The Jakarta Globe

Jilted PKS Founder Wants Day In Court

The Jakarta Globe

Prosperous Justice Party co-founder Yusuf Supendi said on Monday that he was ready to take the party’s leaders to court over his controversial dismissal.


In a case that has become another distraction for a party that has recently reeled from one controversy to another, Yusuf has refused to accept his dismissal, saying he had never received official notification.

Yusuf helped establish the Justice Party in 1998, which later became the PKS.

“On November 28, 2010, four people from the PKS, including [deputy chairman] Triwisaksana, visited me at 8:20 p.m. to show me the dismissal letter, dated October 29, 2009, and addressed to me,” Yusuf said.

But he said he had never received a copy of the letter.

He also said he did not read the letter in 2010 because it was not given to him according to party guidelines.

“I do not know why they wanted to kick me out, because I did not read the letter,” he said. “But I think it is because I am too critical of the consultative body.”

Dani Saliswijaya, Yusuf’s lawyer, said they would take the case to court after an attempt to meet party leaders was rebuffed.

He said Yusuf would sue 11 PKS leaders, including Hilmi Aminuddin, the head of the PKS’s consultative body; Surahman Hidayat, the head of the PKS’s Shariah Council; party president Luthfi Hasan Ishaq; Anis Matta, PKS secretary general; Communication Minister Tifatul Sembiring; and Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf.

Dani said the suit would be filed with the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday and that Yusuf would seek Rp 37 billion ($4.3 million) in compensation.

The lawyer added that four nongovernmental organizations were also planning to report the PKS to the Constitutional Court demanding its dissolution, but he did not say on what grounds.

“I do not want to name who they are yet. But they have evidence to report,” he said.

He added that Yusuf would bring a separate complaint to the Constitutional Court.

Yusuf said the PKS had strayed from its original mission. “Instead of preaching to spread values, the PKS now preaches to look for positions in the House,” he said.

Mustafa Kamal, the head of the PKS in the House of Representatives, said the party would follow all legal procedures related to the case but that Yusuf’s charges were baseless.

A PKS legislator, Arifinto, was recently caught in the House looking at a pornographic video on his tablet computer.

Anis Matta was last month implicated in a sex-video scandal that the police later cleared him of.

Pageant Promotes Country’s Coffee

The Jakarta Globe

Aromatic, with no bitter aftertaste. The coffee, that is, not Laskari Metal Bitticaca, who was on Monday night crowned the inaugural Miss Coffee Indonesia.


Laskari, from South Sulawesi, beat 31 other contestants from 14 coffee-producing provinces, in the event held by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

She will represent Indonesia at the International Queen of Coffee pageant in Colombia next year, SCTV reported.

Diana Miring Tikupasang, deputy for domestic promotion at the Culture and Tourism Ministry, told the Jakarta Globe that the pageant would be a great opportunity for Indonesia to promote its quality coffee.

“The idea of choosing a Miss Coffee is to promote Indonesia’s good-quality coffee to the world,” she said. “There are several areas in Indonesia that are renowned for their coffee, like Aceh, Toraja [in South Sulawesi] and Papua.”

She said Indonesia is the fourth-largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia, and the government plans to develop coffee-based agro-tourism.

“That’s never been done before in the Indonesian tourism sector, and we have so many coffee plantations that can be used as eco-tourism destinations,” Diana said.

The government wanted to see more Indonesian retailers selling coffee, rather than have the market dominated by international brands selling the locally grown produce under their labels. “We can develop our own coffee industry selling the goods for cheaper than the international labels,” she said.

Indonesia’s most famous coffee is kopi luwak, dubbed the world’s most flavorful and expensive. Demand for the coffee, brewed with beans plucked from the dung of civets — furry, weasel-like creatures known locally as luwaks — is surging among coffee connoisseurs around the world, exporters say.


Additional reporting from AFP

Footballer Irfan Ready for His Close-Up in New Movie

The Jakarta Globe

Irfan Bachdim, the golden boy of Indonesian football, is preparing to take his game from the pitch to the big screen.


The Persema Malang striker is set to star in “Tendangan Dari Langit” (“Kick From the Sky”). He will be joined by two of his teammates from the Indonesian Premier League club, German-born Kim Kurniawan and Bima Sakti, Persema’s captain.

Production is expected to start in the middle of May. The film tells the story of a high school student named Wahyu, from Bromo, East Java, who aspires to play for the national football team.

