Global Voices Online » Indonesia

‘Buy Indonesia' campaign

Mong Palatino — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:18:48 +0000

A campaign was launched encouraging Indonesian consumers and companies to patronize locally-made products and services.

Indonesia: Candidates seek support of bloggers

Mong Palatino — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:16:09 +0000

Indonesian candidates are seeking the support of popular bloggers in order to win more votes.

Indonesia: Vice President Debate

Mong Palatino — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:13:35 +0000

Indonesia conducted a debate among vice president hopefuls. My Busy Brain thinks the candidates were all colorul. Listen to the audio podcast of the debate.

Indonesia: Ancient manuscripts digitalized

Mong Palatino — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:12:37 +0000

A literature foundation in Surakarta has announced that it plans to digitalize more than 6,000 ancient Indonesian manuscripts and books in its possession.

Indonesia: Disappointing Election Debate

Carolina Rumuat — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:01:54 +0000

Last Thursday June 18, 2009 some millions of Indonesian TV viewers fixed their eyes on their TV set for the nation's first ever presidential election debate. It was the only moment so far where the three Indonesian chief of state hopefuls — Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), Megawati Sokarnoputri (Mega), and Jusuf Kalla (JK) are reunited all in one forum.

The citizens applauded the idea of the political show which was aired by several TV stations, but many booed the program's execution.

Online, bloggers are in unison saying that the debate was a full blown disappointment. Some believe that it was a key moment for the three candidates and their running mates, but unfortunately the candidates weren't seen to carry themselves well enough or to send out the proper messages that could increase their odds to become the president of the world's largest Muslim populated country.

Herman Saksono wrote an opinion about the debate in Politikana, an online community for politically-savvy Indonesians, saying that:

Walaupun saya berniat mereview konten debat capres tadi malam, tapi dengan segala maaf saya bener-benar tidak tahu berkata apa untuk Mega. Argumentasinya yang sama sekali tidak jelas, memunculkan keraguan apakah Ibu yang satu ini memiliki visi untuk negara ini.

SBY dan JK muncul sebagai pemenang malam itu, walaupun penampilan mereka tidak spektakuler. SBY menunjukkan kapabilitasnya sebagai seorang pemimpin yang melihat permasalahan secara makro, tetapi kurang mengeri permasalahan pada skala mikro. JK justru sebaliknya, ia seperti tidak paham konsep-konsep bernegara, tetapi juara ketika membahas isu-isu yang dekat dengan keseharian kita.

Keduanya memang seperti kombinasi yang ideal dan saling melengkapi. Tapi kita semua tahu kombinasi SBY-JK tidak akan bisa jalan mulus.

Eventhough I have no intention to review the content of the debate, but with all due respect I have no clue what to say about Mega. Her arguments are unclear, making us wondering whether the lady actually has a vision for this county.

SBY and JK were the winners of the night, despite their less than spectacular performances. SBY showed his capacities as a leader that oversee problems in macroscopic way, but he failed to show comprehension to solve the micro issues. JK on the other hand, knows so little about governance concepts, but he aced when it comes to the people's daily issues.

They're both are an ideal combination that compliments one another. But we all know that SBY-JK combination will not be smooth.

RJ Sulistyo wrote a post on Kompasiana, stating his disappointment about the highly anticipated debate.

Awalnya sangat ditunggu, tapi akhirnya mengecewakan. inilah komentar singkat tentang debat calon presiden putaran pertama tadi malam. Normatif, miskin gagasan segar, seragam dan tidak ada saling serang. Menjemukan.

[…]

Agar debat berlangsung menarik pertama-tama semua pihak harus punya gagasan yang berbeda. Tidak akan terjadi debat jika idenya sama dan seragam. Jika gagasannya sudah berbeda ketiganya harus saling serang. Ini penting untuk menguji sebuah gagasan apakah didasarkan pada argumen atau fakta yang menunjang atau tidak. Jika dilakuan ini bisa menguji kecerdasan dan juga mental calon presiden kita.

Ketika masalah alusista dan lumpur lapindo diangkat, Mega dan JK tidak menggunakan isue ini untuk menyerang SBY. JK kita maklum saja, posisinya sebagai wakil presiden dalam pemerintahan SBY tidak akan membuat dirinya mampu secara frontal menyerang gagasan SBY. Mega sesungguhnya punya peluang besar untuk menjatuhkan SBY. Peluang ini tidak dimanfaatkan secara optimal. Maka debat menjadi tidak seru, sekaligus tidak bermutu.

