September 23, 2014 edition
STROKING his beard and looking pensive, Abraham said, in a low voice, "Some untouchable people will be arrested." The chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) added, "Be patient, we will reveal all."
Abraham and his team have indeed exposed many people involved in corruption cases, among them a big-time businessman, a police general and the most recent one, the former energy and mineral resources minister, Jero Wacik. But this doesn't seem to be enough. Public pressure is on Abraham to solve other big cases, like Bank Century and Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) funds. At one time, he did promise to solve both those cases.
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September 16, 2014 edition
NOT so long ago Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi was a student busy preparing his dissertation, something he has been doing over the past year. On weekends, he would work on his quantitative researchdisseminating questionnairesand analyzing them, mainly for his doctoral dissertation, titled 'The Impact of Direct Local Elections on Corruption among Local Chief Executives in Indonesia' which he has now completed. "I defended it last month," he said, with a tone of relief.
On Tuesday last week at his office in Central Jakarta, Gamawan met with Tempo and proudly showed off his 400-page opus, a requirement to complete his doctoral degree program from the State Institute of Public Administration. "It's not the thickness that matters, but my passion to keep on studying," he said.
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September 9, 2014 edition
ADRIANUS Meliala-a member of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas)-nervously stroked his hair, scratched his face, stared at his hands and stammered when he spoke. "I never knew it would turn out so bad. What will Kompolnas do to me?" he asked.
The public was recently shocked by his statement in a television interview last month that two police officers assigned to the West Java Police Crime Unit had been indicted for the crime of gambling online. Even more astounding was his revelation that the same Crime Unit was an ATM (cash machine) for police officers. When other sections needed money, they always came to this unit for help. "Like it or not, we must admit that the police has indeed been involved in shenanigans," said Adrianus in the interview.
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January 1, 1970 edition
Goal!" came the shout from an 8-year-old boy, catching the attention of everyone nearby. He turned to his father, Chatib Basri, who sat next to him. "Papa is the worst player in FIFA 2014," said the boy, named Amartya Sen. On the screen, the score showed 2-0 for Germany.
Chatib, who played the Argentinian team, looked glum at trailing his son. "You cheated," Chatib told his son. His last effort, as soccer champ Mesut Ozil would have done, ended in failure. The final score was 3-0 for Germany. "It's a good game but I'm always losing," said Chatib.
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August 26, 2014 edition
JOURNALISTS covering Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, are aware that whatever he says can become headlines. No other public official has a way of saying things that make it eminently quotable.
But Ahok's direct and open way of talking is not to everyone's liking. He has made enemies, and he is bound to make many more following the Constitutional Court's verdict that rejected the appeal last week by also-rans Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa and reconfirmed the election of Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo as president and his running mate Jusuf Kalla as vice president. Automatically, this paves the way for Ahok to ascend to the capital city's top executive job.
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August 19, 2014 edition
There has been discordant voices following the launch of the UNAIDS Gap Report on July 16, which details the prevalence of this deadly disease, and how governments attempt to prevent its spread. It was not particularly well received by Indonesian Health Minister, Nafsiah Mboi. "In the press release (about the report), they (UNAIDS) said that we are left behind. I ask, just how have we been left behind?" she told Tempo, at a press conference about Indonesia's HIV/AIDS program, 20 days after the report was launched
UNAIDS Country Director for Indonesia, Cho Kah Sin, agrees that the report could well lead to misinterpretations. "The GAP report is not meant to invalidate what countries are doing," explained Cho, who took office in Jakarta two years ago. He is impressed at the close cooperation between different community groups and the central as well as local governments in preventing the spread of the disease. "Other countries can learn from Indonesia," said Cho, who is Malaysian.
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August 12, 2014 edition