January 13, 2015 edition
Former Golkar party chief Akbar Tandjung made a 'surprising move', when he went to see President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace 24 hours before the Banyan tree party peace talks began. Clad in a dark brown batik shirt, he came an hour earlier than Agung Laksono, who also wanted to see Jokowi the same afternoon last Wednesday.
The chair of Golkar's Advisory Council, elected at the Bali National Congress, tried to convince Jokowi that the conflict within his party would not disrupt relations with the government. Golkar, he said, did not want to be perceived as the party always opposing the government. "Golkar will support the government's pro-people policies," Akbar said, recounting his meeting with Jokowi last Thursday, to Tempo.
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December 23, 2014 edition
The two days of incessant rain in Banjarnegara, Central Java, finally stopped on Friday afternoon two weeks ago. Sinem, 55, seized the opportunity to pluck some taro leaves in the yard of her house in Jemblung hamlet, home to about 300 residents. She planned to cook a favorite dish of her husband, Suhaedi, 58.
The rain had prevented many people from leaving their homes. The freezing air at the foot of Mount Tlagalele pierced the bones. Before becoming a cassava and corn farm in between the albasia plants and the shrubs, the hill's slopes had been a community forest. Tlagalele is located on the right side of the residential areas through which the Karangkoba-Dieng highway cuts.
Clear weather did not last long. After a few hours, the rain returned. As dusk approached, Sinem was still busy in her kitchen. Suhaedi had not yet arrived from the farm near their house. "All of a sudden there was a loud roaring sound," she told Tempo last week.
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December 16, 2014 edition
A leaked document from the Defense Ministry Inspectorate-General about a Rp4-trillion purchase of Brazilian rockets two years ago has been leaked to the media, causing a controversy. The document said the purchase was too expensive. It mentioned an alleged Rp1 trillion markup.
At the time, according to one high-ranking Defense Ministry official, the government was looking to purchase Astros II rocket launchers produced by Brazil's Avibras Industria Aeroespacial. The weapon used by Saudi Arabia had proven its resilience in the Gulf War. "The initial decision was to buy them direct from Brazil, without a tender," the official said.
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January 1, 1970 edition
NURDIN Halid, who oversaw the Golkar Party's national congress in Bali last week, read out the results of the vote for the party's chairman. The winner, with 534 of 537 ballots: the incumbent, Aburizal Bakrie. "Agreed?" Nurdin asked the floor. The participants roared back: "Agreed!"
The participants shouted for joy. Some of them embraced and kissed Aburizal. The Bakrie Group boss had become the first man to head Golkar for two periods in a row.
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January 1, 1970 edition
After the Chaos
President Joko Widodo has prohibited his ministers from attending parliament sessions until the mayhem there is over, reasoning that the cabinet members' presence could worsen the conflict between his administration and the opposition. "There might be a misunderstanding if we join," Jokowi said at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, last week.
The ban issued via a circular memo dated November 4 and signed by Cabinet Secretary Andi Wijayanto has compelled State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno to postpone a hearing with Houseof Representatives (DPR) Commission VI for Trade, Industries and State-Owned Enterprises, now filled by lawmakers from the camp that backed Prabowo Subianto's failed bid for the presidency against Jokowi in July. Rini said her subordinates would not respond to the invitation until the two coalitions reconcile.
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January 1, 1970 edition
The plan was hatched in late October at the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party's meeting room at the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD). In attendance were representatives from the parties that supported Prabowo Subianto's failed bid for the presidency in July. The agenda: formulating a strategy to frustrate Basuki Tjahaja 'Ahok' Purnama's ascent to the seat left by Joko Widodo when he became president.
Around 15 people from five factions were present at the time. They included DPRD Deputy Speaker Abraham Lunggana, a United Development Party (PPP) politician, and Justice and Prosperity Party Deputy Chairman Triwisaksana as well as representatives from the Democrat Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Golkar Party.
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November 18, 2014 edition