When the Troops are Marching in
The war, the mosque speaker, and cops acting funny. It’s only February
Hey folks, how was your long weekend? Are you ready for another one? Because this Thursday is another holiday after all and if you’re in Bali, it’s time to stay indoors and ponder life’s existence because it’s Nyepi, a time when everything stops on the island and it’s all quiet except for the sounds of nature.
That’s probably what the world needs right now since a deranged dad-bod dictator decided that it’s a good time to invade another country with tens of thousands of his apparently not very well trained troops. Convoys going single file back to back for kilometers with no air support, armored vehicles running out of fuel in the middle of the road or getting stolen by farmers, troops asking local residents for directions to the city, the list of jaw dropping incompetence just keeps going. And he’s not winning the popularity contest either with most of his own allies leaving him on his own.
Anyway, let the year March on.
Oh, by the way, we’re going to have Breaking Nuice again this Friday. Keep checking our Twitter and Instagram accounts for updates.
The Russian Invasion
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full on military operation on Ukraine, weeks after swearing he would not do so. Much has been speculated about Putin’s intention, including the now viral but moronic narrative (thanks to WhatsApp) that likens Russia to a wise ex-husband trying to protect his flirtatious ex-wife and their children from the thuggish Western nation.
Putin himself argued that he was to protect people subjected to “bullying and genocide and aim for the demilitarisation and de-Nazification" of Ukraine. Well… There has been no genocide, Ukraine’s president is actually Jewish and the only bully here seems to be Putin himself.
What is clear though is that Putin has not been friendly to Ukraine ever since his bestie Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in 2014, after months of protests against his presidency. He had since annexed Ukraine’s Crimea and supported rebels in the breakaway states of Donetsk and Luhansk.
No one saw it coming that Putin would mobilize thousands of troops and launch an attack on cities like Kyiv and Odessa. At this point, no one knows for sure how far Putin is willing to go (he did just place his nuclear warheads on alert, tho). These are terrifying times for the continent. In Europe, no major power has invaded its neighbor since World War II.
The sporting community is not taking any chances. The FIA has canceled the Russian Formula One GP and the UEFA has moved the venue for the Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris. The national football teams of Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic have refused to play against Russia’s national team for the upcoming World Cup Qualifier matches and FIFA as well as UEFA have suspended Russia and Russian clubs from participating in international matches. No World Cup or European competition for them until further notice.
Back home in this beloved Russia-fearing nation, Padjadjaran University lecturer Teuku Rezasyah believed that a chance for peace rests solely on Indonesia’s shoulder saying “only Indonesia can be counted on to provide a middle ground or a path that can end (the invasion) without further complication.” Don’t know what he’s been smoking.
But Indonesia’s stance has been very weak. President Jokowi sent a milquetoast tweet saying “Stop the war. War brings misery to mankind and puts the world at risk.” Full stop without making any reference to Russia or Ukraine. And the English version was posted 1.5 hour after the Indonesian one. Was he having trouble translating? Did he run out of battery on his phone?
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said Indonesia is unlikely to follow other country’s footsteps and impose any sanction on Russia. The country is among the group that has chosen not to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine. Indonesia even refused to sign a draft UN resolution to end the war which Russia ultimately vetoed – No surprise there. At least Indonesia voted yes on holding an urgent debate on Ukraine.
Indonesia has nearly a billion dollars worth of trade with Ukraine and it’s the top origin of wheat in this country. Instant noodles, look out.
There may be light at the end of the tunnel as Kyiv and Moscow agreed to stage talks near the Belarus border on Monday morning although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is skeptical, saying “I don’t believe much in the result of this meeting, but let them try.”
Domestically, due to the economic sanctions by the United States and European countries, the Russian economy is tanking with the ruble crashing to its lowest level in history, the banks, both central and commercial, being locked out of international transactions, the stock market failing to open on Monday, and state assets being frozen in many parts of the world.
What’s clear is that Putin should pull out. He just doesn’t want to.
Wrongfully charged or … something else?
Police this week decided to drop all charges against Nurhayati, the village treasurer who reported her superior for corruption but was herself charged for the same crime instead.
The decision of course came after a video made by Nurhayati went viral on social media, deservedly bringing the case to public attention and that of top law enforcers.
Experts and activists have voiced their condemnation for Nurhayati's charging saying that it could deter people from reporting cases of corruption. Both the KPK and the Witness and Victims Protection Agency also criticized the decision, saying that Nurhayati should be rewarded for her action but was instead being punished.
