March 29, 2016 edition

If Basuki Tjahaja Purnama were not the incumbent governor of Jakarta, the purchase of the site of the Sumber Waras psychiatric hospital would be seen as simply a normal transaction. But the plan for the man better known as Ahok to stand again for election next year is why the July 2014 land sale in West Jakarta has become such a hot issue.
The purchase by the Jakarta administration is under the spotlight for at least three reasons: the price, the location and the procedures that were followed. The price is seen as too high, compared with the offer the previous landowner had agreed to. The location is an issue because it had a higher land valuation on Jalan Kyai Tapa, not on Jalan Tomang Utara, the other street bordering the property. Finally, Basuki is alleged to have violated the procurement regulations.

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More Opinion articles in other editions

March 22, 2016 edition

POLITICAL parties apparently are more preoccupied with undermining independent candidates running for regional offices than creating a healthy democratic election process. Their intention is obvious when the House of Representatives' (DPR) domestic affairs commission sought to change the minimum requirements for such candidates, which it already planned through a revision of Law No. 8/2015 on Regional Executives Elections.
The constitutional court has actually just amended the regulations on the criteria for independent candidates, stipulating that to be legitimate contenders, they must gather 6.5 to 10 percent of the ID cards of their permanent constituents who voted in the previous elections, not the current population. Candidates for the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial election, for example, must have the endorsement of at least 525,000 residents, or 7.5 percent of the 7 million strong constituents.

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March 15, 2016 edition

The Internet and the information technology revolution have made the world economy increasingly borderless with numerous online cross-border business transactions taking place on a daily basis.
The government has taken a right step with the plan to launch the national payment gateway (NPG). The system that is aimed to facilitate online payments to and from across the world is now a pressing necessity.

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March 8, 2016 edition

THE two-page official memo represents nothing less than a death sentence for foreign and ex-foreign ships operating in Indonesian waters. Signed by Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Secretary-General Sjarief Widjaja on February 11, the memos have closed all the chances of these ships' owners to resume operations. They must now undergo mandatory deregistration.
This is not unreasonable if the government intends to allow only local fishing vessels to exploit our maritime resources. So far, ex-foreign and foreign boats have been free to aroam our seas, particularly the open sea, trenches and the borders. These boats, weighing more than 30 gross tons, operate freely despite their disregard of the law. The ministry notes that the Rp30 quintillion losses annually incurred by the state was due to illegal fishing.

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March 1, 2016 edition

The recent anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) ruckus should not be taken lightly. Debates surrounding the issue have not only turned absurd but also become hotbeds of hate speech and intimidation.
It all began with a community poster from University of Indonesia's Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies. The poster offering counseling for LGBT teens triggered outrage on the Internet. Some feel that the campus should not disgrace itself through such a forum. The debates became hostile as some formal media accommodated anti-LGBT slurs.

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February 23, 2016 edition

Think like an investor. That is what the government should do when it comes to the shares of Freeport Indonesia. Good investors carefully calculate prices offered to them.
Last month, in fulfilling the obligation to divest itself, the US mining giant Freeport offered the government 10.64 percent of its shares at a whopping US$1.7 billion (Rp22.9 trillion) price. This exorbitant price is the consequence of the contract between the government and Freeport. There is no rule governing pricing.

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February 16, 2016 edition

Skyrocketing prices of poultry in recent weeks is a clear indication that the government is powerless against the cartel. A handful of poultry breeders have deliberately controlled supply to rake in more profits, without considering the effects on consumers.
Ironically, the state even helped facilitate this shameful practice. The directorate-general of livestock and animal health openly supported the agreement among 12 poultry breeders to cull 6 million parent stock broilers. In the deal signed on September 14 last year, the breeders also agreed to destroy 40 percent of hatching eggs.

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