November 11, 2014 edition

A JUDICIAL decision at Bantul District Court did not merely acquit Dwi Sumaji, also known as Iwik, of charges of premeditated murder. It also shattered any notion that Udin was murdered because of a love triangle, as the police had concluded.
For Udin's family and close friends, Iwik's acquittal also strengthened their conviction that Udin was killed because of articles he had been writing. "From the outset, I didn't believe in the infidelity scenario," Marsiyem, Udin's wife, said at her house at the end of August.

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More Cover Story articles in other editions

November 4, 2014 edition

TEMU Abdih has been feeling down lately. As the owner of dozens of hectares of plantation in Banyuasin, South Sumatra, he often thinks back to the time when he was still working for an oil palm plantation company with a salary of Rp2-3 million per month. "I wish I could go back to being an employee, but I am no longer young," Temu, an agricultural engineer told Tempo, in mid-October.
A few years ago, Temu planned to enjoy his twilight years with more independence. Tired of being an employee, he ventured to retire early and build his own oil palm plantation from his personal savings. It was not a wrong choice. The plantation turned out to provide him with an income several times overcompared to when he was a salaried employee.

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January 1, 1970 edition

MEGAWATI Soekarnoputri was still sticking to her position late Wednesday night last week. Speaking to the two VVIP guests at her residence, namely Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, the chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) asked that Rini Soemarno and Police Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan be appointed to the new cabinet.
Rini and Budi are both in Megawati's inner circle. Rini, who was in charge of the administration of the transition team formed by Jokowi, is trusted by Megawati. In an interview with Tempo last August, Rini said that she often organized Megawati's overseas trips. Budi, currently director of the Police Academy, was an aide to Mega when she was president from 2001 to 2004.

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January 1, 1970 edition

JOKO Widodo is not a great orator. He comes from a modest background, from an ordinary family, which is why he always comes across as a regular person, like one of 'us'. This has become his main strength in his road to the Indonesian presidency. Starting on October 20, 53-year-old Jokowi will lead 250 million Indonesians, Vice President Jusuf Kalla by his side.
Jokowi did not grow up in a culture of articulation. His answers to many questions are usually short and to the point. For instance, when asked about his fondness for heavy metal music, he would not elaborate, despite his huge album collection of various heavy metal groups. He also never writes good speeches-often forgetting the copy prepared by his own team. He prefers instead, to rely on his physical presence.

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January 1, 1970 edition

A PLENARY meeting of the House of Representatives (DPR) ended in an uproar last week. A wave of protests and disappointment over the failure of Oesman Sapta Odang to be voted as speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) disrupted the closing deliberations on supplementary agencies. "Members were blaming one another over the failure to have Pak Oesman elected MPR speaker," Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Irman Gusman told Tempo, last week.
Ahmad Nawardi, an East Java legislator made several requests to look into which DPD members had deviated from the political deal. The meeting ended after the members voiced their complaints. A package deal for five MPR leaders, with Oesman as speaker, was narrowly defeated in an MPR plenary meeting that ended early Wednesday morning. Oesman only managed to get the deputy speaker position. This triggered the commotion.

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January 1, 1970 edition

PERHAPS he was born with a gun in his hand. At the age of 13, Benny Moerdani fought as a member of the military academy cadets. He nearly died when Dutch gunfire destroyed his rifle barrel. Fragments flew into his face, causing him to bleed profusely.
Without being trained as a paratrooper, Benny once jumped from an airplane over Pekanbaru to win back the Caltex oilfield which had been taken over by rebels from the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PRRI). During a different assault in Padang, his parachute failed to open. The cord wrapped around his leg, and his body slammed against the plane's fuselage. Fortunately he was able to use his reserve chute. With his leg in a cast, he insisted on going to the battlefield.

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January 1, 1970 edition

A WEEK before the plenary session of the House of Representatives (DPR) to vote on the Local Elections Bill, Setya Novanto received good news from a colleague from the Democrat Party. Nurhayati Assegaf, the Democrat Party faction chief at the DPR, had guaranteed that her party would vote with the Red and White Coalitiona group of political parties which supported Prabowo Subianto in the presidential election last Julyon the Local Elections Bill.
Setya received the good news just as he met with Tempo, on Wednesday last week. Nurhayati had contacted him by phone. Setya laughed a lot during that call. "So it's good news?" he said. He asked Nurhayati to meet the next day. As soon as the call ended, Setya, who is Golkar Party treasurer, said, "it's locked."

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