INFID, April 14, 2004
INFID's Short News Overview No. VI/12: April 8-14, 2005
INFID News
INFID Recent Statements and Papers
Asia-Africa Co-operation: Sovereignty, Equality, Justice and Peace:
http://www.infid.be/Statement-KAA.pdf.
To Build Sovereignty, Peace and Global Justice (Press Conference, Civil Society
conference commemorating 50 years of Bandung Conference):
http://www.infid.be/statement-50years-bandung.pdf.
Press Release: "Transparency of Donor, Transparency of Recipient Country and
Participation of the Society will increase the Transparency and Accountability of the
Financial Aid Post-Tsunami": http://www.infid.be/pr_transparency2005.pdf.
INFID position and background papers for the CGI Meeting 2005:
http://www.infid.be/lobby2004.html.
General News
TNI to close its bussiness
Indonesian military (TNI) said on April 12 it would abandon its lucrative enterprises
within two years as part of reforms of the once-powerful armed forces.
TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto admitted that some of the businesses had
produced "negative effects" even if they were profitable. He did not elaborate, but there
have been allegations Indonesian military businesses have been involved in poaching,
illegal logging and other unlawful activities.
Loss-making companies would be closed immediately while those that are profitable
would be sold to the private sector or taken over by the government, Sutarto said.
Under laws recently passed by parliament, commercial ventures acquired by the
military during the rule of dictator Soeharto when the armed forces enjoyed a free
hand must be surrendered within five years.
Sutarto said TNI would not seek any financial compensation for relinquishing all of its
military-related businesses to the state but urged the government to balance the
policy with an increase in the military budget and soldiers' welfare payments.
Minister of Finance Yusuf Anwar said earlier that an additional defense budget this
year might be difficult to fulfill due to limited funds available in the state budget. He
said that the state budget was still in deficit.
Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono has mulled increasing military spending by
around Rp 5 trillion (US$520 million) to improve and modernize the country's defense
forces. The country's defense budget of around Rp 21.6 trillion this year is considered
small compared to the defense budget in neighboring countries.
Minister of Defense Juwono Soedarsono said that as a consequence of the stripping
of the businesses, the government would significantly increase military spending --
especially for soldiers' welfare -- once the takeover process had been completed.
Business assets owned by the military are estimated to be worth up to 10 trillion
(US$1.06 billion).
Sources: JP 08/04 12/04 17/04
Human rights activist arrested for bribery
Mulyana W. Kusumah, former deputy chairman of the Election Supervisory
Committee, was arrested by KPK (The Corruption Eradication Commission)
investigators on April 8 in a hotel room during a meeting with a civil servant from the
Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).
Mulyana, also a noted criminologist and human rights activist, is accused of trying to
bribe the auditor. He is now being detained at Central Jakarta's Salemba Penitentiary.
The arrest occurred when the KPK's was looking into the alleged misuse of some Rp
301 billion from last year's general election funds, which were being audited by the
BPK.
Eggi Sudjana, one of Mulyana's lawyers, praised KPK's efforts in fighting corruption
and arresting people involved in the crime, but slammed the way the commission
nabbed Mulyana. He said the meeting was a trap set by the KPK and BPK to
apprehend his client and was not allowed under the Criminal Procedures Code.
Deputy KPK chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas insisted that the arrest did not
contravene any legal procedures, saying his commission has special privileges to
investigate major graft suspects as stated in Article 12 of Law No. 30/2002 on the
KPK. Erry said the KPK charged Mulyana with bribery based on Law No. 31/1999 on
corruption eradication, which carries a prison sentence of between one and five years
as well as a fine of up to Rp 250 million if the accused is found guilty.
The arrest of Mulyana could taint the reputation of other KPU members. Mulyana was
in charge of procuring poll booths and boxes in last year's elections. Other KPU
officials were Chusnul Mar'iyah, who was in charge of the provision of ballot papers
and information technology equipment, Valina Singka Subekti in equipment
distribution and ink, Hamid Awaluddin (current Minister of Justice) in voter cards, and
Ramlan Surbakti in voter card validation.
Presidential spokesman Andi Malarangeng said on April 12 that President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono supported the arrest of Mulyana.
KPU Chief Blamed for Alleged Bribe Attempt: http://www.infid.be/corruption_kpu.htm
President Urged to Fire All KPU Personnel:
http://www.infid.be/corruption_fire_kpu.htm.
Sources: JP 10/04 11/04 12/04 13/04
Munir Case
National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Syamsir Siregar announced on April 7 that he
has assigned three senior officers to assist the government-sponsored fact-finding
team in finding the killers of noted human rights advocator Munir.
Syamsir vowed that BIN, whose agents have been linked to last year's murder of
Munir, would help solve the high-profile case. Syamsir said the three senior officers
would draw up technical matters for coordination between BIN and the fact-finding
team.
He denied that BIN's decision to assign the three senior agents was in response to
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's recent order for all relevant institutions to give
the team access to any developments in the investigation.
The move was aimed at ensuring that BIN was open to the investigation, he said. The
fact-finding team had earlier accused BIN of being reluctant to cooperate in the
investigation, after the agency canceled several scheduled meetings with it.
The team signed a protocol on April 11 with BIN to enable investigations into BIN
agents who stand accused of involvement in the matter. Team member Usman Hamid
declined to disclose the protocol's contents, but said it would significantly assist his
team in summoning BIN officers for questioning.
