INFID, June 3, 2004
INFID's Short News Overview No. V/15: May 20-June 3, 2004
June 3, 2004 is Waisyak in Indonesia. Happy Waisyak to our Budhist brothers and
sisters! May the Lord Buddha always guide you in your thoughts and deeds!
Election News
Wahid disqualified from presidential election
The General Elections Commission (KPU) on May 22 ruled former leader
Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) medically unfit to contest the July 5 presidential
election. Commission member Anas Urbaningrum announced that Gus Dur failed to
meet all the requirements as stipulated by commission's regulations.
The five eligible candidates are: Hamzah Haz, MegawatiSoekarnoputri, Amien Rais,
Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Gen. (ret) Wiranto.
Another commission member Hamid Awaluddin said that the candidate list was final.
"There are no legal efforts that can change the decision, as Gus Dur had requested
that the requirements be waived, but both the Constitutional Court as well as the
Supreme Court denied him," he said.
Gus Dur filed on May 24 a civil suit against three institutions he deems responsible for
disqualifying him from the July 5 direct presidential election.
A legal team of the former president filed the lawsuit on his behalf at the Central
Jakarta District Court against members of the General Elections Commission (KPU),
the Ministry of Health and the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) for a whopping Rp
1 trillion (US$110 million) in nonmaterial damages.
The health examination criteria for presidential candidates were jointly drawn up by
the KPU and the IDI. The health ministry was included in the suit, because it was
deemed responsible for authorizing the cooperation between the KPU and the IDI.
Gus Dur refused to endorse any of the five candidates running for the country's
presidency, including former general Wiranto, whose running mate is Wahid's brother.
"No candidate is up to the job. We have five unworthy candidates: I refuse to support
any of them", he said on June 3.
Gus Dur said he would abstain in the first round of voting on July 5. He also said he
thought many voters would refrain from voting in the first round, and there could be a
sustained period of political tension before a winner emerged in September.
Transparency International Indonesia (TII) said on June 1 that none of the presidential
candidates were untainted by from corruption, collusion and nepotism, even though
they all claimed they were going to take action against these problems.
"We can see that the five presidential candidates have histories of involvement in
corruption, especially those who served in past governments," said Emmy Hafild, the
secretary-general of TII.
Emmy said the eradication of corruption would be a major issue during the campaign,
with the candidates making various pious promises in a bid to woo the voters.
However, in TII's view none of the presidential candidates were serious about
eradicating corruption.
The Upcoming Presidential Elections: A Prognosis:
http://www.infid.be/election_may24.htm
Presidential Election Campaigns Start:
http://www.infid.be/election_campaign_start.htm
Could It Really Be President Wiranto: http://www.infid.be/election_june3.htm.
Sources: Reuters 22/05, JP 22/05 25/05, AP 03/06, Antara 01/06
General News
Cracking Down NGOs
On May 26, after a meeting with House Commission I, National Intelligence Agency
(BIN) chief A.M. Hendropriyono announced the agency was probing into an earlier
report concerning the activities of 20 local and foreign non-governmental organizations
(NGOs).
These NGOs have allegedly produced reports that could instigate national security
concerns during the presidential election. Further investigation to compile more
incriminating evidence is also said to be underway. BIN warned that the government
could use "old measures" to deal with this issue, referring to the use of violence to
clamp down on government critics under the past New Order regime of Soeharto.
Among the twenty NGOs is the International Crisis Group led by Sidney Jones and
the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM)
One House member was quoted as saying "The activities of those NGOs are
harmless, really, but still quite irritating. If we let them be, it would accumulate." Other
House members even encouraged security authorities to prevent and arrest, if
necessary, NGO activists who threaten security. Foreign ministry officials and the
interim coordinator for political and security affairs also voiced a similar defense.
That statement drew immediate criticism from NGO activists who suggested it was an
attempt to shackle freedom of expression. "Hendro deliberately spread disinformation
to the public to give the impression that expression and the exercise of political rights
are a threat to security," said Imparsial Executive Director, Munir.
"Targeting independent monitors is not about protecting national security, its about
protecting officials whose records are embarrassing when exposed by insightful
experts," said Sam Zarifi, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division.
Human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, who is a member of ICG's board, said the
move was "precisely the policy of the Suharto years" and indicated the government
was becoming "more and more repressive." He said the decision was a shock for all
civil society and non-government organisations. 'We are entering a dark and gloomy
situation in Indonesia."
Sydney Jones and her colleague Australian Francesa Lawe-Davies, were ordered by
the immigration department on June 2 to leave Indonesia immediately.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri said that she did not order the deportation but
defended the
move against Ms Jones as an act to maintain the security and safety of the
Indonesian people. She also said the Government had procedures to use against
foreigners who may harm the country.
The ICG's president, the former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans, denounced
the decision to expel his staff as "outrageous and indefensible, utterly at odds with
Indonesia's claim to be an open and democratic society, and bound to damage
Indonesia's reputation far more than ICG's".
