Police intensify investigations of man bearing likeness to Noordin

The police's anti-terror unit, Densus 88, is currently questioning a 50-year-old man arrested in Makassar, South Sulawesi, recently, resembling Indonesia’s most-wanted terror suspect, Noordin M. Top.

"We have intensified our investigations with Densus 88. We arrested [the suspect] because he bears a likeness to Noordin M. Top," South Sulawesi Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Herry Subiansauri said on Sunday.

Police suspect Noordin was behind the recent bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta.

The new suspect carried five identity cards and two passports bearing different names, Herry said. He allegedly claimed to have used the different ID to commit several criminal acts, including stealing around Rp 100 million [US$9,900] from four banks via their internet banking services.

"We won’t just believe what he said. We will cross-check this information with the four banks and will trace the flow of his money," Herry said.

The suspect was arrested at his rented house on Jl. Pengayoman in Makassar early on Saturday morning. Police confiscated his five ID cards (all with the same picture), two passports, four debit cards, nine credit cards and a number of cell phone chips.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/07/26/police-intensify-investigations-man-bearing-likeness-noordin.html

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Harta Boediono 18 M, Kok Belum Berhaji ?

Isu berbau agama adalah isu biasa dalam demokrasi yang selalu muncul dalam pemilu pasca reformasi. Pasangan Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono sebaiknya tidak menghindar dan harus memberikan penjelasan kepada publik mengenai isu tersebut.

"Kekayaan Pak Boediono Rp 18 miliar. SBY mengatakan dia muslim yang taat. Lalu masyarakat tanya, 'kok belum naik haji?'. Itu kan hal wajar. Pertanyaan begitu ya dijawab. Kita jangan tepis, tapi jelaskan," kata pengamat politik Islam UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Bachtiar Effendy, di Jakarta, Kamis (28/5).

Isu mengenai istri SBY dan Boediono yang tidak berjilbab, ujar Bachtiar, seharusnya juga perlu disikapi dengan jeli. Apalagi, yang mengangkat pertama kali isu itu adalah kalangan Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) sebagai partai pendukung. "Kalau orang tidak suka dengan isu jilbab, ya dibalas dengan isu lain. Jangan kemudian menghindar dengan mengatakan itu isu tidak penting," ujarnya.

Bachtiar mengingatkan, mayoritas pemilih adalah muslim. "Dalam pemilu, apapun jadi penting. Orang pakai baju apa, ngomong apa jadi penting," tambah Bachtiar.

Upaya menghindari isu agama, lanjut Bachtiar, menunjukkan ketidakmampuan menangani isu tersebut. Padahal, isu agama bukanlah isu istimewa. "Dulu tahun 1999 dan 2004 sempat ada isu menolak calon presiden perempuan dengan alasan agama. Sekarang isu itu berganti dengan isu jilbab," pungkasnya.


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Prabowo’s intelligence contacts give him an edge

The presidential candidate with the strongest links to experienced intelligence experts will have an edge in the upcoming presidential election, political expert Arbi Sanit says.

Although the presidential partnerships of Kalla—Wiranto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono—Boediono are made up of strong figures with either direct or indirect access to the military, with former intelligence personnel on their team, Megawati and Prabowo definitely have an advantage, Arbi said.

The Megawati-Prabowo team will probably have more access to pertinent intelligence, he said at a discussion on the participation of former generals in the election and the reform of the defence sector in Jakarta on Thursday.

Megawati and Prabowo have Muchdi, a former deputy of the country’s intelligence agency (BIN). Muchdi is deputy chairman of Prabowo’s Gerindra party, and was also a suspect in the murder of prominent human rights activist Munir. Despite the allegations, he was exonerated of all charges by the state court at the end of last year.

Arbi said the advantage of having military influence in a campaign team would be the links to the intelligence sector.

“With intelligence operations, the skeletons in your enemy’s closets can be investigated easily.”

He said the campaign period would most likely see tough battles between the former generals.

