a bule's perspective: don't believe what you see on TV

The KPK crisis seems to be winding up nicely. Here's what I have learned so far:

  • Media coverage of the whole debacle has been pretty crap -- particularly TV. There has been way too much speculation on the part of news editors. What scant information we have has been manipulated to make for juicy TV and evocative headlines. 
  • The result? Most people don't understand the case and, worse, there are a lot of silly allegations flying around.
  • People expect a lot from the President, probably way too much. The main complaint against the President is that he didn't get involved. This is not a fair complaint. He couldn't get involved. We should be happy that we have a law-abiding President.
  • We need to put an end to 'rent-a-crowd' protests. They destroy the credibility of genuine protests -- and cause traffic chaos. 
  • In Indonesia -- perhaps more than anywhere else -- it is important that we don't jump to conclusions too quickly.
  • Stick to the facts and you'll be fine. Speculating about a person's motives isn't a good idea, unless you have some good evidence to support your theory.
There are a quite a few people on Twitter who do have a good understanding of the facts. I recommend following Treespotter and reading his blog. He writes in both English and bahasa Indonesia. Rob Baiton also has a good blog. He writes in English, but is a fluent bahasa Indonesia speaker and writer. 

Tree's blog posts in particular can be a bit hard to understand for simple folk like me. But don't let that stop you. If you don't understand, or would like them to explain, ask them in the comments -- in Indonesian if that's easier. They respond quickly to all comments. Don't be scared to ask. And don't worry about looking stupid. 

The only stupid question is the one that is not asked.
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Filed under  //   kpk   media   police   president  

Comments [13]

don't be too hard on the president

I do not understand the contents of the president’s speech
via thejakartaglobe.com

Indonesia was glued to the TV last night waiting to hear what the President would say about the KPK crisis. If you expected him to come out guns blazing, then you would have been sorely disappointed.

SBY told the nation that as head of state he did not have the authority to stop the Police or the Attorney-General. I'm no constitutional lawyer, but that sounds right to me.

"[The] better solution... is to not take this case to court, while continuing to abide by the principle of justice," said the President.

It is not surprising that the President confused the nation with this little ditty. He used a special language known as lawyer speak. Translated, he is telling the Police and Attorney General to drop the case, but don't break any laws in the process.

Most people I know are disappointed. They wanted the President to swoop in, kill the dragon and save the princess -- not a lawyer.

I am still mulling this over, but my initial reaction is that I think the President has done the right thing. He has upheld the law, and maintained the integrity of the Presidency. I respect that. It is far more important than making people happy.

But worry too much, good people. One of two things will happen:

  • the Attorney-General and Police chief will follow the President's recommendation and stop, or 
  • the case will continue.

The smart thing would be to halt the case. But I think the best thing for Indonesia would be for the case to go ahead. Only then will ordinary Indonesians and bules alike get to see just how diseased these two institutions are.

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Filed under  //   kpk   police   president  

Comments [5]

is the president as self-serving as the rest of them?

I want to end the fighting
via thejakartaglobe.com

Before the KPK crisis, I would have described the President as "cautious", "conservative" and very much a "consensus man". He was slow to act, but probably because he preferred the Javanese approach to democracy over authoritarianism -- get everyone to agree before you impose your decision.

During the crisis, I added "smart". I was willing to give the President the benefit of the doubt. His insistence that he was not going to interfere indicated that he knew that if they were given enough rope, the Police and the other nasties involved would hang themselves.

Now, as we draw towards the end of the case, I wonder. Do I still feel the same about the President? On one hand, his sudden change of heart could be seen as very self-serving.

On the other, doesn't the fact that he waited for Team 8's decision, then gave the Police and the AGO the chance to cancel this reaffirm my earlier view of the President?

I think it does. In my mind, at least, the President has redeemed himself. Well, almost. I still have a nagging doubt. Do you feel the same?

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Filed under  //   ago   kpk   police   president  

Comments [4]

who is advising the president?

via thejakartaglobe.com

"I will not bow to public pressure," grumbles the President, proving once again that he must have the crappiest political advisers in the history of politics.

