, which explicitly ensures that every citizen is free to embrace their own religion and beliefs and to worship according to their own religion and beliefs," Saldi said as quoted by Tempo.

Arnol Purba, one of the plaintiffs, said he was pleased with the Court's decision. He said he had joined the lawsuit as felt his son had been discriminated against as he had been unable to find a job due to the religion field on his ID card being blank.

"We are pleased that our faith has been recognized by the government, and the possibilities for my child's employment are now open," he said.

While this can still be considered a big win for proponents of religious freedom in Indonesia, hopefully it will also lead the judiciary to overturn the blasphemy laws that have led to the persecution of followers of religious sects such as the Ahmadiyah.

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/constitutional-court-decision-allows-followers-indigenous-faiths-officially-declare-beliefs-id-cards/

Constitutional Court rules indigenous faiths 'acknowledged' by state

Jakarta Post - November 7, 2017

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court granted a judicial review request on Tuesday to challenge the 2013 Civil Administration Law that will pave way for Indonesian native-faith followers to have their beliefs officially recognized by the government.

Reading out its ruling in a hearing presided by Justice Arief Hidayat, the court said articles in the law that required people adopting indigenous native faiths to leave the religion column in their ID cards blank were discriminatory.

"Article 61 [2] and Article 64 [5] of the Civil Administration Law contradict the 1945 Constitution and these articles are not legally binding," Arief said Tuesday.

The judicial review was filed in 2016 by followers of four indigenous faiths who argued that the law violated the principle of equality before the law.

Justice Saldi Isra said the disputed articles provided no legal certainty and violated principles of equal justice for all citizens. The articles had also created difficulties for native-faith followers to obtain e-ID and family registration cards.

By leaving the religion fields blank, indigenous-belief followers had also suffered problems in exercising their rights, including difficulties in marriage registration and accessing civil administration services, Saldi said.

The religion field on family registration and e-ID cards of people adopting indigenous beliefs should now show that they are "penghayat kepercayaan (native-faith followers)" without details about their native faith, Saldi added.

According to Culture and Education Ministry data, there were about 1,200 native-faith groups with at least 12 million followers across the Muslim-majority country in 2016. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/07/constitutional-court-rules-indigenous-faiths-acknowledged-by-state.html

Indonesia ruling lifts blasphemy prosecution threat to religious

Human Rights Watch Dispatches - November 7, 2017

Andreas Harsono – Indonesia's beleaguered religious minority groups got some rare good news today.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the Population Administration Law's prohibition on adherents of native faiths from listing their religion on official identification cards is unconstitutional.

The ruling will help protect adherents of more than 240 such religions from prosecution under Indonesia's dangerously ambiguous blasphemy law. Prior to the court's ruling, members of religious minorities faced an impossible choice: leave blank the ID card's religion column and possibly be accused of being an atheist – which is punishable under the blasphemy law – or select one of Indonesia's six officially protected religions and be accused of falsifying their identity. The 1965 blasphemy law only protects Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

All Indonesians must obtain a national ID card at age 17 and are required to apply for official documents including birth, marriage, and death certificates. For decades, the religious identity category of national ID cards and their implicit blasphemy prosecution threat for officially unrecognized religions have led some members of those communities to avoid applying for ID cards, depriving themselves of essential state services. Some local governments have imposed even more onerous discriminatory rules restricting religious minorities' access to ID cards. In June, representatives of the Ahmadiyah community in Manislor district in West Java's Kuningan regency filed a formal complaint against a local government requirement that they renounce their faith to obtain a national ID card.

The court ruling was a response to a legal challenge to the discriminatory articles of the 2006 Population Administration Law filed by several native faith adherents. If enforced, the ruling will eliminate an element of discrimination built into Indonesian law that affects the country's estimated 400,000 native faith adherents. But it won't help Ahmadiyah and Shia communities, who can still expect to be victims of routine bureaucratic discrimination related to national ID card issuance.

The Ministry of Home Affairs should use the court ruling as a starting point to abolish all of the discriminatory regulations and institutions that target religious minorities. As long as they remain on the books, the rights of Indonesia's religious minorities will remain in peril.

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/11/07/indonesia-ruling-lifts-blasphemy-prosecution-threat-religious-minorities

Land & agrarian conflicts

Jokowi grants forest permits to Teluk Jambe farmers

Jakarta Post - November 3, 2017

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has granted around 1,000 farmers in Teluk Jambe, Karawang regency, West Java, permits to use 2,145 hectares of forest areas as part of the government's social forestry program.

"I still remember a protest rally you staged several months ago in front of the Presidential Palace. At that time, you buried yourselves in front of the palace, right?" Jokowi told Teluk Jambe farmers from Karawang and Bekasi – two West Java regencies – during an event in Muara Gembong, Bekasi.

To raise awareness and gain the government's attention on agrarian conflicts in their area, the Teluk Jambe farmers buried themselves in coffins during a demonstration in front of the Presidential Palace in March.

"At that time, I asked you all: 'What's the legal status of your land?' You replied: 'Sir, I have an SKD [land ownership letter from village officers]'," Jokowi said in his dialogue with Teluk Jambe farmers in March.

The President further said that using SKD as a legal document to prove someone's land ownership was not effective. "That's why I immediately asked National Land Agency head [Sofjan Djalil] to process people's land certificates," Jokowi said.

He said that because farming land owned by the Teluk Jambe farmers was located in areas belonging to state-owned forestry company Perhutani, the government gave them certificates that would legally allow them to cultivate their farming areas.

"So please take care of the forest-use permits for 35 years. If the land was truly essential for the people's welfare, the permits would be extended for another 35 years. That means you have the right to work there. The legal basis of your land is now clear, so you don't have to demonstrate in front of the Presidential Palace anymore," he said. (hol/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/03/jokowi-grants-forest-permits-to-teluk-jambe-farmers.html

Indonesia to accelerate land certification

Jakarta Post - November 3, 2017

Winny Tang, Nusa Dua, Bali – One of the reasons hampering the acceleration of the oil palm tree replanting program is the fact that many plots still have unclear legal status, Agrarian and Land Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil said on Thursday.

For that reason, the government aims to distribute five million free land certificates by the end of the year to ensure that the replanting efforts can run smoothly and that farmers' productivity can be improved.

Last month, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo launched an oil palm tree replanting program in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra. Out of the 4,447-hectare plantation area, only 2,836 ha had been cleared.

"The president instructed [me] to issue five million land certificates in 2017, seven million in 2018 and nine million in 2019," he told reporters on the sidelines of the 13th Indonesian Palm Oil Conference in Bali.

Sofyan, however, admitted that currently the ministry had only issued 1.7 to 1.8 million land certificates.

"It doesn't mean that the figure represents one third of the total target. The longest process in issuing land certificates is the data collection process in the field. The certificate issuance is only 15 percent of the overall work," he claimed.

The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association said oil palm plantations owned by local growers covered 43 percent of 11.7 million hectares of the total oil palm plantations in Indonesia. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/03/indonesia-to-accelerate-land-certification.html

Cabinet & the presidency

Wedding of Joko Widodo's daughter attended by 'Who's Who' of Indonesia

Straits Times - November 8, 2017

Jakarta – The who's who of Indonesian politics and business gathered in Solo, the hometown of President Joko Widodo in Central Java on Wednesday (Nov 8), to celebrate the nuptials of his only daughter Kahiyang Ayu, and property firm director Bobby Nasution.

Among the guests were Singapore Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Anil Kumar Nayar and his wife Peck See, Mr Joko's Cabinet members, former presidents Megawati Sukarnoputri and Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as well as the wife of the late president Abdurrahman Wahid, former First Lady Sinta Nuriyah.

Other distinguished guests included religious leaders as well as politicians such as House Speaker Setya Novanto, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, Nasdem Party chief Surya Paloh, businessman Chairul Tandjung and celebrity chef Arnold Poernomo.

The First Family were all dressed in traditional Javanese formal wear – beskap for Mr Joko, and his sons Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 29, and Kaesang Pangarep, 22; and kebaya for First Lady Iriana – as they welcomed guests at the Graha Saba Buana grand hall in Solo.

The groom arrived at the wedding in a horse-drawn carriage, which was also surrounded by presidential bodyguards in black suits, red ties and sunglasses.

Ms Kahiyang and Mr Bobby, both 26, were officially married in an Islamic solemnisation ceremony, or akad nikah, earlier in the morning, with Vice-President Jusuf Kalla acting as witness for the bride, while Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, was witness for the groom.

"Thank you to sirs, madams, relatives and friends, for your prayers and blessings for the wedding of Kahiyang Ayu and Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution, may Allah be pleased with our prayers," said Mr Joko after the ceremony.

His predecessor, Dr Yudhoyono, who was at the wedding with his son Agus, praised the way local traditions were celebrated during the marriage ceremony.

"This is a way to cherish and respect our culture," he told reporters. "Congratulations to the bride and groom, may they be together for long and be blessed, and congratulations to Pak Jokowi and Ibu Iriana."

In addition to the over 7,000 official guests, thousands of other people from Solo, as well as many who travelled from places such as the capital Jakarta and Bandung, in West Java, were at Graha Saba Buana, hoping to join the celebrations.

Security was tight with about 5,500 police officers and soldiers deployed around the city, where separate celebrations and other traditional ceremonies leading up to Wednesday's main event, had been held since the weekend.

