KEY ANTI-CORRUPTION OFFICALS REINSTATED AS

UNCLAS JAKARTA 002015 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, DS NSC FOR D. WALTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM ASEC ID SUBJECT: KEY ANTI-CORRUPTION OFFICALS REINSTATED AS ACTIVISTS GEAR UP FOR MORE RALLIES REF: JAKARTA 1967 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: The GOI has issued an order reinstating two key officials to their leadership positions on Indonesia's national anti-corruption commission. The move comes after the Attorney General's office--in a marked climb down--announced last week that it will not pursue abuse of power-related charges against the two. While cheering on these moves, activists are gearing up for major demonstrations marking December 9, International Anti-Corruption Day. On the political defensive, the GOI has appealed for calm. END SUMMARY. GOI REINSTATES KPK COMMISSIONERS ¶3. (SBU) There is some good news on Indonesia's volatile anti-corruption front--Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Deputies Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto went back to work December 8. A December 7 presidential decree reinstated them on the heels of the Attorney General's announcement that the GOI will not pursue charges against them. Chandra and Bibit were suspended from duty September 21 and arrested after they were declared suspects in an alleged bribery and abuse of power scheme. This sparked a public uproar amid accusations that the charges may have been fabricated (see reftels). (Note: Former KPK chief Antassari remains on trial on murder charges. As reviewed in reftels, the most prominent potentially-corruption related matter in Indonesia continues to be the Bank Century scandal which involves the alleged use of bank funds for political purposes.) ACTIVISTS PLAN PROTESTS ¶4. (SBU) Civil society has cheered on these moves. Activists, however, are far from satisfied with Indonesia's progress in combating graft. In advance of December 9, International Anti-Corruption Day, NGOs are planning a series of rallies across the country to urge President Yudhoyono and his administration to fulfill his campaign promises to tackle corruption head on. The major December 9 rally is slated to take place in downtown Jakarta. Police do not envision mammoth rally attendance, but it does not take much of a crowd to precipitate a large-scale traffic tie-up in Jakarta, especially during monsoon season with its floods. ¶5. (SBU) Labor and student demonstrators gathered on December 8 in Jakarta to protest Yudhoyono's participation in the Asian Parliamentary Assembly in Bandung, West Java, saying that he should concentrate on cracking down on corruption. There have been other relatively small rallies at sites across the country in recent days. In a sign that Islamic groups are getting more engaged, the small, but influential Islamist organization Hizbut Tahrir (HTI) also held a rally on December 6 in Jakarta to call for stronger anti-corruption efforts and the implementation of sharia law. A couple of thousand HTI supporters turned out for this rally. Activists of all political stripes also continue to bombard social networking sites with anti-corruption messages (see reftels). GOI APPEALS FOR CALM ¶6. (SBU) The GOI and NGOs alike have urged civil society to conduct the demonstrations planned for December 9 and throughout the week in a peaceful mode. To ensure security, the government has deployed some 14,000 police officers, nearly half of Jakarta's police force. Governor Fauzi Bowo has announced that he will not allow protesters to stage demonstrations in certain locations which may spark serious traffic meltdowns. President Yudhoyono--who has been on the political defensive over the anti-corruption issue--has publicly appealed to Indonesians to avoid allowing "political interests" to "hijack" international anti-corruption day. HUME