The lead character’s story was inspired in part by Irfan’s own struggles to become a professional footballer.

Irfan became an instant celebrity when he scored a goal in his national team debut against Malaysia during last year’s AFF Suzuki Cup. Indonesia won 5-1.

Abdul Aziz, a spokesman for Sinemart Pictures, which is producing the movie, said the idea for the story came from Persema coach Timo Scheunemann.

“The film is not just about drama, but it will be an inspiration and motivation for all the talented youngsters who want to become future national football stars,” Aziz said.

The film will be shot in Malang, Bromo and other locations around East Java.

Sinemart Pictures has yet to cast the role of Wahyu.

The film is scheduled to be screened later this year.

Emphasis on Exams Unhealthy: Critics

The Jakarta Globe

The inordinate focus placed on national exams results is holding back the development of education in Indonesia, nongovernmental organizations and teachers said on Sunday.


Some 2.4 million Indonesian students will take their national exams today, supervised by more than 270,000 teachers across the nation.

Bambang Wisudo, executive director of nongovernmental group Schools Without Borders, said by focusing only on the results of the exams, the government was neglecting other important areas of childhood education that could still be improved.

“The marks from the national exam should not be used to indicate if a student should graduate,” Bambang said. “Because the actual point of studying, for the purpose of learning, is forgotten.

“The high value placed on exam results encourages students to focus only on achieving good grades,” he continued.

“Instead of producing critical thinkers, the national exam produces robots, who depend on final exam results that can be achieved through a variety of deceptive methods.”

In the past, the national exams were the sole determinant for whether a student graduated, which led to widespread cheating by students. The Education Ministry responded by including end-of-term tests and reports in consideration for the final graduation score.

The exams’ detractors have claimed the tests encourage rote learning, saying that once the exams are over, students forget what they have memorized.

Critics also say too many resources are poured into the exams, citing the fact that the ministry has prepared five different versions of each paper to minimize cheating.

Separately, Retno Listyarti, a teacher at State Senior High School (SMAN) 13 in North Jakarta, said it seemed the government’s primary concern with the national exams was that schools and students did not collude to obtain high marks. The government, Retno said, was not really interested in improving the quality of education.

Education critics have accused teachers at state schools of attempting to pass their students at all costs. Teachers often gain significant benefits, such as promotions or additional work, from having a high pass rate.

“The government is only concerned that schools and students don’t collaborate or work together to help students pass exams, irrespective of whether or not they are actually learning anything at school,” Retno said.

“This can be seen in the way the ministry has prepared five different versions of each question for the students.”

Lody Paat, an education observer, said if the government truly saw the exams as the ultimate determinate of whether a student should graduate, it should allow schools to evaluate their own students.

Meanwhile, students on Sunday attended mass prayers for success in the exams. Pono Fadlullah, the headmaster of SMAN 68 in Central Jakarta, said the prayers were important to relieve stress and provide the students with psychological balance.

However, Utomo Dananjaya, the director of Paramadina University’s Institute for Educational Reform, said the phenomenon of holding mass prayers before the exams showed that students and teaching staff were too concerned about the results of the exams, when the time would be better spent studying.

Cancer Foundation Says Thanks to Supporters

The Jakarta Globe

The Indonesian Cancer Organization marked its 34th anniversary on Sunday by honoring a long list of members and donors, including Lippo Group founder and CEO Mochtar Riady, for their support.


“Without the support of professionals and donors, our programs could not proceed smoothly,” said Karlinah Umar Wirahadikusumah, a board member of the charity, also known as YKI.

“Therefore, YKI is acknowledging the loyalty and dedication of those members and donors who have been actively supporting us either financially or professionally to raise public awareness on cancer,” she said.

The awards, in the form of certificates of appreciation, were awarded to a number of donors and several YKI branches, including those in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, Papua, South Sulawesi and South Kalimantan.

The award for Mochtar Riady was accepted by Theo L. Sambuaga, Lippo Group president. The Jakarta Globe is affiliated with Lippo Group.

In addition to educating the public about cancer, Karlinah said the foundation also actively helped cancer patients obtain treatment, especially those from poor families.

“Using funding from donors, YKI is trying to help cancer patients from disadvantaged families get treatment,” Karlinah said.“Other than that, we have also built a clinic, Sasana Marsudi Husada, in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta,” she said.

