INFID, June 10, 2004
INFID's Short News Overview No. V/16: June4-10, 2004
INFID News
Vacancy
INFID is seeking applicants for the Executive Director position. For more info, please
visit http://www.infid.be/vacancy.html.
INFID Statement
INFID statement: BIN's Statement "NGOs Endangering National Security" Echos
Repressive Measures in Soeharto Era. is available at:
http://www.infid.be/statements.htm.
Election News
Fatwa Against Megawati
Several influential clerics of the country's largest Muslim organization issued an edict
(fatwa) on June 3 for its members to vote for Wiranto and Solahuddin Wahid in next
month's presidential election.
The edict stressed that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) members should not abstain from voting
in the July 5 election and that Muslims were prohibited under Islamic law, or sharia,
from choosing a woman leader, except in an emergency.
Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra regretted the issuance of the edict, saying that it
would create tension among NU members.
An NU leader and member of the Mega Success Team, Haji Said Agil Siraj, said it
was obvious the fatwa had a political agenda. He said the fatwa was an obvious
attempt to block Megawati's campaign and boost the chances of one of her rivals,
former armed forces chief Wiranto.
Bachtiar Effendy, a University of Indonesia political analyst, said the notion of fatwas
against women leaders was debatable within Islam. "It is often confusing, and it's
saddening to see fatwas like these are always raised at certain times, during
elections, when by coincidence one of the candidates is a woman," Dr Effendy said.
Leader of the Islam Liberal Network, Ulil Abshar Abdalla, said the fatwa was obviously
political and not religious. The subject of a fatwa himself, Mr Abdalla said he didn't
think people paid much attention to such things any more.
Secretary-general of the state-sponsored Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) Din
Syamsuddin said the edict was politically motivated and therefore would not be
discussed.
On June 7, several women's groups in Denpasar and Semarang, Central Java, blasted
the edict. About 250 women from various groups protested in front of the MUI offices
in Semarang.
On June 6, a number of noted figures, including UIN rector Azyumardi Azra, executive
director of the Center for Electoral Reform Smita Notosusanto and National
Commission on Human Rights member Zoemrotin K. Soesilo signed a joint statement
against the edict.
NU's acting chairman Masdar F. Mas'udi said earlier that his organization had banned
ulema from issuing such an edict, saying that males and females have equal rights to
become president.
Sources: JP 04/06 05/06 08/06, TA 05/06
July 27 Case Reopened
The joint team investigating the bloody takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI)'s offices on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, on July 27, 1996, announced on
June 7 that it plans to accelerate the currently stalled investigation.
The new urgency in the midst of campaigning for the presidential election raises
suspicions over the motives and timing of the renewed commitment to investigating
the case.
At least one presidential candidate, the Democratic Party's Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, could be implicated in the case.
But political analyst from Airlangga University, Surabaya, Daniel Sparringa warned
that the case did not concern only Susilo but also the military as a whole. He argued
that Wiranto could also be affected by the case.
Susilo was the chief of staff of the Jakarta Military in 1996 when the incident occurred.
He was, however, not in the suspect list released by the military police in 2002.
Yudhoyono warned the authorities on June 9 not to reopen the probe into the July 27
incident, which he views as an attempt to spoil his chances in the country's first ever
direct presidential on July 5.
Sources: JP 08/06 10/06
Election News: http://www.infid.be/election_news.htm.
General News
World Bank makes landmark decision to weaken environmental standards
On June 8, the World Bank approved an infrastructure project in Mexico that marks a
watershed in weakening the Bank's social and environmental standards. Civil society
groups from around the world protest this decision.
Complete text: http://www.infid.be/wb_irn.htm.
U.S. Considers Forgiving Poor Nations' Debts
The Bush administration is considering throwing its weight behind a British-backed
plan that would eliminate the debt owed by some of the world's poorest countries to
international lending institutions, according to people familiar with the matter.
The initiative would significantly deepen the debt relief available to poor countries
under a program launched during the 1990s. It may help Washington obtain broad
backing for its efforts to forgive most of Iraq's debt, because proposals to grant debt
relief to Baghdad have raised questions about why an oil-rich country should get
generous terms while poorer nations remain financially strapped.
Full Text: http://www.infid.be/debt_usconsiders.htm.
Judicial Review of Water Resources Law demanded
The Coalition for People's Right to Water (KruHA) has submitted a demand for judicial
review of the Water Resources Law No.7/2004 to the Constitutional Court. KruHA
co-ordinator Heine Nababan said the law is in conflict with the Constitution as it failed
to protect people's rights to safe and affordable water. The Constitution, under Section
3, Article 33, stipulates that "land and water and all the natural riches that are
contained within are controlled by the state and used for the greater benefit of the
people."
Heine said, the Law is also legally flawed as it was legalised amid objections from 7
members of the differents fractions of the House of Representatives (DPR). A.M.
Fatwa, who chaired the plenary session that passed the bill into law, did not
accomodate the objections as required by formal procedures.
