People Not Voting

… around 40% and the matter has created some controversy.

In early July leader of PDI Perjuangan, Megawati Soekarnoputri, said at a campaign rally in Ambon that deliberate abstainers should not be Indonesian citizens, as not voting was in some sort of violation of the law, and was an insult to democracy. kompas

And on 6th August, the leader of the Partai Kebangkitan Nasional Ulama (PKNU), Idham Khalid, said that abstaining was

haram

He advised PKNU cadres, as representatives …

Comment by janma: Megawati Soekarnoputri, said at a …

Neo Colonialism in Bali

… on tourism and thus forced to conform to the desires of the modern nDoro Tuan (colonial master)?

Comment by dewaratugedeanom: … of President Megawati Soekarnoputri’s party, the …

Most Influential Women

… " hottest " (although Agnes Monica is on both lists): globeasia ririanwar

Megawati Soekarnoputri - Former President of Indonesia Sri Mulyani Indrawati - Minister of Finance Kristiani Herawati Yudhoyono - Indonesia's First Lady Miranda Gultom - Senior Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia Siti Hartati Murdaya - Social Entrepreneur, businesswoman, politician Mari Elka Pangestu - Minister of Trade Mooryati Soedibyo - Entrepreneur, politician Kartini Mulyadi …

Comment by Parvita: Puan Maharani Megawati’s daughter? Who did she …

Juwono Sudarsono

… that time, but into the 1990's conditions changed and the old regime was no longer necessary.

Megawati Soekarnoputri, he says, making a comparison with Aung San, once struggled just to unify her own party, and the appeal of the personal charisma of her father, Sukarno, was not enough to base a political system on.

One particular problem for Indonesia, and its neighbours, has been

contending ruling civil and military elites have always been beholden to the 3 C's (Chinese Crony …

Learning Islam

… so that people could learn Islam anywhere. antara

Meanwhile in Jakarta former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, not ordinarily known as an authority on religion, spoke on a similar theme after appointing the first office-bearers of the PDI-P's new Muslim political wing Baitul Muslimin Indonesia (Bamusi, BMI).

Megawati Soekarnoputri, there's more to life than shopping.

She said it was peculiar now that Indonesia had entered an era of democracy and respect of human rights …

Comment by dawud farquhar: … a political note, Megawati could have taken the stance of …

National Ideology

… as essentially non-Islamic, Haeder added. okezone

Meanwhile former president (2001-2004) Megawati Soekarnoputri said on two occasions recently, the first on 30th May in Surakarta or Solo, Central Java, the second on 1st June in Ende, Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT), that the national ideology of Pancasila was increasingly being ignored.

Megawati Soekarnoputri.

In Solo she claimed that certain groups were deliberately trying to get rid of Pancasila as the basis of the state, and …

Comment by Julita: … (2001-2004) Megawati Soekarnoputri said on two …

Feminism and Islam

Feminism is not suitable for Indonesian women.

Eny Dwiningsih, a professor at the Islam State University in Jakarta (UIJ), said in a seminar called "Developing Intellectual Interest in Womens' Issues" at the North Sumatra University in Medan on 18th May that Islam rejected feminism.

Feminism was dangerous to Islam because it was infused with the spirit of secularism, opposed to sharia …

Comment by Julita: … (2001-2004) Megawati Soekarnoputri said on two …

Baitul Muslimin

… for the party by Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin, while Din was at a fast-breaking party at Megawati Soekarnoputri's home in Kebagusan last month. tempo (Some people appear to be suspicious of the Din connection. ppiindia )

Pramono Anung.

Pramono says that the formation of the new group will not change the basis of the PDI as a nationalist, Pancasila-affirming, party, but will just add an extra dimension. He used the example of himself to explain. Within the context of …

2009 Presidential Election

… party was ready to support Gus Dur in 2009.

It also appears that the PDI-P is still supporting Megawati Soekarnoputri for 2009.

Effendy Ghozali of University Indonesia said that Gus Dur, and also another former president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, would be very unlikely to win in 2009, because of their poor track record when previously in office. Of a former presidential candidate, Amien Rais, Effendy said that his chances were better because the state of the country was still less than …

Comment by Aurelia Nugroho: I think that Megawati Soekarnoputri has the best …

Quota for Women

… for women to become leaders, he said, considering that an example had been set by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, and whether as president, governors, ministers, or regents, women could do the job.

