July 5, 2016 edition
Gazing at the dozens of students gathered, Gus Reza told the story of a blind Jewish woman who reviled the Prophet Muhammad on a daily basis. Gus Reza, whose full name is Kiai Haji Reza Ahmad Zahid, was sitting cross-legged on the mosque's porch area at the Al-Mahrusiyah Islamic boarding school in Kediri, East Java, on the second day of the Ramadan fasting month. Whenever someone approached, said Reza continuing the story, the blind beggar woman who lived in a corner of the market in Medina spread hatred so that people would not believe in Muhammad's message. "Muhammad is a liar, a magician," said the woman, as told by Reza.
The Prophet was aware of all this. Yet, every morning he brought the elderly Jewish woman food and fed her by hand. He did not say a word when he did this. One day, Muhammad went away and the elderly woman felt the loss of the person who had always given her food. It was only after missing him for several days that the woman found out from Abu Bakar Ash-Shiddiq, a friend of the Prophet, that the despised Muhammad had been the one feeding her all along. "This teaches us that Muhammad respected his haters, as well as people of different faiths," said Reza.
Read More
More Cover Story articles in other editions
June 28, 2016 edition
Marina Ratna Dwi Kusumajati received two calls on her cell phone in less than half an hour. The calls were from Sigit Sutantiyo and Susiana Martha, employees of state-owned trading company Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (PPI). The two were offering frozen imported beef to Marina, who is CEO of Dharma Jaya market. Marina was open to the offers. "As long as the price is good and the beef is imported legally," she told Tempo last week.
As general manager of PPI, Sigit tried to reassure Marina that the beef from his company, which obtained an import license, was legal. Not long after Sigit called, Susiana called to discuss the offer. They did not reach a deal. "Dharma Jaya already had its own supplier," said Sigit.
Read More
June 21, 2016 edition
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Chairman Agus Rahardjo listened to a question posed by Junimart Girsang, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) law commission. At the meeting on Wednesday last week, the KPK was asked to explain its handling of some cases.
After the legislators questioned the purchase of the Sumber Waras Hospital land by the Jakarta government, a case in which the KPK had just stopped its preliminary investigation, Junimart moved on to the bribery case over the land reclamation just off the coast of North Jakarta. "We received information that Rp30 billion from land reclamation developers were given to the Friends of Ahok group through Sunny and Cyrus," said the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician. "I don't know if the KPK has questioned Sunny or Cyrus."
Read More
June 14, 2016 edition
When the deputy chairman of the House of Representatives' (DPR) budget council, Said Abdullah struck the gavel at a meeting inside the legislature building last week, a compromise appeared within reach. Said and other members of the budget council agreed that the target of non-tax receipts (PNBP) from the oil and gas and coal sectors needed to be reduced. "What more can be done? It cannot be improved on any further," said Said after the decision was made.
It was decided at the meeting that the amount of non-tax state receipts for mining in the amended draft national budget (RAPBN-P) should be lowered to Rp30.1 trillion-down from the initial target set at the start of the year, which was Rp40.8 trillion. In the financial note to the 2016 draft state budget, the executive branch had set a non-tax receipts target from general mining at just Rp16.54 trillion. This is much less than the figure agreed on by the budget council. The reason cited was that business in this sector was sluggish. "Prices are down and demand is also down," said Minerals and Coal Director-General Bambang Gatot Ariyono.
Read More
June 7, 2016 edition
In conjunction with the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Russia in mid-May, state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina named Russian oil company Rosneft the winner of the tender to build the Tuban refinery in East Java. This decision has raised questions because the government had already signaled that it would likely appoint Saudi Aramco, a Saudi oil company, to work on the project.
Despite being a new player in Indonesia's petroleum business, this giant Russian oil and gas company was able to convince the government and Pertamina to make it their partner. In addition to building a refinery with a production capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, the company will cooperate with Pertamina to explore oil fields in Russia. Pertamina was promised it can take 35,000 barrels per day from oil wells with reserves of 200 million barrels.
Read More
May 31, 2016 edition
Two months before he retires, National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti is busy answering questions about who his successor will be. The former East Java provincial police chief is also accused of lobbying for an extension of his term of office.
Badrodin said he was troubled by charges that he desperately sought to stay on in his current job. The decision whether to extend his term or have him replaced is entirely up to the President. "To me, this position is a mandate," he said.
Read More
May 24, 2016 edition