You've got to be bold and tough

Kid: If you want to fix the law you've got to be bold and tough right Dad?

Signs: 'Politicisation, criminalisation, pretrial motions, remission for corruptors', 'Law enforcement'

President Widodo, who vowed during his election campaign to strengthen the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and end Indonesia's culture of corruption as part of his much touted Nawa Cita or nine priorities agenda, has instead presided over a systematic assault on the KPK by the police (goaded on by the political elite) which threatens to cripple the anti-graft body for good.

Kompas - March 28, 2015

Lee Kuan Yew

Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who once described Indonesian dictator President Suharto as 'a man of the world' and said during a visit to Jakarta in 2006 shortly before Suharto's death that he was 'an old friend of mine and remains a friend until now', has died age 91 after a long illness.

Kompas - March 25, 2015

Asyani

Amid public ire over a government plan to relax a 2012 remission policy for corruption convicts to allow them more sentence reductions, the arrest and trial of 70-year-old grandmother Asyani for allegedly stealing teakwood belonging to state forestry company PT Perhutani, who was eventually released Monday after a massive public outcry, is yet another testament to how the law is strictly enforced against the poor and weak and but lenient on the rich and powerful.

Kompas - March 18, 2015

We can still eat the leftovers

Kid: Take it easy Dad! Forget about pretrial motions, corruption and bribery... what's important is that we can still eat... the leftovers!

Indonesia's corrupt political establishment has good reason to celebrate after President Widodo effectively decapitated the Corruption Eradication Commission by suspending two of its commissioners who were well-known for their aggressive prosecution of corrupt officials, judges, generals and politicians, and replacing them with more 'compliant' interim chiefs after they were indicted by police on trumped up charges.

Kompas - March 14, 2015

Worst traffic congestion in the world

Jakarta has earned the dubious honor of being named the city with the worst traffic congestion in the world according to a new study by the British motor-oil company Castrol. With more than 16 million motor vehicles (98% of which are private vehicles) and an additional 600 or so cars and 3000 motorbikes clogging the city's roads each day, the World Bank predicts that Jakarta will soon face total gridlock unless the government starts promoting public transport and infrastructure instead of giving tax breaks to big automotive companies.

Kompas - March 11, 2015