April 19, 2016 edition

When she was interviewed two weeks ago, Kartika Jahja, 35, could not conceal her dejection. Wearing a leather jacket and a bright red skirt, this singer tried to understand her recent catastrophe in Yogyakarta. There, she had failed to carry out her project of staging the 2016 Lady Fast event, after one mass organization had raided it and forced it to close down. "The reason for it was not clear at all," she said.
Lady Fast was initially to present a series of events about women's issues. The agenda included discussions, a workshop, film screening and musical performances. A day into the event, a group from one mass organization, accompanied by the police, came and disbanded the event. After that, Tika and members of the Kolektif Betina (Female Collective) as the organizer of the event, had to deal with the local police.

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More Cover Story articles in other editions

April 12, 2016 edition

The international stir caused by the Panama Papers enlivened the WhatsApp discussion group of the Retirement Fund Association. The clamor increased after the association members discovered that the owner of a company in which they placed investment funds had set up a shell company in the British Virgin Islands. This news was a boon to the team investigating non-performing investment funds.
It has been nearly seven years since Arpeni Pratama Ocean Line and Berlian Laju Tanker failed to pay their debt-based securities (bonds) purchased by tens of members of the Retirement Funds Association. The upheaval caused by the Panama Papers led the members of this association to search for the owners of Arpeni and Berlian cited in those documents. "The discussion became lively because we were discussing the Panama Papers as well," said Ferry Agustono, CEO of Dana Pensiun ASDP Indonesia, one of the association's officials, last week.

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April 5, 2016 edition

It was not the wind or bad weather that prompted fishermen at Jongor port in Tegal, Central Java to sit around and chat aboard their ships. It was not because they were tired of sailing either. But in the past month, their forays into the sea have netted them little catch.
In any case, that is how Munir feels. "It's hard to find fish these days. We're way short of our targets," said the 51-year-old fisherman. He had just moored his boat at 3am. After a month at sea, he was only able to bring home catches valued at less than Rp2.5 million. Two years ago, a similar outing would have brought in up to Rp10 million.

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March 29, 2016 edition

According to Governor Basuki, or better known as Ahok, the audit of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on the 2014 finances of the Jakarta administration was full of holes. He claims the audit was carried out to undermine his credibility. Last week, Ahok sat with Tempo to share his annoyance at the fuss over the Sumber Waras land deal.

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March 22, 2016 edition

Amid the threats of being blocked from operating, Grab finally agreed to work with the newly established Indonesian Car Rental Cooperative Association (PPRI) so that it could operate within the confines of local legislation. Last Wednesday, Minister for Cooperatives and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga granted the company the deed to the association. "We are acting on the government's advice," Grab Indonesia's Managing Director Ridzki Kramadibrata said at the cooperatives ministry. In an email to Tempo, he also pledged that the Malaysia-based company would adhere to all relevant legal frameworks.

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March 15, 2016 edition

CILINCING is one of President Joko Widodo's favorite places to deliver important messages. From this North Jakarta district two years ago, he officially announced his candidacy in the presidential election. Jokowi, who at that time was governor of Jakarta, chose Si Pitung's house in Marunda as the place to declare he was running for office.
Last Thursday, Jokowi sent another message from Cilincing. He threatened to dismiss poorly performing cabinet ministers. When he officially launched the Bonded Logistics Center (PLB), Jokowi reminded his ministers to quickly fix the lengthy dwelling time at ports.

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March 8, 2016 edition

In the afternoon of February 11, 2011, dozens of journalists gathered for a press conference with National Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Commissioners at the commission's headquarters. They were startled by the sudden intrusion of three unidentified men. Suddenly, one of them began ranting about the unfair police treatment of someone named Daniel Sinambela.
The Komnas HAM that day was about to announce its plan to protect the person who videotaped the attack against Ahmadis in Cikeusik, Banten. Tempo planned to feature the violence against Ahmadis as its cover story and Setri Yasra, an editorial intern at Tempo's national desk, was assigned to follow the press conference.

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