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The Star
6 days ago
- General
- The Star
Jakarta Police under fire for criminalising student paramedics
JAKARTA: The University of Indonesia (UI) and several civil society organisations have condemned the police's alleged use of excessive force and criminalisation of student protesters during the May Day rally in Jakarta last month, describing the actions as an abuse of power that threatens citizens' democratic rights. The criticism was sparked by the controversial naming of UI student Cho Yong Gi as a suspect, despite his role as a medical volunteer at the demonstration. Yong Gi, a philosophy student who was wearing medical attire and carrying first-aid equipment, was reportedly subjected to physical violence before being arrested. In a statement released on Tuesday (June 3), UI's Department of Philosophy expressed deep concern over the incident and pledged to provide full support to Yong Gi during the legal process. 'Arresting participants who were working in humanitarian roles, especially with the use of violence, raises serious concerns about civilian rights, including the protection of medical workers in peaceful demonstrations,' the statement reads. 'We urge the Jakarta police to handle this case objectively and fairly, taking into account our student's position and the humanitarian duties he was performing at the time.' The Jakarta Police have opened investigations into 14 suspects in connection with the May 1 protest in front of the House of Representatives building. The authorities claimed that the protests on May 1 had resulted in a chaotic demonstration and had disrupted public order. After arresting alleged violators, the police named 13 suspects on May 8 and subsequently named one more suspect. Among the 14 suspects are ten protesters and four individuals who served as medical and paralegal volunteers during the rally. 'They are suspected of committing a criminal offence by disobeying orders of intentionally failing to leave after being ordered to do so three times by authorised authorities, as stipulated in Articles 216 and 218 of the Criminal Code [KUHP],' said Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ade Ary Syam during a press briefing on Tuesday. Meanwhile, UI's Student Executive Body reported in a separate statement that three out of the 14 suspects are the university's students. The student body reported that the demonstration proceeded peacefully until around 4:45 p.m. when police began dispersing the crowd using water cannons and barricades, triggering widespread panic as protesters ran to seek safety. 'During the forced dispersal, our colleagues were dragged away by several police officers and subjected to acts of violence, including being put in chokeholds, punched, kicked and stomped on by the authorities,' read the statement. 'We strongly condemn and oppose all forms of repressive and arbitrary actions carried out by the police against fellow activists. This incident is not an isolated case, but rather part of a broader pattern of repression systematically perpetuated by the state,' it added. Last month, the police also named 16 Trisakti University students suspects for a violent clash during a protest on May 21 to commemorate the reform era. But the police said that they have not issued arrest warrants and would be open to applying a restorative justice approach, Tempo reported. Rights group Amnesty International Indonesia said the recent arrest of May Day protestors reflects the excessive use of state force, and is part of a recurring pattern seen across numerous demonstrations. 'We have consistently called for accountability for this excessive use of force and urged authorities to ensure such incidents do not happen again,' said Usman Hamid, Amnesty's executive director, on Wednesday. His concerns were echoed by Fadhil Alfathan, director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta). 'If this legal process continues as it is, we fear it will result in a flawed and unjust trial. Rather than upholding the rule of law, it risks punishing innocent people,' he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Indonesian police under fire for criminalising student paramedics
Indonesian authorities claim protests on May 1 resulted in chaotic demonstrations and had disrupted public order. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: AFP The University of Indonesia (UI) and several civil society organisations have condemned the police's alleged use of excessive force and criminalisation of student protesters during the May Day rally in Jakarta i n Ma y, describing the actions as an abuse of power that threatens citizens' democratic rights. The criticism was sparked by the controversial naming of UI student Cho Yong Gi as a suspect, despite his role as a medical volunteer at the demonstration. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
22-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
‘Crossed the line': Indonesia health minister's controversial plans and comments spark calls for removal
