Man of the Year

From left to right: Djoko Susilo, Muhammad Nazaruddin, Wa Ode Nurhayati, Andi Mallarangeng, Achmad Yamanie, Anas Urbaningrum, Angelina Sondakh.

Drum reads: Politicisation and commercialisation of the law.

Most of the public officials who made headlines in 2012 did so not because they made significant contributions to the cultural and social life of the country, but because they used their position and influence to steal from the public purse.

Kompas - December 29, 2012

Directionless

Man: Relax, we're used to surviving without leadership

Having spent most of the year squabbling with each other, blaming everyone but themselves for their own incompetence or fending off an endless series of corruption scandals, President Yudhoyono's ruling coalition appears to have lost any sense of direction and leadership. Things are unlikely to improve much in 2013 as the political elite abandon any pretence of trying to run the country as they begin maneuvering in earnest for the 2014 elections.

Kompas - December 26, 2012

Political racket

Drum reads: Political racket

The incessant racket generated by the political elite throughout much of 2012 can only be expected to get louder next year as potential presidential candidates and political parties intensify efforts to boost their public image in the eye's of an increasingly distrustful electorate ahead of the 2014 legislative and presidential elections

Kompas - December 22, 2012

Arrogance and personal ambition

Man: Arrogance and personal ambition.

The protracted dispute between the Indonesian Football Association and the breakaway Indonesian Football Saviors Committee – both vying for billions of rupiah in government funding – has left the national football team in tatters, and has parallels with many government departments that are run for the benefit of agency heads who pursue personal and political ambitions even when they runs counter to the 'national interest'.

Kompas - December 15, 2012

International Corruption Day

Man: Horeee... Indonesia's the champion (Cup reads International Anti Corruption Day)

Marking Anti-Corruption Day on Friday, two days after Indonesia's global corruption perception index slid to 118th place out of 176 countries, President Yudhoyono (right) declared that the 'time for talk is over', telling law enforcers to go after the 'big fish'. The country's top anti-graft body meanwhile urged Yudhoyono to sign a draft regulation – which has been sitting his desk for over a month – giving the agency more power to recruit desperately needed investigators.

Kompas - December 8, 2012

Prosperity

Sign reads: Prosperity

Indonesia's robust economic growth of above 6% over the last eight years has done little to improve the welfare of ordinary working class Indonesians, with the gini coefficient (a measure of inequality) rising from 0.33 in 2002 to 0.41 in 2011. In 2012 just over 100,000 people owned assets of US$1 million or more, while 82% of the population had less than US$10,000. 51% of bank deposits totalling US$176.8 billion are held by just 0.13% of customers.

Kompas - December 5, 2012