The Jakarta Globe

The Many Who Get Lost in the Red Tape Muddle

The Jakarta Globe
The Many Who Get Lost in the Red Tape Muddle

Suparmin has since 2008 been shuttling between Jakarta and his hometown of Purwodadi in Central Java to try and find news of his daughter, who went to work in Malaysia in 2006.

Wiwik Hariyanti was only 16 when she left, and Suparmin says he wanted her to go on to vocational school here.

“Things didn’t go as I planned because I didn’t have enough money to pay the entrance fee,” he says.

“Wiwik felt so depressed and ashamed that she couldn’t continue her studies, so she decided to find work in Malaysia. I let her go.”

She communicated regularly with her parents until 2008, when nothing more was heard from her, Suparmin says. “I went to the placement agency that got her the job, I went to the Manpower Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the BNP2TKI [National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers], but I got no answers,” he says.

“I later found out that Wiwik’s data was falsified by the placement agency, her age in particular and her marital status. I didn’t realize that at the time because I couldn’t read or write. Nor did I really understand the requirements to be a migrant worker. As far as I knew, she went to Malaysia through an authorized placement agency.”

For parents like Suparmin, the potential danger faced by their children working overseas is unnecessary. Why, they question, does the government not provide enough jobs  at home?

“I never dreamed that my child would work aboard as a migrant worker, because I believe that Indonesia is a rich country,” Suparmin says.

For Fatihudin, 45, who used to work in Malaysia, the choice of whether to seek work at home or abroad is an easy one to make.

“If I could choose, I wouldn’t be a migrant worker,” he says.

“I’d work in Indonesia, where I could stay with my family and provide my children with a good education.” But the choice is not that simple, he points out.

“It’s no secret that even though Indonesia is such a rich country, it has limited employment opportunities,” he says.

That lack of opportunity is what prompted him to go to Malaysia in 1998, after registering with the manpower office in Bojonegoro, East Java. But that data was never shared with the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia.

“It didn’t just happen to me, but also to another 70 migrant workers who were sent there at that time,” Fatihudin says.

“We only found out after we got fired by our employers. When we went to the embassy to ask for help, they claimed they didn’t have our data, which made us illegal migrant workers.”

What perplexes him is how the government could have let this happen. “Why did the manpower office turn us into illegal migrants, despite the fact that we paid all the required fees?” he asks.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), which has taken up the cases of Suparmin and Fatihudin, says it received 27 reports in 2009 and 2010 regarding migrant workers’ cases, including allegations of human trafficking, torture and withholding of salaries. 

Playboy Editor’s Release ‘a Victory For Press Freedom’

The Jakarta Globe

The former editor of the short-lived Indonesian edition of Playboy magazine has said his release from prison marks a victory for press freedom in the country.


Erwin Arnada was released on Friday afternoon from East Jakarta’s Cipinang Penitentiary, where he had been detained since October for public indecency.

“My release is proof that freedom of the press in Indonesia is still respected, and I hope there will be no other journalists prosecuted as I have been under the Criminal Code,” he said outside the prison’s gates, where he brandished the official order for his release and donned a T-shirt reading: “Journalism is not a crime.”

“I do not feel that I have become a victim or a hero. I feel that I have become part of Indonesian history in fighting for freedom of the press. And I believe the statement on my T-shirt explains more than what I just said.”

Muslim hard-liners pressed charges of public indecency against Erwin in 2007, shortly after the launch of the local version of Playboy, which did not feature nudity. He was later acquitted by the South Jakarta District Court, which ruled that it should be dealt with through the Press Law and not the Criminal Code.

However, on appeal, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling in 2009 and sentenced Erwin to two years in jail. In May, however, the court overturned its own ruling — although an official copy of the decision only reached Todung Mulya Lubis, Erwin’s lawyer, this week.

Todung said he appreciated the court’s latest verdict. “This is not only a victory for Erwin Arnada, but also a victory for Indonesian press freedom,” he said.

“We also want to thank the Supreme Court for its commitment to enforcing the Press Law as a lex specialis law,” he added, referring to the legal doctrine that states specific laws cannot be overridden by general legislation.

Erwin said he would not file a lawsuit against the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which first pressed charges against him.

“The one thing I want to say about the FPI sending me to jail is that my parents taught me to be forgiving instead of being slanderous,” he said. “I just hope that my reputation can be rehabilitated. However, I understand that it will take some time and we will keep trying to work on it.”

