2011 Is Here and Gone, but Eight Stories Will Live On in Indonesia in the New Year

Eight most important stories of 2011. The last choice, I admit, is controversial. Still, I think it helped destroying Marzuki Alie's plan to build a new building and to put a spotlight on many money-wasting activities of the DPR.

A companion article could be found here at the Center for World Conflict and Peace.

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2011 Is Here and Gone, but Eight Stories Will Live On in Indonesia in the New Year
Yohanes Sulaiman | December 30, 2011

The Democratic Party’s former treasurer, Muhammad Nazaruddin, has leveled several accusations at fellow party members during his ongoing corruption trial for alleged bid-rigging. (JG Photo/Afriadi Hikmal)

With the year drawing to a close, here are eight developments in 2011 that will have important implications for Indonesia in 2012.

Troubles in Europe

This will be remembered as an annus horribilis for the European Union. The facade of European unity was finally shattered by its currency crisis. The crisis laid bare the fact that regardless of all the talk about equality among nations, in the end the marching orders were issued from Berlin and Paris — though it took so long that a spooked market ended up exacerbating the crisis.

Even if the EU survives, Europe may face a long recession. That will have an impact on the global economy, especially in China, one of Indonesia’s top trading partners.

Chinese obstacles
While China seems to have been able to weather the economic crisis so far, the deadly high-speed train crash in July and the incompetent handling of the crisis highlighted flaws in an economic model that focus more on exports and infrastructure and less on domestic consumption. The accident brought into question growth that is the result of poorly built, state-driven projects, while also exposing the reality that state-owned companies are prone to corruption.

None of this bodes well for China’s economy in the new year. Its export-oriented economy remains exposed to the global slowdown, with local consumption unable to pick up the slack.

And as China is the biggest consumer of Indonesia’s energy products, any slowdown there will hit Indonesia’s budget hard.

US deadlock
The year 2011 saw the Democrats and the Republicans deadlocked, unable and unwilling to compromise to create a coherent plan to fix the US economy in order to end the recession. Both parties are trapped by their core constituents: the Republicans have to pander to the tax-cutting, budget-slashing Tea Party, while the Democrats are cajoling the spend-to-grow labor union and anarchist Occupy movement, whose demands aside of taxing the rich remain unclear.

Expect to see more partisan sniping and deadlock in the United States in 2012 as the presidential race heats up. The uber-partisanship will further prevent the United States from being a global engine of growth, which could have repercussions for the Indonesian economy, especially if China experiences a slowdown.

Arab Spring
While the long-term effect of the Arab Spring remains unclear, its short-term impacts were spectacular: causing the downfall of dictators in Tunisia, Yemen, Libya and Egypt; threatening the regimes of King Abdullah of Jordan and Bashar al-Assad in Syria and arguably inspiring various protest movements from the Occupy Wall Street in the United States to the anti-Putin campaign in Russia.

In Indonesia, the impact so far has been minimal. Even though Sondang Hutagalung’s action was presumably inspired by Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation act that spurred the Arab Spring in Tunisia, the lack of a compelling narrative to accompany Sondang’s act and the relative prosperity of Indonesians meant his death failed to resonate and gain traction widely. Still, should the global economy remain bad and Indonesia’s economy start to worsen, expect to see more Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2012.

The Nazaruddin show

If economy does not sink President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s popularity, scandals will. While the Bank Century case was too technical with its arcane language of economics and unclear “heroes” and “villains,” and while the Nunun Nurbaeti case was a symbol of the government’s lack of seriousness in tackling corruption, the Muhammad Nazaruddin scandal is a straightforward tell-all scandal that attracted the public’s undivided attention.

It generated enough outrage that it most likely did in the presidential ambitions of Anas Urbaningrum, grievously damaged the Democratic Party’s brand and sent the president’s popularity plunging.

Ahmadiyah and GKI Yasmin

The slap-on-the-wrist punishments for those who attacked Ahmadiyah followers and the government’s effeminate response to the mayor of Bogor’s blatant disregard of the rule of law bring into question Yudhoyono’s commitment to protect religious freedom. At the same time, the central government’s lack of spine has emboldened the country’s religious fanatics. A Catholic church in Bogor is still under siege. Not surprisingly, the human rights watchdog Setara Institute awarded West Java the dubious honor of being the “least tolerant province.”

With both economic downturn and election season on the horizon, expect more incompetent officials and politicians pandering to religious fundamentalists for support.

Police brutality

This year also saw the police using unnecessary and excessive violence against demonstrators that left many dead and injured. The end-of-year mayhem in Bima and recent revelations of brutality in Lampung sent a misguided signal to many people that the police were in cahoots with big industry. Sadly, legitimate industries will have to pay the price through more red tape and more social resistance, which will lead to reduction in capital investment.

The government would be wise to remember that it was police misconduct that led Bouazizi’s self-immolation in Tunisia, not just social inequality or corruption in high places.

Commission VIII

Few people probably remember a trivial and yet important incident that happened in May, when legislative members from Commission VIII on religious and social affairs were grilled by Indonesian students in Australia. The lawmakers’ feeble answers elicited guffaws. While there had previously been criticism of the costs of House members’ international excursions, the incident was the breaking point when Indonesians finally saw the uselessness of such trips. The incident further brought into question the quality of legislative members and made it all the easier to oppose House Speaker Marzuki Alie’s white-elephant project to build an expensive new building for the House.

One hopes that lawmakers will be wiser in the year ahead.

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trueblue

2:54pm Jan 1, 2012

@yohannes.Two brief comments. A few days ago the respected DrDez bemoaned the fact that the Indonesian media had not extensively reported the Arab Spring. You have at every opportunity raised this issue, and have been fearless in the potential domino. Can we have a piece reflecting entirely on this issue? A comprehensive op-ed would be enlightening. With respect to US/China, I would suggest that the US$ reserves now held by China and increasing quarterly by billions is of a greater economic threat than a resources slowdown. North Korea is also a loose cannon.

New year greetings.

DrDez

5:40pm Jan 1, 2012

Trueblue
Yohannes is an excellent commentator on home affairs, and if I feel one of only a few who seem to grasp the issues that threaten our medium term prosperity. The fallout from what will be the Arab winter is yet to be understood and I am yet to see anything that can give an overall picture or direction. My own view is that the Arab nations are screwed and screwed by a mix of Islam and political/military greed.
With respect to China the reality is their own internal debt issue is at least as bad at the US. The US on the other hand do not have to ensure 1 billion mouths are fed to stave of a revolution. The US debt issue is in many ways unimportant - China cannot afford to call them in because the US will just impose an import tax (rather like we do) and the reduction in Chinese purchases would devastate the Chinese economy within months.
2012 ... phew what a year in prospect

Yohanes-Sulaiman

6:22pm Jan 2, 2012

Dear DrDez & Trueblue:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to both of you and other readers. Thank you for your kind responses and my apology for unable to reply until today due to my internet-free vacation (yeah, I cheated as I twitted).

Actually, I have discussed a bit about the implication of the Arab Spring, though not in this revered publication, but in my friend's blog (Center for World Conflict and Peace). Still, I am kinda tempted to write an anniversary piece on Arab Spring, especially its implication on Indonesia -- why it failed to catch fire here, regardless the fact that back in March (I believe) even Sultan Hamengkubuwono X had raised the threat of Arab Spring in Indonesia and the Sondang's incident, as I mentioned in this piece, also failed to catch the imagination.

I will look at it. Maybe I should make it this week's topic, as I am still groggy from vacation and my mind is currently blank thus too lazy to think of new topic.

