Disenchanted with politics-as-usual, Indonesians pine for change

Khabar Southeast Asia

Disenchanted with politics-as-usual, Indonesians pine for change

The face of politics is changing, thanks to a stronger role for the media – and a new crop of candidates who know how to harness it.

With one year to go before the 2014 presidential election, Indonesians appear to be in the mood for change. Polls show a relative newcomer – Jakarta governor Joko Widodo (nicknamed Jokowi) – ahead of other potential candidates, including several well-established figures.

The results reflect an ongoing trend in Indonesian politics, analysts say. The traditional party machinery is losing its potency as a new generation of media-savvy politicians is better able to harness public opinion.

Citizens, meanwhile, are increasingly distrustful of political elites and determined to elect politicians who will remain close to their interests.

In its latest opinion survey, Pusat Data Bersatu (PDB) polled 1,200 respondents from 30 provinces. Jokowi garnered 21.2% support, the largest percentage for all the potential candidates. Behind him were several political veterans — former vice president Jusuf Kalla, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, Great Indonesian Movement (Gerindra) Party figure Prabowo Subianto, and Golkar Party Chairman Abu Rizal Bakrie, among others.

Didik J. Rachbini, a political expert at PDB, said the results showed a clear trend.

“Citizens want a new figure for the 2014 presidential election, and it appears that Jokowi is that figure,” Didik told Khabar Southeast Asia.

However, he added, the rising political star will first need to demonstrate a strong performance in his current job, including by taking charge of the flooding situation in Jakarta.

Media appeal becoming crucial

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a political analyst with the Indonesian Survey Institute (Lembaga Survey Indonesia/LSI), agreed that the electorate wants someone new.

“Citizens are looking for a figure who is firm, has no distance from the citizens, [and is] unpretentious,” he told reporters.

Jokowi’s popularity has swelled since he took over the city governorship, a role which brings frequent media appearances, Burhanuddin said.

Moreover, he added, the governor has received positive coverage of his education and health care initiatives, the Kartu Jakarta Pintar (Jakarta Education Card/KJP) and Kartu Jakarta Sehat (Jakarta Health Card/KJS).

The KJP provides students with as much as Rp 240,000 ($25) per month for education-related expenses such as books, uniforms, and transportation. Bank DKI refills the card every month with provincial government funds. Similarly, the KJS provides free health care access, especially for those in need.

Although previous governors ran similar initiatives, Jokowi has proven particularly effective at making citizens aware of them, Burhanuddin said.

“He knows how to maintain public optimism,” he said.

Jokowi is not the first politician in this mold, the analyst said. Indonesia’s current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, demonstrated a similar appeal during his campaign eight years ago, relying more on a strong media presence than on the traditional workings of party machinery.

“Back in 2004, President Susilo became a media darling with his personality and intellect. He is also very friendly with the media,” he added. In general, he added, “political parties are no longer able to claim that they are the only funnels to represent the public’s preference”.

Disenchantment grows with politics-as-usual

Muhammad Yusuf, an 18-year-old Pemalang resident, told Khabar he wants a new president who remains close to the people. “I think we need a smart figure and humble, just like Governor Jokowi,” Muhammad said.

Hilary Desuari, a 25 year-old Yogyakarta resident, told Khabar, “I find it difficult to trust the political elite.” Jokowi, she said, may be a viable candidate “because he does real work and solves many problems.”

Willy Bordus Tatag Hastungkoro, a 24 year-old Jakarta resident who originally hails from Central Java, said Indonesia needs a president who has a vision for the country, and not just for a political party.

“I think that we need a figure with a good mindset to protect and develop the public’s interests mandated by Pancasila, our guiding principles,” he said.

Indonesians lament celebrity drug use

Khabar Southeast Asia

Indonesians lament celebrity drug use

Following a high-profile-drug bust, parents and children’s advocates demand entertainers set a better example for the nation’s youth.

In the wake of the latest celebrity drug arrest, Indonesians are concerned such individuals are undermining the country’s effort to become drug-free.

“We are worrying with the increasing number of drug users in our society,” said Agus Hendrawan, an officer at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), when asked about the late January arrest of popular television presenter and actor Raffi Ahmad.

“Many youths admit that their interest to use drugs is influenced by the environment, including public figure such as celebrities,” he told Khabar Southeast Asia.

Even though law enforcement on drug use is improving, the government is still facing big challenges, he said. According to a BNN survey conducted at the end of 2011, there are 3.8 million to 4.2 million illicit drug users in Indonesia, many of them young professionals.

Drug bust grabs headlines

Authorities arrested 17 people in a raid early January 27th on Raffi’s South Jakarta home and seized 14 ecstasy pills and two marijuana joints. Reports of the drug bust went viral, as several well-known people were involved.

Nine people were found innocent and released in following days, including actor Irwansyah, 27, and his actress wife, Zaskia Sungkar, 22, as well as the National Mandate Party’s (PAN) Wanda Hamidah, a 34-year-old member of the Jakarta Legislative Council.