[…]

Kita maklum debat ini adalah tradisi baru. Para calon agaknya masih ragu-ragu untuk saling serang secara berhadap-hadapan dalam forum terbuka. Selama ini mereka sebenarnya sudah saling serang secara sengit tetapi tidak secara berhadap-hadapan. Pada posisi ini saya menilai semua calon telah menjadi pecundang tadi malam. Di depan orangnya bersikap manis-manis, tetapi diluar saling serang dengan pedas.

(The debate was) highly anticipated, but the result was disappointing. here are some short comment about the presidential candidates' first round of debate. Normative, lacking fresh ideas, monotonous and they didn't attack one another. Boring.

[…]

To have an interesting debate, first of all they need to have different perspectives. There won't be any debate if they all have the same perspective. When their visions are different, then they should start criticizing each other. This is crucial to see if the idea is based on (a good) argument or strong facts or not. This way we can test the intelligence and mentality of our future president.

On Indonesia's main weapon defense system (Alutsista) and Lapindo Mud flow (writer's note: read here for more info), Mega and JK didn't use these two issues to criticize SBY. If JK remained silent, we understood why, his position as Vice President in SBY's administration enables him to frontally criticize SBY's ideas. Mega had a huge opportunity to bring down SBY. The opportunity was not used well. That's why the debate was not at all exciting or even good in terms of quality.

[…]

We understand that the debate is a new tradition. The candidates are still hesitating to criticize frontally in front of an open forum. All these times they've been criticizing one another harshly but never face to face. In this position, I think everybody was a loser last night. In front of the person (they criticized), they're behaving nicely, but out there they criticize each other sharply.

Seno on his Life is too short to drink bad coffee blog said:

Saya berpikir debat capres putaran pertama akan berlangsung sengit karena dalam kampanye mereka selalu saling sindir, dan membuat suasana politik makin memanas. Ternyata tidak, Megawatiyang dalam pidato kampanye selalu menjadi oposisi, kali ini selalu mengiyakan apa yang dikatakan SBY dan JK.

[…]

Saya seperti mencari ketiak ular. Tidak ada perbedaan prinsip dan visi misi serta perbedaan cara mengatasi masalah-masalah yang dipertanyakan oleh moderator.

I though that the first round presidential debate will be very sharp because during their campaigns [id], they're mocking each other, heating up the political arena. But in fact no, Megawati [id] in her campaign speeches always placed herself as the opposition, this time agreed to things that was said by SBY and JK.

[…]

I feel like I was searching the armpit of a snake. There were no principle differences, objectives, or alternative problem solving answers to questions asked by the moderator.

Teenlit author Sitta Karina Rachmidiharja express her opinion through twitter, saying:

The first presidential candidates' last night was not “hot”…

Despite the poor review of the program, as Sitta Karina said, it was a good start for Indonesia, one of the world's youngest democratic countries.

Indonesia: Wayang Kulit

Mong Palatino — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:09:06 +0000

The traditional wayang kulit is a famous shadow puppet play in Indonesia. lekhikaa blogs about a project to make the wayang accessible to foreigners.

Indonesia: Deteriorating Primary Defense Weapon System

Carolina Rumuat — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:01:30 +0000

Another Indonesian military helicopter crashed on Monday in Cianjur, West Java, raising concerns among Indonesians regarding the country's deteriorating Primary Defense Weapon System (Alutsista).

Last month, Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yuhoyono (SBY) admitted [id] defense weapons procurement budget alleviation. However, he claimed that the government didn't cut the weapons maintenance budget.

Indonesia is currently having an unease bilateral relation with the neighbor country Malaysia over Ambalat. Both country claim ownership over the oil rich sea block situated in Celebes Sea which borders with Malaysian state Sabah.

Despite the agreement made by both governments to eliminate show of force, many believes that it's a crucial moment for Indonesia to defend its sovereignty.

A post appeared on Pemuda Indonesia baru blog questions the quality of Indonesian army:

Kembali Pesawat TNI jatuh padahal belum lama tragedi Hercules berlalu. Pesawat jenis Helicopter Bolco milik TNI angkatan Darat (AD) ini yang membawa 3 penumpang dan 2 kru. Pesawat ini dikabarkan jatuh di desa Pagelaran, Cianjur Selatan, Jawa Barat.