Not only is the President ignoring the fact that public pressure is driving REAL reform for the first time since 1945, he has failed to distance himself with Public Enemies #1 and #2, the Police Chief and the Attorney-General.

To make things worse, he's really packed on the beef.

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Filed under  //   indonesia   kpk   police   president   sby  

Comments [2]

a bule perspective: traitors, conspirators, and why i STILL love indonesia

This is not a question of intervention or non-intervention. It is about the responsibility of the president as head of state
via thejakartaglobe.com

It is hard to believe that only two weeks have passed since the President addressed the nation. He told us in earnest that he could not interfere in the KPK crisis because, in his words, the justice system "will be ripped apart."

That is no longer an issue. In less than a week, the Attorney-General and Police chief have by themselves destroyed what little trust and confidence the public held in the two institutions. The justice system has been badly crippled, if not mortally wounded.

These men have revolted Indonesians with their arrogance. They have discredited the hundreds of thousands of men and women that work for them. It is disgusting to think that the replacement for General Sutanto -- who was praised internationally -- -- could so quickly damage the Indonesian National Police.

Who was not sickened by the Attorney-General as he whined like some Old Testament snake. "I didn't want this job," he cried, "but it is God's will."

God's will? That drivel only works on peasants.

The prophecy has come true. The justice system is in disarray. As the Attorney-General and Police chief did their best to bury the justice system in filth, the Constitutional Court worked overtime to save it. The unimaginable became reality as the nation's top judges took the President head on.

At first martyrs, the victims of this Greek tragedy, Bibit and Chandra, have become national heroes.

But the biggest heroes are the people of Indonesia, for their unwavering call for an end to this debacle.

"Save our beloved KPK," they demanded, echoing the war cry of the 1,2 million strong Facebook group, Gerakan 1 juta Facebookers Dukung Chandra Hamzah dan Bibit Samad Riyanto.

The Indonesian people don't care about the integrity of the justice system or political protocol. "Just do it!" they demand.

Stand tall, my friends. There is as least once crotchety Pondok Indah expat who thinks you're just great.

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Filed under  //   corruption   kpk   police   president  

Comments [4]

did the president plan the whole thing?

First, the Attorney General shot himself in the foot by swearing that there was 'incontrovertible evidence' against Bibit and Chandra. Next, he proceeded to chew off the other foot by apparently rejected the Team of 8's findings that the Police have no evidence. The Attorney-General's office will proceed with the case. To make things worse, the Police appear to have opened a new investigation into Bibit and Chandra. 

The simple man is left wondering why did the President even bother. Why waste our time and money with the Team of 8's enquiry if it would have no effect?

Except it did have an effect. It destroyed public confidence in two very important institutions, the Police and the Attorney-General's office. 

Could it be that the President knew this would happen? Did he predict that the Attorney General and Police would make complete asses of themselves? Did he think give them enough rope and they will hang themselves? 

Still, no-one could have predicted that Police key witness Wiliardi would turn turn on his bosses and claim that the whole case against Antasari is a set up, could they?

There are people that think that the President is part of the problem. I'm not willing to speculate about that because I simply don't know enough. 

However, I am willing to speculate that the President stayed out of this debacle simply because he knew that the Police and Attorney General's office would behave so badly that the public would demand reform. 

Isn't that the obvious next step, reform?
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Filed under  //   attorney general   kpk   police   president  

Comments [10]

an (unholy) trinity: the police, attorney general and president's team

[The only] evidence that police were able to provide was the disbursement of money from Anggodo to Ary Muladi,” he said. “The argument that Ary Muladi channeled the money to Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra Hamzah, directly or indirectly, is not supported by solid evidence.
via thejakartaglobe.com

The Presidential team set up to review the evidence against KPK commissioners Bibit and Chandra has told the President what 230 million Indonesians already know. There is no evidence of Bibit and Chandra receiving bribes or abused their authority.

The problem is that the Police -- who claim to have "overwhelming evidence against them" -- and the Attorney-General -- who doesn't seem to understand the what evidence actually is -- don't care. They are charging ahead regardless.