“Even if the presidential election goes smoothly and safely, what remains worrying is what will happen after the result is announced.

“The danger lies in the money being sourced from tycoons, or the use of military influence through families, to get an advantage,” he said.

Whether or not the candidates are still active in military duty is not important, he argued.

“I see these generals as having the same working methods. They still have the same culture of discipline and ability to organize people.”

Generals also have power over military territory, whereas political parties must share areas with other parties.

“True they [political parties] have branches, but they are different from military bases.”

Another dangerous possibility would be if active military personnel joined the campaign team, Arbi said.

Asrian Mirza, deputy director of the Megawati Prabowo Media Center, said the generals backing their team were all former military men who were aware that to contribute to politics in civil society they should be civilians themselves.

“There are no active military personnel in our campaign team or in the party,” Asrian said.

Mufti Makarim, executive director of the Institute for Defense Security and Peace Studies, said all three teams had former intelligence officials in their ranks.

Mufti said there were two factors that could influence participation by generals in the campaigns.

“First, there is the feudalistic nature of society that perceives a strong government as coming from a strong leader, and while a strong leader in the past was a king, in modern times the society sees this in a military figure,” he said.

“Secondly, there is the belief among the political elite that votes supported by the military will bring more influence in politics,” said the former secretary-general of Kontras, the Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence.

“There is a view that if you don’t give the military a bargaining position, then you will lose support in politics,” he said.

One positive aspect of military involvement, however, is that “they are more aware that if they still want to contribute to the country, they have to follow the rules of democracy and enter politics via a party”.

http://www.thejakartapost.com

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MEGAWATI THREATENS TO BOYCOTT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

PDI-P secretary general Pramono Anung says the parties will give the KPU until May 9th to sort out its problems with the vote count. They requested the government and KPU to account for missent ballots, and speed up the vote count. Anung also deplored the National Police for dismissing the BAWASLU monitoring agency's report on election violations. President Yudhoyono dismissed the threat to boycott the presidential race. He encouraged the discontented parties to run in the elections.

http://www2.metrotvnews.com/indonesiathismorning/berita.asp?id=1239

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RI and Singapore

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 03/10/2009 6:12 PM | National 

Inked in black: RI and Singaporean Foreign Ministers Hassan Wirajuda (right) and George Yeo exchange agreement documents signed at Pancasila Building, Deplu Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday. The Indonesian and Singaporean governments agreed on Nipah and Tuas islands of the Singapore Straits as the most western maritime border of the two countries after four years of tough negotiations (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)

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BI drops key rate to 7.75 percent

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 03/04/2009 4:50 PM | Business

Bank Indonesia (BI) has reduced its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 7.75 percent, as part of efforts to help the banking sector cope with worsening impacts of the global financial downturn, kompas.com reports.

On Wednesday, BI strategic planning and communication bureau head Didy Laksmono R. said that before deciding to reduce the rate, BI had evaluated the performance of the domestic and global economies.

“Inflation pressure was relatively low – at 0.21 percent – during February, thanks to lower fuel prices and availability of food supplies,” Didy said.

The lower prices of international commodities were another factor causing the low inflation pressure, he added.

Bank Indonesia said in a statement the economic slump was "taking a steeper turn" and developing countries were being hit by a fall in exports and negative market sentiment.

Indonesia's exports fell 36 percent in January from a year earlier, the biggest drop since 1986, due to plunging demand for natural resources and manufactured goods, the statistic's agency reported Monday.

It was the fourth straight month the central bank has cut the rate, lowering it a total of one and three quarter points from 9.5 percent since early December.

Indonesia had been struggling to bring down inflation topping 10 percent, but that figure slowed to 8.6 percent on year and 0.2 percent month-on-month in February, the bank said.

The central bank forecast a slowdown in economic growth to 4 percent in 2009, from an estimated 6.1 percent in 2008, "with considerable downside risk if global economic growth worsens even more than expected."