Erwin also said he would go back into the publishing business, but headed off any talk about reviving Playboy Indonesia, citing security concerns.

He said his immediate plan was to visit his mother’s grave.

Jakarta Parking Ban Upsets Shop Owners

The Jakarta Globe


The Jakarta City Council urged transportation officials on Thursday to review a recently imposed parking ban in the city’s center following a wave of complaints from local businesses. 

“We ask the Jakarta Transportation Office to review the implementation of the on-street parking ban along Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk, or see if it can be implemented only in certain areas at certain times,” said Selamat Nurdin, head of the council’s Commission B. 
He spoke after meeting with businessmen, parking attendants and other employees who work in the area.
The ban began on Monday to clear parked cars along the busy thoroughfares that span Central and West Jakarta. During a one-month socialization period, cars found parked along the roads will be towed or clamped, but owners will not be fined until the month is up. 
“Parked cars outside shops and restaurants along both streets take up valuable road space and causes daily congestion,” said Bernhard Hutajulu, the head of traffic management at the Jakarta Transportation Office. 
“On average, about 660 parked cars take up three lanes of the roads. If these lanes were freed up, we estimate traffic capacity could increase by an extra 1,800 cars an hour.” 
Bernhard said there were 1,355 off-street parking spaces in the area, including at buildings such as Duta Merlin, the Pelni office, Gajah Mada Plaza, Hayam Wuruk Plaza, Lindeteves Trade Center and Hotel Grand Paragon that were safer than parking by the side of the road. 
However, local businessmen suggested during the council meeting that there was a hidden agenda behind the policy. 
“I am sure there is a mafia who wants to take control of the Gajah Mada area, and they want to buy our land at a cheap price and the city is taking their side,” said Lieus Sungkharisma, a shop owner on Gajah Mada. 
Willy Rentamzil, another Gajah Mada businessman, said that not long after the ban began, an individual visited him offering to buy his land for a cheap price, citing the decline in customers. 
“The on-street parking ban is obviously not just to manage Gajah Mada’s traffic,” Willy said. 
Lieus claimed the barely week-old ban had already made a big impact on local businesses and the livelihood of people working in the area. 
“For people like me, businessmen, we will probably still be OK if we lose our income in Gajah Mada. What about our employees, the parking attendants and street vendors?” he said. 
The administration has promised that 160 affected street parking attendants in the area will be moved elsewhere. 
Tatak Suwita, who owns a paint shop on Gajah Mada, said the ban was unfairly penalizing businesses in the area when they were not the cause of the traffic. 
“If we’re talking about on-street parking causing heavy traffic on Jalan Gajah Mada, the Jakarta Transportation Office needs to see where it happens most of the time,” he said. 
“It happens usually in front of the Central Jakarta District Court, and most of the court’s visitors double-park. Most of the shoppers, meanwhile, don’t park a long time. They just come and go quickly.” 
Aca Sugandhy, an urban planning expert at the University of Indonesia, agreed with the city administration, saying the ban on on-street parking was a step in the right direction. 
H e said the city still needed to come up with a longer-term plan to effectively reduce traffic congestion in the area. 
“The administration needs to make a long-term traffic plan to reduce the heavy traffic along Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk because there will be more cars in the near future,” he said.

Govt Still Deadlocked In Film Tax Dispute

The Jakarta Globe

A week after a new tax scheme was announced to end the foreign film boycott, there was still no word on when Hollywood blockbusters would again hit the country’s big screens. 


Ukus Kuswara, head of culture, arts and film at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said the next big issue that needed to be resolved was the matter of unpaid royalties to the government. 

The Ministry of Finance announced the new tax scheme last week, with importers now only needing to pay a specific tax on films, providing a simple solution to the long-running dispute over royalties for imported movies. 

But the issue of unpaid royalties over the past two years — totaling about Rp 31 billion ($3.6 million) from three major importers, according to the government — has yet to be resolved. Only one of the three importers has settled its bill and is now allowed to import films, although it deals mostly with small, independent movies. 

Widhi Hartono, head of audits at the Customs Office, said the other two importers had filed appeals against the government’s demands for unpaid royalties. 

“These two are still banned from bringing in films pending a court decision,” he said. 

The two importers are understood to be largely responsible for bringing in the big Hollywood movies. 

But Djonny Sjafruddin, head of the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union, said the issue must be resolved once and for all. “Unless the government solves this problem properly, more than half of Indonesia’s cinemas will be closed within four months,” he said. 

