June 7, 2016 edition
With his flaming red hair and grinning face, Umar Patek greeted Tempo at Surabaya's maximum correctional facility in Porong, Sidoardjo, East Java, three weeks ago. He was allowed out of his cell in Block F to meet us at the visitors' room.
Convicted for crimes of terrorism, Umar, 49, who has many aliases, was prominently mentioned last May as having played a role in the release of 10 Indonesians held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf armed separatist group in the Philippines. Umar claimed to have offered his services in negotiating for the release of the hostages, crew members of the Brahma 12 tug boat. "I wanted to help because they were my fellow compatriots. Everything I did was above board, I asked no pre-conditions," said Umar Patek, whose real name is Hisyam bin Ali Zein.
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May 31, 2016 edition
Supreme Court Chief Justice Muhammad Hatta Ali feels the current negative media reports about the court system are excessive and unjustified. "When it comes to reports about our justice system, they tend to be exaggerated," said Hatta during a recent interview.
The reputation of the Supreme Court was once again in question after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) nabbed Central Jakarta Court Clerk Edy Nasution red-handed accepting a bribe from a businessman.
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May 24, 2016 edition
Minister for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Yohana Susana Yembise, 58, cannot afford to take it easy yet, even though Law No. 35/2014 is ready to be enacted. Better known as the Bill on Castration, this piece of legislation will soon be deliberated on at the House of Representatives (DPR).
The bill was drafted by three ministries at the instruction of President Joko Widodo as a response to the emerging cases of sexual abuse. The ministries involved are the ministries coordinating human development and culture, social affairs and women's empowerment and child protection. "The President has instructed the attorney-general and me to monitor the passage of the bill," said Yohana in a recent interview.
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May 17, 2016 edition
Public service is something new to 52-year-old Amzulian Rifai, the new chairman of the Office of the Ombudsman. After all, he spent the past 25 years in the academic affairs of Sriwijaya University in Palembang, South Sumatra. But he is ready to dedicate himself to a new assignment, which is to be the people's 'ear', to listen to those disappointed by the quality of public services rendered. Amzulian believes the Ombudsman is the right place to dedicate his time and his resources. He decided to apply for the job, and in an open session, was elected chairman for the 2016-2021 period.
Amzulian is aware that leading the Office of the Ombudsman will not be an easy task. Right from the start, he has had to face the snide comments that the Ombudsman is nothing more than a toothless institution with no specific objective in mind. The building alone, he observed when he first went there, looked no better than a warehouse. "It was in really bad condition," he said in an interview last week.
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May 10, 2016 edition
The outbreak of violence at Banceuy Penitentiary in Bandung, West Java two weeks ago deeply affected Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly. The incident might have appeared ordinary in the rough-and-tumble world inside Indonesian prisons, given that the death of inmate Undang Kosim triggered the violence. Nevertheless, it was the third of such incidents in 2016 alone.
Yasonna found the root of the problem to be commonplace: the number of inmates exceeding the limited capacities of Indonesian prisons and the shortage of prison personnel. He admitted frankly that conditions in Indonesian prisons were unacceptable. "They're very inhumane," he said in a recent interview in his South Jakarta office last week.
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May 3, 2016 edition