Yohanes-Sulaiman

6:28pm Jan 2, 2012

One more thing about US-China: it is interesting that very few people actually realize that China dug a deep hole by getting US debt. You see, logically, when you keep exporting goods and others keep importing it, sooner or later, your currency should be stronger and others' get weaker. Yet, China tried to negate this by buying US debt, and thus making US$ unable to depreciate that would make China's export to be expensive. At the same time, as China's currency was artificially depressed, the Chinese population was, to some degree, subsidizing the US' imports, thus China was taxing its own people, and depressing the local demands (and thus local consumption).

Of course, as the international economy is going kaput and Chinese consumers unable to pick the slack due to this "involuntary tax," then China is put in a major bind, that its economy is dependent on the US.

Thus, this year will be a very interesting year for Chinese economy. I'd advise to pull out from Yuan.

DrDez

5:36am Jan 3, 2012

Yohanes
Happy New Year to you & your family - may it be filled with peace for us all. May our authorities start accepting their responsibilities & apply the law equally. May the silent majority remove their head from the sand.
Re China - huge internal debt is also a major challenge. As % of GDP it is suggested that they have more debt than the US..Al J last year
If you do write an Arab Spring article here I would implore you to look at the situation in Syria. It seems to be the forgotten conflict and yet there are an estimated 16000 political prisoners and maybe as many as 10,000 dead and 40,000 wounded.** The Arab League are simply embarrassing as are the Muslim Groups (cannot blame the West so they are silent). It is open conflict and will I fear spread. Iran is using Assad for sure to create mass instability. I am certain they actually want a war & the consequence would be global.
**outcry when an Israeli shoots a Palestinian burglar. Silence when Assad kills 10,000... :) amazing

Tulisan lama juga di Kompasiana. Tak ada komentar soal nasib Briptu Norman saat ini, karena penulis tak peduli dengan lagu-lagu pop.

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Pelajaran dari Briptu Norman

OPINI | 17 April 2011 | 17:48 110 0 Nihil

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Komik Sukribo yang diterbitkan Kompas hari ini seperti biasa menyentil para pembesar negeri ini yang hobbynya menebar pesona, bahwa seorang “hansip” kok popularitas lagunya bisa mengalahkan para pembesar negeri ini yang terus menggunakan berbagai kesempatan untuk membagikan CD musik yang dikarang dan dinyanyikan langsung oleh mereka.

Padahal, bukan hanya para pembesar saja yang mempromosikan keindahan suara mereka saja. Para bawahannya pun ikut-ikutan, begitu terhipnotisnya mereka dengan impian kenaikan pangkat, posisi dalan tim sukses, dan harta berlimpah, sampai ada yang menaruh salah satu lagu ciptaan para pembesar sebagai sebuah pertanyaan dalam ujian pegawai negeri dalam kategori “pengetahuan umum.”

Entahlah apa ide tersebut membuatnya menerima pujian atau kenaikan pangkat, karena soal “pengetahuan umum” itu diprotes, dan lebih memalukan lagi, hampir semua kandidat dan masyarakat luas tak tahu judul lagu tersebut.

Sementara itu, seorang briptu penjaga pos secara spontan, tanpa menggunakan acara mewah dan megah, bernyanyi sebuah lagu India untuk menghibur rekannya. Tanpa diketahuinya, rekaman tindakan spontan itu disebarkan melalui YouTube. Dalam kurang dari satu hari, kelihatannya seluruh Indonesia langsung mengenal siapa Briptu Norman dan begitu besarnya antusiasme masyarakat sampai para petinggi Polri pun melakukan balik kanan dan mundur dari reaksi otomatis mereka yang hendak menghukum sang briptu - walau penulis curiga, hukuman itu hendak dilakukan bukan karena Briptu Norman melanggar tata tertib, tapi karena popularitasnya dengan telak mengalahkan jutaan CD yang sudah disebarkan oleh para petinggi masyarakat tersebut.

Penulis bukanlah Simon Cowel dari American Idol atau ahli kritik musik. Penulis sendiri tak menyukai lagu-lagu India dan mungkin satu-satunya orang Indonesia yang tak pernah melihat langsung nyanyian Briptu Norman di YouTube itu dan kalau tak terpaksa melihat di televisi pun, sampai sekarang rasanya tidak akan pernah mendengar nyanyian Briptu Norman. Jadi penulis tak akan mencoba melakukan kritik lagu.

Tapi penulis mencoba menganalisa sebuah fenomena yang menarik: mengapa seorang Briptu rendahan mampu mengguncang dunia musik Indonesia, sedangkan ribuan petinggi dengan bintang, pangkat, dan gelar yang bertebaran dari doktor, doktor honoris clausa sampai yang beli gelar doktor pun tak mampu memikat imajinasi publik, padahal mereka dengan antusias bernyanyi dan menyebarkan CD-CD mereka dalam acara-acara seminar, saresehan, pesta peluncuran buku, sampai pesta permakaman.

Ada dua jawaban. Jawaban pertama adalah spontanitas.

Masyarakat banyak bisa mengerti sebuah tindakan spontanitas seorang anggota masyarakat kelas bawah dari hati, tanpa ada embel-embel lainnya. Masyarakat bisa mengindetifikasikan diri mereka kepada tindakan seorang yang benar-benar mencoba menghibur teman-temannya, bukan karena untuk mengejar pangkat dan menyombongkan keahliannya, namun sebagai aksi solidaritas dalam situasi yang sulit.

Ia melakukan sesuatu yang dilakukan setiap hari oleh setiap orang di posisi manapun. Secara kebetulan, tindakannya direkam dan di-upload ke sebuah media yang egaliter, sebuah media yang siapapun bisa berkontribusi dan menonton hasil upload orang-orang lain.

Mungkin sebetulnya kualitas suara Briptu Norman kalah oleh para pembesar yang menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam mengarang lagu, melatih diri di tempat-tempat karaoke atau sampai sengaja mendatangkan guru-guru les privat.

Namun, mereka bernyanyi di dunianya sendiri, yang membayangkan bahwa rakyat menginginkan mereka berkantor di gedung super mewah dan super mahal yang dipenuhi kolam renang, spa, tempat-tempat pijat, kantor-kantor super deluxe tempat mereka menonton film-film porno, dan ada toko-toko yang kalau anda tanya harga barang yang dijualnya, berarti anda tidak akan mampu membelinya.

Mereka bernyanyi di acara-acara yang membutuhkan biaya wah untuk masuk, dengan koreografer yang super hebat, ahlinya datang langsung dari Amerika nun jauh sana, dengan band yang sangat pro dan mahal, dan dihadiri oleh tamu-tamu yang jumlah total biaya pakaian dan perhiasannya mampu memberi makan seluruh Indonesia selama seminggu.

Sedangkan, rakyat melihat Briptu Norman bernyanyi di sebuah pos jaga yang sederhana didampingi temannya saja, tanpa embel-embel apapun, tanpa adanya pameran kemewahan dan kekuasaan.

Itulah jawaban yang kedua dan yang terpenting. Briptu Norman melakukan sesuatu yang semua orang mengerti: ia mengekspresikan perasaan secara spontan di dunia milik rakyat. Para pejabat itu tidak.

Warisan Gus Dur: Wacana Pemakzulan Dalam Politik Indonesia

Artikel di Kompasiana, sebelum menulis secara teratur di the Jakarta Globe. Hampir saja terlupakan, padahal cukup suka isinya.

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Warisan Gus Dur: Wacana Pemakzulan Dalam Politik Indonesia

OPINI | 23 February 2011 | 09:02185 2 Nihil

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Indonesia mungkin salah satu negara terajaib di dunia, di mana hampir setiap minggu terjadi wacana pemakzulan (impeachment) kepada presiden dengan alasan apa pun, dari ketidakmampuan untuk mengangkat harkat rakyat miskin, kerusuhan agama, sampai karena presiden tidak mau (atau tidak mampu secara hukum) untuk membubarkan Ahmadiyah. Fenomena ini terjadi karena dua hal: pertama adalah karena kesuksesan para politisi dalam memakzulkan Gus Dur dan karena popularitas SBY yang dianggap terlalu tinggi.

