The wRap Indonesia: Nov. 20, 2014

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The former antigraft official appointed head of graft-ridden oil and gas regulator SKKMigas and Indonesia’s improved ranking in the Global Terrorism Index lead our wrap of stories from Indonesia the past day. 

1. Former antigraft official to head of corruption-prone SKKMigas

Amien Sunaryadi, a former top official with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), will be inaugurated on Thursday, November 20, as head of the graft-ridden oil and gas regulator SKKMigas. Amien, who helped set up the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) when it was formed in 2002, will be tasked with reforming SKKMigas after its then-chairman Rudi Rubiandini was caught red-handed by the KPK accepting bribes.

The appointment is the latest move by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo against the so-called Oil Mafia in Indonesia. He appointed anti-corruption campaigner Sudirman Said as energy and mineral resources minister, which then appointed respected economist Faisal Basri as head of its Oil and Gas Governance Reform Team.

2. Indonesia’s ranking in Global Terrorism Index improves to 31st 

Indonesia is now ranked 31st out of 162 nations in the Global Terrorism Index 2014 by the Institute of Economy and Peace (IEP) – an improvement from its 25th place in the previous report – even though terrorism cases in 2013 increased both in the number of cases and casualties. There were 22 incidents recorded leading to 20 fatalities in 2013. Topping the list was Iraq, where 2,492 incidents in 2013 left 6,362 dead. In the region, the Philippines has the worst ranking at 9th place, with 499 incidents causing 292 fatalities. Read the report here.  

3. After inauguration, Ahok to reshuffle Jakarta officials

Fresh from his inauguration on Wednesday, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama is now looking to carry out a major reshuffle of Jakarta officials. “Major reshuffle, replacing echelon III and IV (officials). By December. We want them inaugurated soon,” he said, according to Kompas.com. The goal is to improve the bureaucracy and service to Jakartans, he said. After the inauguration, Ahok’s mother, Buniarti Ningsih, who attended the ceremony, told reporters that her son is facing an uphill task from today onwards. “He hasn’t made an impact [to the society], he isn’t perfect. There are still traffic jams, floods, and poor people in Jakarta,” Buniarti said. Read the full story on Rappler.com.

4.  Public transport fees to go up 30% on November 20 

Public transportation operator, The Land Transportation Organization (Organda,) is set to increase public transportation tariffs by 30 percent on Thursday, November 20, following the recent fuel price increase, according to Tempo.co. The policy is taken to cover operational budget, said the organization’s secretary general, Andriansyah. Organda on Wednesday called its drivers to go on a strike to protest the government’s decision to increase the price of subsidized fuel, but most of them was still operating like usual. Organda chairwoman Eka Sari Lorena said that public transportation vehicles use 7 percent of the total 46 million kiloliters of subsidized fuel set aside by the government this year.

5. Film on Jokowi hits the screens

Jokowi’s journey from the small town of Solo to the presidency of the largest Southeast Asian country has been written about several times, but on Thursday it hits the big screen with “Jokowi Adalah Kita” (“Jokowi Is Us”). The film produced by K2K Pictures claims to show the human side of Jokowi, how he dealt with the various problems he faced as Solo mayor, Jakarta governor, and on his road to the presidency. The film also says it shows Jokowi’s relationship with his wife, Iriana. There’s no word yet on whether the president will see the movie, the second one to be released based on his life in two years. – Rappler.com