...Officials shouldn’t have dual loyalties

Muqoddas: Please, set an example Mr!

Man: The king is willing to give up his party, yeah right!

Laurencius Simanjuntak – The revolutionary ideals of the People’s Democratic Party (PRD) founded 16 years ago were thwarted. The New Order regime of former President Suharto in a rage of fury obliterated the party only a few months after it was declared on July 22, 1996.

Poker machine reads: Election of Regional heads

Man: Jackpot democracy...

Ezra Sihite/Rizky Amelia/Ulin Yusron – It’s not just Ahok that has been brought into the central leadership board, but scores of retired generals have also joined the ranks of the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra Party) elite. In addition to this, there are family members and activists.

Kid looking at election campaign posters: It’s a pretty lively contest yeah...

Man: That’s the way it is with business...

As the political parties prepare to do battle in the 2014 general and presidential elections, anti-corruption activists warn that politically related graft cases over the next two years will increase sharply since most campaign funds are raised from illegal sources – corruption, corporate blackmail, milking state-owned companies and money from g

Despite the best attempts by Golkar Party spin doctors to portray the massive Lapindo mudflow disaster in East Java in a positive light, insisting that he has shown a “moral commitment” in seeking to compensate the thousands displaced by the mud or claims that victims have been paid more than their land is worth, business tycoon and budding Golk

Bakrie: Looks fit to run for president he does!

Yudhoyono: Restore the party’s image! Problematic members resign!

Kid: And if senior party officials are problematic?

Man: Harmony is damaging, disagreements are damaging (a play on a Javanese proverb about family quarrels). Flag reads ‘Joint Secretariat’, sign reads ‘Fuel’.

Chair legs: National Awakening Party, United Development Party, Justice & Prosperity Party (PKS), National Mandate Party.

Man: Were we fooled? Doesn’t matter... the more we’re lied to the smarter we get...

Branches: Ruling Coalition Joint Secretariat. Label: Political Fuel

Man: Deputy regents (wakil bupati – regent’s representative) want to be regents! Deputy governors (wakil gubernur – governor’s representative) want to be governors! So Mr representative of the people (wakil rakyat) why don’t you want to be one of the people!

More than a few eyebrows were raised when relatively unknown legal activist and lawyer Abraham Samad (pictured left) emerged as the country’s new anti-graft czar on Friday.

According to the Supreme Audit Agency there were irregularities of US$33 billion in Social Assistance Funds (Dana Bantuan Sosial) in 2007-2010.

Syahrul Hidayat, Palembang – Student activists from the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) held an action to commemorate the second year of the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono at the Air Mancur traffic circle in the South Sumatra city of Palembang on Thursday October 20.

Syamsul Hadi and Marcus Suprihadi, Jember – The second year of the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono was marked by a protest action by scores of students at the Jember Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) in East Java on Thursday October 20.

PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of Freeport McMoran Cooper and Gold – of which 90.64 percent of the shares are owned by Freeport CEO James R. Moffet – is the largest mining company in the world. Freeport contributes 95 percent of the entire production of gold by Freeport McMoran and a significant percentage of its copper production.

The political, economic, social and cultural situation, over which there has been great apprehension of late, has resulted in the public almost entirely loosing trust in those who run the country.

As President Yudhoyono (holding woman with ‘political parties’ written on dress) begins short-listing the names of new ministers for his first cabinet reshuffle during his second term in office, political analysts warn that it is critical for the president to resist the political pressure or horse-trading that characterised his first cabinet lin