[…]

Kejadian naas ini membuat kita bertanya-tanya, Sekuat apakah TNI kita? Pertanyaan ini timbul dikarenakan saat ini bangsa kita dihadapkan pada situasi yang sangat penting untuk membuktikan bahwa TNI kita Kuat. Dimana Negara tetangga kita saat ini sedang asyik-asyiknya memamerkan kekuatan (Show Force) tentaranya di Ambalat.

[…]

Menurut salah seorang Anggota DPR, bahwa kekauatan TNI saat ini masih diatas Tentara diraja Malaysia, Tolak ukur dari pernyatan beliau adalah kuantitas, dimana Jumlah personel dan peralatan TNI masih lebih banyak bila dibandingkan dengan Tentara Diraja Malaysia. Tapi bagaimana dengan kualitas?

Jatuhnya pesawat milik TNI yang terjadi beberapa kali belakangan ini dapat dijadikan sebagai indikasi bahwa kualitas Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI) perlu dipertanyakan. Benar memang dari jumlah kita menang tapi dari kualitas sangat diragukan.

Once again a military air craft crashed, while the Hercules tragedy happened not so long ago. A Bolco type Helicopter belongs to the Indonesian Army, the helicopter took three civilians and two crew members. The craft crashed in Pagelaran Village, South Cianjur, West Java.

[…]

The unfortunate event makes us wondering, how strong is our Military? This question arise in the midst of a crucial event when the army is supposed to be able to show its strength. Our neigboring country is ardently showing its military force (Show of Force) in Ambalat.

[…]

According to one people's representatives, Indonesian military force is still above Malaysia's, however his assesment was based on quantity, where (it's a fact that) our personnel and weapons are bigger in number compared to those belong to Malaysian Army But what about the quality?

The Army's plane crash that happened a few times lately could raised question regarding the quality of the Indonesian Army. Indeed we win in terms of quantity, (but) our quality is questionable.

Dwi Eka wrote a post on Think and Act for National Defense, not long after the crash of Lockheed C-130H in East Java last month, which killed 101 passengers and army members. She stated that Primary Defense Weapon System has been a serious topic within the government, and since 2007 the Indonesian military (TNI) experienced budget cut that made them struggle to maintain the Alutsista.

TNI adalah ujung tombak pertahanan negara, dan pertahanan negara adalah penentu kedaulatan dan kelangsungan negara.

[…]

Boleh jadi, permasalahan alutsista bukan hanya karena terbatasnya anggaran melainkan serapannya yang juga rendah. Anggaran yang telah ditetapkan dalam APBN ketika dicairkan tidak tepat sasaran, atau mengalami kebocoran. Adanya sistem fee yang telah membudaya sangat mempengaruhi kualitas proyek. Sehingga tidak heran jika ada yang menginginkan audit ditubuh TNI. Ini tentunya didasari atas niat yang baik, bukan sama sekali untuk menggembosi TNI itu sendiri, melainkan sebaliknya, dengan sistem pengadaan & perawatan alutsista yang transparan & terukur, kita ingin agar TNI dapat menyerap anggarannya sebesar-besarnya untuk peningkatan kekuatan pertahanan. Audit dimaksudkan untuk melihat sejauh mana serapan anggaran itu berlangsung dan jika ada indikasi penyimpangan maka dapat segera dicari solusinya.

Selain itu, untuk meningkatkan serapan anggaran, masing-masing pihak secara jujur dan ikhlas harus menjunjung profesionalisme dengan mengedepankan aspek moralitas bahwa semata-mata kita berjuang untuk mempertahankan harkat dan martabat negara.

Berikutnya perlu dikaji ulang secara mendalam pula tentang bagaimana menata kembali sistem perekrutan, meningkatkan standar pendidikan prajurit dengan mengutamakan profesionalisme bukan pengharapan materi semata, dan mengisi kembali pos-pos yang selama ini terabaikan seperti memperkuat kembali wilayah perbatasan dan pemeliharaan aset negara serta kemampuan tempur personil TNI.

Upaya ini diharapkan dapat meningkatkan serapan anggaran yang terukur kinerjanya. Dengan demikian publik pun akan paham dan merelakan sebagian anggarannya dialihkan untuk sektor pertahanan.