Tulisan singkat ini akan membahas kedua penyebab fenomena itu dan kemudian dilanjutkan dengan implikasi dari wacana pemakzulan ini. Intinya, walaupun wacana pemakzulan dikumandangkan sebetulnya untuk mencegah berdirinya kembali sebuah pemerintahan otoriter ala Orde Baru, tapi dampaknya justru akan mengurangi keseriusan dari proses pemakzulan itu sendiri, dan ujungnya akan berbahaya untuk kehidupan berbangsa dan bernegara.

Asal mula fenomena pemakzulan bisa dilacak dari pada saat kejatuhan Pemerintahan Gus Dur, di mana elit-elit politik Indonesia, yang sudah gerah atas tingkah laku Gus Dur, dengan menggunakan alasan skandal korupsi Bulogate, bersepakat untuk menjatuhkan Gus Dur. Jatuhnya Gus Dur sendiri, walau dipengaruhi banyak faktor, terutama dengan bersatunya semua kelompok politik Indonesia dan tentara Indonesia, menjadi sebuah tonggak sejarah penting. Bahwa pertama kalinya seorang presiden atau pemimpin di Indonesia bisa dijatuhkan lewat jalur hukum, tanpa kekerasan, tanpa menggunakan jalur kudeta, dan setelah kejatuhannya pun, tak ada kekacauan, perang saudara, krisis berkelanjutan dan sebagainya.

Rupanya, presiden bukan lagi seorang tokoh yang tak bisa diganggu gugat, ala Sukarno atau Suharto, tapi hanya seorang politisi biasa.

Karena proses dan kesudahan dari jatuhnya Gus Dur relatif mulus (juga disebabkan karena Gus Dur memang Gus Dur, tak peduli tapi sekaligus berjiwa besar), maka pemakzulan menjadi dianggap alat politik yang normal. Wacana pemakzulan pun masuk ke kancah perbendaharaan politik Indonesia, di mana untuk mengontrol tingkah laku seorang presiden, wacana pemakzulan selalu dikumandangkan.

Tak heran, sewaktu SBY terpilih dengan angka yang cukup tinggi (62%) dan popularitasnya yang kelihatannya terus tinggi di masyarakat, wacana pemakzulan pun semakin rajin dikumandangkan. Kelihatannya memang ada ketakutan bahwa SBY, dengan popularitasnya yang tinggi, akan mencoba menggunakan popularitasnya tersebut untuk mengubah konstitusi, membuat dirinya bisa terpilih terus, atau melakukan kudeta eksekutif, seperti dengan Dekrit, yang dilakukan Sukarno di tahun 1959. Apalagi mengingat DPR, yang seharusnya menjadi pengawas dan pengontrol fungsi badan eksekutif, justru mengalami penurunan popularitas yang luar biasa, sampai meraih angka 20%.

Di saat badan eksekutif terlalu kuat dan populer, maka ancaman pemakzulan pun terus dikumandangkan untuk memberikan peringatan kepada eksekutif bahwa jangan sampai ia mencoba menjadi Tuhan.Apalagi mengingat SBY memang terlalu berhati-hati, kelihatannya para politisi menemukan senjata konta yang bisa membuat SBY diam seribu bahasa dan tak mampu untuk mengubah popularitas yang begitu tinggi menjadi mandat untuk bertindak tegas dan melakukan terobosan-terobosan kontroversial tapi diperlukan untuk bangsa.

Bahwa SBY pun masih merasa perlu untuk menjawab tantangan dari organisasi sekelas FPI soal wacana pemakzulan, memperlihatkan bahwa wacana pemakzulan memang sangat ditakuti dan bisa menjadi senjata bagi ormas-ormas lain yang ingin didengar.

Namun yang menjadi permasalahan adalah semakin masuknya wacana pemakzulan ke kosa kata perpolitikan Indonesia, semakin ide pemakzulan itu sendiri kehilangan kredibilitasnya dan kewibawaannya. Bahwa organisasi jalanan seperti FPI berani menggunakan kata pemakzulan kepada pemerintah yang dipilih dengan sah melalui pemilu, memperlihatkan bahwa pemakzulan pun sudah kehilangan makna sakralnya.

Pemakzulan harusnya menjadi alat kontrol paling ujung DPR dan MPR kepada eksekutif, semacam tombol yang meledakkan bom nuklir. Jika wacana pemakzulan ini terlalu sering dilempar ke luar, akibatnya adalah masyarakat pun tak lagi menganggap pemakzulan adalah hal yang serius. Pemakzulan bukan lagi pilihan terakhir untuk mengekang badan eksekutif yang dianggap sudah melanggar tatanan hukum dan peraturan. Pemakzulan menjadi alat pemaksaan, bahwa karena saya bisa memakzulkan kamu, kamu harus tunduk. Itu bukan demokrasi. Itu adalah ciri negara yang tak tahu hukum dan peraturan.

Penurunan derajat kata “pemakzulan,” dari alat untuk mengontrol pemerintah menjadi alat untuk lempar-lemparan lumpur dan bahasa jalanan sebuah organisasi preman, yang mewakili mungkin hanya seperseratus dari seperseribu rakyat Indonesia yang mayoritas adalah moderat dan justru menentang aksi-aksi anarkis yang belakangan ini terjadi, merupakan sebuah gejala yang sangat buruk dan merusak kredibilitas istilah ini.
Bahkan jika memang di masa depan Indonesia memiliki presiden yang berkelakuan buruk dan perlu diturunkan, rakyat yang sudah bosan dan kebal dengan wacana pemakzulan ini tak akan lagi memberikan perhatian. Bila saat itu tiba, siapa yang perlu disalahkan?

Jangan sampai “pemakzulan” bernasib seperti anak yang berteriak “serigala.”

Must Try Harder: Yudhoyono’s School Report Shows Much Room to Improve

The idea for this article came during the lunch meeting with Ben Otto. We were discussing about my articles and where it should go, when he mentioned the idea that the Jakarta Globe was going to do some articles on "2011." I volunteered to write an article on evaluating SBY's performance, followed a week after, by an article on the most important events of 2011.

Not surprisingly, this became the longest article I had written for the Globe at approximately 1400s words.
While was really tempting to say that SBY's presidency was a failure, I had to be objective in this case. I had to evaluate the presidency carefully, paying attention to which ones he could not have done anything had he wanted to and which ones were the missing opportunity.

Thus, I could not put in the hijacking of Indonesian freighter by the Somalian pirates (though it was very tempting to write all the government's missteps that exacerbated the situation) and many more blunders. Still, it was an interesting mind exercise.

Of all the comments, I found Christianto Wibisono's to be the most amusing. He said that no wonder I was not a popular teacher - I was harsher than Pak Fitch in grading Mr. SBY.

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Must Try Harder: Yudhoyono’s School Report Shows Much Room to Improve
Yohanes Sulaiman | December 20, 2011

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono speaking at the Democratic Party's 10th anniversary event on Thursday.
(Rumgapres Photo)

With a few days to go before the new year, this is a good time to evaluate the performance of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2011.

Politics: 2011 was another year of wasted opportunities. With the opposition in disarray due to multiple scandals and misconduct and lawmakers’ popularity at a new low, Yudhoyono could have shown himself to be the only adult in town by being an effective administrator pushing for economic, law enforcement and political reforms.

Instead he was distracted by multiple scandals involving his own political party.

While Yudhoyono remains the most popular politician in Indonesia, Golkar has been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that it wins regional elections and ultimately the national election in 2014. At this juncture, Aburizal Bakrie may succeed in his bid to become the next president thanks to his ability to maintain discipline within Golkar. Grade: C.

