November 10, 2015 edition

THE draft of the presidential decree on the Indonesian Armed Forces' (TNI) Organizational Structure has caused quite a commotion. A number of activists are concerned that the regulation would only give rise to a concept that is reminiscent of the Old Order era. In the old days, almost everyone was familiar with the Dwifungsi ABRI (the dual function of the Indonesian Armed Forces). In the presidential regulation draft there are three articles some consider to be 'horrifying' because they regulate the stretching of the military's authority. According to articles 4, 5 and 6, the TNI's duties would not only comprise defending and upholding the sovereignty of Indonesia's territoriestheir duties would also extend to matters of security as well, a task that has traditionally been the role of the police.
There are those that worry that, should the regulation be implemented, the military would be put in direct contact with civilians, since its roles would overlap with those of the police. There have been instances in the past where contact between the people and the military ended bitterly. For example, last Tuesday in Bogor, a member of the armed forces shot an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver in the head. It was actually a trivial matter: the man was upset because his car was sideswiped by the ojek driver.

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More Indicator articles in other editions

November 3, 2015 edition

THE public is disappointed with Joko Widodo's and Jusuf Kalla's performance this year, as was indicated by polls from various survey institutions. They hope that Jokowi would create change began to fade as the year wore on, and his inability to assemble a cabinet free of political appointments has not helped.
Perhaps his cabinet's multiple party backgrounds frustrates the ability to build cohesion to solve pressing problems. Issues such as a weakening of the rupiah, price increases in commodities, slow growth and a rise in poverty are battering Jokowi's reformist reputation.

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October 27, 2015 edition

FREEPORT will have been mining in Papua for nearly half a century when its permit ends in 2021. Recently, the government asked the US-based company to increase its investment to US$18 billion, or approximately Rp250.3 trillion.
The Indonesian government claims it receives only a small portion of Freeport's profits in the form of royalties, dividends and taxes. Freeport, meanwhile, says 60 percent of its earnings goes to the government. In the last 22 years, they claim to have contributed around Rp214.76 trillion.

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October 20, 2015 edition

Since the beginning, the public felt something was off in the arrest of Bambang Widjojanto in Depok, West Java, on January 23.
Bambang, then a Deputy Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was arrested and interrogated by investigators of the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim) regarding his role in a 2010 regional election dispute in Kotawaringin Barat, Central Kalimantan. Police accused Bambang of ordering a witness to give a false testimony while he was serving as an attorney in the case at the Constitutional Court.

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October 13, 2015 edition

Last week, the air pollution index in Sumatra and Kalimantan jumped way above the level deemed safe, paralyzing people's activities.Satellite imagery showed 712 hotspots in Kalimantan and 502 in Sumatra.
In Riau, schools have been closed and babies relocated to smoke-free zone areas. Doctors have been overwhelmed by the number of patients with respiratory problems, including acute nasal infections in the six provinces most affected by the haze.

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October 6, 2015 edition

Gayus Tambunan has shocked the public three times.
After a tax evasion to the tune of some Rp160 billion led to a 30-year prison sentence, Gayus was caught on camera watching a tennis tournament in Bali in November 2010.

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September 29, 2015 edition

AS of next month, the bank accounts of 560 members of the House of Representatives (DPR) will have grown substantially. Their salaries, which were around Rp51-54 million per month, will increase to Rp58-60 million. This is due to increases in bonuses and allowances for electricity and phone bills, all approved by the government and on July 9 decreed by the finance ministry.
Looking at their basic salary, a DPR member earns just Rp4.2 million per month. This number is difficult to play around with considering it is calculated in relation to Indonesians' per capita income, which is used as the basis of the their salaries, is Rp3.5 million per month.

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