At the same time, Indonesia's banking system - which collapsed just over a decade ago in the Asian financial crisis - was in "stable condition," the bank said.

International reserves stand at $50.56 billion, with an additional $3 billion from government bond issues and a $2 billion World Bank loan also available. (ewd)

Source : www.thejakartapost.com

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Pertamina's New Boss Gets Bullied by Lawmakers

The Jakarta Post , JAKARTA | Tue, 02/17/2009 8:49 AM | Headlines

High and dry: Pertamina president director Karen Agustiawan (center) prepares to leave a conference room Monday at the House of Representatives, after legislators abruptly halted a hearing. ANTARA/ISMAR PATRIZKI

A hearing between the House of Representatives' energy commission and the new management of state oil and gas company PT Pertamina turned sour Monday as lawmakers felt offended by a letter from the company, in their view naively questioning the effectiveness and efficiency of their previous meeting.

Commission VII deputy chairman Sony Keraf ended the meeting while Pertamina president director Karen Agustiawan was still replying to points from lawmakers on Feb 10.

Sony said Pertamina’s corporate secretary Toharso had disgraced the lawmakers by questioning the House's supervision authorities.

“Nobody, not even the president himself dares to question our authority and rights to question whatever is needed to be asked."

“Pertamina does not only disgrace the commission, but the whole parliamentary body as well. That’s why we need to know whether Toharsos's action also represents Pertamina’s board of directors’ view on the previous meeting,” he added.

Toharso wrote to lawmakers on Feb. 13 that Pertamina was very disappointed with the way the lawmakers questioned the capacity of its current president director. He considered the questions had deviated from the initial agenda, thus violating the House internal rules.

Right after Sony terminated the session, Karen promptly packed her things and left the meeting room.

“We'll answer any questions but not on the deprecatory points. Comparing Pertamina’s president director as similar to a satpam (private security guard) is outrageous,” Karen said, referring to a metaphor by lawmakers in the previous hearing.

“The board of directors know about the letter, and gave approval to send it to the House based on the recommendations from our legal team," said Karen rushing to her car.

The Feb. 10 meeting was more dominated by mockery than a discussion about Pertamina's problems and future strategies.

Despite the incident, Toharso, in the job for less than five months, insisted the House would have efficient hearings in the future.

Energy analyst Pri Agung Rakhmanto said the “bullying” Karen received was common practice. She needed to learn the ropes.

“I think there is nothing strange about the incident. What Karen needs to do now is to prove her capacity by delivering excellent performance,” he said.

Perceived widely as a cash cow for ruling politicians, Pertamina bosses often receive out-of-context humiliating remarks from lawmakers during hearings. Sometimes, lawmakers hope to get kickbacks later if they keep quiet for the next session.

Despite numerous problems plaguing the energy and mining sector, other hearings between related authorities and Commission VII have been regularly far from hostility and more amicable.

Source : www.thejakartapost.com

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Indonesia Seeks Larger Japan Currency Swap, New Pacts

By Arijit Ghosh and Patricia Lui

Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia’s central bank is seeking to expand its currency swap agreement with Japan from $6 billion and is seeking new pacts to bolster the rupiah, which slumped the most in eight years in 2008.

Indonesia, which has similar agreements with China and South Korea for $3 billion each, may also initiate talks with a fourth nation, central bank Governor Boediono said, without identifying the country. The rupiah, which fell 16 percent last year, closed at 11,673 per dollar yesterday in Jakarta.

“We think the critical period is six months in which the main problem is tight liquidity and investors pulling out money to return home,” Boediono said at a dinner with local newspapers late yesterday. “In the U.S. itself there’s dollar scarcity, which is ironic.”

Bank Indonesia is boosting supply of foreign exchange as a deepening global recession pummels exports and prompts overseas investors to sell emerging-market assets. The nation’s currency reserves slid to $50.9 billion at the end of January, from $60.6 billion in July, as the central bank intervened to slow the rupiah’s decline.