One person was charged for not reporting drug use, while six others were sent to rehabilitation and face up to four years in prison if convicted under Indonesia’s 2009 anti-narcotics law.

Five of those arrested tested positive for drugs in initial urine tests on January 27th. But Sumirat Dwiyanto, a BNN spokesman, told reporters that two people who originally tested negative were later found to have cathinone in their system.

Cathinone, a drug related to the stimulant khat, found in Arab and East African countries, is relatively new in Indonesia.

Raffi, 25, faces multiple charges and up to 12 years in prison if convicted. Once the presenter on television’s most popular music program, Dahsyat, he is now jailed in a BNN detention facility in East Jakarta, awaiting further investigation and a court trial.

Banned from television?

Many celebrities in Indonesia — and abroad — have faced legal problems over drug use. Senior Indonesian rocker Ahmad Albar was convicted of drug use and sent to jail for several years after his arrest in 2007.

Fahria Ade, an Indonesian actress who was arrested for possession of shabu (crystal meth) in 2010, told reporters it is very common to use drugs at filming locations.

“I used to be asked to use drugs by the film director so I would not be tired and could act maximally,” Ade said, according to entertainment news site Kapanlagi.com.

Celebrity drug use has a potentially negative impact on children, according to the Indonesian Commission on Child Protection (KPAI).

“Celebrities are idolized by children. We’re calling on celebrities to adopt a healthy lifestyle without narcotics. We’re even encouraging them to become ambassadors in the fight against drugs,” M. Ihsan, the head of KPAI’s child protection task force, told reporters following the arrests.

Nocky Chandra, a 25 year-old university student from Yogyakarta, agrees.

“Celebrities, who actually can be a role model for young people, should really watch their behaviour and lifestyle, because everybody is watching them,” Nocky said.

Ayu Sekarsari, 36, the mother of a 9-year-old boy, thinks celebrities convicted of drug use should be banned from television.

“My son often watches ‘Dahsyat’,” she said. “He often found that Raffi is a cool young man.”

“As a parent, I always tell my son the danger of drugs. I just don’t want my son to think that it is also cool to consume drugs… they are relatively easily influenced by their idols,” she added.

“Banning celebrities who are convicted of drug use is one way to prevent children from using drugs. Unless they have been going to rehabilitation and are willing to fight against narcotics openly through mass media,” Ayu told Khabar

Proposed ban on straddling motorcycles criticised

Khabar Southeast Asia

Proposed ban on straddling motorcycles criticised

A Muslim scholar is among those expressing doubt that the prohibition will make women safer.

A planned regulation banning female passengers from straddling motorcycles in Lhokseumawe, Aceh has sparked criticism from Indonesians, including a leading Muslim scholar who says it does not reflect the spirit of Sharia law.

Suaidi Yahya, the mayor of Aceh’s second largest city, said earlier this month he would issue the regulation because “it’s improper for women to sit astride. We implement Islamic law here.”

“Women sitting on motorbikes must not sit astride because it will provoke the male driver. It’s also to protect women from an undesirable condition,” Suaidi told AFP on January 2nd.

He said women could face forward in an emergency situation, or if they are driving, as long as they are dressed “in a Muslim way”.

His administration has started distributing handouts throughout the municipality to inform residents of the new policy before the plan is legally implemented in a few months, he said.

Unsafe for riders?

The plan has sparked widespread criticism from Indonesians who say it is unsafe.

Cut Fitriani, 34, an Acehnese woman who moved from Aceh to Jakarta in the last two years, told Khabar that the Lhoksumawe administration has demonstrated ignorance of safe driving principals.

“I don’t see that the regulation is very Islamic. Instead, it puts women in a dangerous situation. I believe that drivers will have difficulty keeping their balance,” she said.

Jusri Pulubuhu, a founder of Jakarta Defensive Driving Consulting (JDDC), told Khabar his group strongly suggests that motorcycle passengers sit facing forward.

“When you are driving a motorcycle, you have to know how to keep it stable and balanced,” Jusri said.

“When a motorcycle passenger is sidesaddle, it would be difficult for the passenger to find a safe position because her two legs would not be within the handlebar area,” he added.

“One of the safety requirements of driving a motorcycle is that any object or passenger must stay within the handlebar area.”

Protecting citizens

Siti Musdah Mulia, chairwoman of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP), argued that the regulation has nothing to do with Sharia Islam and it puts female passenger in danger.

Further, she argued that the bylaw is incompatible with the spirit of Sharia.

“A regulation must give a protection to the citizen, instead of putting the citizen in danger. Even during the prophet period, the prophet’s wife was sitting forward-facing while they were riding a camel,” she said.

“Therefore, I do not think that there is a theological reason for this regulation,” she added,

By implementing Sharia Islam, the local government must improve the welfare of its citizens. That is what being an Islamic society means, Siti told Khabar.

Central government review

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi said the central government will review the planned bylaw, and could annul it.

“[It will be reviewed] whether the bylaw is too much or [whether] it is to maintain the tradition,” he told reporters January 7th in Bogor, outside Jakarta.

