Jokowi in the Top Ten for TIME's Person of the Year

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo on Tuesday moved one rank from the 8th position to the 7th position in TIME’s Person of the Year polling as his percentage continues to rise.

As quoted from TIME website, Jokowi is now sitting in the 7th position with 3.2 percent vote, going up from the 8th position with 3 percent vote on Monday and 2.7 percent vote on Sunday. With his current percentage, Jokowi will be able to surpass Pope Francis I and US President Barack Obama, who became TIME”s Person of the Year in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

In the current poll, Jokowi is above other world leaders such as Xi Jinping from China and Angela Merkel from Germany. He is even more popular than famous singers such as Beyonce Knowles and Taylor Swift. However, Jokowi is losing to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Outin, American actress Laverne Cox and Pakistani a women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai.

This year is the second time Jokowi is in the list of candidates for TIME’s Person of the Year. In 2012, Jokowi was nominated but lost to Barack Obama. Now, Jokowi is turning the table and has a chance to win the polling. The polling is currently undergoing and will be closed on December 6. The result will be announced on December 8. Voting can be done through TIME Magazine’s Facebook or Twitter with hashtag #timepoy.

FERY FIRMANSYAH

Rising Sun

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - His acumen in mixing business with politics has made Surya Paloh an expert in coasting from one regime to another. Raised under the auspices of the New Order's topmost family, he succeeds in retaining his influence today, standing behind the reformist government of Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla.

Surya built his extensive business network through connections with the most powerful family during the New Order period. He was a close friend of Suharto's third son, Bambang Trihatmodjo. They were active members of the Communication Forum of Sons-Daughters of Indonesian Veterans, and the Golongan Karya functional group, a precursor to the powerful Golkar Party. It was at this time that Surya and his associates built the Metro television station, which proved to be useful in supporting Surya's political career.

When Suharto's authoritarian regime fell, instead of being dragged down with it, Surya managed to strengthen his businesses simultaneously establishing ties with the new government by buying cheap assets from the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency, as it sought to salvage banks by auctioning off their debts and transactions.

In 2004, when Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla won the election, Surya stood in the front line of Golkar politicians to congratulate them, although his party associates still supported Megawati Soekarnoputri, Yudhoyono's main contender for the presidency. Together with businessman and current Golkar chair Aburizal Bakrie, Surya endorsed Kalla to be Golkar's new chairman. In doing so, he helped push the party to join SBY's coalition. During this period Surya's businesses became stronger, particularly as he ventured into the extractive industry, such as oil and coal.

However, the political alliance broke up five years later, when Aburizal became the Golkar chairman. Surya parted ways with the country's biggest party and formed his own people's organization, calling it the National Democrat, which later morphed into the NasDem Party. Aided by the government and his own television station, Surya's party won 6.72 percent in the legislative election.

His acumen in reading the political map won him further inroads into the political elite. He entered into an alliance with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), endorsing Jokowi and Kalla in the presidential election. Abiding by the mantra 'coalition without conditions', NasDem did not immediately make demands. It did not insist, for example, that one of its party members take a cabinet post when Jokowi and Kalla won the election last July. In fact, they campaigned even harder than the PDI-P, Jokowi's own party, to win the votes.

But Surya worked even harder to expand his business empire. Even before Jokowi officially became president, Surya was seen introducing his business partner, Sam Pa alias Ghui Ka Leung, a businessman from China, to Jokowi. According to reports of some international media, Sam Pa is involved in many questionable businesses in Africa, such as his role in importing oil from Angola-based company, Sonangol. He and Surya have met with Jokowi a few times at the Jakarta governor's residence also to discuss investments in other sectors, such as infrastructure.

Surya and Sam Pa's offer sounded attractive: importing oil from Sonangol would save the government Rp12 trillion a year. And Jokowi's main concern is how to save money. Not surprisingly, Jokowi readily agreed to Surya's proposal. Two days after he swore-in his cabinet, Jokowi welcomed at the State Palace Angola Vice President Manuel Domingos Vicente, who is also CEO of Sonangol.

Surya would soon reap this political investment. Jokowi allocated three key ministerial posts to NasDem: the coordinating minister for politics, law and security; spatial and agrarian affairs minister; and the forestry and environment minister. Perhaps it's a coincidence that these two last positions are linked to Surya's business interests in mining, palm oil, property and land acquisitions.

Last week, the president gave one more chair to NasDem by appointing Prasetyo as the new attorney general. This former deputy attorney-general for general crimes who recently won in the legislative elections for the 2014-2019 period, was in fact Surya's choice. This was quite obvious when Prasetyo paid Surya his respects more than once following his oath-taking ceremony last Friday.

