The Kerry visit: A challenge

Jakarta Post – The visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Indonesia reminds us once again of our nation’s strategic importance and increasing role as a potential “driver” of critical policies and initiatives in the region that are aimed at assuring peace, stability and prosperity among our neighbors. It is a visit that is particularly timely, necessary and important for both countries.

Clearly, Kerry is embarking on an important diplomatic mission designed to continue strengthening ties between two of the world’s largest democracies.

We are the largest Muslim-majority country in the world; a strong and healthy democracy, with some of the world’s most vital trade routes within our maritime borders.

Indeed, as the US “pivots” its military and diplomatic attention toward Asia, Indonesia will continue to gain prominence and influence as it helps to shape the peaceful and prosperous future of the region. The question is, are we ready and willing to assume this role?

To be sure, the possibilities are endless — but so too are the risks. Thus, the task at hand is how best to balance our respective national interests with the demands and needs for international cooperation on a wide range of matters, including counter-terrorism, the protection of religious freedom and individual rights, and policies designed to increase international trade and spur domestic economic growth and investment. [Click here for full article…]

In search for running mate, Prabowo eyes populist mayors

Jakarta Post – In a move that could be seen as an attempt to boost his reformist credentials, the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron and presidential hopeful Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto is reportedly looking to tap a popular city mayor as his running mate.

Gerindra executives have confirmed that Prabowo has set his sights on two popular rising mayors: Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil and Surabaya Mayor Tri “Risma” Rismaharini.

Both Ridwan and Risma embody a new breed of politicians in the country, marked by down-to-earth leadership styles, populist policies and ambitious programs that are transforming the nation’s major cities.

The exemplars of this new mold, Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his deputy, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, are reportedly also on Prabowo’s list of possible running mates.

A member of the Gerindra Party advisory board, Martin Hutabarat, said the party would carefully consider each name before coming up with a decision.

“We are making a list of all the best potential running mates for Pak Prabowo. We have set our eyes on them and we are making careful calculations,” Martin told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. [Click here for full article…]

US seeks Indonesia’s support in South China Sea

Jakarta Post – The United States is hoping that Indonesia can play a greater role in the peaceful resolution of South China Sea conflicts amid an increasingly heated dispute between Washington and Beijing.

“We are supporting Indonesia’s leadership in ASEAN in its negotiation with China in efforts to immediately complete the establishment of a code of conduct to manage tensions in the South China Sea,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a press conference in Jakarta on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Previously relations between Washington and Beijing were jolted after U.S.Navy commander Adm. Jonathan Greenert said that the US would help the Philippines in the event of conflict with China over disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Greenert’s comments received a sharp rebuke from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, who said “The U.S. is not a party concerned in the South China Sea dispute”. The US, Hua said, should honor its commitment to not taking sides on the territorial sovereignty issue.

In the context of the increasingly heated relations between China and the US, Kerry stressed that Indonesia had an important role in helping the enforcement of international maritime laws.

Speaking alongside Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa during the press conference, Kerry asked Jakarta to focus its political energy on accelerating progress toward achieving an agreement on a code of conduct in the South China Sea. [Click here for full article…]

Indonesia, US sign agreement on South-South cooperation

Jakarta Post – Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and his US counterpart, State Secretary John Kerry, signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday on South-South cooperation and the Triangular Cooperation and an agreement on wildlife conservation and the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking.

 

“The comprehensive partnership currently ongoing between Indonesia and the US has defined cooperation in various fields,” Secretary Kerry said in his remarks at the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

 

He said the US-RI bilateral relationship had grown stronger, marked by the signing of the agreements which were held after the fourth joint commission meeting.

 

Kerry said the signing of the agreements was aimed at improving US-RI bilateral relations that were being more closely bound together.

 

Kerry also conveyed US President Barack Obama’s condolences to all victims of the eruptions of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra and Mount Kelud in East Java.

 

Kerry’s visit to Jakarta is part of his Asian trip, which includes Abu Dhabi, Beijing and Seoul, from Feb.13 to Feb.18.