“If it is to maintain the tradition, it is alright. [But] it should be studied first [to find out] what is the purpose of the regulation,” he said, adding, it would take up to one month to evaluate the bylaw, and that his office had not yet received a copy of it.

Prisoners’ products a source of pride, income

Khabar Southeast Asia

Prisoners’ products a source of pride, income

Ade, 37, demonstrates his skill making footballs at the Napi Craft 2012 exhibit in Jakarta. Income from sale of prisoners' products will be given to them upon their release, according to officials from the Directorate General of Corrections. [Photo by Clara Prima/ Khabar]

Ade, 37, demonstrates his skill making footballs at the Napi Craft 2012 exhibit in Jakarta. Income from sale of prisoners’ products will be given to them upon their release, according to officials from the Directorate General of Corrections. [Photo by Clara Prima/ Khabar]

Ade, a 37-year-old prisoner at Cirebon Class One Prison, recently had the opportunity to demonstrate his skill making footballs at the Napi Craft 2012 exhibition in Jakarta.

The event held December 17-21st at the East Building, Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, was intended to show that inmates – napi – can be creative, innovative and productive.

Ade, who is serving a six-year sentence, said he enjoys making footballs because it allows him to develop his abilities and keep busy.

The father of a six-year-old boy is also hoping to use his skill to work in a factory or establish his own business when he is released from prison two years from now.

“I can make four to five footballs in a day. If the material is soft, it only takes me an hour to make one football,” Ade told Khabar Southeast Asia.

Some 149,873 inmates are incarcerated across Indonesia, according to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, which sponsored the exhibit.

“That number has great potential and can be used to produce certain types of products. So it also can support government programmes in economically creative ways,” said founder of Napi Craft 2012 Evi Amir Syamsuddin during its December 17th opening. She is wife of Minister of Justice and Human Rights Amir Syamsuddin.

“Other than that, the exhibition is also expected to improve the inmates’ quality of life as well as their welfare – especially for those who join the Prisoners’ Workshop,” or Bengkel Kerja Naripidana,” she said.

Ismail Nasrul, a public relations representative from the Directorate General of Corrections, told Khabar his department is putting greater emphasis on marketing prisoner products to help motivate inmates to join the skills training workshops.

Though many inmates think the training is a waste of time, he said, because they are unsure how to market what they make, false eyelashes made in West Java’s Garut Penitentiary have already found customers in Taiwan, Switzerland and China.

“Through this exhibition, we wanted to show to them that their products can be appreciated and recognised by society,” he said. “It needs to be understood that getting recognition will motivate them to improve the quality of their product.”

In total, more than 1,500 products were displayed at Napi Craft 2012, including artwork, false eyelashes and synthetic rattan chairs. On the third day, six paintings ranging in price from Rp. 5m ($518) to Rp. 17m ($1,761) were sold.

“The income from the sale will be given to the inmates upon their release. They will have their own money to start a new life because not all of them will be simply accepted by their own family,” Ismail said.

Arum Wahyuni, 26, an exhibition visitor, said she was impressed with several of the products. “I would say that many of the handmade crafts are properly made. It is also amazing that those fake eyelashes, which were made by prisoners, are exported to other countries,” she said.

“I just hope that when they are released from prison, they use their skills to start a new, creative and innovative life, especially knowing that they have the ability to be a better person,” Arum added.

Indonesia prepares terror financing law

Khabar Southeast Asia

Indonesia prepares terror financing law

Agus Santoso, deputy chairman of the money-laundering watchdog PPATK, hopes Indonesia will have a new law targeting terrorist financing by February. The law would enable authorities to freeze bank accounts used to finance terrorism.

Agus Santoso, deputy chairman of the money-laundering watchdog PPATK, hopes Indonesia will have a new law targeting terrorist financing by February. The law would enable authorities to freeze bank accounts used to finance terrorism. [2012: Oktofani]

New legislation will enable authorities to seize assets and freeze bank accounts.

Indonesia hopes to have a potent new weapon against terrorism this year: a law enabling authorities to freeze bank accounts or seize assets of terrorists and those who finance them.

The law will create the legal mechanisms needed to target terror financing, according to Agus Santoso, deputy chairman of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), an independent institution charged with fighting money laundering and other financial crimes.

“We have been working on this regulation for the past three years. We really hope that it will pass by February 2013,” he said, adding that the law is urgently needed.

From January to July 2012, financial service providers reported 191 suspicious financial transactions to PPATK. Analysis of the transactions found that 48 were linked to terrorism financing.

The proposed law is not the result of pressure from other nations, Agus said. “We know for a fact that Indonesia has been threatened with terrorism for many years. Therefore, our need for this law is real,” he said.

Terrorism risk undermines economy

Although the country insists it does not need outside pressure in order to act, experts acknowledge there is a concern about meeting global standards.

“Indonesia is one of two G-20 countries that does not have regulations regarding the funding of terror-related activities,” Santoso said.

