Jakarta – According to Transparency International Indonesia (TII), the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) has become one of the institutions that most frequently accept bribes. Most of this alleged bribery is related to management of halal (kosher, permitted under Islam) certificates.

Didi Syafirdi, Jakarta – Scores of students held a demonstration in the Megaria area of Central Jakarta on January 20 opposing the 2009 general elections. During the action the students even set fire to political party flags.

Nurseffi Dwi Wahyuni, Jakarta – As many as 500,000 casual, contract and permanent workers will loose their jobs if no orders come in to ensure industrial activity continues.

Man: ...I’m not worried about disasters or if the price of kerosene will going down, Madame... But what about my fortunes, in the elections?

Chazizah Gusnita, Jakarta – Thirty-four years after the Malari affair – short for The January 15 Disaster – a student actions opposing foreign capital, particularly Japanese capital on January 15, 2974, demands for the foreign debt to be written off are now being articulated again.

Man: It sank over there, why are you looking here?

Man with torch: Divine wisdom...

Sleman – The demarcation between political parties labeled as Islamic and non-Islamic parties is becoming increasingly vague. This indicates that political identity is no longer an issue in the future national life of the country.

Jakarta – In administrative terms, the potential for white movement or golput – people who don’t use their right to vote – remains high in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections. Based on the results of an Indo Barometer survey, only 67.2 percent of people think that are enrolled to vote.

Palembang – The impact of the global crisis continues to claim victims around the country as more workers are laid off. In South Sumatra for example, between mid 2008 and early 2009 as many as 2,000 workers have been sent home (temporarily laid off) or dismissed.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – “The courts are simply an extension of the perpetrators of human rights violations”. Thus spoke the late human rights activist Munir during a speech at a demonstration at the Supreme Court in 2004. Likewise is the human rights situation at the start of 2009, including the investigation into his murder.