Public Thinks President’s Focus on Party Is at Nation’s Expense | The Jakarta Globe

resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s focus on retaking control of his scandal-hit Democratic Party has many Indonesians worrying that he is neglecting duties of his office, a poll suggests.

The results of the poll released by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) on Sunday showed that of 1,200 respondents questioned, 68 percent said they were concerned that Yudhoyono was paying more attention to the party than to his presidency.



Public Thinks President’s Focus on Party Is at Nation’s Expense | The Jakarta Globe

Ulil minta Anas Mundur, Serangan Liberal ke HMI?

today - Wakil Sekjen Partai Demokrat Saan Mustofa membantah Ulil Abshar Abdalla yang meminta Anas Urbaningrum sebagai bentuk serangan Jaringan Islam Liberal (JIL) ke Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam (HMI).

"Tidak ada serangan, apalagi JIL ke HMI," kata Saan kepada wartawan saat ditemui di Cikini, Jakarta Pusat, Sabtu (16/02).


Ulil minta Anas Mundur, Serangan Liberal ke HMI?

SBY takes over Democratic Party | The Jakarta Post

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is also the Democratic Party's chief patron, has announced that he will take over the party's leadership in order to clean up the party. Yudhoyono asked party chairman Anas Urbaningrum to focus on addressing legal issues involving graft cases being investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).


http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/09/sby-takes-over-democratic-party.html#

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American guns and Indonesian intolerance

t would be a rough comparison and some people might object to it, but it is interesting to match the gun control debate in the United States to Indonesia's problem of religious intolerance. Certainly, both cases exhibit differences.



http://www.asianewsnet.net/American-guns-and-Indonesian-intolerance-42499.html
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KPK Names Riau Governor Rusli Zainal as a Graft Suspect | The Jakarta Globe

The Corruption Eradication Commission has named Riau Governor Rusli Zainal as a suspect in a bribery case related to last year's National Games in Pekanbaru.

"Our investigators have found convincing evidence and we have concluded in a corruption case the suspect is R.Z. and he is a governor," said Johan Budi, the spokesman of the corruption watchdog, known as the KPK, on Friday.



KPK Names Riau Governor Rusli Zainal as a Graft Suspect | The Jakarta Globe

Ethics quandary at the Gold Dome: What’s a lobbyist?

Of all possible obstacles to ethics reform, who thought the biggest one would be defining the word “lobbyist”? Yet, that’s where we stand today.

For years, the biggest obstacle was getting legislators to take up the issue of lobbyist gifts to legislators. Georgia is one of three states with no restrictions at all on them.


Ethics quandary at the Gold Dome: What’s a lobbyist?

Pengamat: Tak ada Konspirasi Zionis, PKS Justru Sekutu Amerika Serikat!

Pengamat: Tak ada Konspirasi Zionis, PKS Justru Sekutu Amerika Serikat!


"Tidak ada konspirasi AS ataupun Zionis terkait penetapan tersangka bagi Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq. PKS terlalu kecil, bahkan tidak dianggap oleh Amerika dan Zionis. Bahkan, di sisi lain, bagi Amerika, PKS dianggap sebagai sekutu untuk menggolkan kepentingan-kepentingan Amerika, seperti, pemberantasan terorisme," ungkap Agung.

Deciphering the influence of PKS puppet-master Hilmi | The Jakarta Post

A luxurious, two-story villa is tucked in a hilly village of Pagerwangi, Lembang, located around 15 kilometers north of West Java's capital of Bandung.

The villa is hidden inside a 1.3-hectare country-style compound called Padepokan Madani, where visitors must undergo firm security checks and submit their ID cards before entering.



http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/29/deciphering-influence-pks-puppet-master-hilmi.html

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PKS resorts to conspiracy theories after ex-chief’s arrest | The Jakarta Post

In a country where conspiracy theories are alive and well, pointing your finger to a clandestine operation — be it the universe, spy agencies or, well, the Jews — for the ills that have befallen you, is perhaps the easiest thing to do. But that is probably not a good PR strategy if you are a political party embroiled in a corruption scandal.

Political observers were astounded when the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) claimed that a "big conspiracy" was behind the arrest of its former chairman, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, on graft charges.


http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/03/pks-resorts-conspiracy-theories-after-ex-chief-s-arrest.html#

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Politicians and corruption

I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its successful experiment that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives and the rights of the people have been bartered for promises of office," said the seventh US president Andrew Jackson.