On December 12th, Indonesian Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said the timing is becoming urgent. Without the new statute, international institutions such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) could label Indonesia a non-cooperative jurisdiction, he told reporters.

“It needs to be passed soon because FATF will review Indonesia in 2013. We need that law to be able to say that Indonesia has a law to prevent funding for terrorists,”
he said. “If we are downgraded to a non-cooperative jurisdiction, we will be put on the same level as countries unworthy of international financial transactions.”

Being labeled “unworthy” could hurt the country’s economy, the finance minister added.

Militants find innovative ways to obtain funds

Recent incidents underscore the need for updated legislation as extremist cells find sophisticated new ways of drumming up money.

In May 2012, the anti-terror squad Detachment 88 captured 11 individuals suspected of hacking into multilevel marketing websites and stealing some 8 billion rupiah ($835,000). The money allegedly was used to finance terrorist activities such as terrorist trainings in Poso, Central Sulawesi and to produce explosive devices used in churches.

Rizki Gunawan and Cahya Fitriyanta, two of 11 alleged terrorist hackers, are currently on trial in West Jakarta District Court, charged under the 2003 Anti-Terrorism Law and the 2010 Anti-Money Laundering Law.

According to Agus, however, the existing laws do not precisely fit the alleged crimes, demonstrating the need for a new legislation.

In particular, he said, the 2010 Anti-Money Laundering Law “does not specifically regulate the terrorism financing system,” he said, adding that a Counter Terrorism Financing Law would close the gap.

The new law will be strictly implemented and applied to anyone who finances terrorism activity, he stressed.

“The person does not have to be a terrorist. Any individual or organisation that supports terrorist activity will be subject to this law,” he said.

Concerns over implementation

Ordinary citizens told Khabar that the government should also work to make the Indonesian public better aware of the dangers.

Taufan Restu Putra, a 32 year-old Jakarta resident, said he appreciates government efforts to protect Indonesian citizens and the Indonesian financial system with this new law, but he expressed some concern about how it would be implemented.

“What if somehow a terrorist asked me for financial support, but he didn’t tell me the truth that the money will be used to finance terrorist activity? Will I also be charged because I am considered to have supported terrorist activity?” he commented.

“I think the government needs to publicize the regulation properly as soon as it is passed – especially in the remote villages and also the mosques. So that anyone who has a good intention to give to a charity will not be manipulated by terrorists to gain financial support,” he said.

Indonesia nets alleged HASMI militants

Khabar Southeast Asia

Indonesia nets alleged HASMI militants

The terror network has deep Islamist roots – and a training camp in East Java, authorities and experts say.

Anti-terrorism forces in Indonesia have arrested three men in Central Java who allegedly stored explosives for Abu Hanifah, leader of the Sunni Movement for Indonesian Society (HASMI).

The men, identified as Winduro bin Nur Hadi, 28, Feri Susanto, 23, and Bambang Kurmanto, 45, were arrested December 6th and 7th in Sroyo village of Karanganyar Regency.

“They were arrested because they are suspected of storing chemicals and explosive powders for suspect Abu Hanifah,” Agus Rianto, National police spokesman, told reporters in Jakarta on December 7th.

Police reportedly found black powder suspected of being a bomb-making ingredient, three Molotov cocktails, and flashlights in Feri’s house.

The arrests follow counterterrorism operations across Java in late October that netted 11 HASMI members, including Abu Hanifah, as well as homemade bombs, explosive material, ammunition, and bomb-making manuals.

The network was planning attacks on US diplomatic missions in Surabaya and Jakarta, a Jakarta building that houses the offices of mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, and police facilities in Central Java, according to police.

Terrorist training camp in Java

HASMI emerged from Tim Hisbah, the network responsible for recent suicide bombings in Cirebon and Solo, and has roots in the 1950s-era Islamist group Darul Islam, Al Chaidar, a terrorism expert from Malikussaleh University in Aceh, told Khabar Southeast Asia.

“Abu Hanifah restored the Tim Hisbah movement after the death of Sigit Qurdowi, the chief of Tim Hisbah,” Chaidar said.

“He recruited new members who are not Jemaah Islamiyah members,” he said. “Unlike many terrorist groups which link to Jemaah Islamiyah, Hanifah’s network links to Darul Islam, which came to the fore in the 1950s as rebels sought to set up an Islamic state.”

Its main target, according to Chaidar, is the Indonesian government, which is hindering its efforts to establish an Islamic state.

Following the arrests in October, police learned that Abu Hanifah’s network had been conducting paramilitary training in Gunung Wilis, Madiun – unlike other militant groups that set up training camps in conflict-prone areas outside of Java, like Aceh and Poso.

“It is not something new that terrorist network established a paramilitary training camp in Java, because Darul Islam has been doing it for many years, such as in Serang, Banten and also Parangtritis, Yogyakarta,” Noor Huda Ismail, executive director of the International Institute for Peace Building, told Khabar.

