The Jakarta Post, October 05, 2002
Government criticized over handling of IDPs
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta - The United Nations criticized on Thursday the
government's poor handling of internally displaced persons (IDPs), urging government
officials to comply with the guidelines it had issued.
Michael Elmquist of the UN Office for Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (UN
OCHA) said that Indonesia's compliance with the UN guidelines fell well short of what
was desirable.
The Indonesian government succeeded in providing protection to the life and dignity of
IDPs but fell short of protecting the assets that refugees left behind, said Elmquist,
adding that the government had once told him it was not even aware of this duty.
To help Indonesia deal with IDPs, the UN had issued a booklet outlining the UN
guidelines on refugees, and to make these guidelines easier to understand among
officials in the regions, a non-governmental organization called Baris Baru issued the
booklet as a comic.
Meanwhile, activists said Thursday that despite budget constraints, the government
could do more for the country's over 1.2 million IDPs, starting by following the United
Nations (UN) guiding principles on refugees.
Out of Indonesia's 30 provinces, 22 are sheltering a total of 1.24 million refugees,
making it number five among countries with the highest number of IDPs after Angola,
Sudan, Congo, and Colombia.
"The problem with refugees is more than the cost they represent for the state budget,"
said Rully N. Amrullah of Nurani Dunia, a foundation supplying humanitarian aid to
victims of social and natural disasters. "Still the government treats them (refugees)
like objects."
Maulana Mahendra of the non-governmental organization Baris Baru criticized the
government's decision to revoke the refugee status of nearly 1 million people, making
them disappear on paper.
"It's wrong to think that by revoking their status the problem is over," Maulana said. "It
will not be over as long as conflicts continue to exist."
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla surprised many at a workshop
on refugees last month when he said that the number of refugees had dropped to
300,000. He also pledged to resolve the refugee problem in three months time, or by
the end of this year.
By cutting the official number of refugees the state hopes to save on expenses. A
government paper estimated the cost at Rp 1.5 trillion (about US$166 million) just to
cover refugees' needs for bare essentials such as food, shelter and medical care.
Although the paper did not say over what period these costs corresponded to, they
are likely to come from this year's state budget which is already suffering from an
estimated shortfall of Rp 42 trillion.
Much of the taxpayers' money goes on repaying debts to foreign creditors and
recapitalized banks, leaving little behind for social and welfare-related spending.
This situation has been the main reason behind the decision to stop food handouts to
refugees in many parts of the country. Some refugees still get foreign aid, although
this too is decreasing.
"It's more a problem of approach than money," said Rully. The government's approach
to refugees was misguided and on this, he said, the UN Guiding Principles on Internal
Displacement could be a starting point for change.
The UN guidelines identify refugee rights that a state should protect. They are not
binding.
And although the government's national policy on refugee was partly based on the UN
guidelines, Rully said this fact was not apparent in how it handled the problem.
"The guidelines treat them (refugees) as people that are part of society," he said.
For example, Rully pointed out, the government should have consulted refugees about
their needs before helping them. He and his colleagues had found relocation projects
that remained deserted despite the billions of rupiah poured into them.
"But the government handles the matter as one involving state projects that must go
through the usual channels," he explained.
Several points of the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
- Every human being shall have the right to be protected against being arbitrarily
displaced form his or her home or place of habitual residence. (principle 6)
- Every internally displaced persons (IDPs) has the right to liberty of movement and
freedom to choose his or her residence. (principle 14)
- The property and possessions of IDPs shall in all circumstances be protected.
(principle 21 point 2)
- Competent authorities have the primary duty and responsibility to establish
conditions, as well as provide the means, which allow IDPs to return voluntarily, in
safety and with dignity, to their homes or places of habitual residence, or to resettle
voluntarily in another part of the country. (principle 28 point 1)
- Special efforts should be made to ensure the full participation of IDPs in the planning
and management of their return or resettlement and reintegration.
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
