January 13, 2015 edition
ComR. Gen. Budi Gunawan's bid to become the national police chief has had a lot of help from his friends. In addition to political lobbying, some old documents have been prepared. One of these, labeled confidential, was released by his cohorts at the Police Crime Investigation Unit on October 20, 2010.
The letter, which 'absolved' Budi, was signed by Director for Special Economic Crimes, Sr. Comr. Arief Sulistyantocurrently West Kalimantan police chief holding the rank of brigadier general. The financial activity in the general's bank account was considered to be normal, even though it aroused the suspicion of the Center for the Reporting and Analysis of Financial Transactions (PPATK). This anti-graft organization felt that the amount did not fit with Budi's personal profile.
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More Cover Story articles in other editions
January 1, 1970 edition
CUMULONIMBUS clouds are a known danger in aviation. "Avoiding cumulonimbus clouds is normal in the airlines world," said Andi Eka Sakya, chief of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
Cumulonimbuswhich comes from the Latin cumulus (heap) and nimbus (rainstorm)is a dense towering vertical cloud marked by storms and atmospheric instability. The base of this type of cloud ranges between 1,800 feet (500 meters) to 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) high at its summit, or even higher in extreme cases.
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December 23, 2014 edition
FORMER burial sites and ruined building foundations are scattered along the Ujong Pancu coast in Aceh Besar regency. When the tide rises in the morning, these remains of ancient civilizations are submergedup to 1 kilometer from the beach.
"Before the 2004 tsunami, some of the coastal areas were still inhabited," fisherman Lukman told Tempo. In addition to the fishing villages, there was an ancient cemetery and the Indrapurwa Mosque, built on the site of a Hindu temple. All were destroyed in the waves.
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December 16, 2014 edition
THE website www.jariungu.com was once so inundated by visitors that it crashed, became paralyzed just before the legislative elections last April. People visit the site to get information on the legislators who will be running for office. "The volume of visitors shows that many are still confused," said Teuku Radja Sjahnan, 46, founder of the website.
Radja, a former auditor of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), funded as well as became a programmer to manage the website. He received no financial profit from his activities because he considered it his social responsibility to the community. "So people won't choose the wrong person to represent them," Radja told Tempo last month.
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January 1, 1970 edition
Forever Curious
Munir was known as a smart student despite his modest and at times, even below-average academic record. But he made up for any shortcomings with his inexhaustible curiosity and a passion to help the downtrodden. Even his choice of life-partner, Suciwati, was someone equally committed to his causes. Until his untimely death, Munir dedicated his life to fighting injustice and intolerance.
BORN to a modest merchant family, each day Munir would assist his elder brother Muhfid to sell cloth, shoes and slippers at the local market, Pasar Batu. He started helping out after his father died when he was still a sixth grader. As such, Munir had to earn extra money to pay his way through school and until he completed his law studies at Brawijaya University.
Munir's primary-school friend, Saiful Amin, recalled how they loved to swim in the Brantas River. He was thin and small in stature, often an object of ridicule, but he always fought back. He made friends easily and was always willing to give a helping hand. "He was a caring person and often showed empathy," Saiful said.
But it was his rebellious attitude, evident from a very young age, that was to define Munir's character and fate. "He was so stubborn," recalled Farida, 60, a teacher of Muhammadiyah elementary school 4 at Batu, Malang, where Munir studied. It was a trait to be found at home, where he was the only one from among seven children of Said Thalib and Djamilah who dared to question his parents. According to his brother Muhfid, Munir would always demand a logical explanation if his request was turned down. "If mother refused to give in to something without much thought, he was sure to protest," recalled Muhfid. He admitted, however, that Munir's arguments often made sense, so his brothers would always support him.
Munir was known as a smart student despite his modest and at times, even below-average academic record. But he made up for any shortcomings with his inexhaustible curiosity and a passion to help the downtrodden. Even his choice of life-partner, Suciwati, was someone equally committed to his causes. Until his untimely death, Munir dedicated his life to fighting injustice and intolerance.
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January 1, 1970 edition
THE party entered the year confident it would emerge from the 2014 elections as the largest party. The incumbent president was retiring and his party faced the prospect of many 'fan club' parties, namely a sharp collapse in electoral support once their leader departs the national stage.
In addition, unlike earlier elections Golkar decided on its presidential candidate very early, thus giving the party plenty of time to prepare for the campaign. While some in the party had misgivings about their candidate's chances of victory, all expected that some of their members would surely sit in the new cabinet regardless of who won. After all, since its establishment in 1964 the party has been a member of every government.
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January 1, 1970 edition