Pawnshop politics

Kid: Where's your ethics and self-respect?

Sign reads: Overcoming problems without problems – slogan of the state-owned pawnshop company Perum Pegadaian

Newly elected regional legislative council members are using their letters of appointment (SK) as collateral to secure loans to recoup their election campaign costs, a significant portion of which is money used to pay for the required nomination by a political party and the distribution of cash and 'gifts' to voters.

Kompas - September 27, 2014

Change of heart

A last minute change of heart by President Yudhoyono's Democrat Party, which will give a 14 seat majority in parliament to the parties opposing a draft law (RUU Pilkada) on regional elections, may not be enough to stop the passage of the bill with speculation rife that the Democrats are split as its key lawmakers have been offered leadership positions in the lower and upper House if New Order general Prabowo Subianto's Red and White Coalition succeeds in its highly unpopular plan to abolish the direct election of regional heads.

Kompas - September 24, 2014

Muddy responsibility

Man: Responsibility isn't just about compensation Mr! (hand reads humanity)

The inundation of five homes following the collapse of a retaining wall has again drawn public attention to the massive mudflow disaster in East Java, which has been widely blamed on drilling activities by Lapindo Brantas owned by business tycoon and Golkar Party chairperson Aburizal Bakrie (top). According to the National Development Planning Board, since 2006 the disaster has caused US$2.9 billion in losses, buried more than 600 hectares of land and displaced 39,700 people.

Kompas - September 20, 2014

A new paint job?

Man: A new paint job or improved performance Mr?

Despite repeatedly promising that his cabinet choices would not be based on political horse-trading with the parties that backed his election campaign, president elect Joko Widodo (centre with vice-president elect Jusuf Kalla left) announced yesterday an outline of his next cabinet comprising 34 ministers, 16 of which will be so-call 'professional' political appointees – the same size as president Yudhoyono's cabinet which he had criticised for being too cumbersome and only one less political appointee.

Kompas - September 17, 2014

Ending direct elections

As former New Order general Prabowo Subianto's Red and White Coalition parliamentary majority prepares to pass a law that would put an end to the direct election of regional heads, a poll released Tuesday by the Indonesian Survey Circle found that 81.25% of respondents want local leaders to be elected directly by the people – not regional legislative councils as proposed in the new law. As many as 81.53% of respondents who voted for Prabowo in the July 9 presidential election also support direct elections.

Kompas - September 16, 2014

Political acrobatics

Man: Political acrobatics!

Political observers say that part of the motivation behind the minor political parties continued support for former New Order general Prabowo Subianto's Red and White Coalition parliamentary majority, which is pushing through a packet of anti-democratic laws (UU) on legislative bodies and regional elections, is to pressure president elect Joko Widodo and vice-president elect Jusuf Kalla (centre) to protect them from future corruption proceedings and get cabinet posts in the next administration.

Kompas - September 13, 2014

Hijacked

Man: The people's rights are being hijacked Mr

Ignoring mounting public anger, former New Order general Prabowo Subianto and the six political parties that supported his failed presidential bid and hold a majority in the House are pushing through a draft law (RUU Pilkada) that will see an end to the direct election of regional heads and a return to the system applied under the Suharto dictatorship where governors and regents were 'elected' by regional parliaments.

Kompas - September 10, 2014

Fuel subsidies

Amid mounting calls by big business, the IMF and the World Bank to redirect costly fuel (BBM) subsidies to 'productive investment' (read tax breaks and businesses subsidies), President Yudhoyono (left) appears likely to leave such an unpopular decision to president elect Joko Widodo (right) rather than be remembered in his last month in office for hiking fuel prices, which inevitably results in price increases across the board and a massive decline in the poor's purchasing power.

Kompas - September 6, 2014

Business mafia

Man: Later this kind of thing won't happen anymore like now, right Mr?

President elect Joko Widodo (right), who says that his transition team is working on identifying and eliminating the dominance of 'business mafias' that collude with state officials and impede government policy, has remained silent about the huge number of businesspeople who have got themselves elected as lawmakers precisely so that they can secure lucrative business contracts and influence government policy.

Kompas - September 3, 2014