Currently 20 out of 120 Golkar MP's are women, or 18%, and Kalla said the 30% target was not far off.

Across the spectrum women make up 11.1% of the parliament, or 61 MP's out of 550. The relevant law, Article 65, enacted in February 2003, reads :

Each participating political …

PDP, Partai Demokrasi Pembaruan

… the PDP, Partai Demokrasi Pembaruan, has been offically launched, a split-off from the PDI-P of Megawati.

A breakaway faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has officially registered as the country's 28th political party, a move that the party faithful opine will spell doom and gloom for the PDI-P, which won 20% in the 2004 elections.

Hundreds of party leaders and supporters from the Renewal Democratic Party (Partai Demokrasi Pembaruan - PDP) disturbed …

Debate on Morality Bill

… industry. Tourism Minister Jero Wacik is on record as opposing the bill as is former president Megawati Soekarnoputri and her party, the PDI-P, the second largest in parliament. The Protestant party, PDS, also opposes the bill while the Muslim based PKB is split down the middle it appears.

The PKB draws its support primarily from members of the Nahdlatul Ulama, whose leader, as above, is a strong supporter of the bill. Some in the NU, like its Australian branch for example, have …

Ratna Ani Lestari

… done nothing wrong. Ratna received support from the PDI-P's powerful central board and its leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri.

If Ratna is seeking support from the PDI-P, we will also ask for support from other parties through a number of factions at the House (of Representatives).

Banyuwangi regional legislature chairman Ahmad Wahyudi said.

Responding to the complaints from the delegation, Chusnul said the governor would consider its demands as long as they were in line with existing …

2004 Election Results

… Kalla

39,838,184

33.6%

2.
Megawati Soekarnoputri (PDI-P) - Hasyim Muzadi

31,567,104

26.6 %

3.
General Wiranto (Golkar) - Solahuddin Wahid

26,286,788

22.2 %

4.
Amien Rais (PAN) - Siswono Yudho Husodo

17,392,931

14.6 %

5. …

Maid Abuse

Discussion on abuse of Indonesian maids in Singapore and Malaysia, and elsewhere.

Comments split off from Dedi Mulyadi …

Comment by Sylvester: … like Gus Dur, Megawati, Dahlan Iskan, JK (surprise …

Political Campaign Posters & Slogans

… Ridwan Hisyam are not particularly well-known figures and their campaign relied on the appeal of Megawati and the core support of the PDI Perjuangan. Unlike the other candidates, almost all their promotional material featured party attributes, flags, as well as photos of Megawati and Sukarno.

The pairing won the largest share of votes in the provincial capital Surabaya, and in southern, less santri-ised areas like Tulungagung, Trenggalek, and Blitar, and in areas near the Party's base of …

Mega 2009

Who would be the best running mate for Megawati in the 2009 election.

Megawati is determined to run once again for president in 2009, and her chances of success largely seem to depend on forming the best coalition, and having an appealing running-mate, or at least one more appealing than her 2004 partner, dull Hasyim Muzadi. These are the names which are usually mentioned in this respect:

Akbar Tandjung
Wiranto …

Comment by timdog: … - I can’t see; Megawati can’t speak - …

Munir & Muchdi PR

Ross on BIN chief Muchdi's questioning by police over the murder of activist Munir.

The former deputy head of the country's spy service, BIN, has been taken into custody, apparently voluntarily, in connection with the murder of the rights activist Munir. He is presumably meant to be the brains behind Pollycarpus, the rather dim-looking Garuda pilot who is already behind bars for the …

Comment by Rob: … time, including Megawati who was one of them! The …

Purwakarta Church Burned Down

A church is burned down in Purwakarta, West Java by local people feeling slighted at the lack of response to their protests over its construction.

In Citeko village, Plered district, Purwakarta, West Java on 20th May a church run by the Abdi Karya Foundation (Yadika) was burned down in an attack by hundreds of local people.

The building had formerly been a tile factory and was in the …

Comment by Rob: … us would say that Megawati erred on the side of …

I Gede Winasa

Confusion reigns as to whether Bali gubernatorial candidate I Gede Winasa is Muslim or Hindu, or both.

Dual Religion

Several times protests have been recently staged in Bali over the candidacy of independent I Gede Winasa for governor of Bali 2008-2013, on accusations that he changes his religious affiliation depending on circumstance.

Villagers from Winasa's home town of …

Comment by kiwibali: … remember when Megawati was running for president for …

Jewish Medal of Valor

Gus Dur is honoured by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, while somebody is shooting at his house.