Mei Ukas, the vice treasurer of YKI, said the clinic only charged patients Rp 30,000 ($3.50) per day to stay there.

“Currently, Sasana Marsudi Husada has 20 rooms for patients. Each patient is charged Rp 30,000 per day and for that they get a place to stay, three meals a day and also milk,” Mei said.

She said on average six to eight patients stayed at the clinic every month, most of whom were in Jakarta to seek treatment at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta.

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 7.9 millions deaths in 2007. Cancer of the lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast claim the most lives.

“Seeing that breast, liver, lung and stomach are listed as the cause of the most cancer deaths each year, we have prioritized the 10 most dangerous cancers to be part of our public cancer education programs,” Mei said.

“The 10 cancers are cervical breast, liver, lung, skin, colorectal [bowel], nasopharynx, leukemia, malignant trophoblastic and lymphoma malignum,” she said.

Karlinah said, “As cancer is listed as the leading cause of death worldwide, it is very important that we help to improve awareness of it by running campaigns and educating the public.”

YKI was founded by 17 people, including the country’s first vice president, Mohammad Hatta, former Health Minister Gerrit A. Siwabessy and former Jakarta Governor Ali Sadikin, to educate the public about cancer, with particular emphasis on minimizing risks, including through early detection.

In Duri Pulo Schools, Space for Libraries Is More of a Problem than Finding Books

The Jakarta Globe
In Duri Pulo Schools, Space for Libraries Is More of a Problem than Finding Books

A school library is a luxury. Just ask the students and teachers of 10 state elementary schools in Duri Pulo in Central Jakarta.

Situated on Jalan Setia Kawan III in Central Jakarta, these 10 schools — from SDN 1 Duri Pulo to SDN 10 Duri Pulo — are built within a single complex. Each school has 240 students, but not one of them has a proper, separate structure for a library.

The problem? Lack of space and funding. In fact, space is so limited and funding so scarce that two of the schools — SDN 6 Duri Pulo and SDN 10 Duri Pulo — already have been forced to let classes share classrooms.

Hetdina Tobing, a teacher at SDN 4 Duri Pulo, told the Jakarta Globe that all the school could manage was to empty out one classroom and use a portion of it as a makeshift library, with the remainder serving as the teacher’s lounge.

This, Hetdina said, is being done by each of the schools in the cramped complex.

“We had to sacrifice one classroom for this makeshift library. Therefore, first- and second-grade students now have to take shifts studying in one classroom — first grade in the morning and second grade in the afternoon,” Hetdina said.

SDN 4 Duri Pulo has a collection of more than 1,000 books located in a 16 square meter room on the second floor of the SDN Duri Pulo school complex.

Nurul Amri, the librarian at SDN 4 Duri Pulo, said other than purchasing books itself every year, the schools often receives book donations from companies, foreign embassies and nongovernmental organizations.

As the book collection keeps growing, Nurul said he hopes to someday place them in a proper library building. “I hope the students get a new library, butI know it’s impossible as we do not have space for it,” he said.

“Even though ours is only a makeshift library, so many students come and visit during recess. They can’t visit every day because the library is so small that we are unable to accommodate many students. We give them a schedule so they can visit twice a week.”

“Most of the students are interested in books with colorful pictures, such as science encyclopedias,” Nurul added.

“Even if we do not have a proper library, it would be very good if we could get science comic books to add to our collection and stimulate our students.”

The Kompas daily recently reported that Ministry of Education data shows at least 55 percent of elementary schools nationwide do not have libraries.

Alan Mulyana, a fifth-grader at SDN 3 Duri Pulo, believes that reading can help him expand his knowledge.

“My teacher told me books are a window to the world,” he said.

“That’s why I love to read them.” names checked even as the school had been built in the 80s

“Despite the fact the book is purchased with the school operational aid from the central government, we also often get book donation from other parties, including novels, encyclopedias, books on Indonesian history book or Indonesian folklore. But again, problem is space and funding,” Nurul Amri said.

Never Far From Strife, Buddha Bar Takes New Road

The Jakarta Globe

Brushing off the controversy that marred its short run in Jakarta, the former Buddha Bar will soon reopen as Bistro Boulevard.


When the Buddha Bar set up shop in the pre-World War I Bataviasche Kunstskring (Batavia Art Circle) building in October 2008, it was the first of the global chain of cocktail lounges to open in Asia.

