Standing on Billy gate

“We feed on tragedy, like blood to a vampire,”
- Maynard James Keenan

As journalist, you often forget that behind the story, behind the case there are human beings, capable of human emotions. That’s why when I was approached by PR from Billy’s law firm, I lobbied to interview Billy at his detainment facility more importantly on Christmas day.

As his lawyer explained it to me, he is a religious man and put his family more than himself. No one has got his side of the story before, at least from Billy himself so it is somewhat an exclusive.

Nobody asked me to do it. It was my own.

I consulted with my editors, two asked why that particular prisoner, especially with Jakarta Globe’s ties to Lippo group. “Why not Marcella for example,” an editor said jokingly. “Are you nuts? Do you realize what it would look like to others if we were to run that story?” another editor said.

It was the only prisoner I gained access to.

But the deputy chief said, “if it’s a story, it’s a story,” he said “why should we be afraid to appear PRing Billy? We ran his trial story three times before and was neutral about them”

I agreed, why should we be afraid of for example a constant nagger of the Jakarta Globe and of Billy Sindoro case, Astro’s media relations consultant with the initial O – N – G always speaking in a third person.

We covered Astro’s side of the story already. I was in all their press gathering, we ran with their story. And now he have something to say, which nobody ever commented anyway.

I’ve been waiting for him to say something. What took him so long?

Another reason why..

Another reason why you shouldn’t corrupt is this man:

Iskandar a 68 year old former Regent of West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province charged with graft in relation to an unauthorized selling of the regency’s assets for an undervalued price.

The poor man had diabetes and a mild alzheimer so he could barely walk on his own and had to go to the bathroom every now and then.

He once even wetted his pants during his trial, but always say he is healthy every time the judges ask him for his condition.

Today, he seemed confused and disoriented, and didn’t know where he was.

“Where am I? where are you taking me?” he said to court officials escorting him.

“This is the court,” the officials said

“Really? Who is on trial?” the former regent said.

Iskandar’s lawyer Haeri Parani said that the former regent often asked him why he was in a police headquarter where he is being detained. “Why don’t we go home already, I’m a regent, I got things to do,” Heari quoted Iskandar.

Jakarta Globe launches…Yihhaaa!

I can see my colleagues’ faces lit up as we gazed upon the first edition of the Jakarta Globe, the greatest english publication etc….etc…yadda yadda in the history of the universe. I’m not particularly that excited, but seeing people excited made me a little excited.

As far as I’m concern the day was just like any other day, aside the fact that the newsroom were filled with red, white and black balloons. I’m still out in the field, chasing stories, still writing and still hoping I got it right.

Nothing special that day, but I heard there was a celebration as the chiefs sent the approved copy to the printer the night before. There was also a celebration that morning, which again I missed thanks to two central bank officials convicted that day for graft.

So the first edition of the Jakarta Globe left no impression to me, except the fact that people outside our office will read our stories and that I can keep a copy for me to bring home everyday.

Me mom said it’s better than Kompas, the largest selling newspaper in Indonesia. But that’s what moms are supposed to say.

But what happened afterwards….that’s when I realized just what a wonderful newspaper I’m working for. I showed it to my dad, aside from me the only fluent English speaking member of the family. I felt casual about it so I went upstairs having shower, eat and watch TV.

The real joy came after three hours later at midnight, me old man still read my paper enthusiastically, reading every story of every page. That’s two more hours than I could ever cope I guess.

He didn’t have to say anything, but I know he loves it.

The Multi Faceted BI Graft Case

“Nivell, if you do another BI graft story may be you should write a book about it” My editor said.

“Make it 90,000 words and 300 pages long,” He said

Then I said

“Will you edit it if I do?”

Temping, but this is the closest to what I have so far.

The case has brought the bank’s former governor Burhanuddin Abdullah to jail for five years on October 29 and is now in the process of making an appeal.

Two other Bank Indonesia officials, former head of governorship affairs Rusli Simanjuntak and former deputy of legal affairs Oey Hoey Tiong were also brought to trial. The prosecutors have sought six years for the two and they are scheduled to be sentenced on November 12.