Human Rights Award

A "Medal of Valor" will be awarded to former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid aka Gus Dur by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the international Jewish human rights organization based in Los Angeles, for being wiesenthal.com

a leading voice for moderate Muslims …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … due process. Megawati won that first election …

Shopping Mall Churches

Church services in malls, people in West Java are flocking to shopping malls in order to pray.

"Indonesians seek salvation in shops":

Shopping malls in West Java are home to a growing number of Christian congregations. There are 10 in this mall alone.

Few of them want to talk publicly about why they are here, but off the record they admit it comes down to intimidation by Muslim …

Comment by rima: … of predecessor Megawati Sukarnoputri (2001-2004), 232 …

Impatient People

… were:

Adnan Buyung Nasution
Ali Alatas
Emil Salim
TB Silalahi
Rachmawati Soekarnoputri
Sjahrir
Subur Budhi Santoso
Radi A Gany

The lone dissenter was Maruf Amin of the MUI. inilah

Sore Necked Maruf.

Bubarkan Ahmadiyah Video

Boring Speeches

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's boring speeches put people to sleep.

While giving a speech to provincial leaders on 9th April president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono noticed that a number of attendees had fallen asleep. He complained:

Wake up! Get out if you want to sleep.

Boring

He then launched into a mini-lecture about the evils of falling asleep while he was talking …

Comment by Zecky: … Indo TV, back when Megawati was president, I’d see old …

PDI Perjuangan

… PDI's newly formed Muslim religious wing, the Baitul Muslimin Indonesia (BMI), and husband of Megawati. tempo

US Military Intelligence

… using Google to find stories, and these were some of the searches he/she did:

megawati sby 2009
gp ansor banser
Ahmadiyah
danish consulate attack in surabaya
Nahdlatul Ulama organization
Nahdlatul Ulama organization oficial papers
nahdlatul ulema
muslim garis keras indonesia
meaning of mukmin
islamization soft in indonesia
pesantren al zaytun

These kinds of visits to IM are not uncommon, from American and also Australian …

Suharto & the People

Suharto: Let the People Speak, Please Help Indonesia Matters do an informal poll.

Suharto: Let the People Speak, Please Help Indonesia Matters do an informal poll.

Friend,

The alleged near-death of Indonesia's former strongman President Soeharto has dominated the news and Indonesia Matters discussion in the past two weeks.

Was he a bloodthirsty despot or nation builder? …

Comment by dewaratugedeanom: … Soekarno, Gus Dur, Megawati, SBY, what else - is just …

Ahmadiyya

Ahmadiyah makes changes to its beliefs and avoids being banned by the government.

Continued from Religious Intolerance and Banning Islamic Sects .

No Ban

Pakem (Pengawas Aliran Kepercayaan Masyarakat, Overseers of the Peoples' Beliefs), made up of representatives of the Attorney General's Office, police, the State Intelligence Agency and the Religious Affairs Ministry, …

Comment by Miss Rufo Basheeruddin: … We love our Bu Megawati whereas you think Bu Benazir …

Javanese School Days

Compulsory Javanese speaking in schools.

As an attempt to save the Javanese language from decline and eventual extinction the Education Department of Surabaya in East Java has begun a policy of making the speaking of Javanese on all school grounds in the city compulsory on every Monday and Tuesday, for both teachers and students.

One student, Dani Swastiko at Angelus Custos Catholic …

Comment by Aluang Anak Bayang: … Gus Dur and Bu Megawati; and present ones like our …

Forgiveness

Some people are in a forgiving mood as former president Suharto nears death.

As Suharto nears death, with never-ending media reports of "condition improving"/"condition worsening", and as his grave is prepared, suarapembaruan the question of the stalled but outstanding legal case against Suharto concerning stolen national assets has been repeatedly raised.

Hidayat Nur Wahid …

Comment by Aluang Anak Bayang: … SBY and Megawati is a bad leader. Finally …

Gender Equity

Western aid agencies and their gender equity agenda in Indonesia.

Western Agenda

Said to be a commentator on public affairs, Ansari Yamamah, M.A., Lecturer in Shariah Law at Medan IAIN, said on 12th December that western NGO's and aid agencies were trying to impose their own ideas of gender equality on Indonesians, as well as western conceptions of terrorism, human rights, and …

Comment by Aluang Anak Bayang: … We all love Bu Megawati whether we agree with her or …

Mojopahit Empire

Achmad envisages a new Mojopahit Empire with Australia as vassal state.

