Laksamana.Net, January 8, 2002 09:06 PM
Unrest Masterminded in Jakarta: Official
Laksamana.Net - A human rights official has acknowledged that certain parties in
Jakarta are responsible for provoking communal conflicts in the provinces, including
Maluku and North Maluku, where thousands of people have been killed in sectarian
violence over the past three years.
Koesparmono Irsan, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM), made the statement Tuesday (8/1/02) during a meeting with North
Maluku youths who were protesting the arrest of a local legislator involved in a bribery
scandal.
He said the prolonged conflict in North Maluku had been masterminded by vested
interest groups in Jakarta, but stopped short of mentioning any names.
"North Maluku is the battlefield but the brains trusts are in Jakarta,” he was quoted
as saying by Antara.
"That's why the conflicts in the provinces cannot be solved at the provincial level but in
Jakarta,” he added.
Commenting on last month's arrest of North Maluku provincial legislator Muhammad
Sahafin, Irsan admitted it had not been in line with proper procedures.
Sahafin, a member of Golkar Party, last year admitted receiving a Rp66 million bribe
to vote for former youth and sports affairs minister Abdul Gafur in the province's June 5
gubernatorial election.
A second legislator, Muksin Sudara of the United Development Party (PPP), said he
had also been promised a bribe to vote for Gafur but never received the money.
Gafur won the election by one vote, but his victory was annulled by the provincial
legislative assembly after news of the scandal broke, and he is still yet to be sworn-in
as governor.
The long-time Golkar stalwart was furious with the decision and has since been
demanding the central and provincial governments immediately recognize him as
governor.
On December 10, Sahafin went to Jakarta and issued a statement in front of Golkar
deputy chairmen Agung Laksono, Effendy Michisar and Sri Mardiningsih, retracting
his earlier admission that he had received a bribe from Gafur.
As soon as he returned to North Maluku, Sahafin was arrested by police at Ternate
city's Sultan Baabullah airport.
The protesters said the arrest was illegal because police lacked a warrant and
permission from the Home Affairs Ministry.
Sahafin remains in custody and has been banned from going on the haj pilgrimage to
Saudi Arabia, even though he had managed to acquire funds for the trip.
Irsan said Komnas HAM would send a team to North Maluku later this month to
investigate the case.
Analysts have blamed the sectarian conflict in the Malukus on several parties –
former military commander General Wiranto, former finance minister Fuad Bawazier,
radical Muslims who were opposed to former president Abdurrahman Wahid, and
crooked tycoons who benefited from the unrest by abandoning their obligations to
repay bank debts of trillions of rupiah.
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