Winduro bin Nur Hadi, one of the men arrested on December 6th, is suspected of having trained at Gunung Wilis with Abu Hanifah, National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told reporters during a trip to Lombok, according to Liputan6.

“Hanifah’s network has about 70 members. Up to now, police have arrested about 33 of them,” Chaidar said.

Militants in their midst

Residents of the village where the arrests took place expressed shock.

A witness, Yudi, said Winduro was a friendly person who worked as a garbage collector. “There is nothing wrong with his presence among people. He looks normal and works hard,” Yudi said.

Local resident Samardi Sastro expressed disbelief that local youths from a small village like Sroyo could radicalise.

“It is possible that young children can be radicalised once they leave our village. But as I witness here, there is no radical teaching or suspicious acts around the neighbourhood,” he said.

A former researcher from Gadjah Mada University, Yonaye Odriana, said radicalisation can happen anywhere.

“Youths can be radicalised in many ways, through teaching, learning, and/or by the Internet,” Yonaye told Khabar by phone from her home in Yogyakarta.

“This case is additional evidence that a small area can be a good place to grow radicalism,” she said of the arrests in Karanganyar. “Therefore, a neighbourhood watch must increase its role to monitor the community closely.”

“Meanwhile, a good teaching of peace, tolerance, and harmony based on the Qur’an will help Indonesian youth embrace those values,” she said.

Yenny Herawati in Karanganyar, Central Java contributed to this report

Police unwittingly sold weapons to terrorists: court testimony

Khabar South East Asia

Police unwittingly sold weapons to terrorists: court testimony

Unaware where the guns would end up, the officers supplemented their police salaries by selling warehoused weapons.

Testifying as prosecution witnesses in a terrorism trial this week, two former police officers and a businessman described how in pursuit of profit, they accidentally facilitated the sale of weapons to a paramilitary group in Aceh.

Prosecutors presented the three Monday (December 10th) at the trial of Enjang Sumantri, a suspected member of the Cikampek terrorist network accused of sending weapons to Aceh and raising funds for a terrorist training camp there through robbery.

Testimony of the three witnesses revealed how they unwittingly supported that terror network, a crime for which they were convicted and sentenced in January 2011 to ten years in prison.

Tatang Mulyadi and Abdi Tunggal, former brigadiers in the National Police, were logistics officers tasked with guarding a National Police warehouse in Cipinang, East Jakarta. Ahmad Sutrisno was a businessman involved in weapons maintenance at the Indonesian Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) Headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Depok, outside Jakarta.

From June 2009 to March 2010, Tatang and Abdi sold 28 weapons, including 11M-16s, 4 AK-47s, 2 M-58s, and some 20,000 bullets, to Sutrisno.

“I sold the weapons simply because I was looking for profit. I did not know that the weapons were sold to a paramilitary group in Aceh. I only became aware of this after I was arrested,” Tatang told the West Jakarta District Court session.

“I knew that Sutrisno was actually a member of the Mobile Brigade’s weaponry warehouse, and he told me that the weapons would be used by the Brigade,” he added.

Tatang told the court that he sold the weapons for Rp 3 million to 10 million ($312 to $1,038) each, depending on the type of weapon. He also sold more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition to Sutrisno for Rp. 1,000 ($.10) each.

“The weapons, which were placed in the warehouse, actually could not be used anymore and they were set to be destroyed. I asked Abdi to fix them, and we shared the profit,” Tatang said.

Abdi told the court that he fixed five of the 28 weapons sold to Sutrisno and got a $415 commission for the work.

Sutrisno testified that he too did not know that the weapons would be used for paramilitary training. He resold them to an officer he believed was still active in the National Police.

“At that time, Muhammad Sofyan Tsauri ordered a number of weapons from me. He told me that he needed the weapons to secure the coal mining area in Kalimantan,” Sutrisno said.

“After I was arrested, I learned that the weapons were used for paramilitary training in Aceh,” he said.

From his business with Sofyan, Sutrisno received approximately Rp 60 million ($6,233).

Sofyan graduated from the Police Academy in Sukabumi in 1998 and was stationed in Depok. In 2002, he was posted to Aceh for seven months.

Dishonourably discharged in June 2009 due to a polygamy issue, he was later linked to the bombing of a police mosque in Cirebon and prosecuted for supplying weapons to a terrorist cell in Aceh. He too, is serving a ten-year prison sentence.

Sutrisno said he wondered at the time why Sofyan, a police officer, would buy weapons from him.

“I actually asked him why as a police officer, he ordered weapons through me. And he said that it is difficult for an ordinary officer to get weapons.”

Burqa escape prompts discussion in Indonesia

Khabar Southeast Asia

Burqa escape prompts discussion in Indonesia

A convicted terrorist’s decision to escape by donning women’s garb is “embarrassing” and disrespectful to Islam, scholars say. It has also led to new screening rules at prisons where militants are incarcerated.

In November, a convicted terrorist escaped from jail by disguising himself as a woman wearing a burqa, forcing police to introduce new security checks.