The couple first met in 2015 when they were in graduate school at the Bogor Agricultural University in Bogor, West Java. They are said to have dated for about a year.

Ms Kahiyang is the President's middle child while Mr Bobby, a Batak, is the son of the late Erwin Nasution, a former director of state-owned plantation firm Perkebunan Nusantara IV, who died in January.

The Bataks are an ethnic group predominantly from North Sumatra, where the couple will travel to for receptions in Mr Bobby's hometown in the provincial capital Medan, in the last week of November.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/wedding-of-joko-widodos-daughter-attended-by-whos-who-of-indonesia

Indonesia requires ministers, officials to report new regulations

Jakarta Post - November 7, 2017

Stefani Ribka, Jakarta – In a bid to avoid overlapping regulations, a presidential instruction (Inpres) has been issued that requires ministers, high-ranking officials and heads of non-ministerial institutions to report any new regulations they want to issue to the relevant coordinating minister's office and/or the President.

Ministries, the Cabinet Secretariat, non-ministerial government institutions, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the Attorney General's Office and the police are also required to carry out impact analysis and public consultation before drafting regulations to avoid public dispute.

The requirement became effective on Nov. 1, when Inpres No. 7/2017 on the supervision and monitoring of policy implementation in ministries and non-ministerial institutions was issued.

Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Thomas Lembong said the Inpres was issued because ministries and other institutions had failed to coordinate with each other when they issued regulations.

"How many regulations have been issued that coordinating ministries aren't aware of?" he said Monday.

Businesspeople have complained that overlapping regulations often lead to confusion. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/07/indonesia-requires-ministers-officials-to-report-new-regulations.html

50 pedicabs to serve guests of Jokowi's daughter's wedding

Jakarta Post - November 6, 2017

Ganug Nugroho Adi, Surakarta, Central Java – As many as 50 pedicab drivers have been prepared to transport the guests of the wedding of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's daughter, Kahiyang Ayu, and Bobby Afif Nasution in Surakarta, Central Java, on Wednesday.

The drivers have spent the past week readying their pedicabs for the event. All signs of damage have been repaired and tires and other spare parts have been replaced. The drivers were also obliged to undergo medical check-ups.

"We had blood tests and other physical tests supervised by doctors at the [Surakarta] Transportation Agency," said one of the drivers, Sudaryono, 50.

The pedicabs will be readied for passengers at parking lots at Sumber Square and Banyuanyar Square from where the guests will be offered pedicab rides to the venue, the Graha Saba building, some 300 meters away.

The drivers claimed they would not be paid as they considered the job a show of support for Jokowi, the former mayor of Surakarta. "We are proud and happy to take part in the wedding. Kahiyang is a nice person," Sudaryono said.

The drivers normally park near Jokowi's private residence in Surakarta. Jokowi's family members are their loyal passengers. "I am so glad that I can serve Jokowi's guests," said another driver, Waluyo, 53.

"All 50 drivers have passed medical assessments. They will be given batik uniforms and identity cards," Surakarta Mayor FX Hadi "Rudy" Rudyatmo said. (dra/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/06/50-pedicabs-to-serve-guests-of-jokowis-daughters-wedding.html

8,000 guests to attend First Daughter's wedding

Jakarta Post - November 1, 2017

Ganug Nugroho Adi, Surakarta – The daughter of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Kahiyang Ayu, is counting the days as her wedding to Bobby Afif Nasution is fast approaching. About 8,000 invitations have already been posted.

The reception will be held at the Graha Saba Buana in Surakarta, Central Java, on Nov. 8.

"The invitations are ready, half of which have been sent. If the invitations are ready, that means other preparations are complete. The wedding preparation is 100 percent complete. The next thing will be the execution," said Gibran Rakabuming, the wedding's spokesman. Gibran is Jokowi's eldest son.

The invitations were sent along with coupons for souvenirs, several Quranic verses and a printed location map.

"[The guests] will get batik-patterned glass boxes as souvenirs," Gibran said, adding that the souvenirs were made by Risang Aji Art Glass owned by glass craftsman Mintorogo in Surakarta.

In the ijab kabul (Islamic version of holy matrimony) procession, Vice President Jusuf Kalla will be the bride's witness, while Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution will be the groom's. Surakarta mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo will give the welcoming remark.

Six gold-decorated chariots will be used by the couple and their families during the event. Four of the chariots belong to Surakarta's mayor and the rest belongs to Jokowi. Three chariots will start the ride from the bride's family home to the wedding venue, while three others will arrive from the Alila Hotel where the groom's family is staying. (foy/dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/8000-guests-to-attend-first-daughters-wedding.html

Jakarta & urban life

Illegal brothel Alexis closed, Jakarta Governor urges workers to find

ABC Radio Australia - November 8, 2017

Adam Harvey, Indonesia – At the reception desk of a Sharia hotel in Jakarta, religion is on show. Guests are checked in by young women wearing matching purple jilbabs that fall across the shoulders of their black jackets.

There is a collection box for the local mosque in a corner of the lobby, and the hotel's mission statement is fastened to an adjacent wall, making it clear this is a "halal hotel".

The front desk staff of the Hotel Sofyan are trained to catch out any couples who look like breaching the hotel's adherence to sharia law. "If they are not married, they cannot stay here," explains Asep, one of the front desk staff.

Sharia is the Islamic religious code that mandates – among other things – modest clothing and behaviour. In Indonesia's Aceh province, offences against Sharia, such as sex before marriage or gay sex, are punishable with jail and public caning.

Jakarta has no such rules, but a Sharia hotel is free to refuse to check-in couples who are not married.

"We don't have a proper regulation saying that you must bring your marriage certificate," Asep said. "So we can see it from their body language."

In particular "their behaviour, shyness, awkwardness, you can see it if they are married," he added.

It is not just hotels that enforce Sharia codes. Online Airbnb-style room rental sites like Zen Rooms often carry ads with the word "Syariah" (Sharia) that means unmarried couples are not welcome.

The city's best-known 'pleasure palace'

Sharia accommodation is in the headlines this week after Jakarta's new Governor shut down the city's best-known brothel and urged its workers to get new jobs in Sharia hotels.

Governor Anies Baswedan came to power thanks to the support of conservative Muslims, and he quickly fulfilled his campaign promise to close the Hotel Alexis.

The management of Alexis denied they were running a brothel. But that's a smokescreen: the hotel was the city's best-known pleasure palace.

The vast hotel, massage parlour and karaoke club in this increasingly conservative city is hardly discrete – it looms over one of Jakarta's busiest roads – its facade decorated with six-metre high orange and yellow panels designed to look like the legs of can-can dancers.

Online clips featuring the hotel show groups of men sitting in a lounge, selecting companions from a parade of identically dressed young women.

After shutting the hotel, Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno was asked about jobs for the workers. "These people who work in Alexis, they must be skilful in serving... Sharia hotels are now widely popular – so now those hotels can absorb Alexis employees," Mr Uno said.

The Alexis workers might have difficulty adjusting to employment at the Sofyan Hotel: apart from the strict dress code and the rule against unmarried couples, the hotel runs an Islamic refresher course for staff every Thursday; and Muslim staff are expected to be able to read the Koran in Arabic.

The hotel's gym has a strict dress code – for women. Short pants are unacceptable.

When the ABC visited, the hotel was hosting an event by the newly launched Sharia Monitoring Board. The body regulates another part of Sharia – Zakat – the tithing of a small proportion of a person's income to charity.

One of the participants is Fitri Fauzia. "For me, personally, a halal hotel benefits us Muslims, and everyone else too," she said.

"It stops the free sex, and things outside Islamic law. There's the ethical code and halal food and I think it promotes more secure relationships. "So it's of benefit for people in general."

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2017-11-08/illegal-brothel-alexis-closed-jakarta-governor-urges-workers-to-find-jobs-in-shariacompliant-hotels/1715444

'He was just using us': FPI leader's lawyer angry Anies Baswedan did not

Coconuts Jakarta - November 6, 2017

There is no doubt that the massive protests against former Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in November and December of last year had a huge influence on this year's gubernatorial race, which saw Ahok lose out to recently inaugurated Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.

But Anies and many others who supported the protests against Ahok for his alleged blasphemy against the Quran have always maintained that the protests were purely a matter of religion and not politics.

And yet, it seems some of the Islamic hardliners who organized the protests not only understood that they were politically motivated but now say they were instrumental in getting Anies elected. Consequently, they are now pissed off that the new governor is not giving them the respect they deserve.

Saturday was the one-year anniversary of the Nov. 4 anti-Ahok protest (Aksi 411) that saw more than 100,000 people take to the street to protest the former governor and ended violently, with one police officer dead and 79 others injured.

To commemorate Aksi 411, a group known as the Presidium Alumni 212 (made up of "alumni" of the even bigger December 2 anti-Ahok protest) held an anniversary event at the Al-Azhar Mosque in South Jakarta. Among the speakers was Eggi Sudjana, a legal advisor to the Presidium who is also famous for being the lawyer of infamous Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader and fugitive pornography suspect Rizieq Shihab.

(Why Presidium? We're really not sure, especially since the term is used almost exclusively by communist governments and we know how Indonesia's Islamic hardliners feel about communists...)

Eggi told reporters that he was extremely disappointed that Governor Anies did not attend the event, despite having been invited, nor even giving an excuse for his absence.

