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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