INFID, July 29, 2004
INFID's Short News Overview No.V/19: July 17-29, 2004
INFID News
Office Closed
The European Liaison Office will be closed from July 30 till August 13, 2004. There will
be no news service during this period. For urgent and important matters, please
contact our secretariat in Jakarta.
World Bank 60th Anniversary
Commemorating the 60th World Bank anniversary INFID organised a seminar on July
21 to discuss the accountability and responsibility of the Bank towards the
development process in Indonesia. The seminar, held at Hotel Cemara Jakarta, was
meant to raise the awareness of the people that during the 60 years of WB operations
their projects have been plagued with corruption and all kinds of human right
violations.
The discussion was started with a testimony from Paris Rajanto, who represented the
villagers of Kedung Ombo. Kedung Ombo Dam, financed by the World Bank, was
constructed in late 80s. More than 30,000 people were to be moved, which soon
became a big problem as the land appropriation practice was hasty and unfair. The
project created oppositions from the affected people and various elements of civil
society.
Talking after Rajanto was Ade Irawan of Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW). He
shared his insights on the odds of the Bank's education project.
World Bank lead economist Bert Hofman defended his institutions saying that all of
the Bank's projects have undergone a consultation process. He also said that the
Bank have taken various efforts and measurements to avoid misappropriation of funds.
Candra Kirana of Extractive Industries Review (EIR) explained how they did the study,
the results of the study and said that the Bank has rejected their recommendations.
The EIR is an independent study initiated by World Bank President James
Wolfensohn in 2000 to review whether oil, gas, and mining projects funded by the
bank had significantly contributed to poverty eradication and created sustainable
governance in debtor countries.
Longgena Ginting of Friends of the Earth Indonesia (WALHI) advised the World Bank
to end its support of oil, gas and mining industries as was recommended by the EIR.
Related news: http://www.infid.be/wb_60th.htm
General News
Puteh suspended
Indonesian President MegawatiSoekarnoputri, bowing to demands from anti-corruption
campaigners, on July 19 suspended the powerful governor of Aceh province from most
duties while he is being investigated over a graft case.
Megawati's Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No.2/2004 requires Puteh to comply with
the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) probe into a graft case in which Puteh
is a suspect.
Acting security minister Hari Sabarno said the vice governor would take over governor
Abdullah Puteh's daily duties while Sabarno would oversee the state of emergency in
the province, where the military is battling separatist rebels.
On the same day Puteh filed a libel case against the government's anti-corruption
commission for naming him a prime suspect in a corruption scandal. A team of
lawyers representing Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh presented a case against the
Anti Corruption Commission (KPK) with the Central Jakarta District Court, arguing
that the commission had defamed their client by naming him a corruption suspect.
Sources: AFP 19/07, DPA 19/07
Military Bill
Rights activists criticized on July 20 the amended bill on the Indonesian Military (TNI),
saying it was a setback for democracy because if enacted, it would retain the
military's territorial presence.
Munir of the National Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(Kontras) said the bill limited presidential jurisdiction over approving deployment for
war and military operations other than war, while it scrapped presidential authority to
approve deployment for other purposes, including territorial security.
He was referring to Article 8(2) of the bill, which states that the TNI has three key
roles in maintaining state sovereignty and integrity: launch war against the enemy,
launch military operations other than war and maintain territorial supervision.
"According to the appendix, the military is allowed involvement in handling community
conflicts and terrorist threats, whereas such responsibilities should belong to the
police," Munir said.
He said Article 8(2) of the bill contradicted the People's Consultative Assembly
Decree No. VI/2001 on the separation of TNI from the National Police and No. VII/2001
on the duties of police and TNI.
The bill has incited much criticism since it was made public last year, with analysts
saying it authorized the TNI commander to deploy military personnel in an emergency
without seeking presidential approval.
Read more at: http://www.infid.be/military_bill.htm
Sources: JP 20/07
Election News
Golkar, Gus Dur to support Megawati
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has offered eight cabinet posts to the
former party of ex-dictator Suharto in any new government to garner support for her
re-election, a newspaper reported on July 22.
"Megawati has daringly offered eight seats (in the cabinet). How about SBY? Even if
he can offer 10 to 15 seats, we tend to choose Megawati," deputy Golkar chairman
Mahadi Sinambela told influential economic weekly Kontan. "We want the cabinet
arrangement to be Golkar's say." Indonesian cabinets usually have around 30 posts.
Golkar has not decided who will receive its support, but there are signs emerging that
it will favour Megawati. Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung told Kompas during an
interview on July 21 that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and
Golkar shared chemistry . "If looked at from a practical perspective, there are no
doubts that we are much better acquainted with PDI-P people. Although there is
friction on occasion, we know each other well," Akbar Tandjung said.
It's all very well for Akbar to say this. However, one of the chairmen of the Golkar
Party Central Leadership Board, Fahmi Idris, admitted to having decided to support
Yudhoyono-Kalla in the upcoming final round.