The FPI leader's lawyer then invoked an Indonesian proverb to warn Anies, saying "Don't be like the peanut that forgot its shell," which is usually used to describe people who forget about their hometowns or generally where they came from.

"Do not let it be that the when the Muslims who supported him sincerely need his presence, he does not come. It means he was just using us," Eggi said as quoted by Detik.

Eggi warned Anies not to forget about the people who supported him, because later only those people can help him, not his political parties.

According to Tempo, when asked about Eggi's statements and why he didn't attend the 411-anniversary event, Governor Anies simply smiled, shook his head and said (in English) "No comment".

During his campaign, Anies was often criticized for his blatant attempts at wooing the support of Islamic hardliners like the FPI, such as when he was pictured speaking next to their leader Rizieq at an event in early January. However, he denied allegations he was pandering to Islamists and said he wanted to be a leader that united people instead of dividing them (like Ahok).

It is not surprising that Anies would not want to appear friendly with hardliners like the FPI or the Presidium Alumni 212 at the start of his time in office and is likely upset that Eggi reminded everybody how instrumental they were to his campaign victory.

Another big test for Anies will come on December 2, when a much bigger anniversary event for the 212 protest is set to take place. Either his presence or absence at that event would likely lead to serious political consequences, so how much do you want to bet that he'll just "coincidentally" have some other incredibly urgent business that day that excuses prevents him from attending?

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/just-using-us-fpi-leaders-lawyer-angry-anies-baswedan-not-attend-anti-ahok-protest-anniversary/

Angry FPI lawyer accuses Jakarta governor Baswedan of 'using them to get

Detik News - November 4, 2017

Ahmad Bil Wahid, Jakarta – The Alumni 212 held a commemoration of the 411 Action at the Al-Azhar Mosque in South Jakarta. Newly elected Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan was also invited but did not attend.

Lawyer and Presidium Alumni 212 advisor Eggi Sudjana said he was offended by Baswedan's failure to attend the commemoration and regrets that he did not accept their invitation.

"If you say disappointed, defiantly. Our disappointment is, why didn't (Anies – Ed) not prioritise [the event]. He doesn't have any activities in the early morning. Where are the office related activities in the context of Jakarta's work", Sudjana said when speaking to journalists at the Al-Azhar Mosque on Saturday November 4.

"What was the reason for not coming, [he] didn't let us know", he added.

Sudjana then alluded to Baswedan's behaviour by quoting the Indonesian proverb, "Like a peanut that has forgotten its shell". According to Sudjana, Baswedan should be careful lest the 212 Action alumni come to see him as just using them during his Jakarta gubernatorial election campaign.

"Do not let it be that the when the Islamic community who sincerely supported him need his presence, he does not come. It means he was just using us", said Sudjana.

"If that comes to pass, Anies was my junior in the HMI (Muslim Students Association – Ed), so I warn him as a senior, the peanut shouldn't forget its shell. Truly commit to the religious community, because only the religious community can help, the [political] parties can't", he added. (hri/tor)

Notes

1. The Presidium 212 were the organisers of the so-call Defend Islam actions which succeeded in mobilising massive protests against former Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in November and December last year which eventually led to him being jailed on trumped up blasphemy charges and loosing the election to the Prabowo Subianto backed Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno ticket.

2. The proverb "Don't be like the peanut that forgot its shell" generally describes people who forget about their hometowns or where they actually came from.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Kecewa Anies Absen Peringatan 411, Eggi: Jangan Kacang Lupa Kulit".]

Source: https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3713056/kecewa-anies-absen-peringatan-411-eggi-jangan-kacang-lupa-kulit

Vendors pour into sidewalks of Tanah Abang after long absence, officials

Coconuts Jakarta - November 3, 2017

One of the greatest achievements of the previous Jakarta administration was their success in keeping the sidewalks and streets of Tanah Abang free from street vendors selling anything from clothes to food (a task which was much more tedious and difficult than it sounds), which had turned the shopping district into a macet nightmare.

But like a long and endless struggle against a parasitic infection, the street vendors – many of whom prefer to sell on the street rather than having to rent a commercial space inside Tanah Abang's shopping centers – have been coming back over the past few months, only to be knocked back by the Satpol PP (civil police), and for the cycle to continually repeat itself. Over the past week, however, it seems the vendors' persistence have temporarily won them the battle as these photos from Detik show: https://twitter.com/triwul82/status/924414510122729472.

Officials from Indonesia's Ombudsman office recently carried out an investigation into the problem, and they believe that there's a systemic chain of corruption involving the Satpol PP and local preman (thugs) resulting in the vendors being able to sell their goods on the streets of Tanah Abang.

"One preman at the location admitted that he is close to a Satpol PP official so that the vendors (under his protection) would not be targeted in raids," said Ombudsman official Adrianus Meliala, as quoted by Kompas yesterday.

"This is the interesting part. It used to be that the vendors gave (bribe) money directly to the Satpol PP. Now, they do so via a middleman."

While details of the investigation was not disclosed, the Ombudsman revealed that they have evidence of bribery in Tanah Abang obtained through undercover investigations.

"In all the places that we found (bribery) we sent our assistants and equipped them with video (gear). We recorded conversations with Satpol PP officers, names were mentioned and that they received IDR500,000 (US$37) to IDR8 million (US$592) per month," Adrianus said.

Satpol PP Jakarta Deputy Chief Hidayatullah said he has doubts about Ombudsman's investigation and called on the public advocacy body to share their evidence.

Jakarta's new administration, headed by Anies Baswedan and his deputy Sandiaga Uno, is looking to implement as-of-yet unspecified short-term solutions to the Tanah Abang problem while they come up with permanent solutions to keep the district's sidewalks and streets free of vendors. One idea that the Satpol PP came up with is to close some roads in Tanah Abang from vehicles to accommodate street vendors during certain hours of the day.

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/vendors-pour-sidewalks-tanah-abang-long-absence-officials-say-areas-thugs-bribed-civil-police/

Activists report minister over certificates for reclaimed islets

Jakarta Post - November 3, 2017

Jakarta – A group of activists have reported Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil to the Indonesian Ombudsman for alleged maladministration in the issuance of right to build and right to manage certificates for islets C and D.

The activists, incorporated under the Save the Jakarta Bay Coalition, also reported North Jakarta Agrarian Agency head Kasten Situmorang, who also issued land certificates for islets C and D developer PT Kapuk Naga Indah, a subsidiary of property giant PT Agung Sedayu Group.

Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) lawyer Nelson Simamora said on Friday that the coalition had previously sent a letter that objected to issuance of certificates for the islets on Aug. 14 but received no response.

He said the certificates were issued by the ministry before regulations pertaining to the northern Jakarta spatial plan and zoning plans in coastal areas and small islands were passed.

"The certificates were also issued without the necessary documents, such as environment permits and a complete environmental impact analysis [Amdal]," Nelson said in Jakarta.

He said the Amdal submitted only covered land reclamation analysis and did not cover development in the area.

Ombudsman commissioner Alamsyah Saragih said the independent state institution would verify the report and establish a team to investigate the alleged maladministration.

"The issuance of certificates before the necessary bylaws were passed may question whether maladministration took place," he said. (dis)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/03/activists-report-minister-over-certificates-for-reclaimed-islets.html

Infrastructure development continues despite no traffic analysis

Jakarta Post - November 3, 2017

Jakarta – Jakarta Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah said although it had no traffic impact analysis, the city would continue with its 10 infrastructure projects for the sake of the public.

"The construction projects will not cease because it's in the interest of the public that we doing it, not for the private sector," Andri told kompas.com at City Hall on Thursday.

He added that if the construction activities were halted, it would take longer to finish the projects because people had been waiting a long time for the infrastructure to be completed.

Andri said Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan would summon the contractors and demand that they immediately complete a traffic impact analysis of their projects.

Previously, Anies said more than 10 ongoing infrastructure projects in Jakarta had no traffic impact analysis, resulting in severe traffic jams.

Six out of the 10 projects were developed by the city, including the Pancoran, Cipinang Lontar, Bintaro flyovers and the Mampang-Kuningan, Kartini and Matraman underpasses.

Meanwhile, the four other projects are being developed by the central government. They include the construction of the Cawang-Dukuh Atas light rail transit (LRT) and the Depok-Antasari and Bekasi-Cawang-Kampung Melayu toll roads as well as six toll road segments in the inner city toll road. (dis/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/03/infrastructure-development-continues-despite-no-traffic-analysis.html

Satpol PP questions ombudsmen's findings on collection of unauthorized

Jakarta Post - November 3, 2017

Jakarta – The deputy chairman of the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), Hidayatullah, questioned the findings of Indonesian ombudsmen revealing that its members allegedly collected unauthorized fees from street vendors in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.

He said that he had been a Tanah Abang district head for six years and knew the characteristics of gangs that backed street vendors who were operating illegally.

"The gang members may use slander [to create any accusation]," Hidayatullah said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

The gang even lied by telling vendors to give them money, claiming it would be delivered to the local administration, including the heads of community unit (RW) and the neighborhood unit (RT).

However, he appreciated the ombudsmen's findings and promised to follow up by asking for the names of the Satpol PP members involved as well as evidence of illegal fee collection.

Jakarta Satpol PP supervision unit head Lamsar Nainggolan said some of his officers indeed had let some street vendors continue operating, but he did not say whether they had received any unauthorized fees from them.

Ombudsmen revealed on Thursday that some Satpol PP officers asked for unauthorized fees from street vendors in six areas in the city, one of which is Tanah Abang, in return for permission to conduct their business activities.

