ORIA Hotel in Menteng, central Jakarta, was abuzz with 78 boisterous legislative candidates in mid-December last year. They were contestants for central and regional parliamentary seats in the coming general elections to be held on April 9, and were lining up that day to sign a political agreement with the National Indigenous Peoples' Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN).

The first article in the 'political contract' pledges AMAN's support in winning