The TNI (Indonesian National Army) is the lance of national defense, and national defense determines the state's sovereignty.

[…]

We can assume that Alutsista problem was not caused by limited budget, but also because the budget's absorption is low. The use of the available budget, which is included on the national budget, is off target or leaked. The Fee system influences the quality of the (purchasing) projects. No wonder if some wants to see audit within the Indonesian Military. The audit is, of course, a good intention, not at all a way to deflate the TNI but on the contrary, with a transparent and measured Alutsista's procurement and maintenance system the people are hoping that the TNI will absorp as many available budget as possible in order to enhance our national defence. The audit aims to see how well the military use the budget, so we can look for solution if there's any sort of (budget) divergence.

Moreover, to increase the absorption of the budget, each individual needs to be honest, sincere, professional, and sets out the morality aspect because we're fighting for the country's honor and dignity.

On the next level, we need to seriously reassess the recruitment system, increasing the education (and training) standard of our soldiers by emphasizing on profesionalism instead of material compensation, and refilling the abandoned posts, like enhancing our border strength and maintenance of the state assets and also combat capacity of the TNI's personnels.

This efforts hopefully could increase a well targeted budget's absorption. With this the public will understand and allow their money to be invested for the defense sector.

Speaking to a local journal, Air Vice Marshall Sagom Tamboen said [id] that openly speaking about national defense and main defense weapon system could endanger Indonesia and the civilian population.

In Indonesia, homeland security and defense information is classified, according to the state law.

Next July, Indonesians will head to the ballots to choose the next RI 1 (Republik Indonesia 1 - head of state). The Alutsista matter is fast becoming the favorite agenda for the three hopefuls, each of them claim to increase the procurement budgets if they're elected.

Malaysia-Indonesia border dispute

Mong Palatino — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:11:43 +0000

Tension rose when Indonesia accused Malaysia of sending naval battleships in Ambalat, a maritime area which both Indonesia and Malaysia claim as their territory.

Translator of the week: Carolina Chandra Rumuat

Claire Ulrich — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:59:55 +0000

Carolina Chandra Rumuat is spinning a new planet in the Global Voices-Lingua galaxy of languages: Global Voices in Bahasa Indonesia. Say what? In Bahasa Indonesia, the official language of no less than 237 million Indonesians. In truly globalized fashion, Carolina from Indonesia translates and nurtures the brand new Lingua website all the way from… Morocco!

Carolina Chandra Rumuat

Carolina, the West is practically clueless about your native language. What should we know ?

There are 700 or so languages in Indonesia, almost all of them living, spoken languages. In 1928, Indonesia declared Bahasa Indonesia the national language, the language of unity for everyone in this archipelagic country. Indonesian - or Bahasa Indonesia - is the fourth most spoken language in the world

How do you fit in this vast, very diverse, young country ?

In Indonesia, I'm considered three parts minority — well, at least, I was during President Suharto's New Order era: I'm a Christian Protestant, not a Muslim, I am half Chinese, and I'm a woman. I was very close to my Chinese maternal grandparents who practically raised me. Thanks to them, I learned the importance of knowledge, and that some virtues simply stand the test of time. Like, that you should be there for those in need, and be responsive to those under oppression. My grandparents are very Chinese, but luckily their life virtues didn't come solely from the Little Red Book. Sure, hard work is something they stressed, but so was the virtue of a quiet mind (a.k.a patience) I'm a nerdy type and I don't let my passions turn lukewarm. I found writing addictive. It's not just an outlet, it brings me joy. After college, I worked as a news writer in Jakarta, then as assistant journalist in a foreign news agency in Bali.

From Bali to Casablanca, Morocco…What happened ?

In Bali, I met and fell in love with my soulmate. After a while, we had to come to terms with the fact that his business needs him to be in Morocco. Since neither of us wanted to part, I simplified the decision-making process and came with him to Morocco.

Besides this, I also learned that the media is changing quickly. Online media is no longer an alternative: it is the future. I have mixed feelings about this, but one of the good points is that at least we can spare the forests. I'm an impulsive blogger, at Between Birth and Burial, and I have huge interest in new media.

How and when did you get acquainted with Global Voices ?

My fiancé first showed me Global Voices sometime last year. I read the website and without even reading the manifesto, I knew that Global Voices embodies one of those “changes” of dynamism in online journalism. Without a second thought, I bombarded Leonard and Portnoy, heads of the Lingua project, with email pleas. I wanted to be involved because I know that Indonesians' interest in reading is low. I think that, perhaps, if news is published in their native language, their interest in international issues will grow.