An in-law to President SBY, former deputy governor Aulia Pohan and three other deputies, Bunbunan Hutapea, Maman Sumantri and Aslim Tadjuddin were named suspects although not yet arrested for the case.

The only BI top official to escape investigation let alone prosecution was former senior deputy governor, Anwar Nasution

The case started in 2003 when the House of Representatives were working on the amendment to the central bank law, which were formulated by the government.

The government recommended that the bank be stripped from their power to oversee non banking financial institutions and stricter audit to the bank and accountability of its policies. Bank Indonesia was harsh on the government proposal.

At the same time there was a dispute between the bank and the ministry of finance over the return of Rp 144 trillion in bailout funds which were misappropriated since it was injected to collapsing banks at the height of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and 1998. Both institutions turned to the House of Representatives for settling the dispute.

Actress Found Guilty of Slander

Tangerang, Banten province district court ruled in favor of University of Borobudur and found actress Marissa Haque guilty of slander and fined her Rp 500 million on Monday.

The verdict came after the actress said during her campaign for Banten governor post in 2007 that the University of Borobudur, Jakarta had issued a false diploma to her opponent, Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah.

The court which was presided over by Judge Umar Bob Said ruled that the actress spoke to the public and the local press in order to defame the governor. “She (Marissa) should have clarified with the university before issuing such statements to the public,” Umar said.

The university accepted the verdict despite the fact that the sentence was lower than the original Rp 1.5 billion the university previously sought.

Marissa’s lawyer, Khairil Poloan said that they would make an appeal to the verdict.

Marissa said to reporters after the trial that she still believes that the university had issued a false diploma. She said that her statement was based on a BALLISTIC test done by the police.

BALLISTIC????

KPK to teach Children Honesty

In an effort to combat corruption from an early age, the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK and the Ministry of Education launched Wednesday 18 modules on corruption prevention education which would be taught at primary and secondary schools across Indonesia.

The modules, which were contributed by school teachers across Indonesia, include children stories about honesty, worksheets, reading materials, teacher’s guide books, pocket books on anti-corruption, guide books and forms for assessing non-corrupted students and guide books on establishing ‘honesty’ food stall.

‘Honesty’ food stall was modeled after the food stall found at the commission building and have been introduced to the public on several exhibitions by the commission. The stall was intended to test the buyers’ honesty by voluntarily paying for the foods and drinks at an unmonitored, open box.

The Corruption Eradication Commission chief, Antasari Azhar said at a press conference that he hoped with the launching of the book the future generation would not grow up to be a corruptor.

KPK edges to take over BLBI

The Corruption Eradication Commission has appointed four senior prosecutors to examine the possibility of taking over the misuse of 1997-98 bailout funds known as Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance, or BLBI from the Attorney General Office, chief commissioner Antasari Ashar said Wednesday.

Earlier that day, 15 prosecutors from the directorate of special crime at the Attorney General Office and its director Marwan Effendy met with the Corruption Eradication Commission chief, Antasari Ashar and 15 of his investigators at the commission building to discuss the possibility of handing over the case to the commission.

The Attorney General Office had been handling the case since the State Audit Agency found in 2000 that from the Rp 144 trillion injected to 48 banks which were collapsing at the height 1997-98 regional financial crisis, Rp 138 trillion were misused by the banks’ owners.

Almost all of the bailout funds receivers declared bankruptcy and were unable to pay back the funds they had borrowed from the government and all 48 banks were reported by the government to the Attorney General’s Office.

From the 48 banks the Attorney General Office had only prosecuted and convicted 9 bank owners while the other investigations were halted, citing lack of evidence.

Briber Harrassed over Media Report

Alleged prosecutor briber, Artalyta Suryani told the anti-corruption court on Friday that media report suggesting her owning a cellular phone to fabricate testimonies with other suspect has brought harassment from her prison mates and officials.

“I was summoned last night (by prison officials) and will be summoned again tonight, the media report suggested that I own a cellular phone inside my prison cell” Suryani told the court.

She claimed that the cellular phone used to call other suspect in the bribery, Prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan was not hers.

“I only lend a cellular phone from one of my men” Suryani told the court. She claimed to never keep a cellular phone inside her prison cell and wished to clarify the media report in front of the court to avoid further harassment.

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