However, the bar soon found itself at the center of controversy as religious groups protested its name and the use of Buddha statues as decorations in the bar and restaurant. It was eventually ordered to shut down last year.

In a recent statement, the management of the restaurant, Nireta Vista Creative, said it had donated the colossal Buddha statue to one of Jakarta’s Buddhist temples.

“This action marks the end of a franchise settlement between Buddha Bar Jakarta and Buddha Bar worldwide,” it said.

However, a new controversy is brewing, with some groups questioning ongoing renovation work in the building. In January, Jakarta

Building Control and Monitoring Office (P2B) sealed the property because management had failed to obtain an official renovation permit.

Hendri Marheroso, the operational manager of Bistro Boulevard, said on Friday that although management was still waiting for a formal renovation permit, it had the “green light” from the Jakarta Culture and Tourism Office to conduct renovation work.

“It’s because rain water leaked inside the building and there was the possibility that it could cause significant damage, so we had to fix it,” Hendri said, adding that although management was still waiting for a renovation permit, it had already secured a business permit.

On Wednesday, Arie Budiman, the head of the Jakarta Culture and Tourism Office, said the governor had asked that the building be turned into an art gallery.

Hendri said the art gallery would be the part of the restaurant. “This building is a cultural heritage building which means it is a public space, so we will open an art gallery in the lobby and an exhibition hall on the second floor,” he said.

Ade Purnama, the founder and director of Friends of the Museum, or Batmus, said it was good that the building was being managed by a private operator.

“The private sector usually knows how to care for museums or cultural heritage better than the government,” he said. “As long as they do not change the building, the government should just let them [renovate it] as it will make the building more lively.”

The new restaurant will open in two weeks.

Mosque Bomber’s Motive a Mystery

The Jakarta Globe

Farouk Arnza & Elisabeth Oktofani

Condemnation of Friday’s suicide bombing in Cirebon, the first such attack inside a mosque in this country, came quickly from all corners of society — but answers have been scarce.


The blast, which took place during Friday prayers at the Cirebon Police’s compound in West Java, left 26 people injured, including policemen and intelligence officers.

Only the suicide bomber perished after he detonated what police sources described as a low-level explosive filled with nails and shrapnel.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono strongly condemned the terrorist bombing and ordered law- enforcement agencies to find out who was responsible, according to Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs.
West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan decried the attack as a human rights violation that had disrupted peace in the province.

In a statement on Friday, the Maarif Institute, a think tank, said it was a “heinous act that hurt Muslims,” while the head of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) in West Java, K.H. Hafidz Utsman, called it an attempt to pit people against each other.

Radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, facing the death penalty for terrorism-related charges, said the assailant was a kafir, or infidel, according to his personal assistant, Hasyim Abdullah. “It’s haram [forbidden] to bomb a mosque. Only kafir do that,” Hasyim said, quoting Bashir.

The blast is the first major terrorist attack in the country since the July 2009 hotel bombings in Jakarta.

The attack — which shocked many due to its unusual locale — came in the wake of the arrests of suspected Muslim extremists, as well as a string of book-bomb scares last month.

“This has never happened before in Indonesia. It’s outrageous,” said Mardigu Prasantyo, a terror analyst at Narapatih Center. “This is much more dangerous than previous attacks in the country [because] we never thought a mosque would be a target.”

In 1999, a bomb exploded in the basement of the country’s largest mosque, the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta. Three were injured, but it was not a suicide bombing.

Though officials said it was too early to speculate on who was behind Friday’s attack, an antiterror police source said it could be linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network or Negara Islam Indonesia, a group seeking to establish an Shariah state.

“From our initial analysis, we suspect that the group behind this could be related to the NII movement that has been radicalized by the JI,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

Two suspected terrorists killed in a police raid following the 2009 bombings, Zaifuddin Zuhri and Ibrohim, hailed from Cirebon and were both known as NII activists, the source added.

However, military expert Andi Widjajanto said targeting a mosque ran counter to NII and JI ideology. “It appears that the target is the National Police, similar to the bicycle bomb,” he said, referring to last year’s bombing attempt in Kalimalang, Bekasi.

Noor Huda Ismail, a security analyst, did not rule out JI or NII involvement, saying they could have been targeting a dhirar mosque, which he said deviate from Islamic teachings and shelter hypocrites. He also said the Al Qaeda-style attack appeared to be carried out by an amateur.