It is time for the President to step in and do what he should have done long ago. SBY should ask the chief of Police and the Attorney-General to resign. They have lost all credibility and, more importantly, they have destroyed public trust in the two institutions they represent. It is simply untenable for them to continue.

They must go.

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Filed under  //   attorney general   kpk   police   president  

Comments [0]

bule outrage: screw you mr president!

I was so happy to read that KPK commissioners Bibit and Chandra had been released. But happiness quickly turned into anger. 

Nothing has changed. The Police continue with their ridiculous investigation into Bibit's and Chandra's so-called "abuse of authority". 

The Police spokesman told the media that the reason they released Bibit and Chandra was because of "mounting public response". He added that it was necessary "in the interest of security and collective order". That's very interesting. What he is saying is that they were scared of public unrest. 

As I worked my way through Kompas, the Globe and Post, my disappointment turned to anger. The powers that be --- the President and his court jester advisors --- are still yapping on about their bullshit investigation into the use of the President's (formerly) good name. If the newspapers are anything to go by, the President doesn't give a shit about the KPK.

The President sent out his corgis to meet the press. First there was Presidential spokesman Dno Patti Djalal:

The president wants a full investigation into the case... defaming the president’s name is a serious offense

Then came newly appointed Justice and Human Rights Minister, Patrialis Akbar. He went a step further and personally guaranteed that the President is innocent:

It is defamation. It is a lie. I guarantee that he has nothing to do with this case.

Maybe he thinks that this is still the New Order. Maybe it is. It's getting hard to tell.

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Filed under  //   kpk   police   president  

Comments [5]

a bule perspective: the president's no-so-quick and completely inadequate response

Wow! Another crazy day. More frenzied developments. More confusion, more conjecture, more... of the same? Here's my take on what has happened over the past couple of days.

Last week the Police did the unthinkable and arrested KPK commissioners Bibit and Chandra

Why? This seems like the most stupid thing the Police could do, right? Before I answer that, let's keep in mind that this whole case is being driven by one or two very high-ranking people. They are basically using the Police force to serve their own nefarious ends. They don't care about the impact this has on the Police's credibility. They don't care about the low-ranking Police officers who are abused by the public as a result. 

So why did the Police decide to do this now? My guess is that the President told them to. On Wednesday last week, the Constitutional Court ordered that the President's PERPPU -- a Presidential order in lieu of law -- is faulty. The President does not have the authority to dismiss Bibit and Chandra until they are tried and convicted. This is extremely embarrassing for the President. 

This makes things very complex for the President, because now he has an interest in the outcome of the Police prosecution. If the Police get their conviction, then his PERPPU is safe. The President can fire the commissioners. If the Police fail, then the President's enemies --- of which there are many --- will launch an attack like nothing he has seen before. The President could be impeached. This would be very embarrassing for the President because we would all learn about the full extent of his involvement. My guess is that the President does not have clean hands. He must be worried...

What about this tape-recording?

I think this is the other reason the Police arrested Bibit and Chandra. They need to get the trial started before the Bibit and Chandra launch their counter-attack. The tape-recording is the corner-stone of Bibit and Chandra's counter-attack. It supposedly proves that very high-ranking officials at the Attorney-General's Office and the Police plotted the downfall of Bibit and Chandra, by fabricating evidence of bribes.

It looks like this counter-attack has been very well planned. Today the Constitutional Court will listen to the tape-recording. My guess is that the KPK has asked the Constitutional Court to issue an order saying that the KPK acted within its authority by wire-tapping the conversations. This is a very clever strategy, because one of the people recorded, the very evil-looking Anggodo Widjojo, has subsequently filed a complaint with the Police. His complaint? The KPK abused their authority by recording his conversations without authority. 

The support of the Constitutional Court is very important, because when it comes to the KPK crisis, it has higher authority than the Police and the President. 

A nice side-effect is that neither the Police nor the President can get their hands on the tape-recording until the Constitutional Court has finished with it, by which time it will be too late.

But hasn't the President stepped in to help the KPK?

