Jokowi’s Commitment for Papua

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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo tried hard to show his commitment to the social welfare of Papuans. As a presidential candidate Jokowi kicked off his election campaign in Papua on Jun. 5, 2014. And later, on the day of his inauguration, the President gave the ceremonial cutting of tumpeng (tumeric infused rice cone), which symbolizes blessing for the future, to three Papuan women. And then, the President also appointed Yohana Susana Yembise as the first female Papuan Minister in Indonesian history. But now that societal conflict has once again appeared in the frontier province, what will Jokowi do beyond the symbolism?[continue reading]

Jokowi’s Human Rights Commitment Questioned

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The December 10 international human rights day is just around the corner. But last week, Indonesian human right activists were surprised by the granting of parole for Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, the convicted murderer of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib. This raised many to doubt President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo commitment to bringing closure on human rights violations in the past. [continue reading]

New Indonesian Slang: Jonru

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A member of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) filed a police report against activists of the Liberal Islam Network, Ahmad Sahal, and a university student based in Malang, Rifan Herriyadi, to the Jakarta Metro Police earlier this week. The complaint? His name has been made into a new slang, with negative connotation. [continue reading]

Efforts at Ending TNI POLRI Clashes

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The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Indonesian Police Force (POLRI) have never been the best of friends, especially after both institutions parted ways in 1998, TNI and POLRI have never been best friends. But enough is enough. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo wants POLRI and TNI to settle their differences. But how? [continue reading]

Endless Open War Between TNI and POLRI

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The mini siege warfare that happened at Batam last month has yet again put the conflict between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Indonesian Police Force (POLRI) at the forefront of national attention. Indeed, both institutions have not been the best of friends. The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) noted that there were at least seven clashes between members of TNI and POLRI that took place between the period of October 2013 to September 2014. [continue reading]

Promoting Indonesian Cuisine To The World

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Having more than 1,300 ethnicities means Indonesia has a rich food culture. Some of Indonesia’s well-known cuisine—such as the beef rendang from Padang, West Sumatera—has been featured internationally. But for some reason, unlike Thailand and Vietnam, Indonesian cuisine is not really well-known throughout the world. Thai restaurants are aplenty in major cities across the globe, but Indonesian restaurants abroad are still a rarity. [continue reading]

PT Maritim Timur Jaya of Tomy Winata

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The new Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Susi Pudjiastuti has been making headlines with her aggressive approach in the sector. Susi’s work drew our attention into the sector and inspired us to map players in the industry. Today, we’d like to talk about one of the big players in Indonesia’s fisheries, i.e., Artha Graha Group’s PT Maritim Timur Jaya. [continue reading]

Jokowi Film Withdrawn from Screening

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Indonesian media outlets have been abuzzed with the film about President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The biopic “Jokowi Adalah Kita” (Jokowi Is Us) is 80 minutes long. It was produced by PT K2K Production of KK Dheeraj, and was scheduled to hit the cinema screen by Nov. 20. But the film was withdrawn just one day after it was released. [continue reading]

Jokoways & the Challenge of Tackling Illegal Fishing in Indonesia

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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo issued his strongest warning yet to those illegally fishing in Indonesian waters. The President told journalists that he would have the authorities sink foreign vessels fishing illegally in Indonesian waters. The government recorded approximately 5,400 vessels of such vessels stealing in Indonesian waters and over 300 trillion rupiah in losses as a consequence . And apparently enough is enough. [continue reading]