INFID, September 30, 2005
INFID's Short News Overview No. VI/19 : September 2005
INFID News
Indonesia related World Summit documents
Statement by H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono President of the Republic of
Indonesia At the High-level Plenary Meeting of the 60th session of the United Nations
General Assembly: http://www.infid.be/sby-ny-16-sep.pdf.
Response to the Remarks by President of Indonesia at the Meeting on Financing for
Development, New York: http://www.infid.be/sby-ny-ffd.pdf.
Remarks by H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono President of the Republic of
Indonesia At the Meeting on Financing for Development, New York, 14 September
2005: http://www.infid.be/sby-ny-14-sep.pdf.
2005 Outcome Document to Weaken Developing Countries:
http://www.infid.be/infid-outcome-document.pdf.
INFID Position Paper to the Draft Declaration for the UN MDGs Summit:
http://www.infid.be/INFID-Position-Paper-UN-MDG-Summit.pdf.
INFID Newsletter
The monthly INFID Newsletter can be downloaded at:
http://www.infid.be/infid_newsletter.htm.
General News
Fuel price hikes
The government is scheduled to announce the new fuel price hikes at 10 p.m. on
Friday Sept. 30 after the relevant decree has been signed by President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie said on
Sept. 29. He explained that out of a fuel subsidy allocation of Rp 89 trillion (US$8.9
billion), as approved by the House of Representatives, Rp 78 trillion had already been
spent. The remaining Rp 11 trillion would be disbursed over the next three months
based on subsidies of between Rp 800 and Rp 1,000 per liter, he said.
"Kerosene will continue to receive the highest subsidy, while the subsidies for diesel
and premium gasoline will be reduced so as to bring their prices roughly up to
economic prices," Aburizal said. The minister said that it was expected that kerosene
would be sold at its economic price by 2007, while diesel and premium gas prices
would reach economic levels by the end of next year. "After reaching their economic
prices, they will later be adjusted up to the market price," he added.
Meanwhile, at the same day thousands of students, trucks drivers and laborers held
noisy protests across the country, some throwing rocks and burning tires while
demanding President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono drop a plan to raise fuel prices
sharply.
Tens of thousands of Indonesians also queued at petrol stations in numerous cities to
fill their tanks and plastic jerry cans before the sensitive hikes take effect on Oct. 1.
The lines snarled traffic and many pumps were emptied.
Up to 2,000 protesters marched in Jakarta to the presidential palace, watched by
hundreds of police, the witnesses said. Protest organizers said rallies would swell
during the day, especially in the capital, but the protests so far have not been large
nor too violent by Indonesian standards. Indeed, the crowd at the palace had started
to disburse before mid-afternoon.
Several noted political figures, including former presidents Abdurrahman Wahid and
Megawati Soekarnoputri, former vice president Try Sutrisno, former House of
Representatives (DPR) speaker Akbar Tanjung and former Indonesian Military (TNI)
chief Wiranto have issued a statement rejecting the government's plan to raise
domestic fuel oil prices.The statement asked the government, among other things, to
put off the fuel oil price increases for a number of reasons, including the fact that the
first fuel oil price hikes announced last March had put a heavy burden on the people.
Fuel scarcity affects nation: http://www.infid.be/bbm_warns.htm.
Jakarta Readies Fuel-Price Rise: http://www.infid.be/fuel_ready.htm.
Indonesia: Fuel Increase and Its Impact on the Poor:
http://www.infid.be/fuel_transcript.htm.
Sources: JP 29/09, Antara 22/09
Military Business
Over Rp 38.8 billion (US$3.85 million) worth of profits from assets of the Indonesian
Military (TNI), which were used by third parties, have not been accounted for,
according to a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) report on the central government.
Presented to the House of Representatives last week, the 2004 report also reveals
that the Ministry of Defense did not pay any taxes on more than 167,000 hectares of
TNI land.
The uncertified land is mostly under control of the Air Force, the defense ministry and
the TNI headquarters.
Profits from the use of the TNI assets, the report states, have instead been spent
internally by the military without making maximum contributions to the state's
finances.
The unreported funds included compensation and profits reaped by the Navy's main
cooperatives (Inkopal), the Navy's primary cooperatives (Primkopal), the Navy's central
cooperatives (Puskopal) and hospitals run by all the Navy, the Army and the Air
Force.
Responding to the report, the Ministry of Defense argued that the funds had not been
reported due to technical problems, citing the absence of guidelines on the obligation
of deposited profits from the use of TNI assets.
