Jul 12, 2017 Last Updated 2:16 PM, Jul 10, 2017

Inside Indonesia

Law

Comes with the territory

A sign next to a dirt road reads in Indonesian, ‘Welcome to the territory of the Kiyu customary forest under Constitutional Court Decree No. 35/PUU-X/2012. THIS IS OUR CUSTOMARY FOREST, NOT STATE FOREST.’

Compromises must be made in the quest for indigeneity among the Dayak Meratus

New law, new villages?

One of many seminars for discussing the content of new Village Law (© Yando Zakaria, Yogyakarta, July 2013)

The new Village Law could substantially change Indonesia’s villages. Not necessarily for the better.

Creating Indonesia’s Village Law

A coalition of civil society organisations campaigned for the new Village Law. (©Yando Zakaria, Jakarta 4 July 2013)

How a law that goes against many vested interests was enacted

The myth of the harmonious village

Abraham Salm, ‘Village feast in the vicinity of Ardjoeno, Surabaya residency’ - Source: KITLV digital image library, http://media-kitlv.nl

Indonesia’s Village Law fails to provide village communities with control over their elites

New law, old bureaucracy

‘New Law - new village office’ seems to be the rule all over the country (© Jacqueline Vel, Central Sumba, August 2016)

Taking stock after two years of village law implementation

The village head as patron

Although illegal, village heads often support candidates during district head elections - Source: Ward Berenschot

The Village Law might restore the dominance that village heads enjoyed under Suharto

Participation in Ngada

Discussion about village development in a Ngada hamlet - Source: Lily Hoo

Why residents in Ngada district are exceptionally eager to take part in village meetings

Traditional village institutions and the Village Law

Villagers staging a protest in Bali - Source: Agung Wardana

The Village Law provides recognition for traditional village institutions, but villagers in Bali and Mentawai are not interested

Online dating apps blocked

Screenshot: A young man looks over the Grindr app interface. (Brondongmanis Channel via Youtube)

A government crackdown on dating apps is depriving LGBT Indonesians of a crucial resource

Book extract: Sarongge

(Agus Andrianto for CIFOR, via Flickr)

Lontar Modern Indonesia: ‘But that is, after all, the relationship between land and power... Whoever holds power will impose their view.’

Petikan buku: Sarongge

(Agus Andrianto for CIFOR, via Flickr)

Lontar Modern Indonesia: ‘Siapa yang pegang kuasa, akan paksakan pandangannya tentang bagaimana cara mengatur aset alam itu.’

No durable solutions

Exercising inside the immigration detention centre in Tanjung Pinang. (Credit: Dave Lumenta)

A new presidential decree delivers little for asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia

Falling through the cracks

The strict requirements of the Family Card registration system make it hard for many Indonesians to access JKN. (Credit: Clara Siagian)

The JKN or the National Health Insurance is failing Indonesia’s most vulnerable

Something's cooking

Pak Arum showing off his rissoles, cooked using biogas (Credit: Christina Haryanto Putri)

Biogas reduces the burden of fossil fuel subsidies

A parliamentary free-for-all

The DPR/MPR building

Indonesia’s political parties have lost control over the national budgeting process, as members of parliament prioritise their constituencies – and themselves.

Justice denied?

Source: Lexy Rambadeta

The Indonesian way of confronting the past underestimates the importance of truth and justice

Heritage adrift

Stacks of Changsha bowls in-situ, 1999 - Credit: Michael Flecker

What next for Indonesia’s underwater cultural heritage?

Samarinda’s deadly mining pits

A GSM plaintiff and a farmer stand on the edge of her mined land in Samarinda - Armin Hari

The end of the boom has not meant an end to the perilous impact of coal mining in East Kalimantan

Masa lalu yang tersembunyi

Esai foto-foto Pulau Buru

Ugly sanctuary

Dilapidated buildings at the former refugee centre on Galang Island - Credit: Antje Missbach

The Galang Island refugee camp has a chequered history

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Comes with the territory

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A sign next to a dirt road reads in Indonesian, ‘Welcome to the territory of the Kiyu customary forest under Constitutional Court Decree No. 35/PUU-X/2012. THIS IS OUR CUSTOMARY FOREST, NOT STATE FOREST.’

Compromises must be made in the quest for indigeneity among the Dayak Meratus

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Garment workers working at a factory

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar

Readers said:

The myth of the harmonious village
Mark Woodward - 09 Jul

On of the reasons that candidates for village office spend such large amounts on their election campaigns is that they anticipate a substantial return ...
Creating Indonesia’s Village Law
Nicholas - 28 May

This message is intended for the editors and all contributors to this series - Villages. Congratulations on the series and your individual contributions.
The myth of the harmonious village
Ulul Amri - 23 May

No. I'm a "peasant"
When village development fails
Monica - 23 May

Yulia, or other readers, do you know if there any process indicators assigned to UKBM? What I meant by process indicators are those that allow us to ...

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