Cirebon police chief M. Fahri Siregar initially defended the decision to charge Nurhayati. According to the police chief, prosecutors felt that charging the village chief was not enough and that Nurhayati should go down with him even though Nurhayati had assisted police in their investigation for the past two years. A ping from the police chief.
Head of the Cirebon public prosecutors office, Hutarmin however argued that although prosecutors did make the suggestion, the ultimate decision to charge her rested on the cops' hands. And a pong from the public prosecutor.
Law enforcers in Cirebon were so insistent in charging Nurhayati, Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Law and Security, Mahfud MD had to intervene saying that she does not deserve to be prosecuted.
The National Police criminal investigation division agreed to review the case and found that Nurhayati was charged “by mistake”. As if the insistence by the Cirebon Police Chief to charge her wasn’t enough evidence that it wasn’t.
The Attorney General’s Office said it is launching an internal inquiry on why Nurhayati was charged. Criminal Investigations Chief, Agus Andrianto however, said that because this whole thing was a mere accident, there will not be any internal investigation against the cops in Cirebon. Let’s not be too hasty in punishing a member (of the force), he said. Sure, thing, copper, sure thing.
Indonesian Police Watch welcomed the decision to drop the charges but asked the eternal question: Does a case need to go viral before the cops do the right thing? Great question there IPW, great question.
Speaker of the Mosque
The idea of regulating the use of speakers at mosques has been floated for many years. Then vice president Jusuf Kalla once called for it but previous administrations have shied away from it, fearing that conservative zealots might get the wrong idea.
The use of speakers at prayer centers actually has been regulated since 1978 but the regulation only said to not disturb the neighborhood and to have the sound “nice, melodious, and solemn.” And of course it’s unenforceable given how subjective and vague it is.
For years, those who felt that the use of speakers at mosques can be a bit excessive have stayed quiet, particularly after a woman in North Sumatra was jailed for blasphemy upon complaining privately to a neighbor about the loud volume of a nearby mosque speaker.
The Religious Affairs Ministry issued a directive this week regulating the use of speakers at mosques and prayer houses. Under the directive, there are only a few conditions when outdoor speakers can be used at mosques outside of the call to prayer, or adzan. For example, only indoor speakers can be used for sermons and recitals but outdoor speakers are allowed to be used for Eid prayers.
The regulation also limits the speaker loudness level to 100db, roughly the sound of speeding trains inside an underground station, but several conservatives took this as an attack against calls to prayer, even though such regulations are also in place in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Syria.
Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas tried to defend his decision, saying, “for example in a Muslim majority area, there is one mosque or mushalla for every 100-200 meters. You can imagine if they turn on their speakers at the same time.”
But then he shot himself in the foot, saying: “imagine living in a housing complex where (or neighbors) to the left, right, front and back all had dogs and they bark at the same time. Would we not feel disturbed?”
Yup… the dog analogy didn’t bode well with conservatives, triggering several demonstrations calling for his ouster.
But it seems the regulation is here to stay, having received the support of the NU, Muhammadiyah, and the Indonesian Mosque Council.
Quick Reads
Quarantine Days Going Away
The latest update to Indonesia’s international travel measures gave an indication that things will be much easier in the near future. While travelers to Indonesia in general will still have to isolate for three days, those arriving directly in Bali from overseas won’t be quarantined starting 14 March. The rest of the country will also drop quarantine requirement from 1 April. Both these dates could be moved forward if things improve. Additionally, full vaccination is mandatory regardless. Anti-vaxxers aren’t welcome in this country.
That creepy designer is at it again
Arnold Putra, the designer with a morbid fetish, may be in legal trouble if Brazilian police have their way. When they raided the Amazonas State University based on a tip, they found that a number of lab staff and a professor had prepared and shipped human body parts to Singapore intended for the designer. The Brazilian Federal Police is investigating the case and may call on him at least to testify or give statements on his alleged involvement.
Crime does pay
A notorious former thug and mobster who was considered the big boss at Jakarta’s Tanah Abang market for at least three decades and is no stranger to murder, extortion, and racketeering, had been working for the city’s market operator Pasar Jaya as a special advisor for the past five months. Popularly known as Hercules, he was hired to help accelerate the strategic goal of the company (wonder what that may be). In any case, his contract was for six months but may be extended if the situation calls for it. He is also reportedly quite wealthy, owning several companies, large plots of land, as well as multiple houses.