Dita Sari looses 3kg since becoming Labour Ministry spokesperson

Dita Sari (below-right) otogether with former vice president and wife (middle); on her back: General Chairperson of the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO) together with chief of Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN). Picture from http://matanews.com/2009/06/06/bangkit-mandiri/

Note: Dita Sari was a chairperson of People's Democratic Party (PRD). During or right before the 2009 election she was reportedly resigned from PRD. Until now there's no responsible explanation to the public by PRD of what had Dita Sari been done politically. According to this news, she's now a spokesperson of Labor Minister.

Background readings: article 1 and compilation article 2

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Detik.com - February 16, 2011

Dita Indah Sari Susut 3 Kg Setelah Jadi Jubir Menaker - Detik News. Rabu, 16/02/2011.

Nurvita Indarini, Jakarta -- Dita Indah Sari and labour are two things that are inseparable. But over the last three months, she has chosen to work within bureaucratic circles. And in those 3 months, her weight has dropped by 3kg. Duh!

Since late 2010, Dita has been a trusted expert staff member as well as the spokesperson for Labour and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin (Imin) Iskandar. Getting close to the inner circle of policy makers has resulted in her being super-busy.

"I dropped 3kg, Mbak (sister). A drop of 3kg in three months", Dita said with a laugh when speaking with Detik.com on Wednesday February 16.

Domestic workers take to the streets demanding decent wages & protection

Seruu.com - February 14, 2011

Seruu.com. Senin, 14 Februari 2011.

Yogyakarta -- Scores of demonstrators from the Yogyakarta Domestic Worker Protection Network (JPPRT) took to the streets on Monday February 14 demanding decent wages and protection for domestic workers.

According to action coordinator Henny, the domestic workers' demands are totally reasonable because in reality domestic workers are still vulnerable to physical, psychological, social and economic violence.

Domestic workers (PRT) represent the largest group of working women, which in global terms total more than 100 million around the world, with 4 million in Indonesia and more than 6 million others working overseas. In the special Yogyakarta province of Central Java alone there are more than 36,000 domestic workers.

Women's rights activists say pornography law intruding into people's private lives

Okezone.com - February 4, 2011

Luna Maya Didukung Aktivis Perempuan - Okezone.com - Jum'at, 4 Februari 2011
<http://celebrity.okezone.com/read/2011/02/04/33/421408/luna-maya-didukung-
aktivis-perempuan>

Mahfiroh, Jakarta -- Women's activists including the Women's Legal Aid Foundation (LBH APIK) and the Free Women National Network (JRPM) are supporting television host Luna Maya as a victims of the distribution of a private video containing sex scenes. The legal proceedings against Maya are not in accordance with the aims of the anti-pornography law.

The groups said that in the application of the anti-pornography law in the case involving the distribution of a private video containing sex scenes from a computer hard disk belonging to pop star Nazril "Ariel" Irham, his fiancee Luna
Maya has been a victim who in the end became a suspect.

Decline in workers' purchasing power threatens consumption, national industry

Kompas - February 4, 2011

Inflasi - Daya Beli Buruh Bakal Kian Merosot – Kompas. Jumat, 4 Februari 2011.
<http://cetak.kompas.com/read/2011/02/04/02461433/daya.beli.buruh.bakal.kian.mer
osot>

Jakarta -- The government should be more serious about controlling the rising rate of inflation. If the situation continues, people's purchasing power, especially fixed-income labor groups, will continue to decline and impact on national consumption levels.

The decline in domestic consumption will further weaken the resilience of national manufacturing industries that are already reeling under the impact of imported products. Declining domestic purchasing power will result in the national economy being more vulnerable to crisis.

Student protesters say government only serves the interests of capital

KRjogja.com - January 28, 2011

KRjogja.com. Jumat, 28 Januari 2011 12:47:00 <http://www.krjogja.com/news/detail/68406/.Pembebasan..Tuding.Pemerintah.Pelayan.Kapitalisme.html>

Yogyakarta -- Scores of demonstrators from the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (Pembebasan) held an action in front of the Gajah Mada University traffic circle on Friday January 28 demanding that the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono resign because they have become loyal servants of capitalism in Indonesia.

Action coordinator Arif Hasibuan charged that right from the start the government has created problems and experienced economic and political disorientation. Moreover it has increasingly asserted its support for imperialism.