The TNI's dubious reports of their assets have often become problems, while on the
other hand, the military has long been complaining about the lack of an adequate
defense budget as its main reason for its poor performance. Now with Law No.
34/2004 on military reforms that allows the government to take over all of TNI's
businesses within five years, many hope that more accountable financial management
would be introduced into the powerful military. The TNI is still collecting data on its
business ventures though Ministry of Defense secretary-general Maj. Gen. Sjafrie
Sjamsoeddin has said that Sept. 27 was set as the deadline for all military units to
submit reports over their respective assets.
The Minister of Defense said on Sept. 28 that the "clearance sale" of TNI assets and
properties foundations and business ventures could last for a month. He said TNI
would be allowed to sell certain assets in business ventures before the government
officially took over other businesses under the new law.
"Before a presidential regulation is issued, changes of ownership are not a problem as
long as the procedures are in line with the law, and the sales are approved by the
Ministry of Finance," Juwono told a hearing with the House of Representatives
Commission I.The presidential regulation will come into effect in early November at the
latest.
Military allowed to sell assets from business ventures:
http://www.infid.be/military_venture.htm.
Military hands in inadequate report on wealth: BPK:
http://www.infid.be/military_bizreport.htm.
Sources: JP 26/09 29/09
Munir Case
The ineptness of the investigation into the murder of human rights activist Munir is
being questioned. The reason being that up until now police have yet to arrest the
masterminded behind the murder and or to name any new suspects aside from
Pollycapus Budihari Priyanto.
It is because of this that the secretary of the Solidarity Committee for Munir (Komite
Solidaritas untuk Munir, Kasum), Ori Rahman wanted to meet with the head of the
police team investigating the Munir case, Brig-Gen Marsudhi Hanafi, to ask about
developments in the investigation.
"It cannot be that Pollycarpus is the only suspect in Munir's murder," the activist from
the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) told reporters
at the national police headquarters criminal investigation bureau on Jalan Trunojoyo in
Jakarta on Thursday 22 September. Rahman arrived at police headquarters along with
other Kasum activists and Iskandar Sonhaji, the lawyer of Munir's wife Suciwati.
According to Rahman, other people were involved in Munir's murder. "Because of this
we are asking for a there to be a presidential team to follow up the recommendations
of the TPF [fact finding team]. Of course a presidential team would have a more
authority," he said.
Rahman however failed to meet with Hanafi who had been called to meet with the
chief of police. "Two months ago we met Marsudhi and the chief of police, but where
are the developments? Yes, [we] will wait to reschedule another meeting with
Marsudhi," he said.
Human rights groups including Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances
(AFAD) and Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) have
urged the government to establish a new independent team to investigate the murder.
The first independent team to investigate the case ran into a brick wall when it tried to
question officials from the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), including its former boss
Hendropriyono.Hendropriyono would not agree to be questioned by the team, arguing
that it lacked the legal powers to summon him. He did, however, meet police officers
investigating the case. The team earlier reported it had strong evidence that BIN
officials were linked to the murder but could not say whether the agency was
institutionally responsible for the crime.
A Year Later, Munir's Killers Evade Justice: http://www.infid.be/munir_justice.htm.
One year on: Who poisoned Munir?: http://www.infid.be/munir_who.htm.
Support Justice for Murdered Indonesian Activist: http://www.infid.be/munir_etan.htm.
Sources: Antara 29/07, HRW 07/09, BMI 22/09
Regional News
Aceh
The peace deal signed between the Indonesian government and separatist rebels of
the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) is still less than two months old.Yet much has
already been achieved. The rebels have handed in about a quarter of their declared
weapons and around 6,000 police and troops have been withdrawn. By any
measurement, the early stages of Aceh's fledgling peace process have gone
remarkably smoothly. Three more rounds of decommissioning and demobilisation are
due before the end of December and Peter Feith, the head of the Aceh Monitoring
Mission, is confident the deadline will be met.
Yet, over a month since the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU)
between the government and GAM, the contents of the agreement have been
extensively debated and discussed by the public and legislators at the House of
Representatives, who claim that Indonesia has given up much more than GAM.
A political researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Syamsuddin Harris,
expressed doubt about GAM's "sincerity" regarding the agreement. He was referring
to a statement by GAM spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah on the group's official website,
www.asnlf.com, that the autonomy given to Aceh in the agreement did not "delete the
dream of promoting Aceh independence".