Roki Aprisdianto, 29, was serving a six-year sentence for bombings in Central Java between December 2009 and January 2011. One of six men imprisoned for the blasts, he is considered the leader of the cell.

According to a police investigation, Roki disguised himself as a woman and walked out of Jakarta Metro Police Headquarters at midday on November 6th, a time when about two dozen women in burqas were visiting detainees incarcerated there.

His action has prompted security personnel to take action in order to prevent similar escapades in the future. Women in burqas who seek to visit terrorist detention centres will now be required to reveal their faces to female guards.

“All of those entering and leaving [the Jakarta Police detention centre], including people in burqas, will be checked,” National Police Inspector General Suhardi Alius announced, according to The Jakarta Globe. Previously, burqa-clad women were only required to surrender their identity cards while visiting prisoners.

Militants bring stigma to innocent women

The burqa escape has prompted heated discussion among women who choose to wear Muslim garb.

Siti Musdah Mulia, 54, an Islamic scholar from the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, agreed that burqa-clad women visiting detainees need to lift their veils for identity and security reasons.

“At the State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah (Jakarta), where I am teaching, I don’t allow any of my female students to wear burqas in my class, because I cannot identify whether they are my students or not,” Musdah, who wears a hijab, told Khabar Southeast Asia.

“I will not let them join my class,” she said.

Setianingrum, 38, a resident of Yogyakarta who wears a burqa, disagreed with the inspection, especially if it involves policemen.

“It is not fair for us to be held responsible for this. The escape of the Indonesian terrorist must not impact us,” Setianingrum told Khabar via telephone from in Central Java.

But Baiq Marni Rosniah Kamardi, an Indonesian scholar who previously lived in Egypt and still wears a burqa, said that terrorists have once again hijacked a part of Islam for their own nefarious purposes.

“Terrorists should not use Islam to hurt people and again to escape behind the burqa. This is embarrassing,” Marni, 35, told Khabar via telephone from her home in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

“I personally disagree with the Indonesian police’s decision to investigate every woman wearing a burqa. However, since this holy clothing was used by a terrorist to escape, I have no choice but to agree,” she added.

“Not only is our religion being blamed, but sadly now innocent Muslim women as well,” she said.

Changing times in Indonesia

Hijab and burqa have become more popular since the end of the Suharto regime in 1998, which restricted them from being worn in schools and government institutions. Even today, less than 5% of the population wears burqas.

In some parts of the country, however, regional regulations (Peraturan Daerah or Perda) have been established that require conservative dress.

In Aceh and in South Sulawesi, for example, Muslim women are required to cover everything but their faces, palms and feet, and Muslim men must cover themselves from the navel to the knee.

Cooking Up a Clean New Life

Khabar Southeast Asia

Cooking up a clean new life

Machmudi Hariono (in white), aka Yusuf Adamira, and two Dapoer Bistik employees, pictured at the restaurant in Semarang, Central Java. The enterprise is run by The Institute for International Peacebuilding to provide former terrorists with a place to work. [Elisabeth Oktofani/Khabar]

Restaurant business provides a new life, an income and a sense of purpose to former terrorist 

For three years, Machmudi Hariono, also known as Yusuf Adirima, 36, has been managing a backstreet restaurant in Semarang, Central Java.

It was no easy feat for this convicted terrorist to put violent activity behind him, land a job and focus on building a clean life.

A former member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) who fought in the Philippines Yusuf, was sentenced to ten years in prison by Semarang District Court in 2004 for possessing and keeping explosive materials, detonators, firearms and ammunitions in a rented house in Semarang.

He spent five and half years in three different prisons, then was paroled for good behaviour.

“When I was in jail, I was thinking, what am I going to do when I am released?” Yusuf told Khabar Southeast Asia at Dapoer Bistik (Steak Kitchen) restaurant, on Jalan Kusumawardhani, Semarang.

“If I want to work as a civil servant, it is not possible because I have been black listed…It would not be easy for me to find a job. It became a problem for me.”

Fortunately, he met Noor Huda Ismail, who gave him not only motivation to start a new life, but also a work opportunity.

Skills first, ideology later

The counter-terrorism expert has devoted much thought to how to wean violent extremists back into civil society. His Institute for International Peacebuilding (Yayasan Prasasti Perdamaian) has a rehabilitation programme that provides skills training and runs businesses – including Dapoer Bistik – where former terrorists can work.

“One of the possibilities that we can do is what I call a social enterprise. Any initiative of peace should be very practical and applicable,” Noor Huda said at a recent panel discussion in Jakarta on terrorism and de-radicalisation in Indonesia.

Civil society efforts are crucial to peace-building and terror prevention, because an approach restricted to law enforcement can feed the problem, he said.

According to data collected by the institute, police have arrested more than 700 terrorists in Indonesia since 2002, weakening militant networks. Meanwhile, 58 terror suspects were killed outright and at least 28 individuals were wrongfully arrested.

“It produced a cycle of vendetta and a narrative that will last for a very long time,” Noor Huda said.

