INFID, 11 December 2003
INFID's Short News Overview No. 158: November 27-December
11, 2003
As this is the last SNO for this year, the "Keluarga Besar" of INFID would like to use
this opportunity to wish you all: A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!
INFID News
Office Closed
The INFID European Liaison Office will be closed for the end year vacation from
December 22, 2003 to January 4, 2004.
INFID Annual Advocacy Papers 2003
INFID position and background papers can now be downloaded from:
http://www.infid.be/lobby2003.html.
General News
CGI Meeting
Foreign donors have pledged $2.8 billion in loans next year to help Indonesia meet its
financing needs. Donors led by the World Bank, which concluded a two-day meeting
in Jakarta on Dec. 11, agreed to increase their concessional lending from $2.7 billion
this year.
Indonesia's efforts to reduce spending have helped bring public debt under control, and
should allow the country to balance its budget by 2006, said the CGI. But the CGI
agreed Indonesia would need slightly more funding from 2004 due to its decision to
stop borrowing from the International Monetary Fund at the end of this year. The
country will need to raise a total $10.5 billion in 2004, sharply higher than this year,
the World Bank says.
The government plans to issue almost $4 billion in global and local bonds. The
remainder of its funding needs will come from drawing on government deposits at the
central bank, and privatization receipts. CGI donors said they were comfortable with
Indonesia's ability to repay its debt next year due to its fiscal belt-tightening
measures. But they urged the country to speed up the implementation of economic
changes aimed at attracting foreign investors. These include reducing corruption,
strengthening the financial system, and reducing barriers to foreign trade.
INFID statement read at the 13th CGI meeting: "Can We Reform CGI? From
Donor-Driven Towards Indonesia-Driven, From Authoritarianism and Dependence
Towards Self-Dependency and Protection of Human Rights" is available at:
www.infid.be/cgi_oral.htm.
Summary of discussion and Recommendations from Civil Society Organizations to
the 13th CGI Meeting:
Source: DJN 11/12
WB increases loan to Indonesia
After several years of reduced support because of government corruption, the World
Bank has decided to increase its loans to Indonesia, even though the bank says
corruption is still rampant. In justifying a new package of loans, the World Bank says
that Indonesia has too many people in poverty and that the money will "spur the
momentum of reforms." The new loans, some of which the bank says are dependent
on measurable declines in government corruption, were approved by the bank's board
in Washington end November. The bank says that in return, the Indonesian
government will be required to establish an anticorruption commission and strengthen
government procurement methods. Critics dismiss the measures as window dressing,
saying they lack the enforcement power to have much effect.
Under the new plan, the bank said it expected to lend a minimum of about $580
million this year, with increases up to $850 million by 2007. But in what the bank calls
a "high case" scenario, Indonesia could qualify for $1.2 billion annually from 2005 to
2007. The bank's country director in Indonesia, Andrew Steer, said the bank aimed to
"integrate governance and corruption issues through the entire Indonesia program."
This, the bank explained in a statement, meant the "comprehensive monitoring of
corruption" of local governments and "safeguards to minimize the risks of corruption"
by inviting local governments into investment decisions.
Experts cast doubts on the government's ability to meet the requisite targets for the
scenario. To be made eligible for the high-case scenario, the government must make
a more stringent effort in its reform drive; but some economists doubt it could meet
the tougher requirements. Pande Radja Silalahi and Sri Adiningsih both said
Indonesia would likely face problems in meeting the targets of the base-case
scenario, let alone those for the high-case scenario.
To complicate matters, Pande and Sri said not all of the requirements carried specific
measurements or monitoring criteria, which might cause different interpretations.
One of the most controversial aspects of the new program among some bank officials
is the offer, under certain conditions, of a $200 million adjustment loan for the fourth
quarter of next year. Those funds would go directly to the budget and could be spent
on whatever the government likes, including the military. In the past several years, the
bank has tried to steer financing away from the central government in an effort to
minimize big projects that often invite corruption. Instead, the bank has concentrated
on financing grass-roots community development in more than 20,000 Indonesian
villages, the most ambitious project of its kind in Southeast Asia. But bank officials
said the village projects would be less dominant in the new overall assistance
package because they could not continue to absorb money at the current rate.
Sources: NYT 02/12, JP 09/12
Election
A poll conducted by Indonesia's leading online news portal detikcom shows 32%
support for the presidential bid of former president Suharto's eldest daughter Siti
Hardiyanti 'Tutut' Rukmana. The online poll, which is limited to one vote per computer,
asks: "Tutut Soeharto has been nominated as the presidential candidate of PKPB.
Would you vote for her?" By 2.35pm Friday (5/12/03), 32% of 2,200 respondents had
said they would vote for her, while 68% said they would not. Tutut has been
nominated for the presidency by the Party of Popular Concern (PKPB), which was
established by former Army chief Raden Hartono at the behest of former president
Suharto.
Another survey indicated people's support for President Megawati Soekarnoputri has
continued to drop ahead of the elections. The latest survey by Marketing Research
Indonesia (MRI) showed that support for Megawati had slumped to 16 percent in
September 2003, down from 23 percent in July 2003, 26 percent in 2002, and 49
percent in 2001. Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) also saw a continuous decline in support. The survey indicated that
support for PDI Perjuangan fell to 17 percent in September, compared to 23 percent in
July.
Meanwhile, a survey on the voters showed that the majority of people eligible to vote
in next year's general election were politically alienated, intolerant and hoping for a
strong leader like former dictator president Soeharto. The survey showed 53 percent of
voters would be happy to sacrifice political freedoms in return for electing an
authoritarian leader capable of maintaining law and order.
The survey, titled Democracy in Indonesia: A Survey of the Indonesian Electorate
2003, was conducted through direct interviews and group discussions involving 1,056
eligible voters in 32 provinces, with a margin of error of around 3 percent. At least 65
percent of adults surveyed from June through until August 2003, said that they did not
like politics at all because of widespread political corruption and poor political
education.
The survey, which was conducted by Charney Research of New York and AC Nielsen
Indonesia and commissioned by The Asia Foundation, suggested that the majority of
voters were intolerant of minority groups. Only eight percent were willing to vote for
candidates of Chinese descent. Only 40 percent of those polled were willing to vote for
women candidates.
The survey also indicated declining trust in the country's politics, reflecting continued
concern about violence and political rows.
A total of 66 percent of those polled opposed a ban on former members of the
outlawed Indonesian Communist Party from running for the parliament. But only six
percent were willing to vote for candidates who were former political prisoners.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Dec. 8 the eligible parties
for the 2004 polls. Political parties eligible to contest in 2004 polls and their electoral
numbers: www.infid.be/parpol.html.
Elections just an arena for the restoration of New Order power:
www.infid.be/election_restoration.html.
Political Parties in the 2004 Polls: www.infid.be/news_parpol.html.
Tempo Cover Story on Tutut's nomination: www.infid.be/news_cendana.html
Golkar Banks On Nostalgia: http://www.infid.be/news_golkar.htm.
Sources: JP 08/12 09/12, LN 05/12, AFP 09/12
Corruption Eradication Commission
The selection committee submitted the names of ten candidates of the planned
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to President Megawati Soekarnoputri on
Dec. 6. The names are Mohammad Yamin, Chairul Imam, MarsilamSimandjuntak,
Taufiequrachman Ruki, Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, Iskandar Sonhadji,
Sjahruddin Rasul, Erry Riyana Kardjapamekas, Amien Sunaryadi and Momo Kelana.
Bambang Widjojanto, the former chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute, failed
to pass the screening process.
The exclusion of Bambang, who is also chairman of Indonesian Corruption Watch's
(ICW) board of ethics, threw into question the credibility of the whole selection
process. Sources within the selection committee said that Bambang was excluded
from the list after a long, heated debate among committee members. Several team
members rejected Bambang on the grounds that he did not have the qualities needed
for a state official.
The President will submit the 10 names to the House of Representatives, which will
select five names as KPK commission members. Megawati is slated to submit the
names to the House on Dec. 12 at the latest. The names of five selected candidates
will be sent back to the President for approval before they are sworn in as KPK
leaders. The commission should be established by Dec. 27 at the latest.
Under the current anticorruption law, the KPK has the authority to investigate, seize
assets and prosecute suspected corrupters. It may also take over investigation into
corruption cases closed by the Attorney General's Office.
