Setya Novanto

Barely a month after the public furor over his appearance at a press conference with Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump in which he was spotted wearing a US$14,000 Swiss watch, House of Representatives (DPR) deputy speaker and Golkar politician Setya Novanto is once again having to defend himself after pictures of an XJL Jaguar (which he claims belongs to his son) parked in his space at the DPR complex went viral sparking a public debate about the opulent life styles enjoyed by Indonesia's notoriously corrupt lawmakers.

Kompas - November 14, 2015

National Heroes Day

Word on right reads 'Now', bag reads 'Social Aid' funds (widely abused by politicians to line their own pockets)

The commemoration of National Heroes Day on Nov 10, a date chosen to mark the struggle of independence fighters such as the late Bung Tomo (left) against Dutch efforts to reassert control in 1945, is now little more than an occasion to announce the latest members of an esteemed list of 'national heroes' who's selection has been increasingly subject to political influence and led many to question just what the state's definition of a hero is.

Kompas - November 11, 2015

State Defense Program

Man (speaking to kid imagining independence fighter the late Bung Tomo): State defence isn't just about taking up arms but also about science, art, sport and respecting the law and human rights, acting honestly, anti-corruption and anti-bribes...

The State Defense (Bela Negara) program launched by Defense Minister and hardline general Ryamizard Ryacudu, which supposedly aims to train 100 million people to 'defend the nation', has been slammed as a waste of money and a return to the authoritarian system of Suharto's New Order dictatorship.

Kompas - November 7, 2015