In a word, no. Yesterday he set up a special tribunal that will look at what evidence the Police have against Bibit and Chandra. But it's not clear what this actually means. The special tribunal does not have any authority over the Police or the Attorney-General's Office. It has the authority to make recommendations. But I am not sure what it could possibly recommend that we don't already know. 

Ironically, he claims he acted swiftly by appointing the special tribunal. Why is this ironic? Because I wouldn't be surprised if he is ultimately responsible for the arrest -- however indirect his involvement might be.

What will happen next?

That is a good question. My guess is that the Police charges against Bibit and Chandra will become secondary and superseded by Bibit and Chandra's counter-attack in the Constitutional Court:
  • Bibit and Chandra --- and possibly the KPK --- will ask the Constitutional Court to decide whether they have "abused their authority" by issuing travel bans.
  • The Constitutional Court will decide that they have not "abused their authority" --- this is almost a given.
  • Bibit and Chandra will ask the Constitutional Court to determine whether the Police have abused their authority. 
  • My guess is that the Constitutional Court will decide "yes".
  • Heads will roll at the Attorney-General's Office, the Police chief will be forced to resign and several high-ranking Police and government officials will be charged with corruption.
  • The DPR will try to impeach the President.
That's my prediction --- or is it a wish?

You can find the Facebook page supporting the KPK commissioners here. If you would like to read more about this, you should have a look at Rob Baiton's blog. Here is a link to his "KPK" posts. Also check out Tree's blog, for a very detailed look at specific issues. You might also be interested in the following posts:
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Filed under  //   corruption   kpk   police   president   SBY  

Comments [4]

UPDATE: president considers KPK's options (and his own political survival)

What a weekend! Every single newspaper is screaming blue murder at the arrest of our national heroes, KPK commissioners Bibit and Chandra. At last count, the Facebook Group, Gerakan 1 juta Facebookers Dukung Chandra Hamzah dan Bibit Samad Riyanto (the movement of 1 million Facebookers supporting Chandra and Bibit), had reached 300,000 members --- not bad for a country where 90% of Facebook use is by mobile phone. 

It seems that Ibu Ani must have a Facebook page, because on Sunday the President met with four men to seek their advice on the KPK crisis:

  • Komaruddin Hidayat, the rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University
  • Teten Masduki, the secretary-general of Transparency International Indonesia
  • Anis Baswedan, the director of Paramadina University
  • Hikmahanto Juwana, a law professor at University of Indonesia

The fact that the President consulted with three universities is telling. It shows just how complex he considers the issue to be. A question I have, one that perhaps Rob Baiton or Ari Juliano can help me with is why hasn't the President consulted with the head of the Constitutional Court or the Administrative Court? 

There might be a legal-constitutional reason why the President has not spoken to the judiciary  (assuming that he hasn't). In my homeland, New Zealand, it is vital that the three branches of government, the executive (cabinet), judiciary (courts) and legislature (house of representatives), remain independent of each other. So, if the Prime Minister wanted to speak to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he would have to be very careful what he said and would probably want to make sure that there were lots of witnesses, including the press. I don't know if the same applies here in Indonesia.

It might be even more simple than this. The Constitutional Court has wasted no time criticizing the President for his ill-advised actions, particularly the ridiculous PERPPU. Given the President's sensitivities (remember he said he had been "awfully hurt"), it could well be that the President can't see beyond his own personal issues.

Either way, that's not important. What is important is that the President is finally paying attention to what is going on around him. There is hope.

What can we learn from this? The President can no longer sit back and let things happen --- not when they are of national importance, and most certainly not when they have a direct impact on his credibility. He won the election because of the KPK. He has shamelessly ridden on the coat-tails of their success. He must protect them. 

He owes it to the people who elected him. 

You can find the Facebook page discussed above here. If you would like to read more about this, you should have a look at Rob Baiton's blog. Here is a link to his "KPK" posts. Also check out Tree's blog, for a very detailed look at specific issues.

You might also be interested in the following posts:

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Filed under  //   kpk   police   president   SBY  

Comments [0]

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A hyper-opinionated bule with a deep fondness for Indonesia. Mildly outraged but mostly harmless.

HAKItree
HAKItree blog