The ombudsman commissioner, Adrianus Meliala, said the officers had received money from gangs who backed the street vendors. (yon)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/03/satpol-pp-questions-ombudsmens-findings-on-collection-of-unauthorized-fees.html

Anies, Sandiaga implement less transparent bureaucracy

Jakarta Post - November 3, 2017

Ivany Atina Arbi, Jakarta – In contrast to the transparent bureaucracy that was promised during their gubernatorial campaign, new Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and his deputy Sandiaga Uno have thus far appeared to implement a closed bureaucratic system, limiting the access of the mass media to their activities at City Hall.

Previously, during the 2012-2017 tenure, former governors Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat allowed journalists from various mass media organizations to interview them in almost every spot in the building, including in front of their respective offices.

Currently, however, the majority of interview sessions are only permitted to be conducted in the main hall of the building called Balairung. The dozens of journalists present at city hall must wait for Anies and Sandiaga in the main hall for press conferences.

This has limited the ability of journalists to find out who is visiting the governor and deputy governor, as well as to learn what topics are being discussed.

Various meetings, which were usually open to the media, such as meetings on the budget and meetings to brief heads of city-owned enterprises, are now closed to the public.

Sandiaga said he had banned the reporters from conducting interviews in front of his office because the background was not good enough to be displayed on television. "[The interviews are held in Balairung] because the background there is good enough to be displayed on television," he said.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Communications, Information and Statistics Agency head Dian Ekowati said reporters were banned from joining meetings in order to create a more orderly atmosphere. "The more orderly the atmosphere, the more concentrated the meeting participants are," Dian said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/03/anies-sandiaga-implement-less-transparent-bureaucracy.html

Jakarta public order officers conspire with gangs to recieve illegal

Jakarta Post - November 2, 2017

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ombudsman revealed on Thursday that some Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers had asked for illegal levies from street vendors in six areas in the city in return for permission to conduct their business activities.

From the investigation conducted by the Ombudsman, it was revealed that Satpol PP officers had accepted Rp 500,000 (US$36.90) to Rp 8 million per month from the vendors.

The Ombudsman commissioner, Adrianus Meliala, said the officers received the money from gangs who backed the street vendors.

In Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, for instance, a gang member admitted to cultivating close relationships with Satpol PP officers so that the street vendors he backed were not raided.

"We also found that there were Satpol PP officers who received the levies at the district office," Adrianus said as quoted by kompas.com.

The practice of paying illegal levies was also found to have occurred in the area near Mal Ambassador in Setiabudi, Central Jakarta, where money was distributed to the subdistrict and district office through the neighborhood head. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/02/satpol-pp-officers-conspire-with-gangs-to-recieve-illegal-levies-ombudsman.html

Jakarta to develop sharia-based hotels

Jakarta Post - November 2, 2017

Jakarta – Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno promised on Thursday that the city would develop sharia-based hotels to absorb workers who lost their jobs after the closure of the Alexis Hotel in North Jakarta. The city claimed the hotel was a hotbed for prostitution.

Sandiaga said the city would cooperate with the Sharia Economic Society (MES) to train the workers and place them at hotels that would be developed to provide sharia-based services. He did not elaborate.

He added that sharia-based hotels were mushrooming in various capitals around the globe, namely in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and Tokyo. "We want to make sure that Jakarta is not left behind," he told journalists at City Hall.

Sandiaga also announced that he would involve the Alexis Hotel's workers in his entrepreneurship training program known as the One District One Center of Entrepreneurship (OK OCE).

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/02/jakarta-to-develop-sharia-based-hotels.html

Jakartans spend 22 days in traffic jam per year: Survey

Jakarta Post - November 1, 2017

Jakarta – Jakartans spend a longer time in traffic compared to citizens of other major Asian cities, a study revealed on Wednesday.

App-based transportation firm Uber, in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group, released a study revealing that drivers in Jakarta spend an average of 22 days a year in traffic.

The number is higher than many other major cities in Asia, in which drivers spend around 19 days stuck in traffic, Uber Indonesia's head of public policy and government affairs John Colombo said.

"In a day, drivers in Jakarta spend an average of 68 minutes in traffic and 21 minutes looking for parking," Colombo said in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Regarding the difficulty of finding a parking space, the study found 74 percent of Jakartans missed important events, such as wedding parties, appointments with doctors, job interviews and funerals.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno, who attended the release of the study's results, deplored the findings. "Imagine, 22 days are the same as two years of annual leave," he said. He expected ride-sharing apps would help decrease traffic congestion in the city.

The survey was conducted in major Asian cities from July to August involving 9,000 participants from 18 to 65 years old. Besides Jakarta, the study also took place in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Manila in the Philippines, Bangkok in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taipei in Taiwan, and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. (yon)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/jakartans-spend-22-days-in-traffic-jam-per-year-survey.html

Jakarta governor Anies shutters alleged high-end brothel

Asian Correspondent - November 1, 2017

Authorities in Indonesia's capital have shut a hotel and spa complex which is allegedly known as a hotbed for high-class prostitution in Jakarta.

The closure came following calls from Islamist groups in the Muslim-majority country who urged Jakarta's governor to act on a campaign pledge to shut the premises.

The Alexis Hotel, whose website describes it as a "dreamland for men", became embroiled in the city's recent election when the new governor, Anies Baswedan, promised in a televised debate to shut it and accused his predecessor of only acting against more downmarket venues offering vice and drugs.

Edy Junaedi, head of the Jakarta Capital Investment and One-stop Integrated Services (PTSP) agency, confirmed by telephone on Monday that the hotel's permit had not been renewed.

In a letter, the city government said it had decided not to extend the permit after "information circulating in media about forbidden activities", adding that it was required to prevent any immoral and illegal activities.

Islamist groups had previously sent a letter to authorities demanding the hotel be closed, but later called off a proposed protest rally outside the venue for security and technical reasons, state news agency Antara said.

The hotel did not immediately respond to a request for comment and its owner could not be reached.

Media quoted Anies as saying the city would take firm action against any businesses conducting "immoral practices".

The governor faced criticism after winning April's Jakarta election with the support of Islamist groups who had agitated for months against his opponent and former governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama – an ethnic Chinese Christian known as Ahok – whom they accused of blasphemy against Islam.

Ahok demolished Jakarta's sprawling Kalijodo red-light district in 2016 as part of a nationwide crackdown on prostitution and also closed a number of notorious Jakarta nightclubs over drug use.

Though illegal in Indonesia, prostitution is rampant in most cities, and the decision to close the Alexis comes as groups like the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which has a history of raiding nightclubs and bars, want Anies to impose a more "Islamic lifestyle" on the city of more than 10 million.

Novel Bamukmin, head of FPI's Jakarta chapter, has said the group would "push" Baswedan's administration to gradually close down bars and clubs in a city known for a freewheeling nightlife because "It's immoral and... not Islamic culture".

Sandiaga Uno, Anies' deputy, has said the administration would consider setting up "sharia-inspired" or sharia-compliant entertainment spots similar to those in Abu Dhabi or Dubai.

[This article was originally published on our sister website Travel Wire Asia. Additional reporting by Reuters.]

Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/11/jakarta-governor-anies-shutters-alleged-high-end-brothel/

Transport & communication

Protest against ride-hailing apps in Makassar turns ugly

Jakarta Post - November 1, 2017

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – The newly enacted Transportation Ministry regulation on ride-hailing applications failed to immediately put tensions to rest as protests by both conventional and online public transportation services took place in some cities on Wednesday.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, hundreds of conventional transportation drivers held a rally in front of South Sulawesi governor office, demanding the provincial administration to immediately issue a policy to limit the number of vehicles using the app-based services in the province, despite the new regulation that came into force the same day.

"We have suffered decreasing income ever since online taxi's began operating in Makassar about a year ago," said Hamzah, one of the protesters.

Some of the protesters turned the peaceful rally into a violent one by throwing stones at a passing car.

The chairman of the Land Transportation Organization Makassar, Zainal Abidin, said there were some 12,000 vehicles employed by app-based services.

Conventional transportation in the city currently consisted of 2,000 taxis, 4,000 angkot (public minivans) and 24,000 becak motor (motorized tricycles).

In response to the protest, South Sulawesi Transportation Agency Head Ilyas Iskandar said the ministerial regulation would be implemented in the province. All cars employed by online-based services would also be required to register.

"At the moment, only half of the 2,000 conventional taxis in Makassar are still in operation. While, of the 10,000 online-based cars, only 1,000 have been registered," Ilyas said. (bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/protest-against-ride-hailing-apps-in-makassar-turns-ugly.html

Retail & service industry

Tightfisted consumers are squeezing Indonesia's economy

Nikkei Asian Review - November 6, 2017

Wataru Suzuki, Jakarta – Low inflation, interest rates cuts and cheaper fuel have not been enough to excite Indonesian shoppers, as weak household consumption continued to weigh on Indonesia's economic growth in the third quarter.

The country's gross domestic product rose 5.06% from a year earlier in the July-September quarter, the central statistics agency said Monday. A pickup in exports and investment pushed growth to its fastest pace in five quarters.

But household spending rose a modest 4.9%, the fourth consecutive quarter of growth below 5%. With exports and investment heavily dependent on external factors, a recovery in household spending, which accounts for nearly 60% of Indonesia's GDP, is essential for stable long-term growth.