 

Earlier, Kerry visited Istiqlal Mosque and gave a speech on climate change at the US Embassy’s high-tech cultural center in Jakarta, @america in Jakarta, on Sunday. [Click here for full article…]

Gerindra may form coalition with other parties

Jakarta Post – Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto hinted on Saturday evening that the party might form a coalition with other parties.

“Our nation is diverse but yet there is common ground. Gerindra wants to work with other political parties and organizations because they have the best sons and daughters who want to fight for a better Indonesia,” he said in media statement received by Antara news agency on Sunday.

The statement was made in a political speech made in Bandung to mark the party’s sixth anniversary.
Prabowo also told all Gerindra members to cooperate with those of other parties.

He added that although many people were disappointed with the performance of political parties, it was impossible to run the country without politicians.

“Political parties have a role to provide suggestions for the development of Indonesia. The people, however, still have the sovereignty and power,” he said.

“It is the people who will decide through the general elections.” [Click here for full article…]

Players told to prepare for Olympiad

Jakarta Post – Members of the Indonesian chess team were rewarded with cash bonuses for their outstanding run at the recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and urged to prepare themselves for their next duties in Norway in August.

“We are very proud of the achievements at the SEA Games, at a time when our contingent as a whole did not perform well,” Hashim Djojohadikusumo, chairman of the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi), said during a ceremony in Jakarta on Wednesday evening.

The chess team, spearheaded by the country’s number one player Susanto Megaranto in the men’s side and newly crowned women’s grandmaster (WGM) Medina Warda Aulia, collected five gold medals from the 18 on offer at the regional multi-event sporting showcase in Myanmar in December.

The team, which comprised seven male and six female athletes, also snagged four silver and seven bronze medals.

While the chess team reveled in its gold medal collection, Indonesia — which was the winner of the most gold medals two years ago — put in a poor performance, collecting only 64 gold medals to finish in fourth place among 11 participating countries, below champion Thailand, host Myanmar and Vietnam.

“As a token of our gratitude I will give each of the team members Rp 10 million [US$834.72],” Hashim said.

Successful athletes at the SEA Games might expect further cash bonuses from the government, with gold winners entitled to Rp 200 million, silver winners Rp 75 million and bronze winners Rp 25 million.

Percasi also gave bonuses amounting to Rp 50 million to Medina following her sizzling performance at the Junior World Chess Championship last in Turkey September, where she attained a WGM title. [Click here for full article…]

Kerry in Indonesia to talk climate change

Secretary of State John Kerry steps off his plane after arriving at Halim Air Field on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, in Jakarta. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)(Credit: Evan Vucci)

Salon.com – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Indonesia to discuss climate change and press authorities in Jakarta to step up efforts to combat it.

Kerry is to deliver a speech on the matter here on Sunday, a day winning an agreement with China to cooperate more closely in reducing the effects of climate change. U.S. officials are hoping that other nations, particularly those in the developing world, will follow suit.

Kerry arrived in Indonesia on Saturday, shortly after the U.S. and China issued a joint statement saying they had agreed on steps to carry out commitments to curb greenhouse gases that trap solar heat in the atmosphere. The steps include reducing vehicle emissions, improving energy efficiency of buildings and other measures.

China and the United States are the biggest sources of emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that cause the atmosphere to trap solar heat and alter the climate. Scientists warn such changes are already leading to drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, melting polar ice, animal extinctions and other extreme conditions. [Click here for full article…]

Indonesian Foreign Policy: ‘A Million Friends and Zero Enemies’

Image Credit: REUTERS/Beawiharta

The Diplomat – After nearly ten years in office, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (widely known as SBY) will hand power this July to an elected successor in competitive multi-party elections. His efforts to consolidate Indonesia’s democracy and expand its economy have yielded tangible gains across a variety of measures, with much more room to improve. His mark on Indonesian foreign policy, while rooted in nonalignment and pragmatism, has been noteworthy for its willingness to address values of democracy and human rights head-on. What will this legacy mean for Indonesia’s potential as a leader for other societies, particularly from the Muslim world?