“The more resources and ammunition that they have in terms of foreign exchange, the more ability the central bank would have in terms of stabilizing the currency,” said Sailesh Jha, a senior regional economist at Barclays Capital Plc in Singapore. “It would be fair to say that one possibility is to look towards the U.S.”

Kazakhstan Devalues

Kazakhstan’s central bank yesterday devalued the tenge by 18 percent, joining Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in abandoning attempts to prop up exchange rates as currency reserves dwindle. Finance ministers from Japan, China, South Korea and 10 Southeast Asian nations plan an unscheduled meeting this month to forge a deal to pool $120 billion of foreign-exchange reserves to help defend their currencies.

A $5.5 billion so-called standby loan from Japan, Australia, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and $4 billion of proposed bond sales may help shore up reserves, Boediono said. The country’s foreign-exchange holdings are the 10th biggest in Asia and less than half those of Thailand.

Sales of Indonesian equities by foreign funds have exceeded purchases by $101 million this year. Exports from the $433 billion economy plunged 20 percent in December, the biggest decline since 2001.

The central bank said last week it would lend dollars to banks holding the nation’s foreign-currency denominated government debt to reduce volatility in the rupiah market.

To contact the reporter on this story: Arijit Ghosh in Jakarta at aghosh@bloomberg.net

Source : www.bloomberg.com

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Tsunami Memorial and Museum in Aceh

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 02/03/2009 10:55 AM | National

Acehnese sit down side by side inside the tsunami memorial and museum built to commemorate the 2004 Asian Tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Monday. AP/Binsar Bakkara

Source : www.thejakartapost.com

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198 more Myanmar boat people found off Indonesia

By NINIEK KARMINI The Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's navy picked up 198 starving, dehydrated boat people from Myanmar who said they drifted for three weeks after authorities in Thailand forced them to sea in a boat without an engine, an official said Tuesday.

Twenty-two others died on the small wooden vessel during the crossing, the survivors told Indonesian officials.

It was the latest in a string of accusations that Thai authorities have been habitually abusing boat people fleeing the military dictatorship in Myanmar by abandoning them to die at sea. Thailand has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Indonesian fishermen discovered the 40-foot (12-meter) boat off Aceh's coast in northern Sumatra and towed it to shore Monday, navy officer Tedi Sutardi told The Associated Press. The passengers had run out of food and water.

"They were standing on the boat for 21 days because there was no space to sit," Sutardi said. "It is a miracle they survived."

At least 91 were admitted to the Idirayeuk General Hospital in weak condition due to "lack of fluid and malnutrition," hospital director Edie Gunawan said. A 13-year-old boy was among those with severe dehydration, said emergency nurse Muji, who goes by one name like many Indonesians.

The drifting boat was the second load of Rohingyas, a stateless Muslim group facing decades of persecution in Myanmar, to arrive in Indonesia in a month. Other boatloads have been found near India's Andaman Islands.

The boat people in Indonesia recounted being beaten and set adrift by Thai authorities, Sutardi said.

One survivor told investigators the group was among 1,000 Rohingyas working in Thailand as migrant laborers, Sutardi said. They spoke of being forced to leave Thailand on nine motorless boats in December after being detained as illegal workers.

Some of them were beaten and "we could see they had black and blue marks on their backs," Sutardi said.

Neither a Thai military spokesman nor Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat were aware of the latest allegations. But Tharit said Thailand has no policy of forcing illegal migrants back to sea.

The Rohingyas, an ethnic minority not recognized by Myanmar's military regime, number about 800,000 in that country. Hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Middle East.

Source : www.syracuse.com

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Susilo Happy With Indonesia-Malaysia EPG

By Mohd Nasir Yusoff

JAKARTA, Feb 2 (Bernama) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is happy with the progress done by the Indonesia-Malaysia Eminent Persons Group (EPG) which met to find ways to resolve problems and strengthen bilateral ties.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Indonesian EPG chief Jen (B) Try Sutrisno who called on Susilo today reported on the intensive meetings with the Malaysian EPG.