The White House also expressed concern and disappointment at Indonesia's decision
to expel the American expert. "We're very concerned about this development," State
Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "Ms. Jones is a highly respected
policy analyst. We're not aware of any actions by her or other members of her
organization that would warrant such a step by Indonesia," Boucher said. "Such
expulsions will be particularly disappointing, because this would stand in stark
contrast to the impressive progress made by Indonesia in recent years in developing a
democratic civil society with freedom of expression," he added.
ICG's Sydney Jones Must Go: http://www.infid.be/cs_bin_sydney.htm
ICG Indonesian Deportation Order Indefensible: http://www.infid.be/cs_icg_june2.htm
Hendropriyono: A Dinosaur in the Terror War:
http://www.infid.be/cs_hendropriyono.htm
Who's the real threat to Indonesia's national security?:
http://www.infid.be/cs_maxlane.htm
INFID's statement on this issue will soon be available at:
http://www.infid.be/statement_bin.htm
Sources: Kompas 29/05 31/05, JP 28/05 01/06, Tempo No. 38, SMH 03/06, TA
03/06, DJN 02/06, AP 03/06
Indonesian maid abused in Malaysia
A 19-year-old Indonesian maid was repeatedly burnt with an iron and scalded with
boiling water by a wealthy Malaysian housewife in the worst case of abuse ever seen
in the country, reports said on May 19. All Malaysian major newspapers carried front
page pictures showing shocking pictures of Nirmala Bonet's beaten face and
horrifically scarred back and chest after she was rescued by police from five months
of beatings.
Police have arrested the employer, a 35-year old wife of a company director. She
could be jailed for up to 80 years if found guilty.
Malaysian officials swiftly handled the situation amid a public outcry.
Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar apologized to the maid, 19-year old
Nirmala Bonat, a native of East Nusa Tenggara, in a meeting at the Indonesian
Embassy on May 20.
"As a representative of the government, we apologize and wish to extend our
sympathies to her and her family," the daily cited Noh as saying. "We regret it and on
a personal note, I strongly condemn the cruel act." Noh said stern action would be
taken against the maid's employer as "we do not want the international community to
have a negative perception of the country as the news spreads across the world."
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said he was shocked and outraged at the
injuries allegedly inflicted on her.
Budhi Rahardjo, the Indonesian embassy's information chief and Jeffrey Foo, Foreign
Workers Agencies Association vice-president, both said this was the worst case of
maid abuse they had ever seen.
In 2001, reports of several attacks by Malaysians on Indonesian maids sparked angry
demonstration in neighboring Indonesia.
Sources: AFP 20/05, AP 20/05, SCMP 22/05
Regional News
Aceh
May 19
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said police will establish 10 new precincts in
Aceh to improve security following the imposition of a state of civil emergency.
Currently there are 10 precincts for 20 municipalities and towns in Aceh.
More than 100 Acehnese claiming to be local people and members of various
anti-separatist movements met with officials of the Ministry of Defense as part of what
seemed to be a government-sponsored week-long course on national defense. Briefing
the press after the meeting, Yahya of the Association of Students for Religious
Propagation in Gayo Lues regency said that the course was very useful for
participants as "it teaches us many things about nationalism and basic military
training". Yahya also said that during the course participants were taught to sing the
national anthem, Indonesia Raya, and recite the principles of the country's ideology,
Pancasila. He said only a few Acehnese can sing the national anthem. Another
Acehnese, Muslizar of the Struggle Against the Separatist Free Aceh Movement
Front (GPS GAM), described how soldiers decided whether or not villagers were
rebels. "The soldiers usually order villagers, especially the youths, to gather in a
certain area and order them to sing
Indonesia Raya or to recite the principles Pancasila. If they can't do so, they are
considered to be rebels," said Yahya, adding that suspected the rebels were
"processed" afterwards.
May 21
TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the one-year military operation in
Aceh under martial law failed to live up to earlier expectations. He said the military
was planning a new strategic field operation after the government lifted martial law in
Aceh. He also said that the military would also reorganize its Lhokseumawe-based
operation command headquarters but continue a combination of intelligence, territorial
and offensive operations.
May 31
Lt. Col. Asep Sapari said 9 suspected separatist rebels were gunned down on May 30
in gun battles across Aceh while thre others were killed in separate clashes on May
31. He identified one of the rebels as Ahmad Indra, a middle-ranking commander of
the Free Aceh Movement.
Sources: JP 21/05 22/05, AP 31/05
Links
WB-CGI Report
A World Bank report for a mid-year review meeting of donor nations under the
Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) was published on June 2, 2004. The full report -
CGI (Consultative Group on Indonesia) Welcomes Progress on White Paper, But
Urges Stronger Actions to To Boost Investment and Tackle Poverty - can be found at:
This link
Abbreviations
AFP Agence France-Presse
AP Associated Press
DJN Dow Jones Newswires
JP The Jakarta Post
SMH Sydnye Morning Herald
TA The Australian
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