Papuan protesters say special autonomy has failed

28 Januari 2011 <http://suaramerdeka.com/v1/index.php/read/news/2011/01/28/76541/Otonomi-Khusus-Papua-Gagal>

Yogyakarta -- The special autonomy that has been in effect in Papua since 2001 is not working in accordance the hopes of the indigenous people there. There are still many infringements and even human rights violations. As a consequence, there has been no development and indigenous people have never enjoyed the produce of the land of their birth.

This view was expressed when Papuan demonstrators took to the streets of the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Thursday January 27. The protesters from the Anti-Colonial Movement (Ganja) marched through Jl. Malioboro in the city center then ended the action at the central post office intersection.

New book reveals CIA role in consolidation of Suharto's New Order regime

Kompas - January 22, 2011

Jakarta -- The US Central Intelligence Agency very much dominated the initial consolidation of the New Order regime of former President Suharto. US international relations historian from Princeton University, Bradley R Simpson, says that the succession of laws enacted by President Suharto was drafted with strong influence from the US.

"As an example is the case of Law Number 1/1967 on Foreign Capital Investment. A succession of laws and the presence of Freeport in Papua were the initial steps in US government intervention at the time in the Suharto regime", said Simpson, who has recently launched a book published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama titled "Economists with Guns: The United States, the CIA and the Emergence of the Authoritarian New Order Regime".

The White House and the CIA played an extremely important role in efforts to reschedule Indonesia's debt after the Indonesian economy during earlier period of former President Sukarno suffered hyperinflation and problems obtaining foreign exchange.

In the initial period of the Suharto administration US intelligence greatly assisted the military dominated regime. Although there were also concerns a too large military organisation in Indonesia could be counterproductive to US interests. It was because of this that it was only in the 1970s that the US was prepared to provide primary defense equipment weaponry.

Kontras: Human rights violations in Papua still high

Detik.com - January 21, 2011

Kontras: Pelanggaran HAM di Papua Masih Tinggi 
<http://www.detiknews.com/read/2011/01/21/183004/1552031/10/kontras-pelanggaran-
ham-di-papua-masih-tinggi>

Andi Saputra, Jakarta -- The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that human rights violations in Papua are still high. These violations represent a threat to civil freedoms and discriminate against the Papuan people's identity.

The high level of human rights violations have been aggravated by unclear regulations and a failure to provide a sense of justice to the public.

"There is still a great deal of violence and threats against civil liberties", said Kontras Papua coordinator Olga Hamadi during a press conference at the Kontras' offices on Jl. Borobudur in Jakarta on Friday January 21.

This is how "Food Security" look like under imperialism

Government to lift import duties on staple foods

Jakarta Post - January 20, 2011

Esther Samboh, Jakarta -- The government will soon abolish import duties for 30 staple commodities starting from the end of this month amid rising concerns over a possible food supply shortage at home and surging food prices in the world market.

Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said Wednesday that the commodities included wheat, animal feed, fertilizer, soybean as well as many others.

"There will be a time frame for the scrapping of the import duties, so once global food prices have stabilized, there will be an evaluation as to when it would be revoked," Mari told reporters after a meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy in Jakarta.

Indonesia: Remembering mass-murder

Alex de Jong

The 1960s were worldwide a period of turbulence and change. But whereas in many parts of the world, the decade is often remembered as a time of exuberance and hope, in Indonesia it’s split in half by a wave of intense violence. About 45 years ago, one of the great crimes of the twentieth century took place: from early October 1965 to March 1966, after a coup attempt by pro-Communist Party officers backfired, Indonesia witnessed the bloodiest massacres in its history.

The predominant form of the killings was an anti-Communist pogrom, targeting not only the leaders of the Indonesian Communist Party (Partai Kommunis Indonesia, PKI) and its allied organizations but also their rank and file. Thousands died in these targeted, systematic killings. The outcome of the killings was the establishment of Suharto’s Orde Baru or New Order dictatorship. “1965” became the founding myth of Suharto’s regime. The memory of it was simultaneously repressed and instrumentalized, formed and denied: “don’t talk about the killings”, “the killings were a period of mass hysteria”, “society ran amok”, “the killings were caused by fighting among the Communists”, “don’t support communism, remember how they killed those people in 1965” – and, in hushed voices; “don’t support communism, remember how we crushed the PKI”.