He said the outcome of the Indonesia-Malaysia EPG meetings would be presented to the leaders of both countries.

"We are planning a bilateral meeting between Susilo and the Malaysian Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) sometime in mid March," he was quoted as saying on the president's website.

The Indonesian EPG also presented a preliminary report on several recommendations discussed including culture, history, education and economic cooperation.

Dino said one of the proposals made was for a discussion on Indonesia-Malaysia history as young people were not aware of the long history of both countries.

Problems deriving from the Indonesian workforce would also be discussed by the two EPGs as Malaysia is the largest recipient of Indonesian labour.

"Both countries will have to implement a mechanism that will effectively address the problems brought about by the Indonesian workforce," he added.

The Indonesian EPG comprised Jen (B) Try Sutrisno, Quraish Shihab, Musni Umar and Des Alwi Abubakar.

Also present at the meeting with Susilo were Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi and Minister cum State Secretary Hatta Rajasa.

Source : www.bernama.com

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GROW YOUR OWN

The Jakarta Post , Jayapura | Tue, 12/09/2008 3:54 PM | National

GROW YOUR OWN: Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu (pointing) walks through a garden during a campaign to promote homegrown vegetables, in Kampung Hobong in Papua's Sentani district. Barnabas said villagers could grow their own vegetables, likecauliflower and spinach, at home.
(JP/Netty Dharma Somba)

Source : www.thejakartapost.com

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SBY signs porn law, protesters despair

Abdul Khalik , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 12/09/2008 7:33 AM | Headlines

Defying persistent protests by a number of provinces and scores of civil society groups, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has signed the anti-pornography bill, ratifying a law that criminalizes any sex-related materials deemed to violate public morality.

Yudhoyono’s special staff for legal affairs Denny Indrayana said Monday the President enacted the law right after he returned home from a two-week world tour on Nov. 26.

“It becomes Law No. 44/2008 on anti-pornography. The President signed it because it was already a national consensus,” Denny told The Jakarta Post.

He said the government was now preparing a regulation to implement the law.

However, resistance to the law remains widespread, with some provinces — including Bali, Papua, North Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara — rejecting it out of hand.

Balinese and the island’s local administration have threatened to forge a civilian disobedience to protest the law, and other rights and religious groups have said they would file a judicial review with the Constitutional Court (MK) if the law were ratified.

Kamala Chandrakirana, chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, said she was gravely disappointed with Yudhoyono’s decision, saying his action had diminished public trust in his leadership and his cause to promote pluralism.

“It is a betrayal of our own national values. Komnas Perempuan and many other organizations are now consolidating and seriously studying each article within the law to be ready to submit a judicial review with the MK soon,” she said.

The ratification of the law also means Yudhoyono has defied one of his advisors, Adnan Buyung Nasution, who recommended the President not sign or ratify the law, warning it could threaten national unity.

“I was too late. I sent a letter on Nov. 27 telling the President not to sign the bill. But I learned later he had signed it. I will meet him Wednesday to ask him about it,” he said.

Wednesday is International Human Rights Day.

Buyung, however, said he was optimistic the MK would grant a judicial review, adding that the law violated the Constitution as it could not be enacted equally throughout the country.

The passage of the bill into law at the House of Representatives in October was also met with strong opposition from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS).

The bill has survived protracted protests from rights activists and pluralist organizations who have said some articles could lead to national disintegration.

An article that allows members of the public to take action to destroy pornographic material has raised fears several groups could take the law into their own hands and have grounds to justify the use of violence and intimidation.

Source : www.thejakartapost.com

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Indian president in Indonesia despite Mumbai attacks

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AFP) – Indian President Pratibha Patil arrived in Indonesia for a six-day visit Friday, going ahead with a Southeast Asian trip despite deadly militant attacks in Mumbai.