So far, no legal or ethical breach is evident in Surya's way of mixing politics with business. But the president should make it clear that the positions allocated to Surya's party members do not create conflict of interests in the future. He must oversee them tightly to ensure the ministries led by NasDem politicians do not curry special favors to Surya's business interests. The new attorney general must also distance himself from interventions.

Jokowi, therefore must be constantly on the ball and be assisted by someone agile enough to move around the State Palace to prevent questionable interests from interfering in government affairs. The presidency, as he has often promised, must be able to control potential deviations, no matter how small, in each and every one of his ministries. This includes the business and political interests of one Surya Paloh. (*)

Rupiah Inches Up by One Point at Tuesday's Start

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Rupiah's interbank exchange rate in Jakarta went slightly up by one point at the start of Tuesday's trading session to Rp12,152 per United States (US) Dollar.

"Rupiah's movement is rather flat with a slight chance for an uptrend as the Japanese Yen and several other Asian currencies depreciates against the US Dollar," said the Head of Research Woori Korindo Securities Indonesia, Reza Priyambada. According to Reza, Rupiah's exchange rate remains in the green as investors are still positively responding to Bank Indonesia's decision to raise its core interest rates to anticipate a rise in inflation caused by the recent cuts to fuel subsidies.

"It is hoped that the domestic sentiments from within Indonesia could further provide more boost for the JCI to sustain its uptrend," said Reza.

Furthermore, an analyst from Samuel Sekuritas, Rangga Cipta said that positive news from Indonesia's bond market will help prop up the JCI's uptrend.

On the other hand, the US Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) - which had recently been announced last night - indicates a slowdown, which is reflected in the depreciation of the US Dollar.

A revision to the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figure is expected to put more pressure on the US Dollar, which may lead to further depreciations of the currency.

ANTARA | ZUBI MAHROFI | MARYATI

Susi Pudjiastuti: I don't think i'm Crazy

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The newly appointed minister for maritime affairs and fisheries appeared in casual clothes, although she wore a long skirt down to her ankles. She admits to dressing more than she ever did before embarking on her new job. "I must now wear clothing that covers the tattoo on my leg," she said, in explaining her sartorial change. Some things do not change however, as she still insists on wearing 10-centimeter high-heeled shoes and wedges.

Susi is indeed a refreshing change in a society that usually demands protocol and correctness from officialdom and the elite. Yet she has inspired others to be true to one's own self and be proud of it. Just before the ceremony to announce President Joko Widodo's new cabinet members, Susi was approached by Rosita Barack, wife of politician Surya Paloh, who told her, "Ibu Susi, you rock. I really like your tattoos and I have some too." In fact, Susi's tattoo is an image of a flaming bird snaking up her leg, something she acquired when she was 27 years old.

She cares little for the public furor over her tattoo, preferring to focus on her new responsibilities, which range from dealing with illegal fishing by foreign boats to improving the welfare of fishermen, particularly when the government withdraws its fuel subsidy. Last week she spared some of her hectic time to be interviewed by Tempo journalists Arif Zulkifli, Agustina Widiarsi, Heru Triyono and Pingit. Excerpts:

What has changed since you became minister? 

My appearance has changed. Before, I would dress up only for special events, maybe once every three years. Now I must attend many [official] functions, so I must powder my nose more often.

Does a CEO dress differently from a government minister? 

I must wear a long dress these days.

Are you bothered by the ruckus over your tattoo and your smoking?. 

Yes, a bit. I worry about the 'Ibu-ibu' (ladies) who sends me text messages, saying: "Please Ibu, my daughter is one of your fans and I worry that she might start smoking like you." I get about 2,000 text messages a day. Some are very supportive and motivate me but I worry about those ladies.

Do you feel you have lost some of your freedom? 

I feel I've lost some speed, the freedom to move fast.

Is it true the reason some people objected to your appointment as minister was because Susi Air took many photographs of forests and marine areas in Indonesia? 

We were hired to map areas in Sulawesi, Papua, the Arafura Sea, Kalimantan and other places. That made me notices many things.

So, you know much about illegal fishing?

Of course, I do.

Are you able to have access to what the cameras recorded?

I keep copies. They were taken aboard Susi Air. I have seen a lot more than other people, not just illegal fishing. I've also seen illegal logging.

Who uses those services?

The government, mining companies and banks, to verify the size and measurement of land areas. The cameras can cover 2.5 square kilometers of land. People lying on the beach could be photographed. Nothing can be covered up.

You have also been accused of being pro-foreigners.

Yes, there was an open letter by Riza Damanik (an activist for fishermen's rights) who said my husband was a foreigner and that many of my employees were also expatriates. And from that people conclude I'm a stooge of foreigners. Well, being a foreign stooge to foreigners for the benefit of the country, I see nothing wrong with that. Who is more nationalistic: a 'bule' (slang word for foreigner) boss overseeing Indonesian coolies or an Indonesian boss whose coolies are 'bule'?