Local media also reported that a meeting between President Megawati Sukarnoputri
and her predecessor Abdurrahman Wahid, the first after three years, took place at
Megawati's private residence in South Jakarta.
The meeting followed several previous talks with the President's wheeling-and-dealing
husband, politician Taufiq Kiemas.
Analysts said the meeting was the beginning of a re-conciliation between the two that
might lead to Mr Abdurrahman throwing his much needed support for the Megawati
camp in a face-off against front runner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in September.
More on election news: http://www.infid.be/election_news.htm
Sources: Reuters 22/07, BMS 22/07, ST 21/07
Regional News
Aceh
July 14
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Asep Sapari said Indonesian troops killed 15 suspected
rebels in Aceh and confiscated two boats and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The
rebels were killed on July 13 in separate clashes in northern and eastern Aceh, he
said.
July 18
Lt. Col. Asep Sapari said an Indonesian soldier and three suspected separatist rebels
were killed in Aceh on July 17..
News reports said Swedish prosecutor Tomas Lindstrand has dropped an
investigation of the exiled leader of the Aceh rebel movement, saying the aging Hasan
Tiro no longer controls the group.
Tiro, 80, and two other exiled leaders of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are accused
by Indonesia of staging assassinations, bombings and kidnappings. Prosecutor
Tomas Lindstrand told newspaper Dagens Nyheter that Tiro's "executive capacity"
was limited because of his ill health. Malik Mahmud, 64, and Zaini Abdullah, 63, are
still being investigated, Lindstrand said. All three live in exile in Sweden.
July 20
Indonesian troops have killed more than 230 alleged separatist guerrillas in Aceh
province since martial law was lifted two months ago. Police Senior Commissioner
Anjaya said some 232 alleged members of GAM -- or almost four people a day on
average -- died in clashes between May 19 and July 19.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said Indonesia accepts the Swedish
prosecutors' decision to drop charges against Hasan Tiro. But Hassan urged Sweden
to continue the legal action against the self-styled GAM leaders Zaini Abdullah and
Malik Mahmood.
July 22
Lt. Col. Asep Sapari said government troops have killed 16 separatist rebels during
two clashes in Aceh on July 20 and July 21. One of those killed was GAM's deputy
operations commander Udin Abdullah, Sapari said.
Swedish Court's Acquittal of Hassan, and Accountability for Abuses in Aceh:
http://www.infid.be/aceh_040726.htm
Sources: AP 14/07, AFP 18/0720/07 22/07, JP 21/07
Papua
Papuan religious leaders have urged the National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM) to reveal the findings of its probe into alleged human rights violations
by soldiers and police in the troubled province.
They wrote to Komnas HAM to convey the demand for it to announce its findings of
possible gross human rights abuses during two bloody incidents in Wasior in 2001
and Wamena in 2003.
Komnas HAM chairman Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara confirmed on July 16 he had
received the letter, in which the religious leaders insisted that Papuan people had the
right to know the content of the probe results.
The letter was signed by Papua's Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) chairman
Herman Saud, Jayapura Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar, local Indonesian Council of Ulemas
(MUI) head Zubeir Hussein, Hindu leader I Nyoman Suda and Buddhist leader Arya
Bodhi.
Meanwhile, experts told the Constitutional Court on July 28 that Law No. 45/1999 on
the formation of West Irian Jaya and Central Irian Jaya provinces was no longer valid
following the enactment of Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.
"The division of Papua as stated by Law No. 45/1999 is no longer valid with the
existence of Law No. 21/2001, in accordance with the principle that a new statute
supersedes an earlier statute," constitutional expert Harun Alrasyid of the University
of Indonesia said.
Harun said the division of Papua also failed to follow Law No. 22/1999 on regional
autonomy, which says the formation of a new province requires the approval of the
people of the mother province.
Another constitutional expert, Sri Soemantri, said Law No. 45/1999 ran counter to
Article 18(b) of the Constitution, which stipulates that the state should respect special
regions regulated by law.
"The creation of the West Irian Jaya and Central Irian Jaya provinces should be
declared against the Constitution," Soemantri said in a written statement to the court.
The Papua Legislative Council has sought a judicial review of Law No. 45/1999 and
Presidential Instruction No. 21/2003 on the enactment of the law, arguing that they
are contrary to the Constitution and Law No. 21/2001. The formation the new
provinces has sparked fierce criticism from numerous parties, who said the move
served the interests of certain groups in Jakarta instead of the Papuan people.
Papua issue a challenge for the new president: http://www.infid.be/papua_jp2607.htm
Source: JP 17/07 29/07
Abbreviations
AFP Agence France-Presse
AP Associated Press
BMS BBC Monitoring Service
DPA Deutsche-Press Agenteur
JP The Jakarta Post
ST The Strait Times
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