The graduate of Pesantren Al-Mukmin in Ngruki, Solo explained that to disengage militants from violence, one must reach out to them, provide skills training, and then approach their ideology.

“We don’t go to their ideology first because no one like being told [what to believe]. We have to win their trust by visiting them, talking to them and understanding them. But understanding them does not mean supporting them,” he said.

“Once we win their trust, we can provide them skill training such as in cooking and also managing a café. Later, we can approach their ideology. That is what I did with Yusuf,” Noor Huda explained.

From Jihad to Culinary Business

After interviewing Yusuf in prison, Noor Huda visited him regularly, and finally recruited him to the restaurant business. Yusuf found himself falling in love with it.

“At that time, I worked in a duck restaurant. Somehow, I found that I like to cook, serve people and also send delivery food,” Yusuf said. “From there, I realised that I have an interest in cooking and the culinary business, because food is among our daily needs,” he said.

Dapoer Bistik serves Indonesian-style beef steak, chicken, crabs and squid with an affordable price for local people. Located in a culinary centre of Semarang, the restaurant earns Rp 1m-2m ($104-$208) per day.

Yusuf is responsible for managing the restaurant’s finances and hopes to strengthen the brand so they can develop a franchise business.

“Dapoer Bistik has just got a nomination to join a comparative study in Bandung in November, where we would meet prospective buyers who are interested to invest in Dapoer Bistik,” he told Khabar.

Outreach work

When he’s not focusing on the business, Yusuf visits friends: other convicted former terrorists who are in jail in Jakarta, Semarang, Nusa Kambangan or Depok.

While maintaining the ties of friendship, he also talks to them about business alternatives to consider once they are released.

“I do this because I care about them. I don’t want them to have no job when they are released and end up engaged with terrorism activity again,” he explained.

“I would not force them to do the same business as me. If they are interested with other stuff, then they can also do it. At least, they have a source of income,” he added.

Noor Huda has also encouraged Yusuf to recruit drop-out students to work at Dapoer Bistik, to give the daily work a greater sense of social mission.

“Merely being employed is not everything for former terrorists. Therefore, I asked Yusuf to start searching for drop-out students to work at Dapoer Bistik,” he said.

“It provided him a feeling that he was a useful member in the community because he was helping to solve one of Indonesia’s acute social problems, which is unemployment.”

Expanding to Solo

Bistik Iga Bakar, an Indonesian-style rib steak, served at Dapoer Bistik.

Yusuf has successfully brought several convicted terrorists into the business.

They include Hari Setia, who spent four years in jail for providing a shelter for Noordin M Top; Wawan, who helped fund the second Bali bombing by robbing a cell phone shop in Semarang; Ardi, who provided Noordin M Top transportation; and Jack Harun, who was Noordin’s former right-hand man and also a veteran of the Ambon conflict.

“One of Hari’s greatest contributions to Dapoer Bistik is his initiative to register Dapoer Bistik’s products at the health department in Semarang,” Noor Huda said.

“Wawan used to work for Dapoer Bistik for two months cleaning up dishes. He’s now running his own business, providing glass for construction purposes.” he explained.

An unexpected request came from Jack Harun in 2011: to open a Dapoer Bistik in Solo.

“With directions from Yusuf, Jack has chosen an excellent place. It’s in a culinary area and near a mosque where Bashir delivered his sermons and a place where many Islamic activists get together,” he said, referring to jailed Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, seen as a spiritual mentor to militants.

Noor Huda explained that running Dapoer Bistik in Solo is much more challenging than Semarang, because it is located in the heart of a radical environment.

“The role of environment plays an important role in disengaging individuals from violent activities. Dapoer Bistik in Solo is still a work in progress. It is far too early to judge the effectiveness of the programme,” he said.

But one positive indicator is that Jack has managed to recruit a former member of Tim Hisbah to Dapoer Bistik in Solo, he said.

Hisbah, an anti-vice group with a history of raiding nightclubs, has recently launched attacks on police, and is believed responsible for suicide attacks in Solo and Cirebon.

“Not such a dangerous person”

Last month, Yusuf reached another landmark in his rehabilitation: he completed his probation on October 10th.

Prior to that date, he was required to report to the East Java Police once a month, making a five-hour trip by motorcycle to Surabaya to sign a piece of paper.

“During my probation period, I was often asked by police to give them information about the terror suspects. I understand that they must still suspect me sometimes,” he said.

“Not just police. My family often checks on me. But I understand and I cannot blame them,” he added.

Yusuf told Khabar he has brought his parents and family to Dapoer Bistik to show them who he is today.

“The most important thing is that I can assure them is that their son is not such a dangerous person anymore. That I have not engaged in any terrorism activity anymore. That is the most important thing,” he explained proudly.

Militant training camp discovered in Poso

Khabar Southeast Asia

Militant training camp discovered in Poso

Officials say the hills and forests of Central Sulawesi – once the scene of horrific sectarian conflict – have become a haven for terrorists

A major security operation under way in Poso, Central Sulawesi has uncovered a suspected terrorist training site on Gunung Biru (Blue Mountain), not far from the place where the dead bodies of two missing policemen were found in early October, multiple media have reported.