Stability: Yudhoyono has a mixed record in maintaining the stability of the country. On one hand, he did a great job in tackling and managing the impact of bombings, preventing them from creating a new panic. In the case of Maluku, so far he has managed to prevent the situation there from degenerating further into an ethno-religious conflict.

Papua remains in turmoil, with the government unable to do much to curb corruption and to address local grievances. The government’s heavy-handed approach in dealing with discontent will hurt in the long run. Grade: B.

Economy: The economy has grown nicely this year, with every macroeconomic indicator in the black.

There are also signs of trouble, however, building on the horizon. Most of the nation’s growth so far has been driven by domestic consumption and international demand for our coal, gas and various other natural resources, which may decline drastically should China enter a period of recession.

There are concerns that all the economic gains do not trickle down to the middle and lower class, creating more inequality.

At the same time, some respected economists, such as Christianto Wibisono, have argued that growth of the Indonesian economy was solely driven by the private sector, with the government doing nothing but dragging the growth rate down due to massive red tape, conflicting regulations between the local and national levels and corruption.

Moreover, some short-sighted policies did nothing but sour the climate for investment further. For instance, Communication Minister Tifatul Sembiring’s threat to shut down Research In Motion’s operation in Indonesia and Churchill Mining’s troubles in East Kalimantan will spook foreign investors, wary that their investment will be politicized or simply taken away due to regulatory loopholes and corruption.

On the plus side, Dahlan Iskan’s appointment as the minister for state enterprises seems to be a great choice so far. Grade: B-.

Governance: Yudhoyono has a dysfunctional cabinet, with ministers unwilling to be the bearer of bad news to the president and unwilling to coordinate with each other. He succumbed to his political calculations and instead of streamlining the decision-making process, he created several positions of deputy ministers that further bloated the bureaucracy. Grade: D.

Corruption: Despite his campaign promises, corruption remains rampant within the bureaucracy and has had direct implications on people’s well-being and our national reputation, such as the collapsing bridges and graft surrounding the housing for athletes at the Southeast Asian Games.

Unchecked attempts to emasculate the to Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Gayus show, Nazaruddin and Nunun’s adventures abroad (that only ended after public outcry), then Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar’s decision to reduce the sentences of graft convicts, and the failure of many regional courts to punish those who commit graft are just the very top of this wreck that did nothing but undermine the public’s trust in the seriousness of the government to clean house. Grade: F.

Human Rights and Religious Freedom: While the government always stresses its commitments in defending human rights and religious freedoms, events prove otherwise.

Religious extremists are still running around with implicit clearance from the law enforcement apparatus. The failure of the government to defend the Ahmadiyah, let alone to persecute their attackers, did nothing but to sully Indonesia’s name abroad. Worse, the Bogor mayor’s decision to close down the GKI Yasmin Church, citing dubious excuses and in spite of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the church’s position, made further mockery of the rule of law. Grade: D.

Military Reform: The military remains committed to transforming itself into a modern, professional organization.

Though the progress is slow, and misconduct remains rampant, the improvement has been steady. The government has also helped the reform with its commitment to slowly increasing the budget for arms procurement and in improving the military’s ties with the United States. Grade: A.

Law Enforcement: Corruption remains rampant within Indonesian law enforcement, extending from the police corps and the office of prosecutor to the judiciary system.

The Constitutional Court is the only relatively bright spot in an otherwise rotten system. While there are efforts to clean things up, most prosecutions are politically influenced or driven by popular outrage. Grade: D.

Foreign Policy: While there were many foreign policy accomplishments this year with Indonesia as the chair of Asean, the country also had its share of missteps. For instance, even though the Asean Summit was a huge international event, there was little coverage in Indonesia, with the government unable to rouse public enthusiasm for the event. In addition, various governmental missteps, such as its inability to protect its workers from unjustified capital punishment abroad put a blemish on the government’s record.

On the plus side, the government handled the border crisis decently, keeping the situation from spiraling out of control. Grade: C.

Final Evaluation: 2011 was a year of several missed opportunities, with Yudhoyono unable to develop a coherent long-term strategy for Indonesia. The promised reforms were nonexistent, due to the lack of decisiveness. One hopes that the government will show a little backbone next year, especially in tackling the issue of corruption. Overall Grade: C-.

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carolinetanjaya

1:42pm Dec 20, 2011

Although I cannot say I disagree with the rest of the evaluation, some of the examples mentioned under the corruption heading are not thoroughly accurate or balanced. Some of the collapsing bridges were procured and built before SBY assume the presidency,like the Kukar bridge and the new Justice and the Human Rights minister ordered for a stricter procedure to reduce the sentence of the graft convicts. Furthermore we have to appreciate the fact that Nazaruddin and Nunun were indeed caught and brought back to Indonesia for trial. However, I agree that there is still much room for improvement.

Yohanes-Sulaiman

9:03pm Dec 20, 2011

@Carolinetanjaya: Thank you for your kind comments. While you are right that some of the collapsing bridges were built before his era, had he been through in cracking down on corruption, the local government would have been unable to skim the money used for the regular maintenance. We could even see a parade of the responsible parties on trial. Yet, a few weeks after the collapsed bridge, seems everything is back to the doldrums, that nobody got dragged kicking and screaming to the court to face the music.

On the new Justice and Human Rights minister: I am grading him on his yearly performance, and like it or not, Patrialis could not do anything without his acquiesence, so Patrialis Akbar's blunders still stop at his desk.

On Naz and Nunun: Yeah, they got arrested after popular outrage and much embarassment. That's not a plus in my estimation.

DrDez

7:05am Dec 21, 2011

Yohanes
More or less agree, I would have ranked a score lower on some issues re human rights & religious freedoms since he has been ineffective & has avoided the issues whenever religion has been a central theme.. Minor disagreement
However where I do disagree significantly is related to Military Reform. The bill (2008?) requiring the TNI to withdraw from SOE's has been all but ignored and in many ways that ties in with your corruption score - I would score MF no better than a C.

Caroline - Many of the maintenance contracts are controlled by a Kalla owned Group - they are paid extortionate amounts to and I quote 'check a few nuts and bolts'

Yohanes-Sulaiman

6:02pm Dec 21, 2011

@Dr. Dez: On religious freedom and human rights, I don't think he is THAT failed -- he had a bad score thanks to all these messes from GKI Yamin, Ahmadiyah, and now, that killings of the farmers in Lampung. Yet, we have to acknowledge that this is far from a police state, and he is guilty of being passive -- thus the grade D.

On military reform: we can agree to disagree here. Yeah, the military is still in a mess, but from my dealing with them on a constant basis, it seems to me that the military itself is geniunely interested in reforming itself -- especially among the rank and file. True that they are still defending their vested interests and have a very narrow understanding of what their roles supposed to be and how to deal with e.g. Papua, but as a whole, the institution is truly moving forward, which is far cry to the rest of the nation.

Still, I may be biased here.

RuleBritannia

6:32pm Dec 21, 2011

@Yohanes: Concur re. your grades. However, in the words of Edmund Burke, "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" so, the crime of passivity is perhaps one of the biggest crimes of all for a ruling president.

Yohanes-Sulaiman

6:47pm Dec 21, 2011

@RuleBrittannia: I agree, but well, I could not say he was passive so this was a year of failure. Though I think Bung Hatta would have put it succinctly by quoting Schiller, his favourite poet: "The century has given birth to a time of greatness, But the great moment finds man small."

RuleBritannia

7:11pm Dec 21, 2011

@Yohanes: Indeed . . And I'm sure those celebrating Christmas in a parking lot, together with many others, will be praying for John 4:23 'Cometh the hour, cometh the man.' as their New Year Wish!!