JAKARTA: From making moves that would allow general practitioners to perform risky birth surgery, to controversial statements saying men with larger jeans sizes will 'meet God sooner', Indonesia's health minister has come under heavy public criticism lately. Some have even called for his resignation. As of Wednesday (May 21) evening, an online petition calling for Budi Gunadi Sadikin to be removed from office has been signed 8,600 times since it started on May 4. 'Throughout his tenure, the health minister has issued numerous policies and statements which are not pro-people, not based on scientific data and tarnish the credibility of health professionals,' the petition wrote. The health minister's policies and offhand remarks also led to a fierce debate over whether Indonesia's top health post should be reserved for professionals with a medical background. Over the last few days, lecturers from three of Indonesia's biggest public universities: Jakarta's University of Indonesia, West Java's Padjadjaran University and East Java's Airlangga University wrote open letters to President Prabowo Subianto, asking him to review Budi's performance and policies. The Alumni Association of University of Indonesia's Faculty of Medicine joined the chorus of condemnation on Tuesday. '(The association) encourages President Prabowo to replace the top health official,' Wawan Mulyawan, a neurosurgeon and association chairman, told reporters, as quoted by local media platform Tempo, adding that some of Budi's policies and statements 'have crossed the line'. Analysts say the level of distrust shown by medical professionals and academics towards the minister is worrying as it affects how government policies are implemented on the ground. 'If this distrust drags on, the quality of health services people receive will be at risk,' Dicky Budiman, a public health expert from Jakarta's Yarsi University, told CNA. Budi was appointed health minister under the previous Joko Widodo government in 2020 and reappointed by Prabowo after he came to power in October. A former banker with a degree in nuclear physics, Budi is the only second health minister in Indonesia who is neither a doctor nor a public health expert. The first was Mananti Sitompul, a civil engineer, who held the position temporarily for a few months between December 1948 and March 1949 when the country was still at war with its former coloniser, the Netherlands. Budi's business background was an asset during the turbulence of the pandemic, said some experts. However, they stressed the importance of sector experience in a post-COVID world. 'During the (COVID-19) pandemic, (Budi) was the right man for the job because (Indonesia) needed someone who could make quick decisions and had good managerial skills,' Dicky said, adding that Budi's experience in the corporate world gave him valuable expertise. '(But) it is time for the health minister position to return to people who know the (health) sector well.' However, some analysts feel that removing Budi from office and reserving the health minister position for doctors and public health experts is excessive. '(Budi) is not the only Cabinet member who has aired controversial statements. He is not even the first health minister in Indonesia who made controversial statements and policies,' said Windhu Purnomo, a public health expert from Airlangga University. 'In many other countries, the health minister position is not only for people with medical backgrounds because what matters is their strategic thinking and managerial skills.' CONTROVERSIAL PLANS, STATEMENTS Criticism towards Budi intensified this month after the minister issued one controversial remark after another. On May 14, Budi revealed during a parliamentary hearing that his ministry was formulating a regulation which would allow general practitioners in remote regions to perform caesarean sections to combat the shortage of obstetricians and gynaecologists in rural areas. The ministry's plan immediately drew pushback from the Indonesian Doctors Association and the Indonesian Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Association, both of which highlighted that such a procedure is "complicated and risky" and should not be performed by doctors without specialised training. Also on May 14, Budi remarked that men with a jeans size of 33 inches or more are 'definitely obese' and 'more likely to meet God sooner' while he was attending the launch of a new health initiative to help the elderly population of Jakarta. Three days later, on May 17, Budi made the news again, this time for saying at a discussion forum about the Health Vision Era of Prabowo in Jakarta that those with a salary of 15 million rupiah (US$914) per month 'are definitely healthier and smarter' than those earning 5 million rupiah monthly. The health minister is no stranger to controversy. Budi began attracting negative attention in May last year when he announced plans to allow foreign doctors to practise in Indonesia to combat a shortage of physicians in the country, particularly specialists. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Indonesia has 0.72 doctors per 1,000 people, which is below the organisation's standards of one doctor for 1,000 people. Doctors and health experts criticised the move, saying that the plan will only mean more competition for local doctors and does not address the problem of limited access to healthcare in remote areas, as foreign doctors are unlikely to be willing to be stationed in underdeveloped regions. Budi was criticised by the health community again for saying the 'stethoscope is very unscientific' during a discussion organised by Google in June 2024 and in an October webinar saying: 'My predecessors (are) medical doctors. So they train (for) 10 years, 20 years to cure sick people, not to keep people healthy.' Even when then-President Joko Widodo first named Budi as Indonesia's health minister on Dec 20, 2020, reactions were mixed because of his non-medical background. Budi was replacing army physician Terawan Agus Putranto, who was lambasted by many health experts for his slow and complacent handling of the pandemic. But Budi, who prior to being Indonesia's top health official was vice minister for state-owned enterprises, soon proved his worth: Making sure hospitals across the vast archipelago were equipped to treat the influx of COVID-19 patients and securing enough vaccines to inoculate some 200 million Indonesians. Budi's handling of the pandemic was one of the reasons why Widodo's successor Prabowo reinstated him as health minister. 'In the beginning, (Budi) realised that he had little knowledge about the medical world, but he was willing to learn and listen to more qualified colleagues and stakeholders,' Windhu of Airlangga University said. 'But after years of becoming a minister, he has since become overly confident in his knowledge of the health sector and started issuing statements and policies which drew the ire of medical professionals.' CREDIBILITY QUESTIONED After his statements on jeans sizes were widely lambasted on social media, the minister tried to defend his remarks, saying that he was simply choosing terms and analogies which were easy to grasp by ordinary people. 'I'm simply interpreting a health tip in a way people can understand,' Budi said as quoted by the Jakarta Globe. But experts said Budi should not be oversimplifying things to the point that they start to defy medical and scientific conventions. 'Even school students know that you cannot measure obesity based on the size of someone's jeans or gauge a person's health based on one's salary. It is understandable that there are many people, not just those in the health sector, (who) are upset (by the statements),' public health expert Dicky said. '(The remarks) will greatly impact the credibility of the minister and the government in the eyes of ordinary citizens.' Politician Yahya Zaini of the parliament's health and social affairs commission said the minister must choose his words carefully to avoid confusion and controversy. 'All public statements should be supported by solid data,' the health commission's deputy speaker said on May 18, as quoted by DetikNews. Even though calls for Budi to be ousted have been intensifying, Prabowo may keep him on, say some experts. 'Before (Budi), there have been several members of Prabowo's Cabinet who garnered widespread condemnation for what they said or did,' political analyst Hendri Satrio of Jakarta's Paramadina University told CNA. Among Prabowo's ministers who once faced mounting calls to be replaced was energy and mineral resources minister Bahlil Lahadalia, who on Feb 1 decreed that subsidised cooking gas, which was originally sold at small stalls and convenience stores, should only be sold at 'authorised distributors'. The move resulted in a public backlash after residents were forced to travel far and wait for hours to acquire the subsidised cooking gas. Less than one week later, Prabowo intervened and repealed the regulation. Another was Yandri Susanto, the minister of villages and development of disadvantaged regions, who was alleged to have used his position and influence to swing votes in favour of his wife Ratu Rachmatu Zakiyah, who was running in the November regional election in Serang regency, just west of Jakarta. Ratu was on May 9 declared the winner of the Serang election but not before the Constitutional Court on Feb 25 ruled that Yandri had indeed intervened in the election process and ordered a revote in some polling stations. '(These ministers) were reprimanded but still got to keep their jobs. I think the same will happen to the health minister,' Hendri said. The political analyst said despite the controversies, Budi has shown Prabowo that he can deliver some of the president's goals and campaign promises such as the free health check initiative which was rolled out in February and the upgrading of thousands of healthcare facilities in remote areas. But even if he manages to keep his job, Budi would still need to work hard to regain the trust of medical workers and ordinary citizens, public health expert Windhu said. 'Going forward, he should focus on what he does best, worry about strategic and managerial matters and leave the technical, medical matters to his vice minister (Dante Saksono) and directors who do have backgrounds in health,' he said. '(Budi) must focus on getting work done and showing results. That is the only way to regain the trust and support of the general public and health professionals because without their support, no government policy can be implemented successfully.'
