Jakarta – As much as 60-70 percent of the 2007 state budget (APBN) or between 457-534 trillion rupiah was depleted for the bureaucratic costs of the government, legislator and law enforcement agencies. The total state budget for 2007 was 763 trillion rupiah.

Fitraya Ramadhanny, Jakarta -- Monday mornings are always a day full of hustle and bustle at the start of the week. Drivers should be the lookout for a number of demonstrations in the Jakarta area so they don’t get caught in traffic.

Jakarta – The big political parties, Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who have the largest number of seats on the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III must be held responsible for the selection of Antasari Azhar as the new head of Corruption Eradication Commission or KPK.

Jakarta – A number of protests or mass actions on the main streets of Jakarta will add to the traffic congestion today. The protest groups, as announced by the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Center (TMC), have already sent notifications of their planned actions to police.

Sofian, Jakarta – A number of parts of Jakarta will be congested today, Thursday October 25. One of the reasons being that seven demonstrations will rock seven points across the city.

Arfi Bambani Amri, Jakarta – The investigation into the assassination of human rights defender Munir has reached a dead end even though former Garuda Airlines pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto has been convicted for the murder.

A.J. Susmana – It has been 61 years since Indonesia declared itself as an independent nation. But the question so often asked by the cynical is: “Are we really free?”.

Veronika Kusuma Wijayanti, Jakarta – Rats. Student released the animals – which are often the symbol of corruption – into the Jakarta police headquarters at a demonstration on Monday October 31. Fifteen white rats that had been given this names of corrupt police officers even assailed the offices of national police chief General Sutanto.

Alisa P, Jakarta – In a report on the results of the military operation over the two years that Aceh was under a state of emergency to members of the People’s Representative Assembly’s (DPR) Commission I, armed forces (TNI) chief General Endriartono Sutarto failed to mention the number of civilian casualties reporting only on the members of Free

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – On Friday June 3, the People’s Representative Assembly (DPR) sent a letter of protest to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The DPR is asking the government not to continue negotiations with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Helsinki, Finland.

Jakarta – A number of non-government organisations (NGOs) are asking police to investigate the relationship between the recent bombing in Poso, Central Sulawesi, and indications of corruption of humanitarian aid for Poso refugees.

Banda Aceh – Entering its third month, indications of corruption in the handling of the disaster in Aceh are starting to be uncovered.

Arin Widiyanti, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is to be sued by 4.1 million Acehnese people on the grounds that his broke his campaign promise by extending the civil emergency in Aceh. The suit is be registered with the Central Jakarta State Court by the People’s Lawyers Union (Serikat Pengacara Rakyat, SPR).

Jakarta – There has been almost no meaningful progress in the functioning or political performance of the executive, legislative and judicial institutions in 2003, either at the national or local level.