Patil will spend the weekend on the holiday island of Bali before meeting his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta on Monday, a spokesman for Indonesia's foreign ministry said.

The visit by the Indian president, who holds a largely ceremonial office, is a follow-up to a 2005 state visit by Yudhoyono to India in 2005, spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said.

"A number of agreements are set to be made on youth development, sport and agriculture," he said.

A spokesman for the Indian embassy in Jakarta, Sugandra Jaram, earlier said he was unaware of any plan to abandon Patil's trip in light of militant attacks on the Indian commercial capital of Mumbai, which killed at least 130 people.

Patil on Thursday strongly condemned the Mumbai attacks while on a visit to the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

"This violent attack was the work of those who have no regard for human life," she said.

Source : news.yahoo.com

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Sense of crisis deepening in beleaguered Indonesia

SINGAPORE: Rising oil prices and fears of a bird flu epidemic are deepening a sense of crisis enveloping Indonesia and prompting predictions of a cabinet shake-up next month as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attempts to defuse mounting public tension.

The darkening mood stands in stark contrast to the optimism that surrounded Yudhoyono's victory a year ago in Indonesia's first direct presidential elections. Despite enduring faith in his own competence as an administrator, Indonesians are voicing growing doubts about whether his unwieldy coalition government can steer the country through its mounting list of troubles.

Analysts warn that the risk of unrest is growing as Yudhoyono prepares to raise fuel prices in October just as the country celebrates the traditional Muslim fasting month.

"The situation is not understood by most people here. They oppose it," said Kurtubi, an analyst at the Center for Petroleum and Energy Economics Studies in Jakarta. "But the government has no choice."

Although Indonesia is a considerable producer of oil, economic growth in recent years and inadequate spending on new wells have made the country a net importer of petroleum. The government is also saddled with extensive fuel subsidies that are particularly important to Indonesia's many poor people.

Yudhoyono is a former general with experience fighting both rebels and terrorists, and his promises to uproot corruption and revive investment still inspire confidence among business leaders at home and abroad. So does his willingness to acknowledge and tackle longstanding problems like bureaucratic inertia and legal uncertainty.

But because his party lacks a majority in Parliament, Yudhoyono rules through a coalition that has since stumbled over a string of calamities. These include the devastating South Asian tsunami, illegal burning of jungles that covered parts of neighboring countries in choking haze, the re-emergence of polio, spiraling commodity prices and increasing cases of avian influenza that the government has labeled an emergency.

With a second hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico threatening still higher oil prices, anxiety in Jakarta is high. The benchmark stock index dropped 2.6 percent Thursday.

Opposition party leaders have been calling for Yudhoyono to replace his economics team, saying it had lost the confidence of the people and of investors, although political analysts have long been predicting that the president was eager himself to form a more cohesive cabinet.

Yudhoyono alluded to the possibility of a reshuffle last month, saying that he would review his cabinet's performance.

Coordinating Economy Minister Aburizal Bakrie is a member of the party of the ousted former President Suharto. He was among a group of politically connected tycoons who after the Asian financial crisis fought government efforts to wrest control of their bankrupt companies to help pay for a huge bailout of the banking system.

He may enjoy the support, however, of fellow party member Jusuf Kalla, Yudhoyono's vice president.

More speculation surrounds the possible replacement of Finance Minister Jusuf Anwar, a technocrat formerly at the Asian Development Bank, and of Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh over what critics complain has been meager progress in tackling corruption among high-level officials.

But even SBY, as Yudhoyono is widely referred to in Indonesia, has not escaped criticism, particularly over what many see as his own indecisiveness. A national magazine recently had a cover story playing on a popular re-translation of the president's ubiquitous acronym: "Selalu Bimbang, Ya," or "Forever undecided, right?" The president's spokesman could not be reached for comment.

The anxiety created by rising living costs has been exacerbated by the government's admission that it could face an epidemic of the bird flu virus. Bird flu has killed four people in Jakarta alone, while eleven other patients remain hospitalized with symptoms of the virus.