What was President Jokowi looking for when he took you on?

He told me, "Ibu Susi, this country needs a mad person," and I told him, Bapak, you're getting one.

Is it true that you were initially asked to find a candidate for a maritime affairs and fisheries minister?

The palace was having a hard time finding a fisheries minister. I was asked to help and I replied, "Okay, I will ask Pak Sarwono [Kusumaatmadja]." Apparently Sarwono declined, saying he was too old. In fact, he sang Siapa Suruh Datang ke Jakarta (Who Told You to go to Jakarta) jokingly to me. And in the end, I was the one who was summoned to meet the president. I then asked 'Ibu' what she thought, and she told me, "Go ahead." So I did.

Who do you mean by Ibu?

Ibu Megawati. I asked whether I should go [to Jakarta] or not.

Many people worry that as minister as well as CEO of ASI Pudjiastuti Marine Products you will face conflict-of-interest problems.

Of course I will 'pitch' my success story at Susi Air and Susi Marine as a way of overcoming problems of marketing marine products from small islands. And that's to use planes which has been done by Susi Air all this time as the cheapest way to market products harvested by fishermen living in remote islands. Building harbors is expensive, it can run into hundreds of billions of rupiah. Creating a simple airport in Papua costs only Rp3 billion.

Two days on the job and you're already announcing a moratorium on issuing licenses to fishing vessels.

That's what I asked, to stop everything first, put the management in order. I want to improve the data on vessel registration. The airline industry is clear on who owns the airlines, what type of craft, where and when it was manufactured. Everything is out in the open. Why not apply similar methods to our fishing vessels? That was the first question I asked when I started on the job.

Are you saying vessel registration in Indonesia is not serious?

Never, because they are all fakes. The owners don't want to lose ownership of their boats because they want to keep on catching fish in our waters.

So why the moratorium?

Illegal fishing. This is a big problem. Besides the huge numbers of illegal vessels, there are some which are in a grey area. For example, a vessel would have a license but it uses banned equipment to catch the fish. These methods show that about 67 percent among the 5,000 vessels are not registered. (*)

Cure-All Card

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It is difficult to cast doubt on President Joko Widodo's good intentions in lessening the impact of fuel price increases on lower income families. One instrument, known as the Productive Family Program, comprises the Prosperous Family Card (KKS), the Smart Indonesia (KIP) and the Healthy Indonesia Card (KIS) and has now become known as Jokowi's sakti or 'magic card'.

Experience has taught us that good intentions do not always produce satisfactory results, especially for massive programs that cover millions of people scattered over a huge area. For example, the KIS, with funds of Rp20 trillion, is targeted at 86.4 million families. The KIP, costing Rp6.3 trillion, is aimed at helping 15.5 million households, and the KKS, Rp6.2 trillion, is planned to reach the same number of families. These people are spread right across the country.

Problems arose when President Jokowi, on a visit to an evacuation center for people displaced by the eruption of Sinabung in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, handed out a type of 'sakti card' related to the Productive Families Program. This was the second 'gift' for the Karo people this year, after the first in the form of National Hero status for the late Lt. Gen. Djamin Ginting Suka. It was the distribution of these cards that triggered various responses that were far from the ordinary.

The problem is not whether people liked the cards or not, but with the availability of the infrastructure that should have been in place to support the distribution of the cards. Even legislators in the DPR, especially from the coalition opposed to Jokowi, said that the program was a realization of the government's good intentions. Therefore, the 'sakti card' launch should have gone smoothly, without causing controversy or pointless arguments.

There are those who reacted strongly, even claiming that the 'sakti card' program had no legal basis, especially in terms of funding. But the finance minister dismissed this, saying that the funds for the KKS, KIP and KIS programs had come from the Rp5 trillion social protection fund and the Rp2.7 trillion fiscal risk reserves. These two budget items are part of the National Treasury Budget reserve, and the legal basis can be found in Article 17 paragraph 1 of the 2014 Amended State Budget.

The more serious problem lies with the lack of infrastructure. Take the example of the people who received the KIP as verified by the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Eradication in 2013. This data had to be matched with the basic education data held by the Education and Culture Ministry. Problems arose because the basic education data was based on schools, while the KIP data was based on families.

The accuracy of the data is crucial because the potential for social conflict is so high. Errors in the data could easily result in the program missing its targets, and this would be more than enough to trigger conflict. The same is true for people close to the poverty line, who total around half a million. These people are clearly not listed among the data based on families.

With all these problems needing caution and careful examination, President Joko Widodo should try to be more calm, 'adult' and patient. In other words do not take short cuts. (*)