The statement was made by a president of a country that had been dubbed the "champion of democracy" nearly two centuries ago, but its substance still rings true today, even here in Indonesia, a country some 14,000 kilometres away.


http://www.asianewsnet.net/Politicians-and-corruption-42244.html
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First family tax returns raise flags in Indonesia

An old phrase says nothing in life is certain but death and taxes. At a time when the nexus of power and wealth is viewed with scepticism, a peek into their tax returns might be expected to reveal the financial affairs of Indonesia's first family.

http://www.asianewsnet.net/First-family-tax-returns-raise-flags-in-Indonesia-42155.html
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Pengamat: Jika Boediono Terlibat Kasus BLBI, SBY Rontok - m.okezone.com

"Dia (SBY) bagian orang yang dipasang untuk masuk bersama-sama dengan Boediono. Maka kalau Boediono rontok diapun rontok," katanya usai menghadiri acara deseminasi publik bertajuk Penjara dan Pemakzulan Terkait Fakta Hukum Keterlibatan Langsung Boediono dalam Skandal BLBI, di Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, Minggu (27/1/2013).


http://m.okezone.com/read/2013/01/27/339/752413

The Opacity of a Shadow War » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

The Opacity of a Shadow War » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

US denounces North Korea nuclear threat - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said he has seen no outward sign that North Korea will follow through soon on its plan to conduct a test. But that does not mean preparations are not under way.

"They have the capability, frankly, to conduct these tests in a way that make it very difficult to determine whether or not they are doing it,'' Panetta told reporters.

He added that the US administration was "prepared to deal with any kind of provocation from the North Koreans".


US denounces North Korea nuclear threat - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Who will win the battle over birth control? - Inside Story - Al Jazeera English

Who will win the battle over birth control? - Inside Story - Al Jazeera English

Jakarta (Tidak) Tenggelam 27 Januari

Jakarta (Tidak) Tenggelam 27 Januari

Berlusconi's Secret Underground Cave Revealed

Berlusconi's Secret Underground Cave Revealed

JURIST - Forum: Sovereignty, Atrocities and Accountability

JURIST - Forum: Sovereignty, Atrocities and Accountability

Remarkably, the United States Supreme Court and the International Court of Justice are addressing nearly identical issues at the same time: the application of sovereign immunity in suits for war crimes and other atrocities. Although the two courts may be unlikely to look to each other for guidance, the very existence of parallel cases about still unresolved issues speaks volumes.

It tells us that the notion of jurisdictional immunity for states is no longer automatic. It drives us to think about the role of sovereign immunity as a bar to jurisdiction and, more importantly, about the limited recourse victims of atrocities have to find justice through retribution and restitution. Finally, it spurs us to think about the policy considerations that rarely come to light amid technical discussions of statutory interpretation.

Hak Nyatakan Pendapat Bukan untuk Jatuhkan SBY - news.okezone.com

Hak Nyatakan Pendapat Bukan untuk Jatuhkan SBY - news.okezone.com

JAKARTA - Meski kian gencar menggalang dukungan untuk menggulirkan usulan hak menyatakan pendapat, inisiator hak angket Century / Tim 9 membantah rencana itu dimaksudkan untuk menjatuhkan pemerintahan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"Jangan ada lagi yang mengatakan hak menyatakan pendapat itu untuk menjatuhkan pemerintah, hak itu hanya menguatkan peran DPR," ujar anggota Tim 9, Akbar Faizal dalam jumpa pers di kediaman Jusuf Kalla, Jakarta, Minggu (4/4/2010).

Statue fight in Indonesia only partly about Obama

Statue fight in Indonesia only partly about Obama

JAKARTA, Indonesia - For Rosono Rachmat, every memento marking a personal tie to Barack Obama is a precious thing indeed.

Rachmat, who goes by the nickname Nono, cherishes, for example, an elementary school class picture of himself standing with the wide-eyed boy who grew up to become the president of the United States. He wouldn't part with that photo for any amount of money, he says.

So Rachmat is baffled by an ongoing controversy over a statue erected in a public park to commemorate the four years Obama spent here in Indonesia's capital, where he lived until age 10 and was referred to as Barry.

The 43-inch bronze statue, financed by several of the president's Indonesian supporters, shows a boy dressed in shorts, T-shirt and sneakers, holding a butterfly in his outstretched hand with the words: "The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams."