INFID, May 25, 2004
INFID's Short News Overview No. VI/18: May 20-25, 2005
General News
Post-Tsunami Recovery Will Take About a Decade: UN Agencies
Countries hit by last December's devastating tsunami around the Indian Ocean will
take at least five to 10 years to recover with the help of international aid, United
Nations agencies said on May 23.
Technical experts underlined after a meeting organised by the UN Development
Programme (UNDP) that recovery efforts would also have to tackle problems with
poverty, conflicts or land disputes that existed before the tsunami struck, on top of
reconstruction.
"You're very rarely talking about a process of less than five years and usually it's more
like 10 years," disaster recovery specialist Andrew Maskrey of UNDP said.
The UNDP said that it wanted to "build back better, build back stronger" and warned
against rebuilding "the conditions of risk" that existed before the disaster in the
Indonesian province of Aceh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives. Housing would be
improved, protected from recurrent natural disasters, backed by improved health and
education services, and the effort would also try to ensure lower levels of malnutrition.
"We have to be careful of the tyranny of rush: trying to get things done quickly can
actually put us behind in the long run," said Kathleen Cravero of the UN's
humanitarian coordination office (OCHA), adding that the process was "well
underway".
"Recovery, despite the horrific nature of the disaster, does provide an opportunity to
build back better and addresss the development challenges that had been with these
communities for quite some time."
As the experts to stock of the shift from the declining emergency relief operation into
the recovery phase, they said local and national authorities would increasingly be at
the forefont of an ever more complex effort.
"There was one tsunami in Asia on December 26, but there is not one disaster," said
Andrew Musgrave of UNDP.
"We cannot talk about a recovery process in the Indian Ocean, we have to talk about
different recovery prcesses in each of the affected countries, and within these
countries," he added.
Other challenges included coordination of all the actors involved, and financial
transparency in using the billions of dollars in aid pledges that have been made in
areas that were sometimes blighted by corruption.
Source: AFP 23/05
KPU chairman named corruption suspect
Indonesian authorities have named Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin, chairman of the General
Elections Commission (KPU), as a suspect in the high-profile case involving the
national elections organizer on May 20.
Nazaruddin Syamsudin was the fourth official of the General Election Commission to
be investigated following revelations last month that officials auditing the commission's
books were paid to keep quiet about bribes within the commission. Local media
reported that Syamsudin admitted receiving $45,000 in illegal fees.
Having detained election commission chairman, the Anti-Corruption Commission
(KPK) is now focusing on Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin. He is
to be summoned for questioning over the kickback scandal.
The minister, a member of the government-appointed General Elections Commission
(KPU) before joining the Cabinet in October, is the most prominent public figure to be
implicated.
The scandal has shocked the country as KPU members were appointed because of
their clean reputation.
The deputy chief of the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK), Mr Tumpak Hatorangan
Panggabean, said on May 23 that Mr Hamid would be questioned this week.
He added that the agency would carry out a thorough investigation and would ask
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to suspend Mr Hamid if it had evidence to
declare him a suspect.
Indonesia's Anti-Graft War Starts to Show Some Bite:
http://www.infid.be/corruption_bite.htm.
The Chairman's Last Prayer: http://www.infid.be/corruption_last_prayer.htm.
Anti-Graft Agency Starts to Bite: http://www.infid.be/corruption_bite2.htm.
Source: Antara 20/05, AP 20/05, ST 24/05
Protesters demand trial for Soeharto
Thousands of protesters across Indonesia on May 21 marked seven years since the
downfall of dictator Suharto by demanding his prosecution on corruption charges.
The largest protest happened in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province,
where hundreds of students chanting "Put Suharto On Trial" marched to the local
parliament.
During his 32 years in power, Suharto muzzled the media, rigged elections and
reportedly stole $600 million from state coffers. He was forced to step down on May
21, 1998 after months of student protests. Indonesian media reported that thousands
took to the streets in at least seven other cities including the capital, Jakarta. The
protests were peaceful and there were no reports of arrests.
The government has repeatedly attempted to force the 83-year-old Suharto to face
corruption charges, but his lawyers say he is too sick to stand trial. A week-long
hospital stay this month for a blood disorder raised concerns that he might soon die.
But his illness also set off a wave of nostalgia among the country's political elite;
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited him and Vice President Jusuf Kalla
suggested he would never face corruption charges.
Suharto Must Be Brought to Justice for His Crimes Against Humanity:
http://www.infid.be/soeharto_tapol.htm.
'The Luckiest Ex-Dictator' 7 Years On: http://www.infid.be/soeharto_luckiest.htm.
Seven Years After Soeharto's Resignation: http://www.infid.be/soeharto_7years.htm.
Ex-Strongman Soeharto Still at Large and Larger Than Life:
http://www.infid.be/soeharto_larger.htm.
Source: AP 21/05
SBY's Brother-in-Law Elected Democratic Party Leader
Hadi Utomo, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s brother-in-law, was elected as
the new leader of Democrats Party (PD) after he garnered 302 of 451 total votes to
elminiate Prof Subur Budisantoso and Suratto Siswadihardjo in an election of the
party leader in the Indonesian island resort of Bali on May 23. The newly-elected PD
chairman pledged after the election that he would pushed the party with all his might
to win 2009 general elections, to usher Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono onto his
presidential throne for the second time, and to make the PD a main political party that
strive for honesty, economic development and national prosperity.
Source: Antara 23/05
Indonesia to develop nuclear power plant
State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said May 20
Indonesia would develop nuclear technology by 2017 for various peaceful purposes,
including power generation.
Kusmayanto said the plan, which does not specify a possible location for the plant,
required a more detailed assessment. When asked about the dangers of nuclear
power, the state minister said any technology could pose dangers, which was why
serious study and preparation were required.
"About the location, the possibilities include Madura (East Java) or Muria (Central
Java), but if these proposals are turned down it will be no problem to move to
earthquake-free Kalimantan," he said.
Kusmayanto said preparations up to this point were limited to studies involving
universities, research and development agencies, the National Development Planning
Board and related agencies.
Source: Antara 20/05
Regional News
Aceh
The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I is calling on the government to
end negotiations with Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders in Helsinki because they
believe that it does not benefit the Indonesian government. DPR is also pressing for
the integrated programme in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam to be intensified.
This came out of a working meeting with senior officials from the Political, Legal and
Security Affairs (Polkukam) Ministry with regard to the Aceh problem on May 24.
The meeting was attended by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and
Legal Affairs Widodo AS, the Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono, the Minister for
Legal and Human Rights Affairs Hamid Awaluddin, the Minister for Communication
and Information Sofyan Djalil, the Minister for Home Affairs M Maruf, the Minister for
Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah, the Chief of the Armed Forces Endriartono Sutarto
and the Chief of Police Da'i Bachtiar.
Indonesian negotiators and Acehnese rebels will begin a fourth round of peace talks in
Helsinki on May 26, with the atmosphere badly strained by the government's rejection
of a key separatist demand.
Indonesian Information Minister Sofyan Djalil said last week that Jakarta had decided
the rebels would not be allowed to contest elections as a local party under any deal
aimed at ending one of Asia's longest running separatist wars.
At the last round in April, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) proposed changes to
electoral laws that stipulate parties must be nationally based, with branch
representation in more than half of Indonesia's provinces and their headquarters in
Jakarta.
Jakarta's refusal could ultimately scuttle the talks because it does not give GAM any
face-saving way to take part in Aceh's political process and essentially means it
would need to dissolve, said Edward Aspinall, a Southeast Asian studies lecturer at
Sydney University and an expert on Aceh province.
Indonesia, Aceh Rebels to Hold Next Talks Under Cloud:
http://www.infid.be/aceh_talks_cloud.htm.
Aceh's Lingering Aches: http://www.infid.be/aceh_aches.htm.
Source: INS 25/05, BWM 24/05, Reuters 25/05
Abbreviations
AFP Agence France Presse
AP Associated Press
BWM BBC World Monitoring
DPA Deutsche-Press Agenteur
INS Indoleft News Service
ST The Strait Times
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