Source: JP 06/12
Regional News
Aceh
December 1
Brigadier General George Toisutta, the new military chief in Aceh said he expects to
catch top separatist rebel leaders even though they have escaped arrest during the
first six months of the military operation.
December 3
A local military commander Col. A.Y. Nasution said Indonesian troops would shoot
any Aceh rebels seen celebrating the 27th anniversary of their first declaration of
independence from Indonesia.
December 4
Rebels celebrated the 27th anniversary of their independence struggle with the
sporadic raising of flags and a battlefield success, killing four soldiers and injuring two
in clashes across the restive province.
December 5
Air Force bombers led an offensive against Free Aceh Movement (GAM) bases in
Aceh Besar regency. During an air assault lasting 20 minutes, two OV-10 Broncos
fired at least 28 missiles to level seven huts located in a hilly forest, which was
believed to harbor rebels. No fatalities were reported in the attack.
December 8
Provincial military spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki said soldiers have uncovered an
arms cache and a weapons factory in separate locations in Aceh. They found two
rifles, seven home-made handguns, a home-made grenade launcher, two air rifles,
equipment for making guns, ammunition and uniforms at Nisam in North Aceh. He
also said troops found a weapons factory the same day at Pantee Cermin in West
Aceh and seized a home-made handgun, gun-making equipment and explosives.
December 10
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) resumed activities in Aceh after
four months of suspension.
Aguswandi, a human rights activist from Aceh, launched proceedings against the UK
Government challenging by Judicial Review the legality of the UK's supply of arms to
Indonesia. He claims the continued licensing of military exports to Indonesia breaks
UK and EU export control laws which clearly state that export licences for weapons
should be refused if there is a risk of the equipment being used for internal repression.
Read further: http://www.infid.be/tapol_10dec.htm.
Sources: AFP 01/12 10/12, AP 03/12 04/12, JP 06/12 10/12
Papua
Indonesian rights groups criticized the appointment of a police officer accused in the
1999 East Timor violence as the new chief in restive Papua province, saying it showed
that security forces cared little about human rights or justice. Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen
was named on Dec. 1 as the new head of police in Papua, where a small band of
separatist guerrillas is battling Jakarta rule. He headed the police in East Timor when
it voted overwhelmingly for independence in 1999 after 24 years of brutal Jakarta rule.
Hendardi, who heads Indonesia's Human Rights and Legal Aid Association, said the
appointment sends a message to police and military critics that senior officers would
never be punished for alleged rights abuses in East Timor. Police in Jakarta defended
Silaen's appointment.
Rights groups have also expressed concern on Eurico Guterres' plan to set up
nationalist youth group in Papua. They said he wanted to use the group to establish a
pro-Jakarta militia to intimidate independence supporters in the Papua. Eurico is a
notorious militia leader - found guilty in the 1999 East Timor violence. Papua police
chief Maj. Gen. Budi Utomo said he had instructed police in the southern town of
Timika, where Guterres had applied to base the organization, to investigate its aims.
Munawir Yacub, who was elected secretary of the organisation's branch in Mimika
regency, said that the plan to open a branch office of the Red-and-White Defenders
Front (FPMP) in Papua was postponed, following strong objections from the local
people. But he, however, would continue to promote its objectives in the province. A
similar militia group called the Red-and-White Task Force, believed to have the
backing of the Indonesian Military (TNI), was established in Papua late 2001. The
Task Force recruited members from migrant communities, raising concerns that it
could spark conflicts with native Papuans.
Meanwhile, a U.S. university study released on Dec. 10 alleges Indonesia is violating
U.N. genocide rules in Papua province with abuses that appear aimed at the
destroying the region's indigenous people. An Indonesian army commander dismissed
the findings as "baseless lies." The report said the evidence showed that Indonesia
had violated the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide. Col. Agus Mulyadi, the military commander for central Papua, rejected the
study, saying the findings were "baseless lies."
Confirms Crimes Against Humanity by Indonesia in West Papua;Finds Strong
Evidence of Genocide Against Indigenous Papuans:
http://www.infid.be/papua_genocide.htm.
Sources: AP 01/12 03/12 11/12, JP 10/12
Abbreviations
AFP Agence France-Presse
AP Associated Press
DJN Dow Jones Newswires
JP The Jakarta Post
LN Laksamana.Net
NYT The New York Times
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