Marsudhi Hanafi: "There Is No Such Thing as a Perfect Crime":
http://www.infid.be/munir_crime.htm.
BIN Denies Recruiting Pollycarpus: http://www.infid.be/munir_deny.htm.
Sources: JP 08/04 12/04
Indonesia to deny entry UN experts
Indonesia will deny entry visas for a U.N. legal team investigating why Jakarta failed to
punish military officers for the violence that accompanied East Timor's 1999
independence vote, a government spokesman said on April 11.
Marty Natelegawa said East Timor and Indonesia have formed their own commission
to investigate the violence and promote reconciliation, and denied that refusing entry
to the three legal experts would anger the United Nations.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed a commission of experts to review
Jakarta's prosecutions and explain why a 1999 Security Council resolution to try
those responsible for the bloodshed failed.
Indonesia and East Timor's Commission of Truth and Friendship was inaugurated last
month. The body consists of lawyers and human rights figures from both nations. It
will issue a report describing the cause of the bloodshed, but will not recommend
legal action against those responsible.
Human rights groups want the United Nations to oversee an international tribunal for
East Timor like those in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. They say the joint East
Timor and Indonesia commission is an attempt to absolve Indonesia's generals of
responsibility for crimes in East Timor.
East Timor, however, says it is no longer interested in pursuing war crimes cases,
saying it is more interested in improving ties with its giant neighbor.
Yet more obstacles in the way of justice for East Timor:
http://www.infid.be/tapol_statement_etimor.htm.
Source: AP 11/04
Sutrisno Bachir Elected Leader of PAN
Businessman Soetrisno Bachir was elected on April 10 as leader of the National
Mandate Party (PAN), replacing Amien Rais in PAN's party congress in Semarang,
Central Java.
Soetrisno secured 745 votes, defeating other candidates: former finance minister Fuad
Bawazier, economist Didik J. Rachbini, scholar Moeslim Abdurrahman, and the party
's executives, Samuel Koto and Afni Ahmad. Another candidate, Minister for
Transportation Hatta Rajasa resigned from the race just minutes before the vote.
Amien had earlier expressed his support for Soetrisno, who was known as the owner
of the Ika Muda Group.
PAN, which is based on the support of the country's second largest Muslim
organization Muhammadiyah, ranked seventh after last year's general election.
Earlier, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, was elected as leader of the country's largest
party, Golkar, in its congress in Bali. Also in Bali, former president Megawati
Sukarnoputri, has been "unanimously" re-elected as the leader of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) for another five years.
Sutrisno Bachir Elected Leader of PAN: http://www.infid.be/pan_bachir.htm.
Sources: JP 10/04, LN 10/04
Puteh gets 10 years
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's anticorruption drive was given a boost on
April 11 with the conviction and 10-year jail sentence given to suspended Nanggroe
Aceh Darrusalam governor Abdullah Puteh for the illegal mark-up of a helicopter
purchase.
In addition to the jail term, Puteh may lose his job. Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf
said the central government would soon dismiss him as the Aceh governor.
Judges at the Anticorruption Court were unanimous in declaring Puteh guilty of graft in
the 2001 purchase of a Russian-made MI-2 helicopter for the province, which caused
the state to lose more than Rp 3.6 billion (US$400,800).
The presiding judge, Kresna Menon, read out the verdict at a hearing which Puteh,
who is in hospital recovering from a operation on March 31, missed.
Aside from ordering Puteh to return the total embezzled amount of Rp 3.6875 billion to
the state, the court also required him to pay 500 million in fines or spend an additional
six months in jail.
The coordinator of the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), Teten Masduki, applauded
the verdict. Teten said the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the
Anticorruption Court had got off to a good start, supplanting the functions of the
Attorney General's Office and the courts.
Although Puteh was given only a 10-year jail term for corruption the verdict was a
breakthrough, he said. "Compared with cases involving other high-ranking officials who
have remained on the loose, this is incredible", he said.
Aceh Governor Gets Fired & 10 Years for Graft: http://www.infid.be/aceh_puteh.htm.
Source: JP 12/04
Regional News
Aceh
Aceh separatists and Indonesian officials said they had reached a "point of
understanding" following a second day of peace talks aimed at ending a conflict that
has killed more than 12,000 people.
"We made a lot of progress today (in a) good atmosphere, friendly atmosphere, and
we reached what we call a point of understanding," Indonesian Justice and Human
Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin said.
"The meeting was very constructive and we are making progress," agreed the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM)'s Stockholm-based spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah.
The peace negotiations, which are scheduled to wrap up on April 17, are like two
previous rounds in January and February being mediated by former Finnish president
Martti Ahtisaari.
During the first day of talks on April 12, GAM asked Jakarta to call a ceasefire, but
the issue was not discussed during the second day of negotiations.
"It is unnecessary to have a cease fire. The past experience did not work," Awaluddin
said categorically.
GAM spokesman Abdullah however said he hoped the ceasefire proposal could be
discussed on the third or fourth day. "It is important to discuss the workable
substance first," he said.
War-Torn Aceh Must Turn Tragedy into Hope: http://www.infid.be/aceh_hope.htm.
Source: AFP 14/04
Abbreviations
AFP Agence France-Presse
AP Associated Press
JP The Jakarta Post
LN Laksamana.Net
|