New columnist Achmad Sudarsono sees Australia destined for client state status under a revived Mojopahit Empire.

Australia's defeat in the Rugby World Cup at the hands of Britain on October 6th was more than a humiliation. It was a sign of a culture that is failing on every level and won't admit …

Comment by Aluang Anak Bayang: … started with Ibu Megawati, Gus Dur, then our beloved Pak …

Anti Australian

Governor Sutiyoso and anti-Australianism and street thuggery.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso while in Sydney, Australia was visited at his hotel room by Australian Federal Police (AFP) over the inquest into the deaths of the "Balibo Five" in East Timor. (see also Yunus Yosfiah )

Ross writes this opinion piece about protests against Australia and street thuggery in general, called " Brutes …

Comment by Rambutan: … was appointed by Megawati. This year we will see the …

Tamsil Linrung

… is sometimes called Hamsid Lin Rung in Philippino court documents) were dropped after president Megawati made a personal plea to Philippines president Arroyo and the two were released a month after the arrests. supremecourt.gov.ph

Yudhi Chrisnandi, a Golkar member from the parliamentary commission for foreign and defence affairs, complained that this latest example of Tamsil's travel woes was an outrageous insult and humiliation for the Indonesian parliament and the entire nation, …

Comment by Robert: … but if president Megawati wouldn’t have intervened, he …

Arastamar School of Theology

The Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology (SETIA) in Jakarta has attracted the attention of Islamic militants.

On March 8th 2007 about 200 members of thuggish groups such as Front Pembela Islam (FPI) and Betawi Rempug Forum (FBR) attacked the Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology in east Jakarta demanding that it close down, according to international sources. ranesi …

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … in an anti-Megawati faction of the PDI, (which …

Security Forces

… some of these goons in uniform are on. The torments inflicted on Acehnese civilians during the Megawati years (she who pledged that during her watch, not one drop of blood would fall on Acehnese soil), rapist troops given derisory sentences; surely such tactics were calculated to stiffen separatist feelings, not stop them.

The unleashing of animals like Laskar Jihad on innocent Christian peasants must have been aimed at inflaming separatist tendencies in Maluku. And the evidence from …

Anti-Chinese Violence

Anti-Chinese feeling in Indonesia, 1996-1999.

Jemma Purdey, in Anti-Chinese Violence in Indonesia, 1996-1999 , suggests that the anti-Chinese violence which periodically occurred prior to May 1998 had its origins in the policy of the Suharto government of marginalising the ethnic Chinese population, restricting them to certain, mainly business, roles, and portraying them as uncaring and …

Comment by Dragonwall: … else. Followed by Megawati then AR Wahid then SBY. J …

Visa on Arrival, Fiscal Tax

On visas and fiscal tax.

Comments on these two interesting topics are split off from the Dating Indonesian Girls page to prevent it going wildly off-topic.

The nationals of many countries have, since 2004, been required to pay a small fee to obtain a tourist visa to enter Indonesia, called Visa On Arrival.

Meanwhile Indonesian citizens and foreigners employed in Indonesia are …

Comment by Achmad Sudarsono: … suggest it in the Megawati cabinet. It hasn’t reduced …

Barack Obama

Senator Barack Obama's Muslim past in Indonesia is being used against him.

Senator Barack Obama from Illinois is reputed to hold some ambition of contesting the Democratic Party nomination for US president next year. His likely rival for the nomination, Senator Hillary Clinton, or her campaign staff, is believed by some to have "leaked" information about Obama having attended a Muslim …

Comment by Pmunaan: … Habibie and Megawati fit that category. It’ll …

Insulting the President

Some of the laws against insulting the president were quashed by the Constitutional Court.

The Constitutional Court of Indonesia (Mahkamah Konstitusi, MK) on the 6th revoked a Dutch colonial era law that made insulting the leaders of the country a crime, in a tight 5-4 decision. Articles 134, 136, and 137 of the criminal code (KUHP) are now no longer in force. The majority opinion stated …

Comment by Dragonwall: … like, Habibie, Megawati, Jusuf Kalla, Hamzah Haz, …

Discrimination Against Chinese

Lee Kuan Yew says there is systematic discrimination against Indonesians of Chinese descent.