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Indonesia says economic growth could pick up next year, promises prudent budget
JAKARTA, May 20 (Reuters) - Indonesia's government sees economic growth reaching at least 5.2% next year as it continues to focus on improving food production, energy security and people's wellbeing, its finance minister told parliament on Tuesday. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said economic growth in 2026 would be between 5.2% and 5.8% next year with the bottom end of the range the same as 2025's growth target. "We will reach the target in 2026 by maintaining people's purchasing power... development of natural resources downstream industry and improving the investment climate, as well as human resources," Sri Mulyani said as she outlined the basis of the government's 2026 budget. Still, some analysts were sceptical about the target growth range, saying the focus on welfare was unlikely to boost the economy. "Still the same old story," Jahen Rezki, an analyst from the University of Indonesia, told Reuters. "Minimal or no economic policies we see so far that support development ... We need a lot of investment/financial deepening to be able to grow higher." Spending for health and education in 2026 could be increased by as much as 4% and 5% year-on-year, respectively, Sri Mulyani said, as the government pushes ahead with President Prabowo Subianto's flagship programme of free meals for 83 million students and pregnant women, as well as to build hundreds of schools for poorer communities. The 2026 budget will also focus on improving the defence sector by modernising military hardware and increasing the size of the reserve forces, Sri Mulyani told parliament. Reiterating the government was committed to prudent spending, Sri Mulyani said the deficit would be between 2.48% and 2.53% of GDP, compared with this year's target of 2.53%. Jakarta also assumed a weaker rupiah next year - up to 16,900 a dollar - as a consequence of the ongoing global market uncertainties from U.S. tariffs. The budget will be the first by Prabowo, who wants to lift growth to 8% by 2029, since he took office in October. Indonesia usually formalises its spending plans by the end of the third quarter.
Voice of America
10-02-2025
- Health
- Voice of America
Indonesia launches $183 million free health screening to prevent early deaths
Indonesia launched an annual free health screening on Monday, a $183 million initiative to prevent early deaths that the country's health ministry said was its biggest ever undertaking. Under the program, all Indonesians will eventually be entitled to a free screening on their birthday, the ministry said. The screening, which is not mandatory, includes blood pressure, tests to determine the risk of heart problems or stroke, and eye tests, the ministry said. The program is initially targeting children under 6 and adults aged 18 and over, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told Reuters last week. The leading causes of death in the world's fourth most populous nation include stroke, heart disease, and tuberculosis, data from the World Health Organization shows. Budi said the $184 million allocation for the program was about $62 million less than originally planned after President Prabowo Subianto ordered budget cuts to help fund election promises, including giving free meals to school children. At a health center in Jakarta on Monday, about 30 people had signed up for the screening on the first day. Teacher Ramika Dewi Saragih said she underwent checks on her breasts, cervix, eyes, and more and was not apprehensive. "I was really looking forward to this," the 33-year-old said, adding that more people should take up the opportunity. A health ministry spokesperson said the target for the checks this year was 100 million people. Budi said the program was intended to promote preventive care as Indonesians tended to check for illnesses only when they already had them. "Our culture is checking when we're already sick ... that cuts closest to the grave," he said. He said the program was the biggest the ministry had ever undertaken, surpassing COVID-19 vaccinations. Budi added the screening, which is to be rolled out at more than 20,000 health centers and clinics, also includes mental health tests to determine signs of depression or anxiety. Researchers at the University of Indonesia's Economic and Social Research Institute warned the program could risk burdening the country's already-strained local health centers, citing uneven distribution of drugs or doctors.