Ukus said the government was working on a win-win solution. “We are having intensive meetings [with importers] to find out what problems they’re facing,” he said. “Once we figure out the problem, we’ll find the solution to bring back films so people don’t have to go abroad to watch them.”

Combination of Poor Infrastructure and Corruption Hurting Public Services: NGO

The Jakarta Globe
Combination of Poor Infrastructure and Corruption Hurting Public Services: NGO

The government is failing to provide its citizens with basic public services as the country continues to grapple with poor infrastructure, inadequate health services and corrupt government officials, activists said on Wednesday. 

Fransisca Fitri from Yappika, a nonprofit public service organization, said that despite the 2009 law on public services, the government has not lived up to its promise to provide citizens with basic amenities. 

She pointed out that only those who could afford to pay for health services could get proper treatment in hospitals, while most citizens struggled to access health care. 

Reports of incidents such as the collapsing roof at a dilapidated public elementary school in Central Jakarta that injured three of its students and traffic accidents related to the damaged roads that criss-cross the capital highlight the chronic state of basic public services in the country, she said. 

“Why did it happen? It happened because the government has provided low-quality public services in the first place,” she said.

Even obtaining an identification card, known as a KTP, is a struggle, as government officials at the urban ward offices often only move to process the request after receiving a bribe. 

Dela, 68, a resident of Muara Baru in North Jakarta, said on the sidelines of the public service discussion organized by Yappika that she had to pay the official at her urban ward office Rp 200,000 ($23) to process her identification card application even through it was supposed to be free of charge. 

Although Dela considered Rp 200,000 a large sum, she paid the officer because a KTP was necessary for processing other documents. 

“I don’t have a choice but to spend Rp 200,000 even though I cannot afford it,” she said.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) said it had received reports from 12,000 people regarding the lack of public services since the start of last year. 

The complaints are related to health services, public transportation, road infrastructure and difficulties in obtaining a KTP. 

Muhammad Reza Sahib from the People’s Coalition on Rights to Water (KRuHA) said that privatizing public services made it even more difficult for people to access the public services they required. 

He gave the examples of water management in Jakarta, which is partly handled by private companies, and the government’s practice of selling some of its public hospitals to be run by the private sector. Elisabeth Oktofani

Adapt Wayang to Appeal to Modern Kids, And Nation Will Benefit, Minister Says

The Jakarta Globe
Adapt Wayang to Appeal to Modern Kids, And Nation Will Benefit, Minister Says

Wayang puppet theater can be used to promote integrity of spirit in the nation’s youth and performances should be presented in a way that fits modern times, the culture and tourism minister said on Wednesday. 

Launching the 2011 Indonesian Wayang Festival (FWI), Jero Wacik said wayang performances could be used to build character because they were deep with meaning. 

“Nowadays, wayang performances are not very popular with the younger generation,” he said. “They need to know that wayang stories are actually rich in philosophical value that can help to build the nation’s character.”

“When I was young, entertainment choices were very limited and wayang shows were one of the few things we had,” he continued. “I really enjoyed watching the performances because I learned so much.

“Therefore, it is very important to find a way to present wayang performances according to the times. We must not neglect our culture just because it appears old-fashioned, especially because wayang was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco in 2003.” 

The minister referred to the United Nations’ cultural body. 

“We can make animations and videos of wayang, for instance,” he said. “It would really help to get the attention of the young generation because it appears interesting.” 

Suparmin Sunjoyo, the head of the FWI committee, said wayang could be presented to the young generation in a number of ways.

“Through this festival, we want to introduce wayang to the young generation and also revive some puppets that have disappeared, such as Palembang wayang.” Suparmin said. 

“We do not want wayang to disappear from Indonesian culture because our young people have lost interest.” 

Suparmin said he was encouraged that there were many children who wanted to learn how to puppet masters, or dalang. 

Galih, 12, who has been learning how to be a dalang for the past two years, said there was something about wayang that reminded him of his great grandfather.

“My great grandfather is a puppet master and I want to be like him,” Galih said. “It is fun to learn how to be a puppeteer because I can learn the wayang stories and Javanese.” 

The 2011 FWI is being held by the Indonesian Wayang Secretariat (Senawangi) and the Indonesian Puppeteers Association (Pepadi). Performances will be held at the Wayang Building in East Jakarta in July and October, with domestic and foreign participants. 

