The wRap Indonesia: Jan. 28, 2015

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The latest in the AirAsia crash investigation and a new circular aimed at battling the country’s endemic corruption lead our wrap of stories from Indonesia today. 

1. AirAsia crash probe looks into possible computer glitch and crew response

Investigators probing the crash of AirAsia flight QZ8501 are examining maintenance records of a key part of the plane’s automated control systems. A person familiar with the investigation told Reuters “there appears to be some issue” with the twin Flight Augmentation Computers (FAC). But even if the FAC failed, that would not have directly caused the crash, experts say, although without them the pilots would have had to rely on manual flying skills that are often stretched during a sudden airborne emergency. This is why investigators are also looking at how the pilots handled the chain of events leading up to the crash. The Indonesian military on Tuesday, January 27, also decided to call off efforts to recover the wreckage of the plane. 

2. Civil servants, military and police all required to submit wealth reports

As Indonesia struggles to win the battle against corruption, the Ministry of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform on Wednesday published a circular declaring that all civil servants, including members of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and the National Police force, to report their wealth to their respective institutions and to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). “There are indications that corruption is not only among high-ranking officials but also involves mid-level officials and below,” Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi said. But as there are more than 4.7 million civil servants throughout the country, the minister said a simple two-page report on property owned and cash and bank deposits was enough. Read the full story in Bahasa Indonesia on Rappler.

3. Rupiah at 12,500? No problem, says Indonesia’s finance minister 

The rupiah may have weakened substantially over the past year, but now “12,500 is already a good rate to maintain our competitiveness,” Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Haslinda Amin in Jakarta on Tuesday. The rupiah’s current level supports Indonesian exports and at the same time helps narrow Indonesia’s current-account deficit, he explained. The rupiah has dropped 3.1% since the end of October to close at 12,477 in Jakarta on Tuesday. That compares with the Malaysian ringgit’s 8.6% drop in the same period and the Philippine peso’s 1.8% gain. Read the full story from Bloomberg.

4. Police now say driver in fatal Jakarta car crash tests negative for drugs

How much can change in a week? Apparently, a suspect in a car crash that killed 4 people can go from being positive for drugs to negative. Jakarta Police previously said Christopher Daniel Sjarief, 23, tested positive for the psychedelic drug LSD on January 20, the night the Mitsubishi Outlander he was driving caused a tragic multi-vehicle crash. Christopher himself confessed to police that he used LSD that day. But on Tuesday, the South Jakarta Police said both his blood and urine tests were negative for drugs. Thus, no drug-related charges would be filed. Read the full story in Bahasa Indonesia on Rappler.

5. Only in Indonesia? Regulation proposed to ban lawmakers from appearing in soap operas

If the current draft of the House of Representatives (DPR) ethics code is passed, Indonesia’s sitting legislators would no longer be allowed to appear in soap operas, advertisements, and other forms of “commercial art”, according to Kompas.com. There are 15 celebrities among the 560 House members, including former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host Tantowi Yahya, who said he had no problem with the planned ban, and popular singer Anang Hermansyah, who recently came under fire for airing the birth of his child on a free-to-air television channel. –Rappler.com