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INFID


INFID, June 17, 2004

INFID's Short News Overview No. V/17: June 11 - 17, 2004

INFID News

Office closed

INFID European Liaison Office will be closed during the period of June 22 – July 9, 2004. We will be able to check our emails from time to time, but do not expect an immediate response. For urgent matters, please (re-) direct your message to our secretariat in Jakarta.

There will be no news overview during these periods.

Vacancy

INFID is seeking applicants for Executive Director position and Project Co-ordinator position (for the "Civilian Supremacy and the military budget transparency" project). For more info, please visit http://www.infid.be/vacancy.html.

Election News

SBY far ahead in latest poll

A Jakarta-based pollster confirmed on June 10 the popular appeal of Democratic Party candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in its latest survey. The poll by Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicated (SSS) shows that 46.64 percent of respondents said they would vote for Susilo and running mate Jusuf Kalla in the July 5 election. The SSS interviewed 5,000 respondents in 17 of the country's 32 provinces for the opinion poll. The poll was conducted from May 21 to June 1, when the month-long campaign period began.

Following far behind Susilo-Kalla was National Mandate Party (PAN) candidate Amien Rais and running mate Siswono Yudohusodo at 19.70 percent. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidates incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasyim Muzadi came third at 13.78 percent, ahead of Golkar Party candidates Wiranto and Solahuddin Wahid at 10.56 percent. Trailing the polls are United Development Party (PPP) candidates Hamzah Haz and Agum Gumelar at 2.34 percent.

Earlier, the Polling Center, in collaboration with the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), published a survey that also showed Susilo leading at 41 percent, with Megawati a distant second at 11.2 percent. Another survey by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) showed the same results.

A survey conducted by the Democracy Study Institute (LKaDe), an institute founded by PDI-P politicians, also revealed that Susilo and Kalla were the most popular candidates (45.17 percent). Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasyim Muzadi were at a distant second with 18.88 percent. The survey was conducted on 1,833 respondents in 15 cities across Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Bali. " Trailing Megawati were Amien Rais and Siswono Yudohusodo with 15.81 percent, followed by Wiranto and Solahuddin Wahid with 12.95 percent and Hamzah Haz and Agum Gumelar with 4.7 percent.

Sources: JP 11/06 15/06

Election News: http://www.infid.be/election_news.htm.

General News

Of World Bank and IMF

Minister Kwik Kian Gie rejected new loans from the World Bank for the Subdistrict Development Program (PPK) in spite of the fact that this program has already increased people's standard of living. Full text: http://www.infid.be/kwik_wb_june.htm.

The most effective activity of the IMF and World Bank has been in the redistribution of wealth from taxpayers to international bureaucrats. Despite some success stories, a sober assessment of their performance suggests that the global economy would be better off without the IMF and World Bank. In short, don't mend them, end them. Full text: http://www.infid.be/wb_korea.htm.

The World Bank, which provided $18.5 billion in aid in 2003, should withhold money from governments that are antidemocratic, or that violate their people's human rights. To lend money to tyrants is to strengthen them and to become complicit when they stamp on their people's rights. To lend money to one-party states is to lock in their hegemony, and to ridicule the dignity of people outside the party. To lend money to well-kept dictators is to enslave their citizenry, who even after the dictator is gone must repay principal and interest - to the bank. Full text: http://www.infid.be/wb_ebadi.htm.

Sources: NYT 16/06, Tempo 15 – 21/06, KT 10/06

Corruption Rampant among Councillors

The list of criminal cases involving policy makers from all administrative levels grows at the rate of one new case per day, according to the latest Attorney General's Office (AGO) data.

AGO spokesman Kemas Yahya Rahman explained on June 16 that the number of legislators implicated in corruption cases across the country had increased from 270 in May to 300 in June.

"Many of them have been accused of misusing state funds by allocating money for fictitious programs. Many others received bribe money during the elections of their regent, mayor or governor," said Rahman.

The list suggested that corruption was not confined to one area or one or two main islands, but indeed nationwide. It revealed that there are 300 corruption cases that they are working on, involving legislators representing 30 of the country's 32 provinces.