Indonesia’s first directly elected president, SBY came to power in 2004 with more than 60 percent of the vote; in 2009, he won re-election in the first round by a similarly wide margin. After a tumultuous transition following the 1998 downfall of the despot President Suharto, the relative success of these two elections, and the country’s acceptance of the results, propelled Indonesia’s rapid transformation into a flourishing democracy and economic dynamo with a rapidly expanding middle class. Now, with SBY unable to seek a third term due to constitutionally mandated term limits, the race is on to succeed him.

Several figures have emerged at the forefront. Abdul Rizal Bakrie, head of a successful business conglomerate, is the leading candidate for the Golkar Party, the ruling party during General Suharto’s 32-year reign. Prabowo Subianto, a former Special Forces commander under Suharto who ran unsuccessfully for vice president in 2009, heads the Gerindra Party ticket. Joko Widodo, the current governor of the capital city Jakarta, is most favored to become the next president according to nationwide polls. [Click here for full article…]

Tax Revenue Reaches Rp71 Trillion

Temp.co – The Ministry of Finance’s directorate for treasury has recorded tax revenue realization until January 30 has reached Rp71.5 trillion from targeted Rp1,110 trillion in 2014 state budget, higher than the same period last year which was Rp56.8 trillion.

In details, revenue from non-oil and gas income tax has reached Rp38.9 trillion from the targeted Rp510.2 trillion, while there has not been revenue from oil and gas income tax.

Revenue from the value added tax has achieved Rp31.5 trillion from the targeted Rp492.9 trillion. Property tax has reached Rp656.2 billion from the targeted Rp25.4 trillion, and revenue from other taxes has achieved Rp406.7 billion from the targeted Rp5.4 trillion.

Economist from Standard Chartered Bank, Eric Sugandhi, said he is confident the tax revenue this year could be maximum. He said it could accelerate economy by boosting budget realization. “There are still 11 months left. It think tax revenue could be boosted,” he said yesterday.

Directorate general for tax had previously prepared six steps to secure revenue. They are tax administration system perfection to increase obedience to tax obligation, tax obligation extension for high and medium-income individuals as well as tax base expansion, including unexplored sectors. [Click here for full article…]

Constitutional Court Strikes Down SBY’s Emergency Law on Constitutional Court

The Constitutional Court struck down yesterday emergency measures meant to curb the court in the wake of the Akil Mochtar scandal. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Jakarta Globe – The Constitutional Court on Thursday overturned President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s October 2013 regulation in lieu of a law, or Perppu, which was directed toward the court itself — flying in the face of the President’s measures to reign the court in after public confidence in the body was shaken by the jarring detention of former Chief Justice Akil Mochtar on graft charges.

 

The regulation, which increased oversight and put in place steeper requirements for joining the Court, was “against the 1945 Constitution and is not legally binding,” Chief Justice Hamdan Zoelva said at the ruling.

 

The decision was the result of a request for judicial review filed by a group of lawyers and legal experts.

 

Under Indonesian law, a Perppu, which has the same legal standing as a law passed by the House of Representatives, may be issued in response to an emergency in order to justify bypassing the normal legislative process. Any Indonesian citizen may, however, submit any regulation to the Constitution Court for review and the court is free to revoke it or issue clarifications.

 

The regulation, which was approved by the House of Representatives in December 2013 — despite opposition from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) — stipulated that a judicial candidate must not have been a member of a political party for at least seven years before becoming a justice, called for the creation of a panel to vet Constitutional Court candidates, established a permanent body tasked with monitoring judicial conduct and required that all future Constitutional Court candidates to have earned doctorates.

 

Akil, who stands accused of accepting bribes in connection to two regional election disputes, joined the court in 2009 — the same year he stepped down from his position as a Golkar party lawmaker, which he had held for a decade. [Click here for full article…]

Scholars, intellectuals endorse Prabowo’s bid

The Jakarta Globe – A group of university professors and intellectuals announced on Wednesday its collective endorsement of Gerindra Party presidential candidate and chief patron Prabowo Subianto, giving the retired army general another moral boost ahead of the upcoming presidential election. Former Bandung-based Padjadjaran University rector Yuyun Wirasasmita, who read the group’s endorsement during a gathering […]