The former president of Singapore, as part of a one-hour address at the Raffles Forum , held in conjunction with the IMF-World Bank Meeting in Singapore, reportedly said that the ethnic Chinese minority population in Indonesia, and Malaysia:

Our neighbors both have problems with their …

Comment by Dragonwall: … like Habibie, Megawati, AR Wahid to SBY. Its like a …

Papernas

… Dita Indah Sari addressed the crowd for ten minutes before police ordered dispersal. antara

Comment by Aby: … are not hostile to Megawati’s PDI-P, since it is also a …

Eggy Sudjana

Eggy Sudjana goes on trial for insulting president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Eggi Sudjana is accused of having insulted the president when making comments in connection with his criticism of the giving of Jaguar cars to the president and some of his staff by a wealthy businessmen, one Haritanoe.

Eggi is charged under law 139 which carries a maximum punishment of six years in prison.

…

Comment by Tree Grower: … SBY, unlike Megawati or Suharto, isn’t adverse to …

Hambali

… to Hambali. During an October 2003 stop in Bali, President Bush promised Indonesian President Megawati that the U.S. would give access to Hambali. But U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft told Megawati that "no time frame" has been set for Hambali to be questioned by Indonesia. 205 Although the U.S. has given Indonesia interview transcripts, Indonesia has insisted it cannot use such transcripts in court.

Although Guantanamo Bay detainees, including Australian David Hicks, have …

KTP Religion

… death, and residency certificates. He claims that under the administration of former president Megawati a "Rencana Aksi Nasional (RAN) HAM) 2004-2009", a national human rights action plan, was formulated which specified that civil servants must provide recognition for animist people.

Jon Edi, an adherent of a West Javanese indigenous religion, gave an example of some discrimination experienced by his co-religionists. He said fourteen animists in Wanareja, Subang, were called to appear …

Partai Damai Sejahtera, PDS

… votes mainly from Protestants and evangelicals whereas Catholics tend to plump for the PDI-P, of Megawati.

May 25th 2006. News from the Prosperous Peace Party's conference in Jakarta.

The PDS, Partai Damai Sejahtera, is a Protestant party with 13 seats in the national parliament. Their annual conference was opened by vice president Jusuf Kalla who attempted to deal with some of the concerns of the PDS members over the perceived Islamicization of the country.

The chairman of …

Big Parties Go Cold on Porn Bill

The two largest parties in the parliament, Golkar and PDI-P, appear likely to push for changes to the anti-porn bill . The two parties between them have 237 of the 550 seats in parliament.

Yuddy Chrisnandi from Golkar said his party would likely push for the withdrawal of all articles regarding "pornoaksi", public indecency, in the bill. He was not clear on the other areas of the bill, …

Comment by SuDjoko: … wants to win, too. MegawatI couldn’t care less either …

Confucianism Religion or Khonghucu

The edict of 24 February 2006 which requires local and provincial administrations to give official recognition to the existence of Confucianism in Indonesia, or Khonghucu as it is called locally, appears likely to actually be enforced.

M Ma'ruf, the minister for religion, said mediaindo that there were some provinces and regencies which were still not ready to provide services to …

Comment by Mulyadi: … President Gus Dus, Megawati and also our President now …

Police Army Wars in Maluku

… military and police had been two branches of the same service, ABRI, but under the government of Megawati the armed forces were split off in order to make clear that they had one main role, that of defence of the country. As a result of this the army lost administrative control over areas that were under State of Emergency laws such as Maluku to the police, but, they were still called upon for internal security duties where they have to work closely with police, but now, the two groups no …

Poll Results

… 2005 to stand at 16.5% presently, with the Golkar party trailing at 14.2% and the PDI-P of Megawati at 14.1%.

Moving down to parties with strong Muslim orientation we have the moderate PKB at 7.3%, the Islamist PPP at 3.9%, the Islamist PKS at 2.7% and the moderate PAN at 2.4%. All of these parties have been on a downward spiral since their reasonable performances at the 2004 election but the decline of the PKS, the chief supporter of the anti porn legislation now before …

Indonesian Playboy

… that are opposed to the publishing of Playboy in Indonesia. Hasyim Muzadi, running-mate of Megawati in the last election and a leader of the moderate Nahdatul Ulama has plowed in with:
It will cause a lot of problems, it’s better it doesn’t happen.

A senior member of the House of Representatives, also, said that the magazine must be in accordance with the nation’s culture and the traditions of the east. He said the only form of nudity allowed under the law was a …