Police found weapons, hiding places dug in the ground and the word “jihad” written on a tree at the site, a clearing about two hectares in size in the midst of a thick forest.

Live mines, apparently placed to target security forces, were successfully deactivated, Central Sulawesi Police Chief Dewa Parsana told the Antara News Agency. A 300-strong joint force of police and soldiers is combing the area, hunting for militants and any other explosives that could harm local residents working in a nearby cocoa plantation.

The clearing is about 2km from where two missing policemen were found on October 16th, buried together in a hole, their throats slit. They had been sent to the area to investigate an alleged paramilitary training camp linked to extremist Islamist group Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT).

Terrorism hotbed

The following day, security forces mounted an aggressive operation in the area which is still unfolding. Major events are summarised here. [LINK TO TIMELINE]

Officials say that militants who once gathered in the hills of Aceh have decamped to Central Sulawesi, a place already scarred by a history of Christian-Muslim violence.

“Since 2010, terrorist groups wanted to make Aceh a militant training base because of the geographical reason. But we have successfully defeated their plan,” National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) head Ansyaad Mbai told Khabar Southeast Asia.

“Therefore they looked for a new place, which ended up in Poso. They chose Poso because of its geography and history, since Poso was a conflict area back in 1998 and 2000.”

From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, Poso was home to sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians in which 1,000 people were reportedly killed.

Since then, Poso has become a terrorism hotbed, hosting several terrorism cells. The groups are trying to reignite sectarian conflict in the region, Mbai said.

“Their goal is to establish an Islamic state based on their version of Sharia Islam.” Ansyaad said. “If the scenario goes as expected, they would call for a jihad,” he said.

“However, the local communities are aware of what is happening. They are not easily provoked because they have been suffering from previous experiences,” he said. Experts: terrorists trying to use Poso as base

At a recent forum in Jakarta, terrorism expert Solahuddin said that militants are trying to establish a new jihad movement in Poso by uniting smaller cells from all over Indonesia, including those based in Medan and Java.

“They were all united through the military training. They got funded from cyber robbery,” said Solahuddin, a journalist who wrote “From NII to JI: Salafi Jihadism in Indonesia”.

Fugitive terrorist Santoso, thought to be the current leader of the Poso movement, was enflamed after police recently arrested members of the Al-Qaeda Indonesia network, including a man arrested in Palu, Sulawesi.

“That led to the kidnapping of police officers and the bombing of a police post, and they now challenge police officers to an open war,” Solahuddin said.

Caught in the crossfire

The security operation has been costly for local residents. Twenty-two people swept up in a sunrise raid in Kayamanya village and released that evening are taking complaints of heavy-handed police techniques to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham), according to reports.

Residents have also protested the deaths of two local people – militant suspects, according to police – shot dead in the course of the raids.

Ansyaad said one of the biggest problems in combating terrorism in Poso is religious sensitivity and misinterpretation of what is happening.

“Often time, the counterterrorism operation tends to be misinterpreted as repressive to religious activities because the terrorist groups always claim their activities as religious activities,” he said. “The terrorist tends to claim that what they are doing is a religious struggle, which is very easily used to provoke society.”

At the same time, local officials and citizens support counterterrorism efforts in Poso because they are tired of the terrorists’ activities.

“Even the local government is worried that terrorist groups’ activities can trigger the sectarian conflict in Poso. And local communities also have been sick and tired with the terrorist groups’ activities. But they are too afraid to report it to the police,” he said. “However, residents have shown their support to the law enforcement officers to combat the growth of terrorism in Poso.”

Security incidents in Poso, Sulawesi: October 8th – November 8th

October 8:

Two policemen sent to investigate reports of a terror training camp last seen alive in Tamenjeka village, Poso Pesisir district, Central Sulawesi.

October 16:

The two are found buried together in a hole with their throats slit, near where they were last seen.

October 17th:

Security forces begin a massive operation to capture the perpetrators, combing the Tamanjeka mountain range, where they believe terrorists are hiding.

October 22:

A church in Madale, Poso is torched. About four hours later, a pair of bombs explode at a traffic police post in Poso City, the regency’s capital.

October 23:

Police detonate a home-made bomb found in Tonipa, Poso.

October 28:

Police find a bomb capable of triggering a “massive” explosion in the yard of a house in Tamanjeka.

October 31:

Anti-terrorism forces arrest five suspected terrorists in Kalora village, Poso Pesisir Utara district. One man, identified as wanted terror suspect Jipo, is killed in the operation.

November 3rd:

Detachment 88 tracks down two more suspected terrorists, identified as MY and K, in Kayamanya village. K is shot dead after he flings explosives at police. MY is arrested. The same day, soldiers discover an apparent militant training camp not far from Tamanjeka.

November 8th:

Police detonate a bomb found behind a home in Landangan, Poso. They say it is similar to explosives found at the militant training site.