DrDez

9:26pm Dec 21, 2011

The real crime is that SBY had a whole nation behind him - he had not only the elite but a popular vote to make real change... Almost no politician in history has had such a luxury - JFK, Churchill, Ghandi in the modern era perhaps - but the simple truth is he has blown it.. No debate, no more analysis, no more what if's... His next few years will be spent preparing the legacy (his protection)... It is abject failure if viewed from a national perspective as simple as that

nonredneck

10:13pm Dec 21, 2011

I 2nd caroline & Yohanes views.This comes back to political game of balances. To catch the fish,sometimes u hv to let the mud settle down OR sometimes u hv to disturb the water. To us it's easy when we see it on the news "hey u're not doing anything SBY!" but not so when we'r in tht position ourself having to deal with our own internal party, military, the imams, foreign preassure, economic etc. This reminds me of Sukarno's fragile balance of nasakom and cia. In order to attract a sizable amount of investment for further economic progress,a relative stability is required. A political strugle or worse if military & extremist-open-war is involved. These could even worsen the fragile situation. There's no quick attack solution for hundreds yr old problems,but regardless of heritage/culture/military/protests/religious,all balance will never be achieved if there is no economic prosperity. Indo can be monarcy like brunei for all I care but economic prosperity must be priotiry fr all policies

Yohanes-Sulaiman

10:19pm Dec 21, 2011

Risking myself to be seen as starry-eyed idealist, I think we need a complete revamp of the election law. We should make it that a president can only reign for 1 term of 6 years. We will have the DPR election on the second and fourth years of the presidency -- providing feedback and rebukes to the ruling party. So, instead of having those clowns to sit pretty for 5 years in the parliament, they should be judged by population every two or four years.

Otherwise, I'm afraid that the democracy can no longer be salvaged thanks to these clowns up there.

DrDez

5:16am Dec 22, 2011

Yohanes
Many (of us) have lobbied for voting reforms for years via working groups, business groups, advisory groups etc etc and what we witness time after time is that as soon as their power/prosperity is challenged the doors are firmly shut. You may recall my post about the spatial planning fiasco a few weeks ago - A typical example of exposing a deep flaw in the administration and then getting the door slammed.
NRN - I am sorry but economic prosperity at any costs is not a wise path. It is already twisted and used as the excuse for personal gain as it is and is incredibly narrow in its benefits. We are doing this/that for the nation translates to we are making a killing (literally sometimes) and don't care about the consequences

nonredneck

2:35pm Dec 22, 2011

DD: Just curious, in your business dealings, do you make money first and fix the system later, OR fix the system to perfection first then make money later? Assuming you are in the situation of the poor majority.

DrDez

4:07pm Dec 22, 2011

NRN
Born from a philosophy to make things right first time, we employ the best people we can, pay very well & use a Toyota based system. We made no money for years & then about 35 years ago we took our first major export step Toshiba. A 1000% increase in turnover in 2 yrs resulted. 40 staff to 500. We still stuck by our philosophy & it stood up well.
20 years ago we had accredn with FAA & the biz exploded again. Current CEO is my oldest grandson who we have groomed since he was 15 & hopefully he will do the family proud.
I would say we plan well and always try get the model right; knowing that it will make money
Starting pay is 1.8x min wage + FF medical cover, free canteen and travel allowance. After 1 year we offer a lot of other stuff including profit share (2010 was Rp25jt/per person)
In return we have almost zero staff turnover and almost zero defects, we run at an ebita over 30% and pay our taxes. Our biggest issues are usually from the local mosques and village chiefs

blightyboy

4:59pm Dec 22, 2011

DrDez - I can only applaud.

blightyboy

5:03pm Dec 22, 2011

nonredneck - The name you have chosen really is quite offensive.

nonredneck

5:56pm Dec 22, 2011

blightyboy: I've explained my stance on my username before on different topic. If you're not an extremist, not a sawn-off-shotgun slinger, not a fighting-pitbull breeder, not a slave owner, and not a forest burner then you are also my friend... also a non-redneck.

nonredneck

5:58pm Dec 22, 2011

DD: Your way sounds absolutely the way a business should be run, and I agree 100%. But in larger application, can this model be applied in larger scale of a nation? If it is applied though, won't this turn back to autocratic leadership style, and there will be no voting/protests to influence the direction of the company. Singapore is an example of how a state is run like a profitable enterprise, and the result is amazing! But this would also means lack of public involvement, and single party dominance over all policies. And SG policies as we know it tends to favor businesses, and economic prosperity. Only recently after the election, they change their style. So going back to economic first or system first, if for example Indo is to use your business philosophy then that would mean a strong dominant leader at the top to determine the direction of the ship, and among which social-strata can we find this kind of uncorrupted leader?

DrDez

6:27pm Dec 22, 2011

NRN its a business model not a model nation. We do things by committee and only rarely does Mathew or previously myself make a singular decision. We run works councils, Health & Safety Councils, NPI Councils so that everyone has a say – They all own what they do and they are proud of the company and we are proud of them. We all wear the same gear, eat in the same canteen, start and finish at the same time, our wage structure is public – we operate a grades system. Nothing is underhand and if we have an issue we always deal with it publicly .
If I had to run a nation – I would devise a different model – that model would start by splicing religion and state, it would also sell off all SOE’s and disband the military. It would open our doors to the world without prejudice… then see what we would become...At my age I have seen hope and despair in this nation - right now I have no confidence in our peoples ability to overturn the oppressor

padt

6:30pm Dec 22, 2011

And the issues from the local mosques and village chiefs are DrDez?

BilboBaggins

8:08pm Dec 22, 2011

DrDez
"right now I have no confidence in our peoples ability to overturn the oppressor "

It makes me sad that I feel that you are right on this point.

DrDez

8:15pm Dec 22, 2011

Padt : threats, stirring up trouble, asking for donations or bribes (not to cause trouble) & worse
Example: years ago we built 2 schools & still pay for uniforms, books & our onsite Nurse visits to check on the kids
The local mosque man came saying he could get the stuff cheaper & it would give local people employment. The Nurse noticed the kids had not got new uniforms so she asked the teacher who said they had not had anything this term. My wife confronted the cleric. I had given him via bank transfer Rp15jt down payment as requested about 8 weeks previously. He said he had not had the cash, so I involved the bank who proved it had been paid. The Police refused to press charges unless we paid a fee. We lost Rp15jt – we bought more books and uniforms and then stopped the annual gift to the mosque (Rp25jt) Can you believe he came to ask for it the first year! We refused resulting in vandalism and threats to staff direct from him
Aceh1 Remind me again why I should like Islam?

DrDez

8:16pm Dec 22, 2011

Bilbo
The problem is that the majority would in their shoes do exactly the same

Valkyrie

9:21pm Dec 22, 2011

DrDez...

I am able to understand how you feel about religion.
Just need to tell you that there are still some good apples in the basket.

SirAnthonyKnown-Bender

11:35pm Dec 22, 2011

Nice story from Dr Dez there and alas all too typical I fear. Rather than good apples, who would be good apples in any case, my own view is that religion, like the flag, is far more often something for bad apples to hide behind and mask their negativity behind a patina of respectability. And in related news I see that Iraq has lasted precisely one week after the Yanks left before reaching the verge of Islamic internecine civil war.