Additional reporting from Fidelis Satriastanti, Yuli Krisna & AFP

TNI Denies Link to Citibank Scandal in Official’s Removal

The Jakarta Globe

A senior Indonesian Air Force official was removed from his post at the National Defense Agency, but not because of his suspected links to the ongoing Citibank embezzlement scandal, a military spokesman said on Thursday.


Air Vice Marshal Rio Mendung Thalib, who was deputy governor of the agency, also known as Lemhannas, was stood down on April 9 as part of procedural changes due to his upcoming retirement, said Rear Adm. Iskandar Sitompul, a spokesman for the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI).

Iskandar said Rio’s scheduled retirement in October required him to be replaced three to four weeks before then.

“While that process was going on, the issue on Rio’s involvement in the Malinda embezzlement scandal came up,” he said. “Therefore, we decided to have an emergency meeting regarding this case.”

Rio is listed as a commissioner at Sarwahita Global Management, a company that was partially owned by Inong Malinda Dee, a senior relationship manager at Citibank Indonesia accused of embezzling Rp 20 billion ($2.3 million) of her customers’ money.

Police suspect Malinda laundered at least Rp 2 billion through Sarwahita, although this has been denied by the company’s current president director.

“From the results of the emergency meeting, we decided that the best solution was to remove Rio from his position as deputy of Lemhannas, and from any other positions,” Iskandar said.

But he stopped short of saying that Rio’s involvement with Sarwahita was the reason behind his removal from the agency.

Budi Susilo Supandji, governor of Lemhannas, confirmed that he had met with Rio to discuss his relationship with Sarwahita, but declined to comment on Rio’s removal.

“I invited Rio to explain his involvement in Sarwahita Global Management and he has explained it. However, that information is classified,” Budi told journalists on Thursday. “Regarding the current investigation, it is up to the National Police to give an explanation.”

Rio is not a suspect in the Citibank embezzlement case and has not been summoned for questioning by police.

However, Iskandar suggested Rio might face a military tribunal for violating the military code of conduct over the issue.

“As there was an emergency meeting regarding Rio’s involvement in Sarwahita Global Management, resulting in his removal as a deputy Lemhannas, you can guess what will happen,” he said. “He was still active in the military at the time.”

Military regulations forbid TNI personnel from being involved in politics or business while on active duty.

Iskandar said Rio’s replacement had not yet been selected.

“Currently, we do not have any candidates to replace Rio as deputy governor because it will take some time to decide,” he said.

City Wants to Turn Ex-Buddha Bar Into Gallery

The Jakarta Globe

City authorities plan to return a heritage building that once housed the Buddha Bar in Menteng, Central Jakarta to its orginal function as an art center, an official said on Wednesday.


“The governor has requested that the building be turned into an art gallery,” said Arie Budhiman, head of the Jakarta Culture and Tourism Office.

When the Buddha Bar opened in the pre-World War I Bataviasche Kunstskring (Batavia Art Circle) building in October 2008, it was the first of the global chain of cocktail lounges to open in Asia.

However, the bar soon found itself at the center of a controversy as religious groups protested its name and the use of Buddha statues as decorations in the bar and restaurant.

Authorities eventually bowed to public pressure and sealed off the building last year.

Arie said the owner of the Buddha Bar, Nireta Vista Creative, had filed a request for a new business permit and drop the use of the name Buddha.

It now plans to open the “Bistro Boulevard” restaurant in the building .

“The request is still being processed,” Arie said.,

He said, however, that the building should operate primarily as an art gallery, with any restaurant or cafe opened in the same building operating as a secondary business.

He said the granting of a business permit to the owner would be conditional on this.

Donna Pratamawansyah, a spokeswoman for Bistro Boulevard, said when the Buddha Bar was still in operation, the building had featured an art gallery owned by the local government.

“And it was managed by us,” Donna said.

“So, although we have not yet been informed about who would manage the proposed art gallery in the building, there is a possibility that we would manage it as before.”

She said she envisaged the gallery acting as an entrance point to the restaurant.

Hendrik Sirait, from the Indonesian Legal Aid Association (PBHI), questioned why the owner of the building was being allowed to carry out renovation work despite the property having been officially sealed off.

The official city Web site, BeritaJakarta, quoted workers there as saying that no major renovations were being carried out.

“The sealing of the building is a legal action that should be respected by the building owner. After it has been sealed there should be no activity inside the building, including business or renovation,” Hendrik said.