President Suharto's era caused people to curb their curiosity, and now is a good time to fix that — Indonesia is one of the world's youngest democracies. That's why I sincerely feel that people should be better informed about their rights, including freedom of speech. My first translation appeared in December 2008, a few days after I officially joined. Lingua is a good platform because it encourages people not to keep their troubles to themselves, it helps them realize that in some ways our lives are amalgamated with the rest of the world, even though we speak different languages.

How did Carolina from Indonesia adapt to Morocco?

Culture shock made me slow in socializing. I landed a job about 2 months ago in an Internet start up. It allows me to learn new things about myself and how to manage people despite our cultural differences. The bright side of my job is that it allows me to meet new people and see how they see live.

Casablanca reminds me a lot of Jakarta. Big and still growing, with a cosmopolitan charm that lures people from smaller cities to try their luck here. It also has a lot of contradictions. We can see women in burqas waiting at a bus stop next to a girl wearing a miniskirt and fishnet stockings. The biggest mosque in Maghreb is only a stone's throw away from the nightlife district, which I find interesting. I haven't had much chance to travel around the country yet. The Moroccans I know say that Casablanca is not Morocco. But so far, I think Morocco is a charming country. It's not the easiest country to live in for most Asians (including myself), but all experiences are valuable. It gives me lots of material for my blog.

Please introduce us to your first volunteer translators!

Global Voices in Bahasa Indonesia currently has 4 active translators including myself. Galuh Tahtya is one of my college buddies. After moving to Casablanca, we started to swap news, and one day I told her about the Lingua project. She decided to join.

Then came Ivan Lanin, the director of Wikimedia Indonesia, who also showed interest in volunteering. We found Oktavia Sidharta through Portnoy of Global Voices in Chinese, while our latest addition, Juliana Harsianti, is also an acquaintance of mine back in Jakarta. She is currently studying in Oslo, Norway with a scholarship laureate in online media.

Global Voices in Indonesian is still a baby but we hope that it will grow as big as Global Voices in French or in Spanish. I have some plans I wish to implement soon. I want to introduce Global Voices' mission to Indonesian young minds, especially those living on the island of Bali. I also wants to get in touch with my school and bring the Lingua project to their attention. I wish to share the beauty of volunteering with youth and the Indonesian public in general. Global Voices in Indonesian is taking it one step at a time, and it's truly a labor of love.

Global Voices in Bahasa Indonesia has a Facebook page!

Indonesia: Governor uses Facebook

Mong Palatino — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:28:00 +0000

Rudy Ariffin, the Governor of South Kalimantan in Indonesia, has been using Facebook for the last five months. He spends between 30 to 60 minutes in the evening to communicate with his constituents.

Indonesia: Presidential and VP candidates

Mong Palatino — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:25:23 +0000

Indonesia's election commission has announced the names of candidates for President/Vice President who will be running for the election on 8 July 2009. All candidates have gone through general medical check-up and wealth review.

Indonesia: Jailed For Complaining

Carolina Rumuat — Sun, 31 May 2009 09:40:37 +0000

The case of Prita Mulyasari, a mother of two, is currently the hot topic among Indonesian bloggers. She wrote an online complaint letter [id] against a private hospital in Tangerang, one of Jakarta's suburban areas, and now she is being charged for violating chapter 27 verse 3 of the Information and Electronic Transaction Law (UU ITE) [id].

Prita shared her experience of being maltreated by the hospital on a mailing-list. The hospital took legal action against her. That online complaint may result into six years jail term and maximum fine of 1 billion Rupiah (nearly US$ 98,000).

Erwin Mulyadi shared his opinion on his blog, saying:

Seakan kembali ke masa lalu, kebebasan berbicara bakal kembali jadi hal yang mewah di negeri ini. Salah-salah, apa yang kita bahas di internet bisa dijerat dengan pasal ‘pencemaran nama baik' pada UU Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik (ITE).