DrDez

6:40am Dec 23, 2011

Val
I have said this a million times. I have no issue with people being religious - UNTIL they start using their belief in god to hurt, kill, corrupt, oppress, control, outlaw blah blah(you get the picture)
Religion is a fine thing - it gives people hope and a support system.
What really pisses me off is when pious people have incredibly obvious double standards and use religion for personal gain.
What pisses me off even more is the ultra sensitivity that Islam is displaying right here right now
what pisses me off even more than that is the response of most religious people here 'well he cant be a Muslim the Koran forbids that' and on and on. ergo an Ostrich response
Sheesh when are we going to learn to live together? Why is Islam so frightened of criticism that the instant response is attack? When are the state going to stand up and protect the minority? Do recall that the minorities account for some 50 million people (approx 20% of 250m)its not like its a small number

DrDez

7:36am Dec 23, 2011

Sir
Yes I agree - and re Iraq it looks like an all out sunni/shia conflict is on the cards - They will of course blame the CIA or Zionists... But the Sunni have been slaughtering Shia in Iraq this year via the bus load (literally)
2012 will be a bad year I can feel it in my water

Yohanes-Sulaiman

12:14pm Dec 23, 2011

@all: What we observe here is the unholy incest between religion and politics. As long are religion is used as means to achieve political goals without paying much attention to rule of law, expect such idiocy to continue unhindered.

nonredneck

4:58pm Dec 23, 2011

DD: AHA...something clicks when you said "at my age"... Now I can see why we share many common agreement on issues, but the differece is in "hope". I'm guessing we as human measure our surroundings & future outlook based on our own lifespan. Say you live to 100 or more, it is most likely that you won't see much change at all,hence explain your outlook on the country. On the contrary I have a longer time to reach 100 so my outlook for the future is more hopeful therefore deemed more positive. But I'm surprised at so many younger audience reading JG having cynical views, I don't know if it's the sheep mentality, or they genuinely have cynical views at their young age, if they are genuine then I'll be worried because it's a vicious-cycle.

nonredneck

4:58pm Dec 23, 2011

On iraq, it has officially become a stage for proxy wars, secular propaganda must be strengthen. I don't care how, but the PR machines must work hard to spin that secular propaganda in the hearts and minds. Nationalistic fascism is better than religious extremism, north korea is easier to dismantle than extremist hydras

DrDez

5:20pm Dec 23, 2011

NRN
84 & married to my Indonesian wife (whom I met in Paris) over 50 years, we have lived in JK for nearly 44 years
I have seen a LOT of changes here, I see repeated & predictable patterns & right now we are in a cycle that will get significantly worse before it gets better. The TNI will figure large
Iraqi: the region will in 2012 see deaths beyond imagination. Civil war will continue in Syria & Yemen, sectarian violence will worsen in Iraq, Iran will maintain the support for Syria and The Shia in Iraq, Pakistan will continue killing itself until ISI takes over and no doubt will draw India into conflict. Behind the scenes Saudi will be pumping cash into Islamic extremism, the US will use the CIA as a counter measure, Russia and China will carry on their subversion. The MB will screw Egypt and probably in desperation take them to war with Israel, Turks meanwhile will continue to kill the kurds Marko would say its NWO time
I am not looking forward to '12. The grim reaper will be busy

nonredneck

4:36pm Dec 24, 2011

Hmmm many many dead bodies in mideast.... which is happier god or syaitan? > if their answer is 'g' then they're indicating that their 'g' is bloodthirsty. And if their answer is 's' then why use the 'g' name?

Sondang, Abandoned by Nation

Another jointly written article.

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Sondang, Abandoned by Nation
Yohanes Sulaiman & Phillip Turnbull | December 14, 2011

Sondang Hutagalung, who set himself on fire in front of the Presidential Palace a week ago and died of his burns on Saturday, was pictured in May 2011 rallying in Jakarta to commemorate the Trisakti University shootings of May 1998. (AFP Photo/Fanny Octavianus)

Days after the death of Sondang Hutagalung, the nation is seeking to answer the question of what drove the student human rights activist to commit an act of self-immolation in front of the Presidential Palace last week.

Most see it as a form of protest against the government and what might be called the social status quo in graft-ridden Indonesia. At the very least, we can say that the young man saw life as not worth living under such circumstances. Perhaps he also saw his act as a sacrifice to point out that the country was itself engaged in a slow-moving act of self-immolation.

Reactions to the tragedy have been mixed. While some praised Sondang’s action as heroic, some public figures criticized it as short-sighted and cowardly. Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam, for instance, declared that “a young fighter is supposed to be brave in facing life,” and that it would have been much better to keep fighting under any circumstances.

Regardless of whether one agrees with the act as a valid form of protest, such a suicide signals a much deeper problem within society. Self-immolation is exceedingly uncommon and throughout the world is only seen in the most desperate times and situations. It is a reaction to the intolerable.

Consider previous acts of self-immolation. In 1963, a Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc burned himself to death in Saigon in a protest against the persecution of Buddhists by the authoritarian South Vietnamese government. While the act of self-immolation wasn’t the first in Vietnamese history, it resonated among a population in desperate times. Today many recall the event as the beginning of the end of Ngo Dinh Diem’s authoritarian regime.

More recently, the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi committed an act of self-immolation that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings and the subsequent toppling of several dictators in succession. His action was also driven by desperation — as a young man, there was no opportunity in Tunisia. The authoritarian regime of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali had strangled the economic growth with its massive corruption and a dysfunctional justice system that provided no relief from social injustices.

Such acts of self-immolation occur due to feelings of utter helplessness in the face of uncaring governments. When people resort to this kind of public act of suicide, it is not because they do not have the will to fight, but because they see no other possible way to reform a dysfunctional government.

One can make a strong case that Sondang’s action differed from those of Duc and Bouazizi. The latter were living in authoritarian states, while Indonesia is a democracy. Yet it cannot be denied that the quality of Indonesia’s democracy is still low, bogged down by corruption and nepotism as well as an entrenched political elite that is resistant to reform.

The recent revelation of massive corruption among young civil servants is a case in point. When a junior employee is rich, a great many other people in his office are also guilty, because there’s no way a subordinate can gain such money without the acquiescence of superiors.

As Sondang’s death is discussed and analyzed there is a danger that various interests groups will try to hijack its meaning as a rallying point for their own purposes. Already former President Megawati Sukarnoputri is on record as saying Sondang’s act showed there was something wrong with how the country was being run. Is she condemning herself here or pointing the finger?

And according to presidential spokesman Daniel Sparingga, there were thousands of messages in Sondang’s death, and people should take from it what they need. But are we so self-absorbed that we need someone’s death to teach us a lesson?

The palace’s comment could likewise be interpreted as an attempt to diffuse the impact of this dramatic protest. For any protest to be successful it must have a clear cause and a clear voice, not a thousand voices and a thousand interpretations. To suggest that each one of us should take from Sondong’s death whatever message we need, for whatever purposes, suggests a supermarket approach, a pick-and-chose attitude, and would indicate that the tyranny of relativism is finding its way into the consciousness of Indonesians. And that is probably the case. Ask anyone involved in corruption and you will find that the act is “relative.” What’s right and truthful and ethical for one will be different for someone else. And justifiable because of that. This is a way of thinking that ultimately leads to national moral, economic, political and social suicide.

The image of Sondang haltingly making his way toward the palace gates aflame was a singularly potent image of isolation. A solitary death surrounded by a crowd. Solitary thoughts in an anguished mind. In itself that is a symbol of the breakdown of inter-dependency in Indonesia. Sondong died alone because he had been abandoned by his country. He died alone because he had been cast away from the body of his nation. And because he could find no reason for the suffering inflicted by that abandonment he took his own life.

Of course, there are other abandoned Indonesians, and Sondang’s solitary act may well serve as a symbol for them. By continuously showing by its actions that it has little sense of accountability to the people, the government has abandoned many citizens. And its tactics of divide and rule are summed up in the palace’s unfortunate statement that Sondong’s death can be interpreted in a thousand ways. It can’t. His death said only one thing: Indonesia is not taking care of itself as a nation. We are all in this together and Sondong clearly saw that the government refused to see it. The economy may be booming yet the nation is dying by its own hand.

