The 2004-2009 House of Representatives term will end this month. So far, according to House Speaker Agung Laksono's speech during House anniversary celebrations on Aug. 28, the House is predicted to be able to pass 174 bills into law by the end of their term. However, that number is still far below their target of 284 bills based on the 2004 National Legislative Program.

Jakarta – Political experts are pleased at the possibility the next Cabinet will be filled with more professionals, but are worried that the inclusion of representatives from opposition parties may reduce the efficacy of its checks-and-balances mechanism.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Students held a rally Monday at the Finance Ministry's office, urging President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to resolve the case of Bank Century and demanding that Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati resign.

Febriamy Hutapea & Heru Andriyanto – The nation is quietly being pushed closer toward an Islamic state, Christian politicians and religious groups warned on Sunday, pointing to attempts this month to push through a bill requiring halal product labeling.

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Thousands of balloons were released into the air on Monday September 7. The coloured balloons with pictures of Munir symbolised five years since the death of the human rights activists.

Anita Rachman – The government is likely to fall short of its mark in efforts to reduce the illiteracy rate to 5 percent by the end of the year – and officials are blaming a lack of motivation among those who can't read and problems in reaching remote areas.

Wahyoe B./Andi Hajramurni, Malang/Makassar – Activists in Malang and Makassar staged a rally Monday to demand the government solve the now five-year old murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

Damien Kingsbury – It is hardly novel that a politician looking back at the glory days of office will want to ensure that their political legacy looks as positive as possible. And for whatever faults one might find with John Howard's period as prime minister, he was a politically-successful prime minister.

Pandaya, Dili – Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta's refusal of demand for an international tribunal to try perpetrators of serious crimes against humanity in East Timor between 1975 and 1999 has further complicated the long, painful search for justice.

Nivell Rayda – Police were desperately looking for excuses to pin down the Corruption Eradication Commission after allegations that several executives of the antigraft body were taking bribes were later found to be false, a corruption watchdog said on Monday.

Usman Hamid and Paul Barber, Yogyakarta/London – In October 1999, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) published a report, Ruler's Law, that described how Indonesia's first two presidents – Sukarno and Soeharto – created an environment in which the country's constitutional and legal norms were "allied closely with the authority of the Presidency and the authoritarian charac

Rendi A. Witular and Aditya Suharmoko – Questions have arisen over President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's and then Bank Indonesia governor Boediono's lack of foresight in the Bank Century debacle.

Vannessa Hearman – I was angry that Timorese president and peace laureate Jose Ramos Horta used the 10-year anniversary of the United Nations-supervised ballot in East Timor on August 30 to declare: "There will be no international tribunal."

On this same day in 1999, the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia – their brutal occupier for 24 years.

Jakarta – Stigmatization and discrimination are two crucial problems for people living with HIV/AIDS who seek medical treatment and to deal with these social attitude problems requires active participation from all the stakeholders, according to a women foundation.

Anita Rachman & Ismira Lutfia – Health officials are battling disease that is now spreading among refugees from last week's massive earthquake in West Java, with many complaining of diarrhea and rashes, while victims staying in higher-elevated regions also face intense cold at night.

Jakarta – Dozens of unidentified men mobbed the Matraman Police station on Jl. Matraman Raya, Central Jakarta in the early hours of Saturday morning, hurling stones and flower pots at the office.

Eyewitnesses said that the attackers arrived at 1 a.m. on motorcycles and took on-duty police officers off guard.

Janeman Latul & Muhammad Al Azhari – Economic and political analysts said over the weekend that the Rp 6.7 trillion ($663.3 million) Bank Century bailout controversy would not generate enough political steam to put serious pressure on two of the country's most senior officials – Vice President-elect Boediono, the former Bank Indonesia governor, and reform icon Sri Mulyani Indraw

Kartika Jahja – Marhaban ya Ramadan. Welcome oh Ramadan. The holy month to abstain from our worldly desires. The blessed month to purify our souls. And how has your Ramadan been dear readers? How much 'buka puasa' slash reunion slash dinner parties at overpriced restaurants have you attended?

Tasa Nugraza Barley & Ade Mardiyati – Each year during Ramadan, beggars come to Jakarta to take advantage of the extra generosity of the city's Muslims during the fasting month.

The giving of charity is required from all Muslims to help those in need, and during Ramadan each gift to the poor, or any other good deed, earns extra credit for the faithful from Allah.

Candra Malik, Yogyakarta – Thousands of residents marched down the main Jalan Malioboro thoroughfare on Saturday to demand that the House of Representatives ensure the governor and deputy governor positions go to the heads of the province's royal families.

Eras Poke, Kupang – Hundreds of farmers in two subdistricts of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara are asking for government assistance after their rice and corn harvests failed, as families face critical shortages in their food supply.

Ismira Lutfia & Anita Rachman – Indonesia and Malaysia are looking for ways to lower fees involved in the recruitment and transportation of Indonesian migrant workers to Malaysia, an official involved in bilateral talks said on Sunday.

Farouk Arnaz & Heru Andriyanto – Monday marks five years since renowned rights activist Munir Said Thalib was murdered in what law enforcement agencies believe was part of a conspiracy to silence his criticism of the military.

Hundreds of people lit candles and held prayers in East Timor on Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of one of the worst massacres in the country's history.

