The wRap Indonesia: Dec. 12, 2014

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The record-setting tweet by Denny Januar Ali and the blasphemy case involving the Jakarta Post lead our wrap of stories from Indonesia the past day. 

1. Election tweet about Jokowi is 2nd most retweeted worldwide in 2014

Denny JA: Dengan RT ini, anda ikut memenangkan Jokowi-JK. Pilih pemimpin yg bisa dipercaya (Jokowi) dan pengalaman (JK). #DJoJK

— Denny JA (@DennyJA_WORLD) June 4, 2014

This underlines how big Indonesia’s presidential election this year was on Twitter: The 2nd most retweeted tweet worldwide in 2014 is one that calls for support for Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Jusuf Kalla ahead of the July 9 polls they would eventually win. The June 4 tweet by Denny Januar Ali, who founded the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) and has 1.66 million followers, saying “By retweeting this, you will contribute to the win of Jokowi-JK. Vote for a trusted leader (Jokowi) and an experienced one (JK)”, was retweeted more than a million times – second only to Ellen DeGeneres’s record-setting Oscars selfie. Read more about Twitter records in Indonesia over the past year in this Rappler report. 

2. Ethics or criminal case? Press Council backs Jakarta Post in blasphemy case 

Jakarta Post’s controversial July 3 anti-Islamic State editorial cartoon deemed offensive to Islam is not a criminal matter, Indonesia’s Press Council said on Thursday after the paper’s chief editor, Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, was named a suspect for violating the blasphemy law. The criminal charge carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Press Council member Nezar Patria said “the case was merely related to journalism’s code of ethics and so was not a criminal matter”, and that they were ready to serve as an expert witness in the police investigation. Read the full story on Rappler. 

3. Child protection agency furious suspected pedophile still roaming free

It’s been more than two weeks since locals reported to the police a suspected pedophile who allegedly molested 9 children in West Jakarta, but nothing has been done on the case, according to Child Protection Commission head Arist Merdeka Sirait. The suspect, identified as Wakijan, is dangerous as Arist believes he would victimize more children, according to a Koran Tempo report published Friday, December 12. But Jakarta Police still haven’t even released a sketch of the suspect, who was last heard to have fled to Bogor, West Java. 

4. Wreck of Nazi U-boat found at the bottom of Java Sea

Almost 7 months after the hunt for it began, the Indonesian Navy announced on Thursday it had found the wreckage of a Nazi submarine at the bottom of the Java Sea. The sub was said to have been patrolling the seas around the country during World War II, and was severely damaged by torpedoes. But it’s just one of 6 German submarines believed to be resting at the bottom of Indonesia’s seas. German Ambassador to Indonesia Georg Witschel said they hoped the Indonesian government would maintain the condition of the wreckage, which was still the property of Germany. Read the full story on Rappler. 

5. Garuda Indonesia gets highest Skytrax rating, but CEO also resigns

Garuda Indonesia CEO Emirsyah Satar announced on Thursday he had resigned and his replacement will be chosen at a shareholder meeting on Friday, Reuters reported. Satar is credited for rehabilitating the Indonesian flag carrier over the past decade and restructuring its operations. In fact on Friday, it was named the newest member of the exclusive group of 5-Star Airlines by Skytrax, alongside airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines.

But it posted a net loss of $219.5 million for the nine months of the year. After the resignation announcement, Garuda Indonesia stocks gained 10 points to close at IDR620 per share, Tempo.co reported. – Rappler.com