[…]

Peristiwa ini lantas menimbulkan keprihatinan bagi saya, yang mengharapkan bahwa pelayanan apapun (termasuk rumah sakit) harus berorientasi pada kepuasan konsumen. Bahwa saat kritik disampaikan (entah dengan redaksional yang subjektif, gaya bahasa yang emosional dan tidak mengikuti kaidah bahsa hukum yang aman) lantas berbuah penjara, tentu membuat keprihatinan kita semua yang terbiasa menulis di ranah maya ini, termasuk para blogger yang menjadi komunitas jurnalis citizen yang paham benar istilah ‘kebebasan berbicara'. Oke taruhlah apa yang ditulis oleh Prita memang dianggap tidak benar dan penuh kebohongan, apakah reaksi ‘balasan' melalui gugatan ini tidak terlalu berlebihan? Bisa dibayangkan efek psikologis dari peristiwa ini terhadap para penulis yang selama ini kritis dalam ‘meluruskan yang bengkok' dan bisa dibayangkan betapa mudahnya tiap kritikan akan digugat dengan tuduhan : ‘pencemaran nama baik'

It feels like going back in the past, the freedom of speech soon will become a luxury in the country. Taking a wrong step, we could be strangled by “defamation” chapter according to the ITE law for things we talk about over the internet.[…]

This unfortunate event saddens me; I personally hope that any service (including hospitals) should aim to have customers satisfaction. All criticism (whether presented subjectively or written in anger, which therefore didn't follow rules on writing's decency) that caused the writer to be put in jail surely saddens us, who often write in the virtual world and bloggers who are considered as citizen journalists who are aware so much about “freedom of speech”. Let say that Prita, who's said to lie, don't you think that the (legal) response is a bit too much? We can all imagine the psychological effect of the case for writers who are critical in “making things right” and we can imagine how easy criticism is being labeled as “defamation”.

A post on daily social network says:

Sangat disayangkan memang ketika anda mengajukan keluhan di internet, ternyata justru berakhir di penjara. Sedangkan kalau dipikir-pikir di koran-koran terkemuka hampir setiap hari ada saja keluhan terhadap perusahaan ini dan itu dan belum pernah saya dengar ada yang dipenjara karenanya. Mungkin sebaiknya kita lebih baik mengeluh di koran daripada lewat online? Memang sih ada juga kasus penulis surat pembaca yang dipenjara, namun yang ternyata keluhan tersebut diforward dari internet (anonim).

Fakta yang menarik bagaimana orang Indonesia tidak mampu menerima kritik bahkan dari pengguna yang katanya adalah raja. Apapun keluhan anda terhadap instansi apapun, silahkan keluhkan langsung di koran saja dan jangan melalui media online. Keluhan di koran pasti diperhatikan dan dicarikan solusi, keluhan via online akan membawa anda ke penjara.

Apakah ini namanya kebebasan berekspresi? Demokrasi? Sungguh menyedihkan.

It's unfortunate indeed when you're complaining on internet, you ended up in jail. While each day we see a column filled with public complaints against companies, but I've never heard someone being arrested for (having his complaint letter printed on newspaper). Maybe we should complain through newspapers and not complain online? There was indeed a complaint letter source being jailed, but after we really read about it the complaint was first written online (anonymously).This is an interesting case that shows that Indonesians can't bare criticism, even from customers who are considered kings. If you have any complaint, printed directly on newspapers, don't go around the Internet. Your printed complaint will be gain attention, even solution, while the online one will take you to jail.

Is this freedom of expression? Democracy? How pathetic.

Commission for Human Rights' (KOMNAS HAM) official said[id] that the court is overreacting to use an ITE law to sue a consumer, the commission also said that they're ready to facilitate the victim's family for justice.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Internet users are taking the public advocacy to the country's latest favorite networking site Facebook.

This case came under the spotlight after the Indonesian Supreme Court acquitted the plea for ITE's reassessment.

Another court session for Prita is set for next week.

“Obama” as President of Indonesia

Mong Palatino — Sun, 24 May 2009 13:59:05 +0000

“Obama” presents himself as President of Indonesia through a YouTube video. The clip features an Obama impersonator. The presidential election in Indonesia will be held on July.

Indonesia: Presidential election survey

Mong Palatino — Sun, 24 May 2009 13:53:58 +0000

Survey result shows Indonesia's incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is still leading among the candidates for the July polls.

Indonesia: Wealthy candidates

Mong Palatino — Sun, 24 May 2009 13:47:49 +0000

Jakartass reviews the wealth reports submitted by Indonesia's presidential candidates. Many of them have businesses outside of Indonesia.