Public Relations as I think it should be
The danger of hacker Bjorka to the Government lies not in the information he purportedly hacked and leaked. The danger comes from the reaction of Indonesian netizens to any news or posts about Bjorka’s antics. Bjorka Check out Twitter and other social media news feeds and typical reactions are support for Bjorka and criticism of... Continue Reading →
There is something amiss in the Government's handling of the demonstrations that have taken place in at least nine cities over the past week. It is at best, half-hearted and amateurish; at worst, grist for a conspiracy theorist's mill. Contrast this week's handling of protests with that of how it handled the protests surrounding the... Continue Reading →
Today, thousands of students have taken to the streets in Jakarta and other cities demonstrating against the Criminal Code. Traffic in Jakarta was clogged up and as the day progressed, water cannons and tear gas were used on them, but it could not dampen their spirit. A couple of days ago, after widespread protests, President... Continue Reading →
Living in Indonesia these days feels as if someone has pulled the plug, and all the common sense and integrity that we expect even of our most revered political hopes are draining quickly out of the country. The Outsider Jokowi, whom many of us had hoped would be a catalyst for change against a corrupted and ossified... Continue Reading →
In a court of law Democrat Party Chief Anas Urbaningrum's argument that he should be presumed innocent until found guilty of corruption allegations makes sense. As he says he's not even been indicted and as such there is no need for him to step down from helping the Democrats. Then there is the court of... Continue Reading →
What Unspun loves about living in Indonesia is that every once in a while, amid all the muck, detritus of corruption, indecision and self interest there will emerge something wonderful, like a water lily flower blooming resplendent even though it emerged from the mud. Last night was such an occasion. It was Pecha Kucha Night,... Continue Reading →
I've said my piece in the Jakarta Globe article below. What do you think? Susno Duadji. (JG Photo/Afriadi Hikmal) NGO Testing Susno's Food for Poison Susno Duadji says he has taken steps to ensure his safety after making corruption allegations against fellow officers in the National Police.“I’m not a little boy anymore. I calculated the risks... Continue Reading →
It is, of course, complete nonsense that disgraced-police-top-brass-turned -whistle-blower Susno Duadji should even be considered as a candidate to lead the Corruption Eradication Commission. The preposterous suggestion comes from Golkar, a party with a huge axe to grind, especially after they failed to oust Boediono and Sri Mulyani in the recent furore over the Bank... Continue Reading →
Two stories in the front pages of most Indonesian newspapers today tell a very interesting story about Indonesia and corruption. The first is a report by the Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy and tells us how corrupt Indonesia is, at least in terms of perception. The verdict: Indonesia is perceived as the most... Continue Reading →
Came across an interesting story in The Economist about how an NGO called 5th Pillar is distributing Zero Rupee cupons in India as part of the fight against corruption and bribery. It is of no commercial value but comes in valuable when officials ask you for a bribe. That's when you pay them the Zero... Continue Reading →
This is hilarious. When the Task Force on the Eradication of the Legal Mafia paid a surprise visit to the prison in Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta, yesterday, what did they find? Must have been a rather red-faced Artalyta Suryani, convicted of bribing prosecutors in a high profile case, who was in the middle of -- wait... Continue Reading →
This is the second time in two weeks that Unspun's heard of the legendary Hoegeng, the chief of police who was so much of a straight shooter that he was removed from office by Suharto. The first time Unspun heard of Hoegeng was from an old-time Jakarta resident. Speaking of corruption he told me about how... Continue Reading →
Unspun 