SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
JAKARTA, Indonesia – How perceptions of Indonesia’s corruption level are improving and the fate of Aburizal Bakrie, along with Golkar Party and politics in Indonesia, lead our wrap of stories from Indonesia the past day.
1. Indonesia is a little bit less corrupt, global survey says
An annual global survey shows perception of how corrupt Indonesia is appears to be steadily – albeit slowly – improving. Indonesia ranked 107th out of 175 countries in Transparency InternationaI’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2014, up from 114th in 2013, and 118th in 2012. On the other hand corruption has worsened in China, Turkey and other fast-growing economies. The Berlin-based group’s table is the most widely used gauge of corruption by governments, police, court systems, political parties and bureaucracies, highlighting a scourge it says undermines development and deepens poverty. Read the full story on Indonesia here and the rest of the world here.
2. Aburizal Bakrie is Golkar’s chair for another 5 years
His opponents put up a fight, but in the end Aburizal Bakrie still maintained his hold over the country’s second biggest political party. Bakrie obtained 100% of the votes cast on Wednesday, December 3, after all of his challengers dropped out of the running. There were hopes Golkar under new leadership would be friendlier to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, but that won’t be happening. Bakrie has vowed to remain in the opposition alongside losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto. Read the full stories from the Jakarta Globe and Reuters.
3. Constitutional Court keeps ban on raw mineral ore exports in place
Almost a year after the controversial regulation came into effect, the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that Indonesia can ban on exports of raw mineral ores. The regulation, part of the 2009 Mining Law, requires that mineral ore extracted from Indonesia be processed first before being exported. As a result, mining companies suffered over the past year but the country has attracted about $18 billion in investment commitments to build processing plants. Indonesia was the world’s biggest producer of mined nickel and third-largest bauxite miner last year, so nickel and aluminum prices have climbed in London this year helped by the curbs. Read the full story from Bloomberg.
4. Former University of Indonesia deputy rector jailed for corruption
He was a deputy rector at Indonesia’s most prestigious university, the state-run University of Indonesia, but on Wednesday Tafsir Nurchamid was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for corruption. The court found him guilty of abusing his power when appointed PT Makara Mas in 2010 as the winner of a IDR50 billion ($4 million) project to procure and install computers for the university library without going through the proper process. Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors said the project cost IDR13 billion in state losses, and they’re not yet done as other UI officials may have been involved.
5. Jakarta’s civil servants could earn as much as $1,000/month next year
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama may be a tough and demanding boss, but he also wants the capital’s civil servants (PNS) rewarded better if they work well. A new performance-based payroll system the city administration is working on could see the lowest level of civil servants take home as much as IDR12 million ($975) a month, public transport drivers IDR5 million a month, and parking attendants IDR4 million a month, Detik.com reports. These as substantially higher than the IDR2.7 million minimum wage he approved for the city. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.