 

trueblue

2:44pm Dec 15, 2011

Y&T
Something is missing in this piece. You have given us ample background information to understand this extreme form of of protest, but I fail to see that you have provided a better answer than the one thousand potential interpretations. I reject that there is an analogy with the self-immolation of Duc in South Vietnam in 1963. Indonesia today is not an authoritarian state of the ilk of South Vietnam facing a communist full on insurgency from the North. There is absolutely no comparison. With respect to the pic headlining this piece, once again I would advocate a different perspective. The shooting of four students on May 12, 1998, was just one of many incidents of students participating in the downfall of Suharto. That incident was not the seminal act that set in place the dominoes. The picture of Sodong with a red ? mark on his torso demonstrating, is obviously one of a young man with a political conscience. That however cannot lead us to a conclusion of an achievement. RIP.

Yohanes-Sulaiman

3:43pm Dec 15, 2011

First, I don't think that we are making the claim that self-immolation is some sort of achievement. You are right that the case of Duc is vastly different in term of background from Sondang. What we claim here is that this case reflects an utter desperation, that he believed that there would be no way to reform the country -- except through shock (I suspect he was heavily influenced by the Tunisian case that led to the outbreak of the Arab Spring).

All three cases basically showed the ultimate form of protest, that because the government is completely tone-deaf to the demands from people to reform, probably it is a good idea to shock the political discourse, to make people to start talking about reform, or getting aroused to fight the bureaucratic stonewalling.

padt

7:52am Dec 16, 2011

Trueblue, the point of the article was to suggest that Sondang's death indicated and was a protest, born of frustration, against 'the breakdown of inter-dependency in Indonesia'.
To complete one of the lines: "We are all in this (the business of living) together AND WE OWE EACH OTHER A TERRIBLE LOYALTY."
Such a thing cannot be said in present day Indonesia where the government, by its actions, shows little real and genuine concern for the people. The government shows little dependency or loyalty to the nation - to the people. It is too self-serving. The benefits of the economic boom are not being felt by the people who are most in need and who should most benefit from it because the government and allied agencies are corrupt. Any sense of inter-dependency and mutual repsonsibility and the building up of the common good is quickly being eroded by the venality and lack of political integrity by those who are abusinging their positions of power and influence. National suicide!

A Commission Without Courage

A critical review of the election of the new head of the Corruption Eradication Commission.
---
A Commission Without Courage
Yohanes Sulaiman & Phillip Turnbull | December 08, 2011

Last week, the justice commission at the House of Representative confirmed Abraham Samad as the new head of the Corruption Eradication Commission. His appointment was unexpected, considering that the front-runner was Bambang Widjojanto, who was believed to have the blessing of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration. Instead, Abraham won in a landslide.

While many in the media have expressed their support for Abraham’s appointment, others are suspicious. In an interview with Inilah.com, Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) politician Martin Hutabarat expressed his puzzlement about the mechanisms of the vote.

The public has a right to be skeptical of Abraham’s promise that he would resign in a year should the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) fail to do its job. They need point only to a history of unfulfilled promises by Yudhoyono’s administration to eradicate corruption.

Public trust in the KPK has steadily declined after a string of failures to convict corrupt officials and to bring high-profile fugitives to justice. In August, the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) said that the public’s trust of the KPK had declined from 58.3 percent in October 2005 to 41.6 percent in June 2011.

While the drop was not as drastic as the one for the legislature, political parties and other law enforcement agencies, it is imperative for the KPK, as the agency tasked with fighting corruption, to halt and reverse its falling numbers. This will give it the political capital necessary for the antigraft commissioners to maintain their integrity and do their job. Without public support, it would be easy for corrupt politicians to dismantle the commission once and for all.

The question, then, is how to reverse the popularity decline. Perhaps we need to go back to Abraham’s vow, as it poses an interesting question: By what standard will his leadership of the KPK be judged?

Perhaps the first thing that the KPK should do is to become more systematic about tackling corruption. In the past, it seems that instead of attempting to build strong cases against corrupt officials, the agency has just followed the whims of the public and politicians, prosecuting cases because they are getting lots of media attention or because of political pressure.

With the growing demand for quick results and media sound bites, the KPK has lurched from one public relations disaster to another.

While the KPK has had notable successes, it is the cases that are not prosecuted that raise questions about who is minding the store. As a result, the KPK is in danger of appearing unfocused and susceptible to influence. Rather than a commission to eradicate corruption, the KPK could well become an institution to empower it.

The KPK, regardless of who leads it, must be independent and act according to the law, difficult as that may be. It must regain momentum and be resolute in its work, even if the government isn’t. The astonishing spectacle of a corrupt institution choosing who will investigate it laughably points to this.

Unlike the government, which clearly does not have the will or the know-how to build community support that is authentic and in touch with the aspirations of the majority, the KPK needs to stand up and ride out the storm. It needs to create its own network of broad-based community support, not one manipulated by the government.

To what degree will Abraham represent the aspirations of the people to see justice done in real corruption cases that strike at the heart of the nation’s justice and democracy? Asked about his political and religious convictions, Abraham gave a far from satisfactory response: “I’m just average.”

The answer lacks courage. If it is any indication of his leadership, it does not bode well for the future of the KPK.

What is required is someone who is prepared to prosecute hard and politically fraught cases with a determination and ruthlessness that puts the government and lawmakers on notice. It must be willing to take on the cases that involve those who are doing the most damage to the country and the livelihood of ordinary people, especially those most in need and vulnerable.

Abraham must be prepared to bite the hand that feeds him. If he doesn’t, the commission’s powers will be inexorably eroded and democracy and civil rights will be at risk as the country becomes even more the plaything of robber barons and their clans posing as a legitimate representative government.

The media, lawmakers and the administration can easily make this happen by continuing to distract both the KPK and the public with demands for more superficial investigations that are really just sideshows to the main event. The government and lawmakers have already demonstrated that they are unwilling to commit to corruption eradication because it is clearly not in their interest to do so. Their power and livelihoods are at stake.

So too, at this moment in time, is the effectiveness of the KPK. The ball is in Abraham’s court. And the people will remind him of his promise.

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trueblue

9:44am Dec 9, 2011

Yohannes/Turnbull. Gents, once again a scholarly and balanced piece. I was surprised that you considered Abraham's personal summary of his political and religious convictions, i.e., " I'm just average" as a far from satisfactory response. Given the false pious posturing that is culturally endemic, I view Abraham's response as refreshingly honest. You have correctly highlighted that his role can be frustrated by distractive media and others, Abraham needs to immediately form a vibrant media unit. Professional communicators who are able to continually feed the gamut of media the positive work the KPK is doing, will again see the organisation's trust rise in the LSI. A good operator knows the importance of "feeding the chooks". A year is a long time in politics and Abraham is complimented for setting a time line to measure his success.

DrDez

11:50am Dec 9, 2011

Y&T
I actually hope with my heart that the KPK can continue its fight and overcome the difficulties and in deals that are so damaging to the nation and at least start to bring some order and respectability to our politics.
My head on the other hand says that his appointment - especially with such a large and quite frankly unjustified majority - smells rank.
I suspect two things are at play. Firstly he may well as you suggested be too weak to withstand political pressure and in essence the KPK will then become a political tool - used by those who influence him for their gain. On the other hand his failure and possible fall will drag the KPK further into the mire and as indicated make it easier to close... As Mafud said.. I really have no idea how to stop this spiralling issue either.
Good luck to him - I suspect he will start making unfathomable statements shortly..
Only Indonesia?? probably in a very select club at least

Yohanes-Sulaiman

11:56am Dec 9, 2011

@Trueblue:

Thank you for your comment. There are several things that you should realize though:
(1) This guy is close to fundamentalist group Laskar Jundullah, which were involved in the ethnic conflict in Molucca back in late 1990s/early 2000s and defending them. He also close to the the Committee to Uphold the Shariah in Indonesia (KPSI) and Abu Bakar Bashir of Majelis Mujahiddin Indonesia fame. Put that in the context, and... make your own conclusion.
(2) Ok, I'll bite that maybe being humble religiously would be a plus. But, politically, it should be a great time for posturing -- and that brings to my point (3) what would be your criteria for being a successful leader? Cleaning up Century in a year? What this guy aims to accomplish in a year, that we can go back to the point of reference and say "oh yeah, he said a, b, c and managed to deal with them successfully."