On Monday, the government invoked powers to hospitalize and quarantine those suspected of being infected by the virus. It has since announced plans to conduct mass slaughters of poultry.

Chicken is perhaps the most widely consumed meat in Indonesia's diet, and the country has vast numbers of free-range poultry, so the impact on public consumption is likely to be significant, analysts said.

Already, fears of the virus have sparked travel warnings and sent members of the foreign investment community in Indonesia rushing to clinics for vaccines and remedies.

Yet paramount among the fears facing Yudhoyono is the effect of rising oil prices on his country's 218 million people. Early this month, Yudhoyono announced plans to cut fuel subsidies in October.

Indonesia subsidizes the price of fuel in the amount of 73 trillion rupiah, or $7 billion, a year, a figure that it estimates will balloon to 140 trillion rupiah this year as world oil prices rise.

The swelling cost to the government of the subsidies sent the rupiah plunging in August to its lowest level in four years and precipitated a similar decline in stock prices.

The subsidies are a legacy of Indonesia's days as a big oil exporter. Few analysts or economists dispute that the subsidies need to be eliminated. Not only do the subsidies eat up government revenue that could be used for public works or alleviating poverty; they also offer relatively little benefit for the poor.

Subsidies on gasoline prices benefit primarily wealthier Indonesians who drive fuel-inefficient cars. And the artificially low prices the subsidies create has given rise to a brisk trade in smuggling Indonesian crude and refined product out of the country.

Source : www.iht.com

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SBY’s Democratic Party can win poll: Survey

Abdul Khalik , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 11/17/2008 6:53 AM | Headlines

OF SWING VOTERS: University of Indonesia communications expert Effendi Ghazali (second right) speaks during the release of a survey by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) on the position of swing voters ahead of the 2009 elections, in Jakarta on Sunday. Other speakers included Paramadina University rector Anies Baswedan (right), LSI executive director Saiful Mujani (left) and LSI researcher Miftah N. Sabri. (JP/P.J. Leo)

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party would win the legislative election if it was held today, a survey published Sunday said.

The survey, carried out by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) on 2,197 respondents in 33 provinces between Oct. 26 and Nov. 5, showed the Democratic Party was popular with 16.8 percent of respondents. The vastly bigger Golkar Party and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) received only 16 percent and 14 percent approval respectively.

LSI executive director Saiful Mudjani said the surge in the Democratic Party’s popularity was due mostly to the party’s image as a graft-free and capable one, with Yudho-yono symbolizing its anti-corruption drive and leadership capabilities.

The survey revealed that Yudhoyono’s resurgent popularity (62 percent in Nov-ember, compared with 45 percent in June) also played a crucial role in drawing people to the party.

Compared with the LSI’s survey last June, the Democratic Party has risen in popularity by 8 percent, while Golkar and the PDI-P have dropped by 4 percent and 10 percent respectively.

Saiful said the high number of swing voters — 45 percent — had caused the drop in votes for major parties, with the exception of the Demo-cratic Party.

“All parties are experiencing negative growth in supporter numbers, with more members leaving than joining. But with the Democratic Party, more members are joining than leaving,” he said.

The survey suggests the high number of swing voters stems from low voter loyalty to the parties because of the latter’s perceived poor performance in conducting their job.

The Democratic Party has improved its showing over its 2004 figures by 10 percent, with Golkar and the PDI-P falling by 6 percent and 4.5 percent respectively.

All other parties, including the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) also saw a significant loss of popularity.

The survey ranked the PKS in fourth place with 4.9 percent, followed by the PKB with 4.6 percent, newcomer the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) with 3.7 percent, and the PAN with 3.2 percent.

However, the large number of swing voters has also allowed for new parties to attract voters, with Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra and Wiranto’s People’s Conscience Party (Hanura) gaining at the expense of more established parties.

The survey gave Hanura 2 percent of votes.