According to a recent report by U.S. research specialist Nielsen, sales of fast-moving consumer goods like instant noodles, shampoo and diapers have risen just 2.7% from the previous year so far in 2017, compared with growth of 7.7% for all of 2016 and 11.5% in 2015. If this year's growth maintains its current pace, it will be the slowest since 2009.

Consumers' reluctance to loosen their purse strings has surprised some economists, who had predicted the rise in commodity prices would lift spending in outlying regions. Nielsen data shows that although consumer goods sales were strong in commodity-producing areas such as Kalimantan and South Sumatra, they failed to offset low growth in Java, which accounts for nearly 60% of the economy.

Nielsen attributed the slowdown to smaller wage increases, which, in turn, are putting pressure on middle- and lower-income households. These households are responding by buying shampoo in smaller packages, for example, and cooking at home instead of dining out, it said. This highlights a policy dilemma for President Joko Widodo, who has made attracting investment a top priority since taking office in October 2014. Some observers say the low wage growth is the result of a formula introduced in 2015 to calculate minimum wages. The formula, aimed at making labor costs more predictable, is pegged to inflation and GDP growth.

Authorities are trying harder to juice consumer spending. The central bank has cut its policy interest rate eight times since 2016, and the government has kept a lid on gasoline prices despite rising crude oil prices. But these efforts have not had much visible effect.

"Inflation is low, interest rates are low. So all the necessary environment to support consumption is there," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said in October. "We expect consumption to grow above 5 [percent]."

The slowdown is reflected in the lackluster earnings at some of the country's top consumer goods companies. Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur, the largest maker of instant noodles, household goods company Unilever Indonesia and drugmaker Kalbe Farma all reported lower revenue growth in the January-September period compared with the previous year.

"Market conditions have not improved significantly in the third quarter," said Indofood President and CEO Anthoni Salim.

Some data suggests Indonesians are still upbeat about their prospects. MasterCard's semiannual gauge of consumer confidence ranked Indonesia as "optimistic" in the first half of the year, a slight improvement from the previous year. In October, Bank Mandiri President Kartika Wirjoatmodjo said loans for cars and homes remain solid. "Demand for big items is not declining sharply," he said. "I think consumer demand next year will be better."

The government may prime the pump ahead of the presidential election in 2019. Mandiri Sekuritas, a local brokerage, expects the central bank to ease down-payment rules for homes in the coming months to further stimulate the economy.

Even so, some analysts are skeptical of a big pickup in growth in the near term. "Given the mounting headwinds facing the economy, we expect growth to come in at around 5% over the next couple of years," said Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics, in a report on Monday.

For some companies, exports are crucial to offsetting sluggish domestic sales. Kalbe Farma, which sells prescription drugs and nutritional supplements in Southeast Asia and Africa, saw exports rise to 5.5% of total revenue for the nine-month period, compared with 5.0% in the previous year. The company has said it is looking for acquisitions and joint-venture partners in the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Source: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Tightfisted-consumers-are-squeezing-Indonesia-s-economy

Drop in consumption due to weakening purchasing power, not shift to

Kata Data - November 3, 2017

AC Nielsen research shows that the recent decline in consumption is not a result of a shift to online shopping because the digital trade segment accounts for only 1 percent of consumption.

Asep Wijaya – It's not just traders and retail shops that have been hit of late. Producers of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) have also suffered slow sales growth over the first nine months of the year.

This further reinforces other indications of weakening purchasing power, particularly among the lower middle-class, compared with the influence of a trend towards electronic sales (e-commerce).

Based on data from the Nielson survey institute, sales of consumer goods over the period January-September 2017 have only grown by 2.7 percent. This figure continues a slowing trend in the sale of FMCG that grew by 7.7 percent last year, which is below the average annual growth of 11 percent over the last 10 years.

One of the most striking indicators of this was during the Idul Fitri holiday season following the Ramadan fasting month which is normally a harvest season for the sale of consumer goods. This year however, sales growth was only 5 percent or far below growth the levels for the period 2014-2016 which stood at 20.6 percent, 16.3 percent and 13.4 percent respectively.

The sluggish sale of consumer goods is also spread evenly across all regions. In Jakarta FMCG sales declined by 2.3 percent. Likewise in East Java it fell by 0.1 percent. Sales of consumer goods in West and Central Java meanwhile rose only slightly by 6.1 percent and 1.7 percent respectively. Yet these four provinces on Java Island control 68 percent of the consumer goods market in Indonesia.

Only three regions showed a significant growth in consumer goods sales which occurred in concert with business activities specific to these regions.

First, in South Sumatra where sales grew by 8 percent because the region is a palm oil (CPO) producer. Second, in Kalimantan, which grew by 14.3 percent because it is a coal producing region. Third, in Bali and Nusa Tenggara where sales grew by 7.4 percent because of the tourism sector.

AC Nielsen concluded that slow consumer goods sales were not influenced by the online shopping trend. The reason for this is that online FMCG sales last year only amounted to 1.5 trillion rupiah or just 0.3 percent of the total value of consumer goods sales.

This figure is insignificant in comparison with the drop in FMCG sales of 37 trillion rupiah, based on the difference between a FMCG average annual sales growth of 11 percent or 49 trillion rupiah while sales for the period January-September 2017 only grew 2.7 percent or 12 trillion rupiah.

Lower middle-class purchasing power under pressure

Nielsen explained that the reason for the decline in household consumption was because of weakening purchasing power among the lower middle-class. This weakening of purchasing power was caused by a decline in take hope pay and conversely a rise in the cost of living.

Incomes declined because there has been no increase or no significant increase in wages as well as a decline in income from overtime, along with an absense of commissions and other sources of income. The cost of living and household expenditure meanwhile has risen due to increases in electricity rates, food prices and school fees.

People have responded by putting a break on spending with consumption of instant noodles declining by 2.7 percent and instant coffee by 1.5 percent. Conversely, people are electing to buy unprocessed food and making their own snacks as can be seen by an increase in the sale of flour (28.1 percent), cooking oil (13.4 percent) and milk (13.8 percent). They are also choosing products in smaller packaging (sachets) in order to better control consumption.

Economist Faisal Basri in an article title "Structural Transformation and Purchasing Power" [https://faisalbasri.com/2017/09/26/transformasi-struktural-dan-daya-beli/] also says that there has been a decline in purchasing power among the poorest 40 percent group. The farmer's exchange rate (NTP) between November 2014 and August 2017 declined from 102.87 to 101.60. The NTP for farmers in food production in particular has declined sharply from 102.0 to 98.3. Basri emphasises that an NTP under 100 is a cause for concern.

Meanwhile the real wage for agricultural workers has also fallen by 2.49 percent between November 2014 and August 2017. During the same period, the real wage for construction workers in urban areas has also experienced a decline of as much as 2.12 percent.

In addition to this, Basri says that there are indications that the decline in purchasing power is spreading to the 40 percent middle-income group, particularly among the medium- and lower-middle class. Among other things this is a result of the removal of electricity subsidies for 900 VA subscribers totalling around 19 million households.

"As a consequence of the removal of these subsidies, average spending on electricity for this group has risen sharply from 80,000 rupiah a month to 170,000 rupiah a month", said Basri.

The government is also aware of the weakening purchasing power of the lower middle-class and in 2018 will be channeling funds to the Village Fund Program amounting to some 60 trillion rupiah which will be disbursed to around 74 thousand villages. This figure represents a continuing increase from 47 trillion rupiah in 2016 and 21 trillion in 2015.

Unlike the previous years, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo plans to link the disbursement of the 2018 village funds with an obligation to absorb local labour.

Upper middle-class consumption trends

Unlike the lower middle-class group, AC Nielson's research shows that consumption is still growing among the top 34 percent income group. The upper-class is still spending its income on maintaining its lifestyle and on things such as eating out, although we should still wait and see.

This explanation for consumption trends among the upper middle-class is in line with a recent analysis by University of Indonesia Faculty of Business and Economics dean Ari Kuncoro. Kuncoro says that there has been a shift in consumption among the upper middle-class with the majority of this economic group tending to put off the purchase of durable goods in order to enjoy more leisure time.

One of the indicators that were used as a reference by Kuncoro was people's desire for recreation or enjoying their spare time out of the city. The traffic congestion that so often occurs along the length of the Jagorawi toll road between Jakarta and Puncak, Bogor, and train tickets which are sold out on long weekends are one of the parameters.

"It is no longer the era of new goods exhibitions such as mobile phones or new cloths but people prefer holiday photo exhibitions which can be directly uploaded onto their social media", said Kuncoro not long ago.

Actually, continued Kuncoro, the middle-class' monthly income has not experienced a significant increase. But, in order to show off the actualisation of their class, the middle-income group has had to choose between buying electronic goods and doing something else. "And they chose to travel", said Kuncoro.

Faisal Basri says that the upper middle-class has also shifted (switched) a proportion of its income from shopping to savings. In the second quarter of 2016 the proportion of income going to savings was 18.6 percent. This increased to 21.1 percent in the second quarter of 2017.

"A consumer confidence survey by Mandiri Bank also shows a similar and continuing trend. Based on this survey, the proportion of income being saved has risen from 20.6 percent in July 2017 to 21.1 percent in August 2017", said Basri.

