September 8, 2015 edition
THE rivers in Jakarta are in a state of severe neglect. Since Jakarta city planning is a mess and the government suffers from corruption, residents are forced to build their homes along the filthy rivers. As a result, the rivers are becoming narrower and shallower, and are buckling under the load of garbage.
River dwellers understand that every rainy season the floods will come. The Jakarta government has built high-rise buildings for them to move into, thus making it possible pursue river clean-up and normalization. It was only during the governorship of current Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama that the relocation of these riverside inhabitants succeeded. Three weeks ago, Kampung Pulo residents were relocated to Jatinegara Barat high rises.
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More Indicator articles in other editions
September 1, 2015 edition
IT takes guts to block a convoy of large motorbikes-often called moge-especially when they are being escorted by police.
Elanto Wijoyono, 32, has done it twice. The last time was in mid-August at the Condong Catur intersection in Yogjakarta, where he blockaded a convoy of moges taking part in the 2015 Jogja Bike Rendezvous.
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August 25, 2015 edition
ON December 9, 308 regions and cities will conduct regional head elections. It will be the first time direct local elections are held simultaneously.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) seems to have it all prepared, save for one aspect: what happens if a candidate pair runs uncontested? Especially when in several areas the incumbent is assumed to be unbeatable?
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August 17, 2015 edition
THE defamation article was axed. The Constitutional Court removed it from the Criminal Code (KUHP) in 2006. According to the Court, the article constituted a legacy of the Netherlands East Indies law to protect the king and the queen. After being adopted, the term king and queen were changed to president and vice president.
Now this 'zombie' article will be revived through the KUHP revision which was put forward to the parliament two months ago. Teten Masduki, member of President Joko Widodo's communications staff, explained that the draft of the KUHP revision was inherited from the previous government. Not much was changed other than clarifiying the existing article.
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August 11, 2015 edition
Traffic jams are so common in the capital city that citizens seem to take them in stride. But when such congestion comes from street demonstrations, such resignation can quickly transform into anger.
Last month Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama met with Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Tito Karnavian about creating a special area for demonstrations. "The important thing is the public can convey their aspirations and without people becoming the victims of traffic jams," Tito said.
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August 4, 2015 edition
JAKARTA Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has opened the doors of the city to new residents.
Basuki said he lacks the authority to bar citizens from visiting the capital city. As such, he will not carry out the customary sweeps and raids of new residents that normally follow the Ramadhan holidays. He said such operations were ineffective and poorly targeted.
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July 28, 2015 edition