Govt trims subsidy expenditure in 2012

Esther Samboh, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 08/16/2011 7:22 PM

The government has downsized its budget allocation subsidies in its proposed 2012 state budget that was presented by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to legislators on Tuesday.

Under the proposed budget, subsidies are expected to reach Rp 208.9 trillion, a Rp 28.3 trillion decrease from the Rp 237.2 trillion in the revised 2011 state budget, the President said in his annual economic address.

Of the total subsidies, Rp 123.6 trillion will be alloccated for fuel subsidy and Rp 45 trillion for electricity subsidy. The remaining Rp 40.3 trillion will be allocated for non-energy subsidies, including food, fertilizer, social services and taxes, among others.

“The government realizes that subsidies are actually designated for people with weak or low economic standing, but their disbursement is not targeted well, so they are also enjoyed by those who are economically [well off],” Yudhoyono said.

“Therefore, the reorganization of subsidy-disbursement policy that has been done in 2011 will continue to be implemented in 2012.”

Economists have warned that mounting subsidy costs will hinder Indonesia’s economic potential and have recommended the government reallocate its funds toward development or a social safety net instead.

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Gayus won’t get remission: Presidential aide

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 08/13/2011 6:02 PM

A Presidential aide on legal affairs said that the graft convict Gayus H. Tambunan, who has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment, would not receive any remission in the upcoming celebration of the nation’s 66th anniversary.

“It is false that Gayus would get remission. He haven’t yet reached a third of his time in prison,” presidential aide Denny Indrayana said Saturday as quoted by Kompas.com.       

On Thursday, the media reported that Gayus was eligible to receive remission.

Gayus is currently serving a prison term for bribing a judge and two police officers, and also for embezzling tax money worth Rp 28 billion (US$3.27 million).

Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar also denied that the ministry had granted Gayus a remission. (rpt)

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Mobile brigade prepares detention cell for Nazaruddin

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 08/13/2011 5:36 PM

Kelapa Dua Mobile Brigade Command headquarters spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiman said that they have prepared a cell at their detention center to hold former Democratic Party treasurer and captured graft fugitive M. Nazaruddin.

Nazaruddin, who fled the country in May, was arrested in Cartegena, Colombia on Sunday. He was flown back to the country on Friday. However, the government has not yet decided where to detain the man who was wanted by Interpol.

“He will be in the same block where Susno’s cell used to be,” Budiman said through text message on Saturday, as reported by tempointeraktif.com.

Susno Duadji was the former National Police chief detective who was imprisoned over a corruption case.

Budiman, however, added that he had not received confirmation over whether Nazaruddin would actually be placed at Kelapa Dua.

“We have not received information confirming whether he [Nazaruddin] would be placed here and when he would be placed here. However, we have made preparations in case of a sudden request,” he said, adding that there were no plans to provide special protection for Nazaruddin.

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Nazaruddin arrives in Jakarta after much delay

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 08/13/2011 8:26 PM

A chartered plane carrying captured graft fugitive Muhammad Nazaruddin landed at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta on Saturday evening.

The plane touched down at 7:50 p.m. amid a heavy security presence at the airport. Several officers entered the plane and a few minutes later, officers wearing black masks, bullet proof vests and backpacks disembarked.

Nazaruddin, who was cuffed to an officer, disembarked and entered a grey car.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said Nazaruddin was taken to the National Police Mobile Brigade detention center in Kelapa Dua, West Java.

He said Nazaruddin was accompanied on the flight by his wife and two other people – Indonesian national Rahmat Nasir and Singaporean Eng Kian Lim – but not his lawyer OC Kaligis.

"[ Kaligis] is flying in on a commercial flight," Yoga said.

He said the chartered flight carrying Nazaruddin made stopovers in Nairobi and the Maldives.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Johan Budi said Saturday morning that the flight would land at 2 p.m. Later, KPK chairman Busyro Muqqodas said it would arrive in the evening.

Johan said technical issues such as refueling during transit could cause delays. He added that Nazaruddin would be brought to the KPK building after undergoing a medical examination at the Kelapa Dua Mobile Brigade detention center in Depok, West Java.

Security at KPK headquarters in South Jakarta has been tightened. Police Mobile Brigade officers armed with rifles and wearing bulletproof vests are posted around the site. Riot police are also stationed inside the building compound.

Nazaruddin was named a suspect by the KPK in a graft case linked to a Southeast Asian (SEA) Games construction project.

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No Democratic welcome for Nazaruddin

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 08/13/2011 7:23 PM

The Democratic Party said that they would not participate in preparations to “welcome” their former treasurer, M. Nazarudin, a graft suspect, who was deported from Bogota, Colombia after being arrested by Interpol in Cartagena on Sunday.

According to the head of the party corruption and judicial mafia eradication department, Didi Irawadi Syamsuddin, the party had not prepared anything for Nazaruddin’s return because Nazaruddin has been dismissed from the party.

“There is nothing special. He is no longer a member of the party. Why should we welcome him,” he said on Saturday, as quoted from tempointeraktif.com.

Nazaruddin allegedly fixed the winner of a bid for a project worth Rp. 191.6 billion. The project under the Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry concerns the construction of an athlete’s village for the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang, South Sumatra.

He fled the country in May and has been launching allegations from overseas claiming that other Democratic Party members, including party chairman Anas Urbaningrum and lawmaker Angelina Sondakh, played a role in the corruption scheme.

Nazaruddin was eventually dismissed from the party for making the accusations.

Didi added that his party was ready if other cadre members had to undergo legal processing for their implication in the case.

“It is our commitment to let our members be processed under the law if evidence pointing out their implication were to surface,” he said.

Democratic Party deputy secretary general Ramadhan Pohan said that Nazaruddin did not deserve a welcome because he was not a hero.

“It is obvious if a hero is welcomed. But he [Nazaruddin] isn’t. What would the world say?” he added.

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UK man charged with robbing Malaysian student

Associated Press, London | Sat, 08/13/2011 8:54 PM

Police have charged a 21-year-old man with robbing an injured Malaysian student whose videotaped attack during the London riots drew outrage in Britain.

About 20 teens and preteens surrounded Mohammed Asyraf Haziq Rossli during the unrest that swept the capital last week, grabbing his bike and cell phone and breaking his jaw.

A video that chronicled the attack shows youths pretending to come to the aid of Rossli - even as they unzipped his backpack and emptied it.

The video went viral and caused shock. UK Prime Minister David Cameron described it as a sign of a deeper societal malaise.

Metropolitan Police said Saturday that Reece Donovan, 21, has been charged with stealing a portable Sony Playstation and Nokia mobile phone from Rossli as he bled on the pavement.

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Hamas: Foreigners must obtain visa to enter Gaza

Associated Press, Gaza City | Sat, 08/13/2011 9:15 PM

A spokesman for Gaza's Hamas rulers says foreigners must now obtain visas to enter the Gaza Strip.

Ihab Ghussein's comments Saturday come a day after the United States warned it would cut US$100 million in American aid money if Hamas continues its "unwarranted audits" of local American nonprofit orgaizations.

Hamas recently shut down a US-financed aide group that refused an audit.

Ghussein says the government must know who is staying in Gaza in order to protect foreigners.

If implemented, the visa demand could complicate the work of international aid groups in Gaza since the US and UN consider Hamas a terrorist organization.

As such, many international aid groups are prohibited from having direct contact with Hamas or providing the Islamic group with cash.

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