The country has been rocked by a dizzying series of corruption cases involving hundreds of councillors in the last two months. In a spectacular example of a corruption conspiracy involving nearly the entire legislative body, the Padang district court in West Sumatra sentenced 43 of 55 provincial councillors to prison on May 17 for embezzling billions of rupiah from the 2002 provincial budget.

Still in West Sumatra, provincial police spokesman Langgo Simalango said on June 17 that all 25 members of a town council have been placed under investigation for corruption. The members of Payakumbuh council in West Sumatra and its secretary and treasurer are suspected of misusing funds totalling Rp1.03 billion (around US$110,000) for trips, presents and ceremonies.

Source: JP 17/06

Military and Police Officers Abuse Girls

Hundreds of local girls in Poso regency have experienced trauma and abuse after coming into contact with military and police officers deployed here from other areas of the country over the last four years.

Of the hundred or so women thought to have had from minor to very serious problems, only 20 have had the courage to speak out about what they encountered.

"The problem is there are only a few of women, around 20, who have the courage to report the abuses to us. Most of the hundreds of girls have been intimidated and threatened, so that they have become afraid to report such abuses," said Soraya Sultan, the secretary-general of the Women's Group Fighting for Gender Equality for Central Sulawesi (KPKP-ST).

Soraya said that she had been receiving reports of sexual abuse for more than a year. She said that the women had identified the security personnel responsible for the mistreatment. "The perpetrators come from various police and military units that are here in the province," she said.

She said that, out of the hundreds of cases, only one policeman had been sentenced to jail, one other case was being investigated by the Poso Prosecutor's Office and several others were being investigated by the provincial police.

Source: JP 17/06

Regional News

Aceh

June 13

Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Purbojo said three suspected separatist rebels were killed in a firefight with the Indonesian navy after they commandeered an oil tanker in the Malacca Straits.

The navy stormed the MV Pematang, belonging to the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, on June 11 after calls for the pirates to surrender were met with gunfire.

June 15

Swedish police arrested three leaders of GAM, the Free Aceh Movement, saying they were suspected of "grave breaches of international law." Two of the exiled leaders, were being held in custody, the Swedish prosecutors' office said. Jakarta, which has long lobbied Sweden to curtail their activities, welcomed the move. Jakarta named the three as Hasan Tiro, Zaini Abdullah and Malik Mahmud, who is considered by GAM as Aceh's exiled prime minister.

Hasan Tiro was not detained due to his poor health but he is also believed to be facing charges in Sweden.

June 16

GAM vowed not to abandon their decades-long struggle despite Sweden's arrest of their leaders.

"We will still struggle and there is no chance for GAM to stop this fight until sovereignty and independence for Aceh is restored," GAM spokesman Sofyan Dawood said from an undisclosed location in Aceh.

A Losing Battle: Indonesia's military claims it is crushing Aceh's rebels. In fact, both sides may be suffering equally: http://www.infid.be/aceh_ta_june21.htm.

Forgotten People, the People of Aceh, Indonesia: http://www.infid.be/aceh_forgotten.htm.

Sources: AP 13/06, AFP 13/06, Reuters 15/06, AP 15/06

Papua

The Papuan people's campaign against the province's division has received a major boost after the State Administrative Court ruled on June 15 against a law appointing Abraham Octavianus Atururi as West Irian Jaya governor.

Several prominent Papuan figures immediately called on the government to comply with the court's ruling that Presidential Decree No. 213/2003 appointing the governor was contrary to the 2001 law on special autonomy. They warned Papuan people would lose trust in the central government if the court ruling went unheeded.

Simon Patris Morin, a Golkar Party legislator from Papua, urged President Megawati Soekarnoputri to abide by the verdict.

Provincial legislature speaker John Ibo and the Advocacy Team for Papua's Special Autonomy have asked the Constitutional Court for a judicial review of the decree that enforces Law No. 45/1999 on the formation of West and Central Irian Jaya provinces in Papua. The court has delayed its hearing of the case because of its heavy workload.

Source: JP 16/06

Abbreviations

AFP Agence France-Presse
AP Associated Press
JP The Jakarta Post
KT Korea Times
NYT New York Times
 


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