December 22, 2015 edition

THE results of an audit conducted last June by the Jakarta Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on the purchase of land owned by Sumber Waras Hospital caused quite a commotion. The BPK claims the purchase of the land, located in Grogol, West Jakarta, resulted in a loss of Rp191 billion.
The Jakarta BPK accuses the government of Jakarta of purchasing the land at an extremely high price of Rp755 billion, whereas two years ago, the land was almost bought for only Rp564 billion by Ciputra Karya Utama to build a shopping center. The Jakarta government is also considered irresponsible for purchasing a plot of land that is difficult to access, prone to floods and is still under dispute.

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More Indicator articles in other editions

December 15, 2015 edition

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has been implicated in the 'Papa wants shares' scandal. Two weeks ago, the former presidential chief of staff's name was heard at the House of Representative's (DPR) ethics council (MKD) 66 times when a recorded discussion between DPR Speaker Setya Novanto, oil tycoon Muhammad Reza Chalid and Freeport Indonesia CEO Maroef Sjamsoeddin was played.
On June 8, in a meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Jakarta, Setya, Reza and Maroef discussed plans to extend Freeport's contract ending in 2021. Maroef confirmed the meeting had taken place but was silent about Luhut. The fact is, Luhut's name was mentioned several times in the discussion, for example in the following transcript excerpt:

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December 8, 2015 edition

LAST week, the House of Representatives (DPR) ethics council finally brought House Speaker Setya Novanto's alleged transgression to trial. In addition to the testimony of Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said, the court also listened to a recording of a discussion between Setya, oil entrepreneur Muhammad Reza Chalid and Freeport Indonesia CEO Maroef Sjamsoeddin.
Sudirman filed a report against Setya, a Golkar Party politician, for using President Joko Widodo's name in an effort to extend Freeport's mining contract in Papua. The accusation was accompanied by an audio recording of the discussion, which was aired in open court and picked up by several national TV stations.

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December 1, 2015 edition

Participation in national defense training has led to the deaths of two citizens, Daniel Vicil Pardamean Tambunan and Dyah Umiyarti Purnamaningrum.
Daniel was an Atma Jaya Catholic University student in Jakarta. Dyah was a transportation ministry employee. Both died while participating in the national defense program. Dyah fainted while learning to march in formation at the Grati Marine Corps Combat Training Center in Pasuruan, East Java. The cause of Daniel's death remains unknown.

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November 24, 2015 edition

THE International Peoples' Tribunal, held in Nieuwe Kerk, the Netherlands, two weeks ago to address human rights violations committed in Indonesia during the violent events of 1965-1966 might have been nonbinding. It did, however, help bring some of the atrocities committed 50 years ago out of the shadows and into the light.
Several witnesses told stories of being tortured for supposed links to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Some said the abuses were even ordered by members of the armed forces.

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November 17, 2015 edition

HOUSE of Representatives (DPR) members continue to try and slip an allocation into the State Budget for renovating the DPR building. A similar plan was scrapped in 2011, but when discussions for the 2016 State Budget plan began in August, it was put back on the table. Though it was rejected by the government, at the end of October, an allocation of Rp740 billion for renovations suddenly surfaced in the 2016 State Budget plan approved by the DPR.
The proposal to renovate the DPR building was reportedly made based on Law No. 10/2011 on cultural heritage. Achmad Dimyati Natakusuma, Deputy Chairman of DPR Internal Affairs Body denies that the heritage law was the basis of the plan. "It is based on the need to support amenities and infrastructure so that DPR members can enhance their work," he said.

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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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