Anticorruption rallies end in chaos

Sarinah, Perempuan Mahardhika & KPRM PRD member

Jakarta Post - December 10, 2010

Andi Hajramurni and Ruslan Sangadji, Makassar/Palu -- Some student rallies 
to mark International Anti-Corruption Day on Thursday in a number of big cities throughout country turned ugly.

Rallies ended in chaos in Makassar, South Sulawesi; Palu, Central Sulawesi, and Kefamenanu, East Nusa Tenggara, where protesters were involved in violent clashes with police officers.

In Makassar, a clash took place along the 200-meter distance between the South Sulawesi governor's office and the campus of Indonesian Muslim University.

Government faces anger from Merapi victims

Jakarta Post - December 10, 2010

Slamet Susanto and Arya Dipa, Yogyakarta/Bandung -- Thousands of survivors of the Mount Merapi eruptions staged a rally in Yogyakarta on Monday, demanding that the government fulfill its promise to compensate them for livestock killed during the eruptions.

The protestors arrived in trucks to the governor's office in Kepatihan and to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) office on Jl. Kenari. "We want the government to act on its promise," Kemirah of Wukirsari village in Cangkringan, Sleman, said.

The survivors also demanded that temporary homes for them be built as soon as possible.

The BNPB previously said it would disburse funds to the affected local administrations to purchase livestock for survivors. The agency reported that it would purchase nearly 4,000 cows.

ARM: for an alternative disaster management

Nightly meeting at Dampit Post

Zoe Safia Kenny*

Over the last month, as I have been staying in Yogyakarta, I have witnessed the unfolding of the Merapi volcanic disaster. Merapi first erupted on October 26 followed by more eruptions until another major eruption on November 5. The fallout of the eruptions has been more than 200 casualties, the evacuation of 340,000 people as well as the destruction of many houses, farm land and crops and livestock. 

The government, while succeeding in evacuating most people before the first eruption, responded slowly and inadequately to the disaster. For example, the government did not anticipate the eruptions and construct shelters in advance of the event, instead waiting until thousands of refugees needed shelter and depositing them in universities and stadiums throughout Yogyakarta and Magellang. In the immediate sense this was as a result of a lack of forward preparation, however the government's failure in this situation is only symptomatic of deeper problems: the endemic corruption and inefficiency fostered by Suharto's New Order regime. Indonesia's political elite are involved in politics in order to serve their own interests, and the welfare of the people is a secondary consideration. In the context of a natural disaster situation, these skewed priorities are clearly exposed.

Workers Strike Over Wage Hike They Say Is Too Low

Jakarta. Thousands of workers in and around an industrial estate in East Jakarta went on a daylong strike on Friday over the new monthly minimum wage announced for the capital.

Striking workers brought much of the Kawasan Berikat Nusantara industrial estate to a standstill with their action.

The Jakarta administration last month announced a monthly minimum wage of Rp 1.29 million ($140) for next year, a 15.8 percent increase from the current minimum wage of Rp 1.12 million.

Labor unions criticized the increase as too low while employers complained it was too high.

During Friday’s action, the workers said the new minimum wage still fell short of the Reasonable Living Cost Index (KHL), which for Jakarta is pegged at Rp 1. 4 million a month this year.