The law authorizes either the central government or regional administrations to issue
permits to individuals or corporations to commercialize water. The law also allows
corporations and individuals to benefit from clouds by using weather modification
technology after securing a permit from the government. "Many articles (of the Law)
only benefit the commercial interests of big corporations," Heine said.
Heine said that most people in the country, particularly those in rural areas, still
enjoyed free fresh water. The law has failed to protect farmers, as it does not
guarantee them affordable water for irrigation.
Heine said that there could have been foreign pressures in the making and legalising
of the water resources law. The World Bank required the goverment to reform its water
regulation before it could approve USD 150 million loan to Indonesia in the third
installment of the Water Resourceses Adjusment Loan (WATSAL) program.
Source: DC 09/06
Poverty Program Revision Advised
An activist called on June 8 for the revision of the planned National Poverty Reduction
Strategy (SPKN) to make it more feasible by formulating specific priorities and targets
based on the specific conditions prevailing in the country.
"The current strategy fails to reflect the real situation regarding poverty around the
country as it is not based on participatory poverty assessments (PPA)," said Andik
Hardiyanto of KIKIS, a non-governmental organization (NGO) concerned with poverty
reduction.
Andik argued that the failure to conduct PPAs had forced the team that drafted the
strategy to focus on statistical data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and the
National Family Planning Board (BKKBN).
"It's impossible for the team to have formulated specific strategies and targets based
on such limited data sources and weak analyses," said Andik.
The Office of the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare submitted a poverty
strategy paper to the Commission on Poverty Eradication (KPK) on May 20. The
commission is the body responsible for coordinating the country's drive against
poverty. The commission has to evaluate the paper before submitting it to a Cabinet
meeting.
The strategy was drafted to meet the requirements imposed by the World Bank and
the International Monetary Fund on 80 heavily indebted countries, including Indonesia,
in order to obtain more loans or credits from international financial institutions.
Meanwhile, Fakhrulsyah Mega from the JARI Indonesia NGO said that any poverty
eradication program should be capable of alleviating the poverty problems confronting
local administrations.
Source: JP 08/06
Thousands of councillors involved in graft cases
The Attorney General's Office office announced on June 9 state prosecutors had found
evidence linking thousands of councillors to graft cases in almost every province,
regency and city across the country, with each case potentially causing between Rp
1 billion (US$111,000) and Rp 20 billion in state losses.
Office spokesman Kemas Yahya Rahman said several cases had been brought to
trial, including those involving billions of rupiah in West Sumatra and Cirebon, West
Java, while most others were still under investigation.
He said most of the cases centered on councillors' collective misappropriation of the
council budget or their conspiring with local administrations to mark up construction
projects and equipment purchases.
Several cases that have been uncovered in Aceh, West Sumatra, Garut, Cirebon and
Batam were similar in how the councillors allegedly embezzled state money.
In a spectacular example of corruption in a legislative body, the Padang District Court
in West Sumatra sentenced 43 of 55 provincial councillors to up to two years and
three months in prison on May 17 for embezzling Rp 6.4 billion from the 2002
provincial budget. Seven councillors belonging to the Indonesian Military/National
Police faction are being court-martialled for the same case.
Prosecutors in Cirebon, West Java, have named all 30 members of the local
legislative council as suspects in a graft case, while prosecutors in Bandar Lampung
brought charges against several city councillors last week.
Kemas said the councillors faced a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a
maximum fine of Rp 1 billion if convicted of graft.
The coordinator of the Indonesian Corruption Watch, Teten Masduki, praised the
Attorney General's Office for its investigations, saying this showed progress because
previously most corruption cases were buried by prosecutors' offices.
He said regional autonomy laws gave the regions greater power to handle their own
budgets, but this new power was not accompanied by adequate controls.
Source: JP 10/06
Regional News
Aceh
June 5
Local military chief Lt. Col. Abdul Rochim Siregar said suspected separatist rebels
have shot dead three people and injured two other civilians.
June 7
Former martial law chief Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya officially handed over power to
Governor Abdullah Puteh. Suwarya will remain the province's military chief and a
military operation against separatist rebels will continue.
June 9
Governor Abdullah Puteh announced that despite the province's change of status to
civil emergency, a number of regulations from the martial law period still applied,
including the ban on foreigners entering the province.
Provincial military spokesman Asep Sapari said four more people including three
separatist rebels have been killed in Aceh.
June 10
Spokesman Lt. Col. Asep Sapari said Indonesian troops killed 12 alleged separatist
rebels in Aceh
The men were killed in three skirmishes in different areas of North Aceh on June 9.
Troops confiscated several automatic weapons from the victims, he said.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) exmined Governor Abdullah Puteh over
his alleged involvement in a corruption case. The Aceh governor is suspected of
marking up the price of new power generators, which reportedly caused Rp 30 billion
(US$3.3 million) in state losses and a markup in the purchase of a Russian Mi-2
helicopter that cost Rp 12 billion.
Sources: AFP 05/06 07/06, JP 10/06, AP 09/06 10/06, Antara 10/06
Abbreviations
AFP Agence France-Presse
AP Associated Press
DC Detik.Com
JP The Jakarta Post
TA The Australian
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