Half-full

Man: Better if we look at it as being half-full...

Woman: ...In anticipation of [using] fire wood

Widespread shortages of bottled LPG and kerosene – which is used by the poor as cooking fuel – is forcing many households to go back to cooking with firewood.

Kompas – December 31, 2008

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year 2009

Kompas – December 27, 2008

To queue for LPG!

Man: End of year holiday? Sure thing!

Woman: Were we goin’ honey?

Man: To queue for LPG!

Supply problems in the lead up to the holiday season have further dented public confidence in the government’s ill conceived and poorly implemented plan to replace kerosene with bottled LPG as household cooking fuel.

Kompas – December 20, 2008

Anti-Corruption Day

Kid: Watch out Mr, there’s a commemoration of World Anti-Corruption Day!!

Man with bank notes stuffed in jacket pocket: Great!... That means... In the world, I’m not alone!

Kompas – December 13, 2008

Trans Java highway

Sign in rice field: Here will be built the Trans Java highway

Kid: Yahoo...! With the compensation we can buy a car right dad!

Kompas – November 22, 2008

Rice imports

Writing on semi-trailer: 2028. Rice imports.

Experts are warning that the failure to invest in infrastructure and a steady decline in arable land due to environmental degradation and land conversion for housing and industry will result in Indonesia becoming almost entirely dependent upon food imports to meet its needs.

Kompas – November 19, 2008

Hoodlums in ties

Man: Hey, don’t forget to arrest the hoodlums in ties Mr...!

Writing on shirt: hooliganism

On November 2 police launched an operation to round up petty criminals in five major cities. Critics however say the operation has no clear objectives and police should instead target the big-time crooks that infest the parliament, judiciary and bureaucracy.

Kompas – November 12, 2008

The Indonesian basket

Writing on worm: KKN – Corruption, Collusion, Nepotism

Caption: One basket full, the Indonesian basket [case]. A play on words taken from the October 28, 1928 Youth Pledge: one state, one nation and one language – Indonesia.

Kompas – October 29, 2008

Legislative candidates

Background: House of Representatives building

Badges read: Legislative candidate

The large number of family members of party leaders contesting the 2009 elections has raised concerns that it will further erode the quality and image of the House, dubbed as one of the most corruption and incompetent institutions in the country.

Kompas – October 23, 2008

Vote for me

Woman: ...Global financial crisis, local crisis, high prices...

Man: ...No problem... Our economic foundations are solid you know...

Badge reads: Vote for me.

Writing on drum reads: 2009 elections.

Kompas – October 18, 2008

Bureaucracy

Black hose reads: Infrastructure

White hose reads: Bureaucracy

Writing on pot plant: Investment

Kompas – October 15, 2008

Jakarta! This is me!

Man: Mr JK's conundrum: The chicken or the egg, which came first? A job or an ID, which comes first? An ID of course! They can be bought right!... Safe! ... Jakarta! This is me!

Responding to raids on new job seekers arriving in Jakarta following the Lebaran holidays, Jusuf Kalla asked if they should find work then get an ID, or whether they should have an ID before being allowed to work.

Kompas - October 11, 2008

Greedy

Investors
Wall Street
Greedy

Kompas – October 8, 2008

Heaven’s gate

Man: 70 year retirement age, what’s wrong with that?! I’m not taking advantage of it... but at 70 year’s of age, we’re loved by the angels and God!... Don’t you know! (Sign on chair: Supreme Court)

Kid: So, you’re getting close to heaven’s gate right Mr!

Experts have warned that extending the retirement age of justices will obstruct reform of the judicial system, dubbed the most corrupt in Asia.

Kompas – September 27, 2008

Remember me okay

Legislators: Supreme Court justice retirement age becomes 70 years... Agreeeeed!

Legislators: Remember me okay... (right 67-year-old Supreme Court chief justice Bagir Manan).

A parliamentary working committee is rushing to pass an amendment to the Supreme Court law later this month, with bribery allegations dogging the legislators involved in the deliberations.

Kompas – September 24, 2008

Queuing for alms...

Top: Queuing for alms...

Bottom: Queuing for bribes!

21 women were killed on September 17 in a stampede during the distribution of alms to a crowd in Pasuruan. Scores of former and current lawmakers meanwhile have been linked with a massive bribery scandal involving the deliberation of a bill on the central bank.

Kompas – September 20, 2008

Pasuruan Tragedy

Writing on wreath of flowers: Pasuruan Tragedy.

Basket on right: 20,000 rupiah note.

While Rp 20,000 (US$2.3) or even Rp 30,000 might be considered an insignificant sum, it is for that amount that 21 women – many of them elderly and widowed – died while rushing to receive a cash handout from a philanthropist in Pasuruan on Monday. (Jakarta Post, September 17, 2008)

Kompas – September 17, 2008

Lapindo

Kid: Lucky we don’t have to bother about visiting our home village at the end of the fasting month, right Dad!