“All possibilities are now open because of the swing-voter factor,” the LSI’s Saiful said.

“Golkar and the PDI-P can no longer be seen as the only parties able to win the election, because now we must take into account the Democratic Party.”

Source : www.thejakartapost.com

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Porn bill passed despite protests

Abdul Khalik , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/31/2008 8:00 AM | Headlines

MORALITY OR POLITICS: Members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Prosperous Peace Party (FDS), who opposed the controversial bill, leave the assembly room before the vote. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the contentious anti-pornography bill, defying months of protest from artists, pluralists and human rights groups.

Two of 10 factions in the House, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), boycotted a plenary session to endorse the modified bill that criminalizes all works and acts deemed obscene and capable of breaching public morality.

The passage of the bill was quickly slammed by human rights and pluralist organizations, as well as several provinces opposed to it.

They claim the law threatens national unity, discriminates against minority groups and women, and harms pluralism and diversity in the country.

Just minutes after the plenary session opened, PDI-P and PDS legislators interrupted the forum and subsequently walked out of the House in protest at the bill.

Also boycotting the session were two Balinese legislators from the Golkar Party, Lisnawati Karna and Gede Sumarjaya Linggih. They each interrupted the meeting and walked out of the room while their party read out its approval of the bill.

“We agree we must protect our nation from pornography, but we can’t accept the substance of this bill. Thus we are not responsible for it,” PDI-P faction chairman Tjahjo Kumolo said after leaving the session.

Carol Daniel Kadang of the PDS said the House was in too much of a hurry to pass the bill and that procedurally it should have consulted first with each province rejecting the bill.

Women in Muslim attire cheer shortly after members of the House of Representatives vote by an overwhelming majority to pass the anti-pornography bill during a plenary session in Jakarta on Thursday. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)

Hundreds of spectators, mainly supporters of the bill, gave the session an air of religious fervor. Along with several legislators, they clapped and shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great), each time a legislator voiced support for the passage of the bill.

As House Speaker Agung Laksono banged his gavel to officially pass the bill into law, they clapped and shouted even louder.

“This is what we need to fight pornography. This law will complete our legal system to protect us from pornographic materials,” Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni said.

People’s Consultative Assembly chairman Hidayat Nur Wahid, a member of the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) that championed the bill, said the law would not discriminate against any section of society.

Nor will it spark violence, he added in all sincerity.

The bill’s opponents say its approval smacks of political machinations ahead of the 2009 elections, most likely to boost support among the predominantly Muslim voter base for the parties backing the bill.

“This (bill) only shows that the House and the government have politicized morality and religion and are just using them as a means of retaining power,” National Commission for Women’s Protection chairwoman Kamala Chandrakirana said in a statement.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika and North Sulawesi Governor SH Sarundajang, ardent opponents of the bill, vowed to continue opposing the new law.

“We will continue opposing the porn law because this has been our stance from the very beginning,” Pastika told reporters in Denpasar.

Contentious articles in the porn bill:

1. Article 1: Definition
Pornography is drawings, sketches, illustrations, photographs, texts, voices, sound, moving pictures, animations, cartoons, poetry, conversations, gestures, or other forms of communicative messages through various kinds of media; and/or performances in front of the public, which may incite obscenity, sexual exploitation and/or violate moral ethics in the community.
Feared impact:
The definition is open to all kinds of interpretation, such as how to define gestures that incite obscenity or sexual exploitation, and will be subject to debate.

2. Articles 20-23: Public Participation
The public can play a role in preventing the production, distribution and use of pornography...by...(d) supervising people on the danger of pornography.
Feared impact:
This article could be used by certain groups to take the law into their own hands by attacking people they believe are violating the law.

3. Articles 8, 34, 36: Criminalization of victims
The articles threatens up to 10 years in prison or Rp 5 billion in fines for violators of the law.
Feared impact:
Artists or models in art shows or productions could be punished for their creativity.

Source : www.thejakartapost.com

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