The shift to savings can also be seen from the acceleration in the rise of third party funds (DPK) in the banking sector since October 2016. In September 2016 growth in DPK stood at only 3.5 percent. A month later this had risen to 6.5 percent, rising again to 8.4 percent in November and then to 9.6 percent in December.

Between January 2017 and June 2017 the increase in DPK has almost always been in the double digits. Conversely, the disbursement of credit by banks has weakened and has only grown by single digits over the last 19 months. "So, people's money ending up in the banking sector has experienced an increase", he said.

Basri suggests that the government target the upper middle-class by stimulating the tourism sector. He says that there is a potential 78 million Indonesian citizens who are ready to go on tours.

"The main challenge facing the government is how to get its own citizens to visit and travel tourist attractions in Indonesia itself", he said.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Nielsen: Penjualan Turun Akibat Daya Beli Lemah, Bukan Tren Online".]

Source: https://katadata.co.id/berita/2017/11/03/nielsen-penjualan-turun-akibat-daya-beli-lemah-bukan-tren-online

'Middle consumer segment shifts to lower-value goods'

Jakarta Post - November 2, 2017

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – The increased cost of living during a stagnant business period has forced middle-class consumers to purchase cheaper goods to meet their daily needs, fast-moving consumer goods leader Unilever said on Wednesday.

On the other hand, high-end consumers continued to purchase premium packaged goods, PT Unilever Indonesia president director Hemant Bakshi told journalists on Wednesday, during a public expo at the company's headquarters in South Tangerang, Banten.

He said the changing consumption pattern had caused a shift in consumer segmentation, with middle-class consumers shifting to low-value goods.

"[Middle class] consumers are moving toward either smaller-sized and inexpensive products, [while high-end consumers] continue to purchase premium products," Hemant added.

Meanwhile, Unilever Indonesia chief financial officer and finance director Tevilyan Yudhistira Rusli said that based on consumer research, the composition of high, middle and low consumers was now 10-40-50, but if the condition persisted, the middle consumer market would decline.

"The middle market will decline. To anticipate this, we need to change our portfolio," Tevilyan added.

The company was currently intensifying marketing of its second-tier brands, such as Fair & Lovely as an alternative to Pond's, which was marketed to the middle-upper consumer segment, he said. Unilever Indonesia also had plans to issue a premium variant of brands, such as softener Molto. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/02/middle-consumer-segment-shifts-to-lower-value-goods.html

Armed forces & defense

Seven airmen arrested for alleged robbery attempt

Jakarta Post - November 2, 2017

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The Air Force military police in Medan, North Sumatra, have arrested seven airmen for their roles in an alleged robbery attempt of a couple carrying Rp 70 million (US$5,168) in their car.

The alleged robbery took place on Tuesday evening when the victims, identified as Vina, and her husband, Andi, were on their way home to the Somerset Regency housing complex in Medan.

A car believed to be carrying the seven airmen pulled up alongside the couple and tried to make them stop their car. Andi then sped up, and the airmen pursued them until they entered the housing complex.

The couple then stopped and tried to get out of their car, but some of the airmen pushed them back in, with one reportedly grabbing at Vina's purse.

Vina resisted the attempt and screamed for help. One of the airmen reportedly slapped her in response, but by then the incident had attracted the attention of local residents.

The residents tried to stop the robbery and managed to restrain four of the airmen. Two other soldiers were later arrested by the Air Force military police, while the seventh remains at large. "I am still in shock," Vina said.

Air Force spokesman First. Lt. Mulianto said the airmen had joined the force a year ago. He claimed that the incident was just a misunderstanding. "It was not a robbery. The sides of their cars bumped each other. That's what triggered the car chase. But we will still investigate the case," he said. (ahw)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/02/seven-airmen-arrested-for-alleged-robbery-attempt.html

Criminal justice & legal system

Narcotic Agency head Budi Waseso says dealers are slipping drugs into

Coconuts Jakarta - November 3, 2017

Budi Waseso, the head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), is known for his somewhat... unconventional ideas about dealing with Indonesia's supposed drug crisis.

He seems to have pretty much given up on his idea of building a special island prison for drug dealers guarded by crocodiles, but he continues to bring up the idea that narcotics rings are secretly slipping their products into the food and candy of Indonesian students as young as kindergarteners in a long-term plan to get the next generation hooked on drugs.

"They work with the traders in the school's neighborhood by mixing narcotics with food, the goal is that these children are poisoned by narcotics so that when they get into high school they will become a new market share for narcotics," Budi said at a school event in Batu City, East Java yesterday as quoted by Kompas.

This is in line with remarks he has been making since last year, like when he told a gathering of his fellow drug enforcement officers that, "Drugs have come to kindergarten children. They've become victims, as [drug dealers] mix the drug into their food and drinks. That is because their goal is to turn them into their future market. That is why drugs are a threat to the state and to the nation's children."

However, in all that time, neither Budi nor any other government official has ever been able to provide a single example drug dealers slipping their narcotics into the food and drink of kindergarteners, despite numerous scares like when authorities thought kids were becoming addicted to a particular kind of finger-shaped candy (turns out, kids just really like candy).

Besides not having any proof for his theory, it also simply doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Kindergarteners obviously do not have any money to pay for drugs. So the idea of drug dealers constantly slipping their valuable narcotics into kids' food in order over years to get them hooked so that maybe a decade down the line, when the kids finally do have some money to buy drugs, they will, seems like one hell of a long-term investment for any drug dealer...

During his speech yesterday, he also warned that Indonesia has more types of drugs in circulation than in any other country in the world. He said there are as many as 800 kinds of new drugs entering Indonesia, whereas the United States only has six types of narcotics, France only has four, and both the Netherland and Australia only have five.

Yes, that is what Indonesia's highest authority on narcotics thinks, or at least is telling people. Last month he also suggested that people who criticize Indonesia's use of the death penalty may, in fact, be members of drug syndicates themselves.

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/narcotic-agency-head-budi-waseso-says-dealers-slipping-drugs-childrens-food-get-hooked-early/

Foreign affairs & trade

Was the Indonesian military chief's US flight incident a political

The Diplomat - November 2, 2017

David Hutt – For months, Gatot Nurmantyo, the Indonesian military chief, has been courted self-aggrandizing controversy wherever he may find it, all designed, it seems, to make himself more politically important than he is.

The latest instance came when Nurmantyo was booked to fly to Washington to attend a counterterrorism conference. He was reportedly invited by Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, who happens to be a personal friend, according to Nurmantyo.

Before departing, however, he was told U.S. Customs would deny his entry – along with his wife and four other officials – and was not allowed to fly. American officials quickly offered apologies for what the U.S. embassy in Jakarta said, on Wednesday, was due to an administrative error.

Days after the incident, however, it emerged, following a statement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Affairs, that despite the initial flight ban, Nurmantyo was quickly cleared to travel and booked onto another airplane leaving hours after the original one. (He had also been warned before the original flights that there might be some delays because of U.S. security protocols.)

But Nurmantyo "chose not to travel" on the second flight, the statement says. Nurmantyo, also speaking days after the incident, insinuated that he didn't board the second flight because he wasn't ordered to. "Without [the order of the president] I will not take any initiative," he said. One doubts, though, whether President Joko Widodo would've been too fussed over which airplane Nurmantyo boarded.

Irrespective of what actually occurred, he whole incident has also allowed nationalists of all hues to obtrude into the incident. The Jakarta Post sensationally described it in an editorial as a "diplomatic scandal." If it is a scandal then it is one enflamed by politicians and the press, which have given it copious coverage, especially on Indonesian television.

The aforementioned Jakarta Post editorial suggested that "such carelessness of the U.S. government may result in fallout in bilateral and defense military ties," while it added that the Nurmantyo flying schedule "still leave[s] us agog at how the world's biggest power could be so reckless". But the fact that U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis got involved and personally apologized to his Indonesian counterpart shows America as more contrite than punitive. However, so far, Washington has refused to say publicly whether there was anything more to the incident than a simple error.

Though details remain murky, incidents like these and the way they are frame matter because of Nurmantyo's role in Indonesia. Nurmantyo personifies the genuine concern that military leaders are becoming more influential in Indonesian politics. And it is abundantly clear that Nurmantyo has long seen his future in politics and is now making a play given that he is due to retire in a few months' time.

As early as 2014, Damien Kingsbury, of Deakin University, wrote in the East Asia Forum that "Nurmantyo's breaking of over a decade of military silence on domestic politics signals a potential alternative to Indonesia's democratic path." To put this into context, Kingsbury added: "Democracy in developing states tends to be vulnerable to reversal, particularly where the military remains primarily focused on internal rather than external threats".

Nurmantyo is certainly no friend of democracy. Years ago, he described democracy in Indonesia as "empty." More recently, he has threatened to disturb the peaceful balance between different security forces when he said that the military could take action over the import of foreign-made weaponry. In a speech to retired military officers last month, which was leaked to the media, he said that he was prepared to "attack" the police if they were given such weapons. He has also been making repeated warnings about the return of the PKI, the Communist Party of Indonesia, almost an irredentist pursuit by Nurmantyo.

Bhatara Ibnu Reza, a senior researcher for Imparsial, the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, dubbed Nurmantyo a "political soldier" and the "enemy of democracy" in a recent opinion piece for the Jakarta Post. John McBeth, writing in the Asia Times this month, said that Nurmantyo is a "one of a kind", a remark that sought to distinguish him from his military chief predecessor, Moeldoko, who's political ambitions have so far fallen flat; Moeldoko is only deputy chairman of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura).

"Not since the birth of the democratic era has an Indonesian military commander" – meaning Nurmantyo – "so blatantly displayed his political ambitions while still in office. And never before has one so openly courted religious groups in the hope of burnishing his electability," McBeth wrote.

Though Nurmantyo might not yet be a popular figure he may seek to be, the latest incident will no doubt boost his profile. That matters because the ideology he represents is gaining traction in Indonesia. What Nurmantyo calls for is the rejuvenation of ethno-nationalism, tinged with religious exceptionalism, and combined with a populist appeal to the classes brushed aside by economic development: the sort of message that has been propagated by the radical Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI).

The comparison isn't trite. When giving a lecture in December, following Basuki "Ahok" Purnama's conviction for blasphemy, he said that the protests, led by the FPI, against the then-Jakarta mayor came from the "hearts of the Islamic community". He also mentioned that he had spoken to Habib Rezieq Shihab, the FPI's leader.

Some analysts think Nurmantyo aspires to become the running mate of Prabowo Subianto in 2019's presidential election. "His character and leadership are already proven," the deputy chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) told local media last month.

All the more reason, then, to read the Nurmantyo flight incident more as a political stunt rather than some sort of elaborate plot by Washington to shame Jakarta or a crisis in U.S.-Indonesia relations.

Source: https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/was-the-indonesian-military-chiefs-us-flight-incident-a-political-stunt/

Mining & energy

Nuclear energy most expensive power: Deputy minister

Jakarta Post - November 6, 2017

Jakarta – Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar has said that nuclear energy is the most expensive of all energy.

"The price range of nuclear energy all over the world is between 7.7 and 13.6 US cents per kilowatts per hour, while the national basic procurement cost of electricity is 7.39 cents," he said when discussing the results of talks with nuclear energy stakeholders.

"Historically, the price of energy nuclear has always been above the national basic procurement cost," he said as reported by kompas.com on Monday.

The government has not decided whether to develop nuclear energy, he said, adding that if the government constructed nuclear plants it could sell the energy at higher prices or provide a subsidy.

Arcandra mentioned claims that nuclear energy was cheaper than conventional energy. "I have not received any data proving that commercially nuclear energy is cheaper. It is only discourse. [Nuclear plants] involve a large amount of money. We cannot base anything on discourse," he added.

He said Indonesia had the technology and human resources to develop nuclear plants. However, he said public acceptance of nuclear plants was also a consideration the government had to take into account. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/06/nuclear-energy-most-expensive-power-deputy-minister.html

Freeport under multiple guns in Indonesia

Asia Times - November 2, 2017

John McBeth, Jakarta – Locked in protracted negotiations with the Indonesian government over the future of its hugely profitable Grasberg mine, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold now faces an unsteady share price and deteriorating security around its Papua-based operations to add to its troubles.

Despite the release of better-than-expected third quarter revenues of US$3.41 billion, Freeport's shares slipped by as much as 4.9% in heavy trading on October 25 as investors sent a sharp reminder that the outcome of the talks with Jakarta are what matter most.

The Phoenix-based company is worth US$20.4 billion on the New York Stock Exchange, with the Grasberg responsible for more than a quarter of its overall copper production in 2017, estimated at 3.7 billion pounds, and almost all this year's expected haul of 1.6 million ounces of gold.

Since Freeport reached a framework agreement with the government last August to divest 51% of subsidiary PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI), the talks between parent chairman Richard Adkerson, Mines and Energy Minister Ignasius Jonan and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati have run into hard going over valuation issues.

It may not be all gloom, however. With President Joko Widodo reportedly taking a direct hand in steering the process – and Adkerson expressing a measure of optimism in recent days – the two sides do appear to have made progress on some fronts.

Although the share price has largely recovered from its October 25 dip, what appeared to catch the market unawares was Adkerson's remark that Freeport's stake in PTFI would eventually drop from its current 90.64% to 29% under any new deal with the government.

He was referring to a complication created by Freeport's 1995 joint venture with Rio Tinto, under which the Anglo-Australian company gets 40% of production above specific levels until 2022 and 40% of all production after that.

That means the current negotiation centers on the ownership of 60% of Grasberg's future production which, with the planned closure of the open pit late next year, will come solely from the underground operation where Rio Tinto has been investing its capital.

As Adkerson spelled out clearly, accepting Indonesia's demands for 51% of Freeport Indonesia would effectively see the parent company's stake in the world's largest gold reserve and second biggest copper deposit reduced by two-thirds.

"While our interest in the participation in Grasberg would be reduced, we would be receiving cash from that interest," Adkerson reassured analysts in his conference call from Jakarta, where every question focused on the Grasberg. "There's positives and negatives to that."

Rio Tinto's deal applies no matter who owns the mine, but its chief executive Jean Sebastian Jacques has already indicated the company wants out of the Grasberg, saying "it might be a world class deposit, but not a world class investment."

His remark in a recent Bloomberg interview that "an investment in Indonesia would have to prove more valuable than competing opportunities," reflects how the Grasberg issue has colored investor sentiment across Indonesia's natural resources sector.

Last week, multinational energy giant Royal Dutch Shell pulled its country manager out of Indonesia in a signal that Shell will not be going ahead with the development of eastern Indonesia's Marsela gas block so long as the government insists on it being an onshore rather than offshore project.

Rio Tinto executives have already been in Jakarta talking to prospective Indonesian buyers, including state-owned aluminum producer PT Asahan Aluminum (INALUM), which has also been selected to acquire Freeport's shares under the divestment plan.

Freeport values PTFI at roughly US$16 billion, twice what minister Jonan believes the parent's stake is worth – without considering its enterprise value, calculated on market capitalization plus debt, minority interest and preferred shares minus total cash.

The two sides have been far apart on that score and with Indonesia making it clear that the Grasberg's reserves constitutionally belong to the people of Indonesia, they still must agree on a pricing formula to bring them closer together.

The government accepts the principle of fair market value, but has so far rejected Freeport's suggestion of a 10% float of PTFI on the Jakarta Stock Exchange as a way of letting the market determine how much that figure should be.

In the meantime, Freeport has cut 25% from the US$1 billion it has been spending each year to extend the mine's underground operations and says it will suspend further investment altogether if a solution is not found by year's end.

That will have a serious impact on output over the short to medium term, given the fact that it will already take five to six years to ramp up block-caving production to what has been the norm from the vast open pit over the past two decades.

For all the boastful statements by Indonesian public figures with vested interests and a passing appreciation of the challenges involved, how Indonesia would fund and operate the Grasberg on its own is a question that gets little public airing.

The capital required to buy the 51% stake is only part of what will be needed to continue the underground expansion, which analysts say is beyond the country's technical expertise.

"Without Freeport, who is going to lend or buy the bonds?" asks one banker who requested anonymity. "The way Indonesia has been going about this does not impress the international money people."

Security is another growing concern. Gunmen have killed a policeman and wounded 13 other people, including an ambulance driver and his patient, in a renewed outbreak of violence south of the high-altitude mining town of Tembagapura in the past week.

In the latest incident on October 29, shooters targeted a police station and a security post despite paramilitary police conducting a sweep operation in response to the previous incidents, which began on September 24.

Four Freeport employees, including an Australian, died in a series of mystery shootings in 2009 and again in 2011 on the final precipitous stretch of road linking Tembagapura with the lowland town of Timika, Freeport's logistics center.

Since then, helicopters and armored buses have taken workers to the mountain jobsite. But the latest incidents – and a threatening letter a purported Papuan rebel group recently sent to security forces – have again set the community on edge.

It is a distraction Freeport can do without as it seeks to resolve the stand-off with the government or, as Adkerson reminded Indonesian officials once again last week, the firm is reluctantly forced to fall back on international arbitration as a last resort.

Adkerson said Jonan and Indrawati had brought a "new urgency" to the talks, perhaps mindful that any serious disruption to operations would not just hurt revenues, but risk social unrest across an already-rebellious Papua.

President Widodo has said he wants a "win-win" solution, but for Freeport McMoRan's shareholders, at least, the only winner at this point appears to be Indonesia as it seeks to wrest control of a world-class deposit that has been under foreign control since the late 1960s.

Source: http://www.atimes.com/article/freeport-multiple-guns-indonesia/

Economy & investment

Economy grows 5.06% in Q3

Jakarta Post - November 6, 2017

Prima Wirayani, Jakarta – Economic growth stood at 5.06 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the third quarter of this year, slightly more than the 5.01 percent recorded in the previous quarter, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced in Jakarta on Monday.

That brought year-to-date economic growth to 5.03 percent.

Investment, which contributed almost 32 percent to gross domestic product (GDP), expanded 7.11 yoy percent, while government spending grew 3.46 percent yoy versus -1.93 percent in the second quarter.

Export and import growth rose 17.27 percent and 15.09 percent, respectively, in the third quarter.

"Economic growth in the third quarter was supported by expansion in all [GDP] components," BPS head Suhariyanto told a press conference on Monday.

However, private consumption, which accounts for more than half of GDP, slowed to 4.93 percent yoy from the 4.94 percent booked in the first six months. The component usually expands about 5 percent.

Household consumption has caused debate among economists and government officials.

The Consumers Tendency Index, which reflects consumer confidence, dropped to 109.42 in the third quarter from 115.92 in the previous three months. Consumers also view the economy in the fourth quarter more pessimistically as the index is projected to decrease to 105.49. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/06/economy-grows-5-06-in-q3.html

Indonesia prepares 'ease of doing business' task forces

Jakarta Post - November 3, 2017

Jakarta – The Indonesian government is now preparing "ease of doing business" task forces in both the central government and all regional administrations to help smooth the licensing process for those who want to invest money in regions across the country.

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said on Friday that in addition to the National Investment Acceleration Task Force, other task forces would be established in all ministries and all regional administrations.

"The task forces will be formed within two weeks. In ministries, the task forces will be led by secretary-generals, while in regional administrations, they will be led by regional secretaries," said Darmin in Jakarta on Friday as reported by kontan.co.id.

The task forces would address the sluggish pace of the licensing process in all levels of bureaucracy, said Darmin, adding that the task forces in ministries had to resolve the existing problems and to submit reports to the national task force.

Darmin said after all the task forces were established, the central government would issue technical guidance, which is enforceable in all bureaucratic levels, to change all existing licensing regulations, including the maximum length of licensing services.

In January next year, basic guidance will be included with the single-submission system that is to be implemented in April, Darmin said.

He added that the central government would hand out punishment to regional administrations that failed to accelerate its licensing services. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/03/indonesia-prepares-ease-of-doing-business-task-forces.html

Indonesia jumps 19 places in EODB 2018: WB

Jakarta Post - November 1, 2017

Grace Amianti and Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – Indonesia has progressed significantly in deregulating its economy as its ranking in the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) index for 2018 has climbed 19 places to 72 from its previous rank of 91, the World Bank announced Wednesday.

In its annual flagship EODB report, the World Bank announced that Indonesia placed just below Oman in 71st and above El Salvador (73rd), but that the country's ASEAN neighbors placed higher at 26th, 24th and 68th respectively for Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The report claimed that "getting electricity", one of the reforms the bank researched, showed significant improvement in Indonesia, as it scored 83.87 percent in distance to frontier (DTF).

The DTF score helps assess the absolute level of regulatory performance over time, measuring the distance of each economy to the "frontier", which represents the best performance observed since 2005 on each of the indicators across all economies in the EODB sample.

An economy's DTF is reflected on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 representing the lowest performance and 100 representing the frontier.

The latest progress in Indonesia's EODB ranking was still far from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's ambitious index target of 40.

Last year, in the World Bank's "Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All", Indonesia jumped 15 places to 91st from 106th.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/indonesia-jumps-19-places-in-eodb-2018-wb.html

Economy stable, govt to study purchasing power

Jakarta Post - November 1, 2017

Jakarta – The Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK) has recorded stable economic conditions up to the third quarter this year, but it has also recorded negative perception of the people's purchasing power, said a kontan.co.id report on Tuesday.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said at a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday that the situation was being discussed by members of the committee to learn whether the decline in purchasing power was real or merely perceived.

The minister said that from the positive tax collection, the government considered the economy was in stable condition.

"Tax revenue posed double-digit growth. It indicates economic activities. Therefore, we need to run a study on the people's purchasing power," said Sri.

She explained that the tax revenue collected from all sectors grew positively in the third quarter, with the industry sector contributing Rp 224.95 trillion (US$16.55 billion), a year-on-year (yoy) growth of 16.63 percent, trade contributing Rp 134.74 trillion (18.74 percent yoy growth), and the financial sector contributing Rp 104.92 trillion (9.08 percent yoy growth). The three sectors contributed 65 percent to total tax revenues, she said.

She further explained that the construction sector contributed Rp 35.40 trillion in tax revenues (2.46 percent yoy growth), the mining sector contributed Rp 31.66 trillion (30.16 percent yoy growth) and the information technology sector contributed 32.19 trillion (4.62 percent yoy growth).

"So, the economy has moved forward. From the numbers, we see confidence in all sectors," Sri added. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/01/economy-stable-govt-to-study-purchasing-power.html

Analysis & opinion

Students in Indonesia praised for erasing Whatsapp from phones in

Coconuts Jakarta - November 8, 2017

The ridiculous controversy in Indonesia over "pornographic" GIFs accessible through popular messaging service WhatsApp might be winding down after the government blocked access to GIF search site Tenor yesterday, but like many poorly understood and misguided moral panics in Indonesia, plenty of people were quick to jump on the bandwagon of publicly denouncing Whatsapp to loudly proclaim their own piety.

Hundreds of students from the Muhammadiyah 5 Vocational High School (SMK) in Jember, East Java, erased Whatsapp from their phones this week as a form of protest after learning that they could access "pornographic" GIFs through the app.

Before deleting the app, the students gathered in their schoolyard and unfurled a number of posters saying they condemned the existence of pornographic content on Whatsapp and urging it to be removed immediately.

Peduli pada generasi bangsa, tanpa kepedulian mereka tidak mustahil kejayaan bangsa nanti hanya ada dalam catatan... – Posted by SmkMulia Jember on Tuesday, November 7, 2017

"All my friends and I agreed to remove this application because we were afraid of accidentally seeing things we should not see," said one student, Hani Olivia, as quoted by Detik.

Hani, who is majoring in computer technology and networking, said she only learned about the so-called pornographic GIFs from media reports. After they found out it was true, she said she and her friends agreed to remove the app from their phones.

The principal of the school, Abduroziq, said he supported his students and their deletion protest that he and his teachers also removed the offending program. They all pledged not to use it again as long as it included pornographic content.

We'd say that Whatsapp nor Tenor never actually contained pornography, in that none of the GIFs included images of nudity or explicit sexual acts. But under Indonesia's strict yet ambiguous pornography law, almost anything that could be considered titillating to somebody could be labeled pornography.

Nonetheless, the students and teacher may not have to wait long before WhatsApp is labeled "porn-free" by the government.

On Monday, the government threatened to block access to the popular app should the so-called obscene content not be removed, but after the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kemenkominfo) blocked access to Tenor (and Tenor, in turn, said it would censor its search results in Indonesia) Kemkominfo says it no longer has plans to ban Whatsapp and instead will focus on the GIF providers.

But while the controversy over Whatsapp may be almost over, Kemenkominfo has indicated that it's going to extend its moral crusade to other services and search engines that also contain pornographic material, including Google.

So are all of the teachers and students at SMK Muhammadiyah 5 going to stop using Google until they get the porn-free go-ahead from the government as well?

Perhaps instead of supporting their knee-jerk reactions to blown-up moral controversies, they could empower their student's through lessons in critical thinking and sex education so that they could be mature enough to use technology wisely, instead of relying on government censors to babysit them? Yeah... that's never going to happen.

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/students-indonesia-praised-erasing-whatsapp-phones-protest-porn-gif-controversy/

Woman, 7-months pregnant, arrested for soliciting herself and friend for

Coconuts Jakarta - November 6, 2017

Last week's big news in Jakarta was the closure of the Alexis Hotel, which recently inaugurated Governor Anies Baswedan said was just the beginning of a moral crusade to eradicate prostitution in the capital.

The mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini, has been on a similar crusade during her years in office. Her decision to close Dolly, once Indonesia's biggest red-light district, in 2014 was hailed by many in the East Java capital as a moral victory, but many women's rights advocates and public health experts say that it mainly succeeded in driving desperate sex workers further underground into more dangerous work.

It's important context to understand the story of a woman who was arrested in Surabaya last week for allegedly prostituting herself and a friend through social media. Police say they arrested the 27-year-old, identified by her initials FWS, last Monday while she and her friend were with a customer in a hotel room.

"The suspect was arrested on October 30, 2017. She was arrested because she offered a threesome sex service. When she was arrested, the victim, as well as the suspect, were naked, serving a guest in room number 302 in a hotel in South Surabaya," said Lily Djafa, head of public relations for the Surabaya Police, at a press conference last Thursday as quoted by Liputan 6.

The act of prostitution is actually in and of itself not illegal in Indonesia, but since FWS offered her friend's services as well through her Facebook account, she was charged under the 2007 Human Trafficking Law, as well as under articles of the country's Criminal Code covering coercion of others into lewd acts and profiting from a woman having sex. Under the Human Trafficking Law, she could face up a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail.

According to police, FWS had offered up the services of herself and her friend for IDR700,000 (US$50) for two hours. She was supposed to have received IDR300,000 while her friend was to receive IDR400,000 (and yet despite making less money FWS is being charged with exploiting her friend).

Of course, the saddest aspect of the case is that FWS is 7 months pregnant. She told police and the media that the money was supposed to cover the costs of her labor at the hospital.

"I am seven months pregnant, but (when I was arrested) my husband did not know that I was working, I did this because our economic needs are very urgent," she said at the press conference while wearing a white mask to help protect her identity.

While the costs of childbirth at a hospital should theoretically be covered by Indonesia's national health insurance program (BPJS), in reality many people don't know about the program or aren't signed up for it and many hospitals have been known not to accept it despite being required to. For example, one woman with labor complications tragically saw her baby die after she was refused care by seven hospitals in Bekasi despite being enrolled in BPJS.

The crusade against prostitution is supposed to be about helping to protect vulnerable women. And yet here it seems we have is a case in which a woman who was desperate to make money to help her baby will likely face jail time for trying to help her friend earn money as well. Now her life and her child's life are likely ruined. Some moral victory.

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/woman-7-months-pregnant-arrested-soliciting-friend-threesome-says-needed-money-hospital-fees/