Sign in mud: Lapindo – referring to the Lapindo mud disaster in East Java that has now inundated 700 hectares and displaced some 36,000 people.

Kompas – September 13, 2008

Superior Seed

New! Superior Seed. Happy Farmer Brand. Harvest every month! Does not contain political materials.

The Supertoy HL2 rice hoax linked to the presidential office has revealed nepotism and cronyism among President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's inner circle.

Kompas – September 10, 2008

Global capitalism

Arm band reads: Global capitalism.

Kompas – September 3, 2008

Basic Commodities Party

Kid: …One billion… to become a legislative candidate… for the sake of the people yeah Mr?

Placard reads: Basic Commodities Party.

Man: Don’t be so old fashioned…!

Kid: …For the sake of a capital return several times over… He he…

Kompas – August 30, 2008

Wana be prosperous?

Badge reads: Legislative Candidate.

Politician: Wana be prosperous right? I also want...

Kompas – August 28, 2008

Could be free party

Badges read: Legislative candidate. Patches on jackets read: Rp.

Political party registration forms: Could be prosperous party. Could be regulated party. Could be free party. Dry leftover rice party.

Man: Could be free doesn’t mean free to be even more corrupt remember!

Kompas – August 20, 2008

Corruption suspect

Sign on shirt: Corruption suspect prisoner.

Kid holding national flag: Disgrace someone? How could it possibly disgrace anyone! …Heaps of prosecutors and judges are wearing these uniforms!

Kompas – August 16, 2008

Posyandu

Papers read: Virus research, bacterial research.

Sign above door: Posyandu - Integrated Health Service Post.

Kompas – August 13, 2008

Evaporated invoice

Kid: You’ve also been accused of channelling funds and accepting bribes… how come you’re so calm..?!

Beneath national coat of arms: Rp.

Man: Well the invoice has evaporated hasn’t it!

Kompas – August 9, 2008

I still trust them

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono: I still trust them, maybe...

President Yudhoyono has resisted calls to dismiss cabinet ministers MS Kaban (left) and Paskah Suzetta (right) who have been implicated in a 2003 corruption scandal.

Kompas – August 6, 2008

People’s representatives

Background: Parliament building

Kid: The face [word building crossed out] of our people’s representatives…!

Kompas – August 2, 2008

Just responding to the call

Kid: …Becoming a leader is a heavy response-ability remember Mr! (placard reads Basic Commodities Party).

Man: Yeah… “Just responding to the call-ability! …

...Eh, 'why be frightened!' (a play on a famous quip by Abdurrahman ‘Gus Dur’ Wahid – 'why let it trouble you')

Kompas – July 26, 2008

Eradicate corruption!

Politician: Eradicate corruption!

Man: But it's not campaign time yet is it Mr?

Kompas – July 23, 2008

Omm Pasikom

Politician: ...What’s wrong with former officials making a party and nominating themselves?…

Badge: Omm Pasikom President 2009

Kid: …Money from the past to buy votes, think it’ll sell Mr?...

Kompas – July 19, 2008

Fees keep going up

Man: How come school fees keep going up?

Politician: Ah, that’s the trend a at the moment, right, everything’s going up… (name tag reads candidate)

Politician: …I also want to be on top again… (name tag reads candidate)

Kompas – July 16, 2008

Promises?... No way!

Politician: ...Promises?... No way! Now’s not when promises are kept! Get it!!

Badge: Vote for me

Kompas – July 12, 2008

The price is negotiable!

Woman symbolizing justice: ...Buying and selling legal cases: The price is negotiable!

Background: Parliament house.

Artalyta Suryani: ...Buying and selling self-respect: The bribe is negotiable!

Kompas – July 7, 2008

For corruptors

Sign on electric chair: For corruptors

Rat: Don’t worry okay, the power's a total mess...

Kompas – July 5, 2008

Long live democracy

Men: Long live elections for regional heads!! Long live democracy!!

Man: …Now we’re free to join any party we want including… the Golput party!!

Golput – Meaning to abstain from voting or not marking the ballot paper.

Kompas – June 28, 2008

Promises, promises

Ballot box: Promises, promises, promises, promises, promises

Kompas – June 23, 2008

A conflict of interest

Dummy: ...Dual positions! A conflict of interest? No way!!

Man: For the sake of the party… for the sake of KKN… for the sake of… all the more for me!

Kompas – June 21, 2008

KPK

Sign on desk reads: Corruption Eradication Commission.

Businessperson Artalyta Suryani (left) was later sentenced to five years jail for bribing prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan (right) to drop an investigation into a Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support Scheme embezzlement case. Gunawan was subsequently sentenced to 20 years.

Kompas – June 14, 2008

Euro Cup 2008

Television: Euro Cup 2008
 
Father: Today we’ll just “eat” soccer okay kid...

Kompas - June 13, 2008

Dual positions

Vice President Jusuf Kalla: Dual positions? Totally legit...
 
Men: Got any openings Boss?

Folder reads: Job application.

Kompas - June 11, 2008