February 2, 2016 edition
NATIONAL Intelligence Agency (BIN) Chief Sutiyoso has requested expanded powers to arrest individuals suspected of terrorist ties. In previous yearsin particular when Sutiyoso was governor of Jakartasuch authority was on the books, and was frequently invoked in the wake of terrorist attacks.
The authorization to make such arrests can only be implemented if Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism is revised. According to Sutiyoso, terrorist attacks could be better thwarted if the agency were authorized to arrest suspects.
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January 26, 2016 edition
THE public is split on whether to legalize street racing in Jakarta. Last week's Tempo poll indicates that many respondents support the Jakarta government's plan to provide a venue for racing wannabes. However, almost as many respondents oppose the idea, the difference in opinion being 19 respondents from a total of 696.
Opponents feel Jakarta has more to lose from illegal street racing. One concern is over the issue of safety, not only to the racers but also to bystanders, as the city's streets were never built for racing.
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January 19, 2016 edition
Citing lack of money as the reason, the government is toying with the idea of levying funds from sales of fossil fuel to develop renewable energy. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said publicly broached the idea when he announced the fuel price decrease late last December.
The energy resilience fund will be levied at Rp200 per liter for Premium and Rp300 per liter for Diesel fuels. Based on initial calculations, within one year, the amount of funds collected would reach Rp16 trillion. The plan immediately triggered controversy regarding which agency should be responsible for its management, the method used for collection, the relevant laws governing it and the fund's accountability.
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January 12, 2016 edition
DJOKO Sasono chose to resign as director-general for land transportation at the transportation ministry because he had failed to anticipate the traffic jams during Maulid and Christmas holidays, which in conjunction with school holidays started on December 23, 2015. At the time, 2.6 million vehicles were stacked up on all toll roads and alternative routes. This figure is 14 percent higher compared to the Lebaran holidays.
On December 1, 2015, the director-general for tax in the finance ministry, Sigit Priadi Pramudito, also resigned from his position because he had failed to meet the tax target. "This is to show my sense of responsibility," said Sigit when he announced his resignation. The 2015 amended state budget target for taxes was pegged at Rp1.294 quadrillion. However, by the beginning of November, only 59.8 percent of the projected tax collection, or Rp774.48 trillion, had reached the state treasury. This meant a shortage of Rp519.77 trillion.
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January 5, 2016 edition
THE public suspects the integrity and independence of the five Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders for the 2015-2019 period. More than half of Tempo respondents do not believe that the new team lead by Agus Raharjo is clean and will be left to work with no interventions.
The public's uncertainty is based on statements made by these individuals when they were undergoing the selection process for the KPK leadership positions. For instance, the selection committee questioned Agus over the land he owned and his report on personal assets as a government official that had not been renewed since August 2012. Agus, a former director of the Government Institute for Procurement and Services (LKPP), denied having failed to renew his personal wealth report.
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December 29, 2015 edition
ONE hundred and six members of the Jakarta Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) seemed pleased when their four demands were granted. In the 2016 Jakarta Regional Administrative Budget (APBD), four components in the council's expense budget were significantly increased. These include budgets for travel and recesses, new meeting tables and chairs and new laptops.
The budget for travel expenses, for instance, was raised from Rp430 thousand to Rp1.5 million. Jakarta DPRD Deputy Chairman Muhammad Taufik, a Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party politician, said it had been twelve years since the travel budget was last increased. "We often had to cover the excess," he said.
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December 22, 2015 edition