Camelia Pasandaran – With Indonesia's controversial state secrecy bill likely to be passed into law this month, analysts are urging legislators to ensure that an independent watchdog is created to supervise its implementation.

Heru Andriyanto – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must appoint a new attorney general to replace Hendarman Supandji, who has failed to effectively support the government's anticorruption drive, Indonesia Corruption Watch said on Sunday.

The operators of major resource extraction projects in the Indonesian province of Papua could face tough criminal penalties if they are found to have caused excess levels of environmental pollution.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Press and Broadcast Society (MPPI) have expressed their strong opposition to the proposed new law on the film industry, which they said was authoritarian.

Aubrey Belford, Jakarta – Simmering anger in Indonesia over Malaysia's "theft" of a traditional dance is spurring unlikely calls for war in the latest spat between the two traditionally testy neighbours.

Jakarta – With only weeks to go before their tenure ends on Sept. 30, 29 lawmakers have made a desperate attempt to challenge the government's "imprudent handling" of the Century Bank debacle.

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The National Police have agreed to the President's call for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to take an active role in combating terrorism, saying military personnel would be involved in seeking information, conducting raids on terrorists and handling the response to terrorist attacks.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A former senior security official experienced in fighting terrorism said on Thursday that deradicalization programs for terror suspects and their supporters should be included in any new Indonesian antiterrorist laws.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Governor Fauzi Bowo said Friday that the administration should proceed with enforcing the 2007 Bylaw on Public Order because it had been passed by the City Council.

"We have taken note of the objections, but we must implement the bylaw because it is valid and has been approved by the council," Fauzi said.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – After more than a decade in the wilderness, the family of Indonesia's former ruler Soeharto is making a comeback into political life, staging a bold attempt to wrest control of the Golkar party created by their father and re-establish a dynasty that foundered amid the mayhem that ended his dictatorship.

Jakarta – The price of subsidized fertilizer may increase by as much as 80 percent next year as a result of a proposed lower subsidy allocation, the Office of the State Minister for State Enterprises and state fertilizer firms estimated in a joint simulation.

Adek Berry, Cipanas (Indonesia) – Rescuers in Indonesia are continuing to search for dozens of people buried by a major earthquake that killed at least 63 people, as anger mounts at the slow response from authorities.

Jakarta – Rescuers in Indonesia continued to search Saturday as hopes faded for dozens of people missing after a major 7.0-magnitude earthquake, an official said.

The quake, which struck off the south coast of Java on Wednesday, triggered a landslide that buried dozens of people in the village Cikangkareng, 130 kilometres (80 miles) south of Jakarta.

[Excerpted from "The March of Patriots" by Paul Kelly, Melbourne University Press, to be published next week]

Paul Kelly, Editor-at-large – The Howard government decided in early 1999 to work for East Timor's independence but concealed this from the Indonesian government, John Howard and Alexander Downer have revealed.

Peter Quiddington – Soon after East Timor voted for independence in 1999, Cuba marshalled its forces and sent hundreds of medical instructors to the tiny country, while preparing to receive many more Timorese for training back in Cuba.

From 2004, the Cubans launched the second stage of their grassroots assault – a national adult literacy campaign.

Jakarta – A majority of people want President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to prioritize competence and personality over political and ethnic background when selecting personnel for his new Cabinet in the next five years, says a recent Indo Barometer survey.

Kuala Lumpur – Indonesia will demand a minimum monthly salary of RM800 for its domestic helpers at a bilateral meeting with Malaysia to be held in Jakarta on September 5 2009, Indonesian media reported today.

Surabaya – Hundreds of workers from Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Pasuruan, Mojokerto and Kediri staged a rally Thursday against 10 companies in East Java that recently sacked thousands of workers.

The protesters claimed the East Java administration failed to stop the mass layoffs, which saw 1,500 employees lose their jobs.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – Rescue workers were frantically sifting through rubble with their hands to find victims of Wednesday's earthquake in Indonesia, with many young children missing and feared dead after a landslide buried a games arcade in a village in West Java.

Jon Afrizal, Jambi – The illegal trade in Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatraensis) and their body parts in Jambi province has gone on unabated and has caused the tiger population to dwindle year by year.

JP/IrmaJP/Irma – Nothing is more alluring for politicians and opportunists right now than jumping on the bandwagon to condemn the costly Bank Century bailout. The target is clear: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, vice president-elect Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The Jakarta Post's Rendi A.

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – If the purpose of the recent terrorist attacks in Indonesia was to undermine democracy and rattle investor confidence, the July bombings of the luxury JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels present hard choices for freshly re-elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Seven suspects from Timika in Indonesia's Papua are set to face trial over recent shootings near the Grasberg mine run by mining giant Freeport.

Police have handed dossiers of the seven over to the Timika Prosecutor's Office which may press charges over the recent wave of shootings which have targetted Freeport staff convoys and claimed three lives.

Anthony Deutsch, Dili – A decade after tiny East Timor broke from Indonesia and prompted one of the most expensive UN-led nation-building projects in history, there is little to show for the billions spent.

Agus Maryono, Purbalingga, Central Java – Hundreds of teachers from various schools across the Central Java town of Purbalingga rallied outside the regent's office Friday to protest overlapping policies which they said had played havoc with their careers.