Locals Offer Advice to Combat Traffic Gridlock

The Jakarta Globe

Locals Offer Advice to Combat Traffic Gridlock

Acap on private vehicle ownership, coupled with a comfortable and reliable public transportation system, is just the ticket to solve Jakarta’s traffic woes, residents said on Tuesday. 

Faozan Latief, 24, told the Jakarta Globe that he wished there were fewer cars choking the city’s streets. 

“I’d say that living in Jakarta is like living in hell, because other than wasting so much time in traffic, we also waste money on commuting,” he said. “So the only thing that the government can do to reduce private vehicle ownership is impose a high vehicle tax.” 

He added that the next logical move would be to expand the current public transportation network to accommodate former and would-be private commuters. 

“The government also needs to provide proper public transportation and optimize the TransJakarta busway by adding more buses, so we don’t have to wait in line for ages,” Faozan said. 

Novieta Tourisia, 23, agreed that the busway system needed to be improved if it were to entice commuters away from their cars and motorcycles.

“The government needs to enlarge the city’s busway system and introduce a restriction on private vehicle ownership, because right now, it is too easy for anyone to get a car or motorbike,” she said. 

But she also said the government needed to crack down on the angkot , the ubiquitous minibuses that stop at random and take up entire lanes of already crowded roads while gathering passengers. 

“We all know that angkots stop whenever and wherever the driver pleases,” she said. 

“Therefore the government needs to enforce the transportation law seriously, because angkots are one of the reasons why Jakarta has such heavy traffic congestion.” 

Fauzana Fidya Rizky, a local university student, said the burden should not rest solely on the authorities. She said it was also up to the community to ensure that public transportation facilities were properly maintained. “Although I drive, if the facilities were improved, I wouldn’t mind taking public transportation,” she said. 

“Take the busway shelters, for instance. Some of them have been damaged by vandals who simply didn’t have a sense of social responsibility They don’t understand these facilities are for us, the citizens.” 

She added that without a sense of ownership over public facilities, “people won’t care about helping the government maintain the facilities.”

Confronted With Litany of  Violence, Journalists Ask for End to Impunity

The Jakarta Globe

Confronted With Litany of  Violence, Journalists Ask for End to Impunity

The safety of journalists in this country must be guaranteed and the impunity of perpetrators of violence against them ended, activists demanded on Tuesday. 

Margiono, an advocacy coordinator for the Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI), said that from the 651 cases of violence against media professionals in Indonesia between 2000-2010, only five cases were brought to court and only one of these was handled properly. 
“In order to have the violence against media professionals handled correctly by police, we need to increase solidarity among journalists and keep an eye on the investigations,” Margiono told a panel discussion in Jakarta. 
The cases of violence, he added, ranged from persecution and intimidation to murder. He added that journalists demanded no special treatment but that the law be upheld at all times. 
“We just want cases [of violence against journalists] handled properly, just like any other case, and the perpetrators must be prosecuted for such violations,” he said. 
According to Margiono, journalists are defacto defenders of human rights, so their safety is crucial. 
A spokesman for the National Police, Insp. Gen. Anton Bahrul Alam, said that cooperation among the police, the Press Council and journalistic organizations was necessary to speed up investigations into violence against the media. 
Denny Indrayana, a member of the Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force, said the problem with cases in which journalists were murdered was that the killing was usually ordered by powerful and rich individuals or corporations . 
He said the main difficulty in unraveling such murder cases is that they often involve “people with power and money.” 
“Therefore, I would not be surprised to find it is [always] difficult to bring journalists’ murder cases to a good conclusion,” Denny said, adding that power and money go a long way in providing impunity to the perpetrators. 
Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Darmono said that freedom of the press needed to go hand in hand with a responsible attitude. 
“We should be happy that in Indonesia there is freedom of the press,” he said. 
“However, this press freedom needs to be accompanied by a sense of responsibility toward science, the law and the community, because the media is supposed to be reporting facts,” Darmono added.

City in Uphill Battle to Clean Polluted Rivers

The Jakarta Globe

A city official has admitted that there would be no end to the dredging of Jakarta’s rivers as long as people keep dumping waste in them. 


Suprapto, head of rivers and coastal areas at the Jakarta Public Works Office, said on Tuesday that no amount of clean-up efforts would suffice as long as residents continued to choke the city’s waterways with trash. “Every day the Public Works Office dredges up to 27,000 cubic meters of plastic trash from Jakarta’s rivers,” he said. 

