Plastic rice

Kid: Rastik, plastic rice.... Raskin, lots of rice weevils...

Man: Fortunately there's still Raskin... which is complete with a high protean side dish right!

Indonesian authorities have vowed to crack down on the distribution of synthetic rice – said to be made with potato starch and toxic resin from China – after rice from the government's cheap rice program for the poor or Raskin in East Java was reportedly found to have been contaminated with plastic rice.

Kompas - May 30, 2015

Criminalisation

Handcuffs read 'criminalisation'

President Widodo announced nine new members of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leadership selection committee Thursday, all of whom are women. Widodo effectively decapitated the commission in February by suspending two of its commissioners who were well-known for their aggressive prosecution of corrupt officials, judges, generals and politicians, replacing them with more 'compliant' interim chiefs after they were indicted by police on trumped up charges.

Kompas - May 27, 2015

Disqualification

The Golkar Party and the United Development Party (PPP) are facing the threat of disqualification from the upcoming regional elections (pilkada) due to prolonged internal power struggles, with Golkar divided between two camps, those supporting Agung Laksono (bottom left) and those loyal to Aburizal Bakrie (bottom right), and the PPP split between supporters of Djan Faridz (top left) and those of Muhammad Romahurmuziy (top right).

Kompas - May 23, 2015

Ease of doing business

Document reads licence/permit, chair reads Echelon I (director general)

Despite the launch of a one-stop service program to process business permits more speedily, business licensing processes remain lengthy and complicated in major cities, with Indonesia ranked 114th out of 185 countries according to the World Bank's ease of doing business index.

Kompas - May 13, 2015

Looking after the crocodile

Kid: So you won't be looking after the crocodile (the police) any more right Mr? (Dog collar reads Scenthound)

Less than a week after a meeting between the AGO, national police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) agreed that police would stop criminalizing KPK investigators looking into a bribery case involving disgraced deputy police chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, police have arrested KPK top investigator Novel Baswedan on trumped-up charges going back to a case closed a decade ago.

Kompas - May 9, 2015

Hoarding

Despite the souring cost of rice on the market, the price of unhusked rice (gabah) produced by local farmers has fallen to around 0.37 US cents per kilogram. According to the Central Statistics Agency, unscrupulous traders are buying rice at low prices from poor farmers, then hoarding stockpiles in order to inflate prices and reap huge profits.

Kompas - May 5, 2015

Weapon against the poor

An East Java court sentenced 70-year old Asyani to 15 months probation and a US$40,000 fine for stealing seven pieces of wood belonging to state company PT Perhutani. Asyani insists she took the wood from her own land years ago but lacked the proper documentation. Civil society groups say Indonesia's forestry laws are used as a weapon against the poor, while big companies that illegally plunder the country's shrinking forests remain untouched.

Kompas - May 2, 2015