A legislator on House Commission I for political and military affairs, Yuddy Chrisnandi,
demanded honesty from GAM while quoting a point in the agreement stipulating that
the group will surrender 840 weapons as part of the peace deal.
"We doubt that the real figure is only 840 ...," the legislator said at a recent hearing.
Expressions of doubt over the other side's seriousness regarding the implementation
of the peace deal are not the monopoly of the Indonesian camp, and GAM has also
questioned Indonesia's commitment to complying with the points in the agreement.
Malik Mahmud, the self-styled prime minister of the exiled GAM leadership in
Sweden, expressed wariness over the disarmament process while addressing the
signing of the peace deal on Aug. 15 in Helsinki, Finland. "According to reports that
we have from Aceh, militia members have recently been saying that after GAM is
disarmed, they will kill GAM members," Malik said, referring to militia groups
allegedly linked to the Indonesian Military.
A similar concern was expressed by Bakhtiar Abdullah, who expressed doubt over the
police's ability to disarm all of the militias allegedly linked to the military."The
Indonesian police cannot be relied upon to decommission these militias and their
weapons."
Aceh Peace Deal Takes Baby Steps: http://www.infid.be/aceh_baby.htm.
Trust needed for implementation of Aceh agreement:
http://www.infid.be/aceh_trust.htm.
Helsinki MoU: A Critical View: http://www.infid.be/aceh_helsinki_mou.htm.
In Aceh Highlands, a Crucial Test of Peace: http://www.infid.be/aceh_test.htm.
Sources: BBC News Online 28/09, JP 29/09
Papua
A group of prominent figures established a forum on Sept. 6 to increase public
participation in the efforts to resolve the problems of Papua, which has been affected
by human rights abuses and secessionist sentiment for decades. The establishment
of the Papua Forum has been inspired by a lack of transparency in the way in which
the government dealt with the Aceh conflict recently, the forum's deputy chairman
Marzuki Darusman said.
"People feel they have been excluded by the government from the efforts to settle the
Aceh problem. Now that the President has announced the government's intention of
addressing the Papua issue, we hope that this forum will be capable of ensuring
greater public participation," Marzuki, of the Golkar Party, said.
In his address to the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) a few weeks ago,
President Susilo said that the government would now turn its attention to Papua after
the peace deal with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to end three decades of
bloodshed in the country's westernmost province.
Albert Hasibuan, who chairs the new forum, said that it had been established to show
the public that the Papua issue was not the exclusive domain of Papuans and the
government, but also concerned other Indonesians.
Other founders of the forum include H.S. Dillon, Sabam Siagian, Fikri Jufri, Tommy
Legowo, Zoemrotin K. Susilo, Asmara Nababan, Fajrul Falaakh, Faisal Basri, Tuty
Herati Nurhadi, Bara Hasibuan, Rizal Sukma, Father J. Budi Hernawan OFM, Wiryono
Sastrohandoyo, Shanti Poesposoetjipto, Sjafii Maarif and Harry Tjan Silalahi.
Forum seeks public debate on Papua: http://www.infid.be/papua_forum.htm.
During a meeting with senior figures grouped in the Papua Forum, including Asmara
Nababan, Albert Hasibuan, Fikri Jufri and Wiryono Sastrohandoyo on Sept. 19,
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Adm. (ret) Widodo A.S.
promised to install the members of the much-awaited Papua People's Assembly
(MRP) early next month and to refrain from making any strategic decisions on the
troubled province pending the establishment of the local body.
Albert quoted Widodo as saying that the 42-strong MRP will be inaugurated on Oct. 7
or Oct. 8, later than the initial schedule of late this month.
The government, Albert said, blamed the delayed establishment of the MRP on
"technical reasons". Critics have said, however, that the government was buying time
in setting up the MRP as it appeared reluctant to give it wide-ranging powers as
mandated by Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.
Under the Papuan Special Autonomy Law, the MRP is authorized to deal with various
problems in the province, ranging from rampant human right abuses to coping with the
social, cultural and economic gaps being faced by its indigenous people.
Indonesia and Papua : A View from the Bird's Head:
http://www.infid.be/papua_bird.htm.
Can Susilo be taken at his world on Papua?: http://www.infid.be/aceh_susilo.htm.
Sources: JP 07/09 20/09
Abbreviations
BMI BBC Monitoring International Reports
HRW Human Rights Watch
JP The Jakarta Post
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