“We might have the necessary equipment to keep doing it, but every day there’s just more and more plastic waste in the water. So it’s really up to the citizens to dispose of their domestic waste properly, whether plastic or liquid, because the city is already doing all its can to clean up the rivers.” 

He added that besides degrading water quality, the trash also hampered the flow of the rivers, making them flood more easily during heavy rains.

“The damage to river basin areas and the subsequent flooding are basically due to the constriction of the water flow because of the amount of waste being dumped,” he said. 

“Take the Pesanggrahan River [in South Jakarta], for instance. The water quality there is exceptionally bad. Since 2008, we’ve had to dredge it three times just to restore normal water flow.” 

Rusman Sagala, head of conservation and environmental management at the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD), said the Pesanggrahan was heavily polluted with both biological and chemical contaminants. 

“According to our data, 82 percent of the pollution in the river comes from domestic waste, either the liquid or plastic,” he said. “That’s because all the waste is going directly into the river untreated.” 

He added it was important for citizens to break the habit of dumping waste into waterways. 

“We can’t keep our eyes on all Jakarta residents, 24 hours a day, fining them for throwing waste into the rivers,” he said. 

“That’s impossible, so that’s why we need urge citizen involvement to address this issue.” 

Separately, Jakarta officials welcomed an offer by private water operator Aetra to revise its contract with the city, which officials previously complained would have left the city with mounting debts. 

“I appreciate Aetra’s offer to revise the contract that thus far has tended to be to the city’s disadvantage,” Governor Fauzi Bowosaid. 

“I hope the city’s other water operator now follows suit,” he added, referring to PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja). 

Under the current contract, the city subsidizes Aetra for providing piped water to residents. That leaves it unable to raise prices for consumers until a minimum standard of service has been attainted. 

The proposed revision would tie the payment of subsidies to the operator’s performance in providing a reliable water supply and bringing in new customers. 

Mohamad Selim, Aetra’s president director, said revising the contract would not be to the company’s detriment. 

“I’m optimistic that Aetra won’t lose out, even taking into account inflation and rising costs of production,” he said. 

“We’ve calculated the risks and found that we will still stand to profit.”

Speed Bump for Jakarta’s On-Street Parking Ban

The Jakarta Globe

Jakarta authorities successfully cleared cars parked along Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk on Monday. However, it seems they may have pushed the problem onto the sidewalks. 


At 8 a.m., the city kicked off its monthlong introductory period for an on-street parking ban along the stretch, which encompasses both roads, spanning Central and West Jakarta. 

But soon afterwards, it became apparent that motorists were circumventing the ban by simply parking their cars on the sidewalk. 

Udar Pristono, head of the Jakarta Transportation Office, said that since it was only the first day of the ban, parking on the sidewalk would be tolerated. 

“This was the first day we implemented the ban, so problems can occur,” he said. “But we still have one month to familiarize motorists with the new regulation.” 

During the socialization period, Udar said cars found parked along the road would be towed or clamped, but owners would not be fined until the month was up. 

“We are going to take serious action against whoever parks their car on the street proper or on the sidewalk, and we will be providing them with full information during the socialization,” he said, without elaborating on how much fines would be. 

“Basically, all cars and motorcycles must be parked in the designated parking areas, which are to be provided by all the buildings along Gajah Mada and Hayam Wuruk. And they cannot park their cars or motorbikes on the sidewalks,” he added. 

Udar said six major buildings in the area — Duta Merlin, the Pelni office, Gajah Mada Plaza, Hayam Wuruk Plaza, Lindeteves Trade Center and Hotel Grand Paragon — had a total of 2,711 parking spaces, which was much more than the 1,200 spaces available for on-street parking. 

But one pedestrian on Monday, Winda Astuti, 35, was livid at the number of cars blocking the sidewalk along Gajah Mada, pointing out that since the sidewalks were now full of cars, pedestrian were ironically forced to walk on the street. 

“Other than being very uncomfortable to walk on the street, it is also very dangerous because you know how crazy Jakarta drivers are,” she said. 

By 3:30 p.m., only two cars had been towed away, while another had one of its wheels booted. Some 165 police and city personnel were also deployed to inform drivers of the new policy. 

So far, only 22 of the estimated 160 affected street parking attendants have been assigned to new parking areas, while 70 others were still being processed.
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