That's why we are very worried.

DrDez

2:11pm Dec 9, 2011

Yohanes
His links with extremists may well be a plus since only recently another associate Rizaq proposed capital punishment for those found guilty of corruption...
However in the real world his relationship with such groups points to selective corruption fighting - ie with the transgressions of those affiliated with political Islam being ignored and other groups/individuals being harangued
I share you concerns and wonder how the administration is seemingly allowing Islamic law and those influenced by it to creep in - unless they are complicit and have 'assurances'
But what concerns me most specifically is how a man of such little standing and experience can get such a landslide victory - Perhaps his first job should be to investigate the voting process - I suspect its another dark day for the nation

Yohanes-Sulaiman

2:23pm Dec 9, 2011

@DrDez: Thanks for your excellent comment as usual. Right after he was elected, I actually heard from some well connected sources, that his unexpected victory was thanks to him being wished to win by a certain government organization wishing to control whoever get investigated -- so they could quash it right from the beginning of the investigation.

I do hope that my sources were wrong...

DrDez

7:49pm Dec 9, 2011

Yohanes
The conspiracy theories are abound and any of them could be true.
Again though it breaks my heart to see so little pribumi interest - the mass simply care not one jot, oh they moan every now and then and talk about the good old days but that is the end of the road.. How long can these people shun their responsibility? The mass and the elite...???

Yohanes-Sulaiman

9:01pm Dec 9, 2011

The problem here is that people cannot demand responsibility from the elites, because there's no mechanism for direct removal for "bad elites." There are three things to do: (1) Create a strong civil society, not just fly-by-night NGOs that live to extort, and thus ruining the credibility of the civil society itself, (2) creating a strong mass organization that possibly will end up as professional political party, that will provide alternative to our current broken political system, and finally (3) Create mechanism to punish the elites, such as through direct district election, where instead of parties, you pit one politician against the others. It would, however, require people to be fed enough that they would forgo the free "nasi bungkus" and a hundred thousand voter incentive fee and to just throw the bums out.

DrDez

6:52am Dec 10, 2011

Yohanes
I have said much the same - online, speaking at events, dinners etc re point 3 specifically** - however having a mechanism relies heavily on its non corrupt application and that is just unattainable because you are asking the criminals to police the criminals - PS Afrindo is still drawing pay I understand
The true power is with the man on the street - the voter - but as you say while they will vote for $9 and a rice box or riot and even kill for less - then what hope is there that they will accept their part in the self destruction - because it is without doubt getting worse
I am in fact running out of respect for the humanity of most Indonesians
(padt made a similar comment re ethics, behaviour and morals recently) - After 43 years my dear friend that is a sad day. Now retired we are seriously considering a full retreat back to Paris
** but ask what they will do to change it & its a silent wall of embarrassment - why? because they are probably corrupt too

trueblue

7:15am Dec 10, 2011

yohannes, it would therfore follow that if I offered a free feed of nasi bungkus, martabak in a box with my face printed on it, plus T shirt with slogan, a small Aqua and 200,000, would I romp it next time?

padt

10:29am Dec 10, 2011

Dr Dez,
"(padt made a similar comment re ethics, behaviour and morals recently)"
Indeed I did. And what a blast I got.
Touchy, aren't they!
Last year I was working volunarily with a government institution where I was taken for a ride, my generosity abused and I had to endure all kinds of unacceptable conditions. In the end I withdrew my services having done quite an amount of work (free) for them and improved their conditions considerably. But I got fed up with being the only one doing any work while the rest of them sat on their bums. I left.
A delegation was sent to me, asking me to reconsider and return and do a lot more work for this agency for free and fix up all their other problems but first (wait for it!) I had to go to the boss and apologise to him and ask his permission to return.
I told them to shove it up their arse!
Thats part of the problem. These people are living in cloud cookoo land and they call it 'face' and 'respect'.
I call it blatant arrogance and studidity.

DrDez

11:49am Dec 10, 2011

Trueblue
Sadly with the new laws governing who can run for election and the formation of political parties unless you are already deep in the fold you have zero chance even if you offered 10x
Political protectionism, military protectionism, trade protectionism, religious protectionism, environmental protectionism...To benefit the few and screw the rest

DrDez

12:27pm Dec 10, 2011

Padt
Years ago I was asked by the governor to advise on spatial planning. I agreed & the planers & I drew up a list of rules that would govern building in the city. They were submitted to the governor Weeks later we were summoned to the palace. When there we were bullied by the commission 1 by 1 the team apologised in open court, I refused; threats where made (deportation,KPK, even the threat of legal action to recover my fee) I then told them that I had worked 6 months FOC NO FEE. The guy nearly choked. It transpired that I had been paid $50K for my services, I had not.
I asked to see the rules so we could explain them. I was given the sheet & as I suspected many had been replaced. I had the original and passed it to the president - Meeting over
Any free work now is for the wife's foundation - the Biz will not deal with any govt institution, they are lazy, selfish & greedy & that has leached into society; which is the point you made. Morally superior? what planet are Indo's on...

Valkyrie

5:37pm Dec 10, 2011

DrDez:

Impressive indeed! Sorry about the 50K...and obviously the president did not do anything about it.

Yohanes-Sulaiman

10:40pm Dec 10, 2011

@DrDrz&Padt: thank you so much for your great comments. I also have several horror stories, but I doubt that they reached the epic proportion of DrDez's. Needless to say, there are just several combinations here going on: laziness, opportunists, backstabbing, etc -- basically all the seven deadly sins and their derivatives are pervasive in Indonesian bureaucracy -- thus the biggest question is that how on earth a country as dysfunctional as Indonesia managed to achieve a relatively high economic growth. But we'll digress.

Of course we all know: just wrap yourself under religious and nationalism and take a religious pilgrimage for a safe measure, and suddenly your sins are forgiven and you are as clean as a new baby.

On another note, though, it seems to me that people are getting wiser and very skeptical nowadays to both religion and nationalism (as I discussed in my other pieces). Still, the challenge now is to make sure that people know how to fix the system -- not making it worse.

DrDez

7:06am Dec 11, 2011

Yohanes
I am unsure that people are wiser - a great many are still easily tamed or bought
Re Nationalism - It only ever ends up one way - violence - be it civil or international - Nationalism is an evil weapon in the toolbox of people who wish to cover their own failing or capture / maintain power over another group
We should not confuse or mistake pride in the nation with nationalism

DrDez

9:29am Dec 11, 2011

Val
Not that I am aware - someone clearly stole $50K - someone clearly modified our proposals for some benefit or other - and as usual when it was exposed the ranks closed - Something we see in all walks of life here -
I never had an apology, recognition of the work etc in fact it was stony silence until 2009 when I was asked again (by the same person) to provide a critique of the 2010 proposals - I am sure you can guess my response - Bu Dez suggested I learn more Javanese insults just to ensure they fully understood :)

trueblue

11:26am Dec 11, 2011

@DrDez.My wife is forever haggling me over my mangling of the local lingo . . . and the six dialects she can play with as well! Of course in English one can normally get away with the with words of only four letters. Sometimes out of sheer frustration you can choose the wrong four letter word. Take padt for example. In his contribution yesterday he elected to use the word arse instead of anus, an example of the nuances of English. This example is extremely useful for those struggling to switch from English to Bahasa. Here's the the trick. When in doubt and stuck with your Bahasa vocab., simply remember padt, and phonetically say the English word and add . . .arsi.