Government of Jakarta, huh?

I have read some stupid things today, but this takes the cake. What is the Government of Jakarta thinking when it states that it thinks working cooperatively with the Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) during the holy month of Ramadan to "secure" entertainment venues. Secure in this context must mean compliance as opposed to safeguard. Unfortunately, this news story I read in Indonesian (here, so if you can read it...if not, then you will have to take my word for it).

At this stage it is supposedly only a plan, but the fact that it has been suggested shows some serious lack of foresight by the government and a real lack of understanding. The Government of Jakarta has sufficient law enforcement resources at its disposal that it just does not need to make use of the thugs at the FPI to do quasi police work.

As I said, this is the stupidest thing I read today. The FPI is the same bunch of goons that go round each Ramadan and forcibly close entertainment venues irrespective of whether the venue is operating pursuant to the rules and regulations.

These closures are done using extreme violence and are designed to damage as much property as possible, they are designed to inflict physical harm on patrons at these venues, and they are designed to strike fear into the general populace. So, I ask again, what is the government thinking by seemingly granting the FPI legitimacy to break the law and harm the citizens of Jakarta?

The Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo, really needs to think again on this one. If he stays this course it only serves to provide ammunition to his critics who have already nicknamed him Fuzzy Bodoh (bodoh in Indonesian means stupid).

The plan to use the FPI is just a stupid, stupid, stupid idea!

Police Promise Arrests, Not Justice...

In a closed-door meeting between police and a delegation of human rights and anti-corruption activists, the police have promised to make arrests in the beating of Tama Satrya Langkun. This promise should be taken with a grain of salt, or taken for what it means in reality.

An arrest is not the same as justice. If you doubt that, then take a look at the assassination of Munir in 2004. Until today, arrests have been made, prosecutions undertaken and convictions recorded, but it is debatable as to whether justice has been done. I would argue that justice has not been done.

Similarly, in this case, even if the police were to make arrests this week in line with their promise, this is not an iron-clad guarantee of justice being served. According to Usman Hamid, the former head of Kontras, the Chief of Police, Bambang Hendarso Danuri, asked that the activists be patient as these sorts of investigations take time. This is understatement in the extreme. Once again, the Munir case highlights just how much time the police might want to take in this investigation.

Nevertheless, the police have plenty on their plate at the moment thanks to the work of Langkun and the reporting of Tempo Magazine. The police are supposed to be releasing details this week of an internal investigation into allegations that senior police officers have substantial amounts banked in their personal accounts that are seemingly not able to be justified based on their known sources of income and assets.

I guess if one gives the police the benefit of the doubt, then they have until the end of the week to come up with some arrests. The question as to whether this leads to justice being done remains to be seen.

Photo courtesy of Antara via The Jakarta Globe.

SBY Orders an Investigation...So What Gitu Loh!

Uh huh!

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or SBY as he is affectionately known to the masses, has ordered investigations on the recent arson attack on the offices of Tempo Magazine and the brutal beating (and stabbing) of Tama Satrya Langkun of Indonesian Corruption Watch.

The Tempo attack was a couple of Molotov cocktails thrown at their offices by unknown assailants. The attack follows hot on the heels of an edition of the magazine which reported police corruption. The whole print run was allegedly purchased by police as a means of keeping the edition of the streets. It must be noted that the police deny any role in purchasing the magazines. The Langkun beating and stabbing also comes hot on the heels of some whistleblowing on alleged police corruption and the funneling of very large sums of money into the private accounts of police officers.

Funnily enough (in that sad and perverse kind of a way) The Jakarta Globe is reporting that the president has been following these incidents through the mass media! Really? The president is relying on the mass media for his security and political updates. Now that is funny, and sad!

SBY has proven to be a real disappointment to many Indonesians. He is a man who came to power and the presidency on claims that he was a corruption fighter and a change maker, the undeniable game breaker. He was going to change the way politics was done in Indonesia. This has sadly not been the case. His legacy will be one of not meeting the expectations of the Indonesian public. History will not necessarily judge him in a positive light even after the passage of much time. Too many bad things have happened on his watch. He will be remembered for failures such as the Munir case. In the Munir case he assured Munir's widow that justice would be done and the perpetrators would be brought to justice for their crimes.

So, it is little wonder when SBY comes out and states unequivocally that it is important that law enforcement capture the perpetrators of these two crimes and then prosecute them to the full extent of the law that most people start to shake their heads and go "whatever!" This is particularly so when the president goes on record to say that it is a third party that is responsible for these crimes, and this party is taking advantage of the situation to further sully the police force's good name. Huh?

Should the above be construed as the president is in the know, and he in fact knows that the perpetrators are a third party? Or could this be construed by those cynics and conspiracy theorists among us as a deliberate attempt to deflect attention away from the police and parties related to the police?

The onus is on the police and other law enforcement agencies to see all these cases resolved. The onus is on the president to do everything within his legal power to ensure that these cases are resolved. There must be accountability across the board. This is not just accountability for the perpetrators of these crimes but there must also be full accountability for those people tasked with uncovering the perpetrators and then prosecuting them.

In many ways, Indonesia's future depends on it!

Bakrie Brings Out the Lawyers

It seems that Tempo Magazine has got under the skin of the Coordinating Minister of Bakrie Welfare (AKA People's Welfare) with a few special reports that it has done on the financial woes of the Bakrie Group. These woes do not seem to be getting any better if the press conference of yesterday is anything to go by. This press conference ended with a call for the attendees to pray for a successful outcome. The reality is that the Group is manoeuvring to put itself in a position to obtain alternative financing and / or to ensure that it does not lose majority control of Bumi Resources.

Bakrie had his lawyers send a letter demanding that Tempo give the Coordinating Minister of Imploding Welfare the right to respond or if Tempo was unwilling to grant a right to respond then they should just print a retraction and an apology. Generally, when the attack dogs (AKA lawyers) come into the frame it means that things are getting a little too hot and hitting a little too close to home.

There is a threat of criminal action which is kind of interesting as this would suggest that Bakrie is prepared to go to court and have Tempo prove the truth of their claims. According to the Bakrie lawyers the claims to date are untrue, false, slanderous, and damaging. I would have thought defaming would have been in the mix as well.

It seems that Bakrie's biggest beef with the articles in Tempo is the alleged campaign donation Bakrie made to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla during the 2004 election campaign. The implication is that this secured his cabinet post. I am not sure that Kalla needed the funds as he is a pretty wealthy fella in his own right.

Bakrie's other beef is with a 17 November cover of Tempo that depicts a forehead with 666 on it. The lawyers for Bakrie feel that the forehead belongs to their client and the suggestion that he is the devil is unfair. For this perceived slight the lawyers for Bakrie are demanding that the magazine run an apology in seven consecutive editions. If they refuse then the lawyers have suggested that they will file both a civil and criminal complaint.

Let the fun and games begin.