INFID
INFID | TAPAK Ambon | AKUI
| PosKo Zwolle | Diverse Artikelen
INFID News INFID Annual Advocacy 2002 INFID’s advocacy visits of this year were concluded
with talks in Tokyo. The INFID delegation met with officials of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Japan Bank for International
Co-operation. Moreover it held talks with several NGO networks to plan
further activities and co-operation. The visit to the Japanese capital wraps up a four
week long trip starting from New York and Washington DC to London, Brussels,
the Hague, and Bonn. INFID expressed its concern about the implications of
the planned reopening of the military ties between the US and Indonesia and questioned
the reasoning of the Bush administration for this step. It asked to sincerely
follow-up on the issue raised in the Concluding Remarks of the CGI chair,
especially regarding the audit of the military business and the transparency
of the military budget. A democratic control of the military, exerted by the
civilian bodies of the country are the key to any progress in the field of
democratisation and economic recovery. It is therefore with great
disappointment, that INFID takes note of the recent decision of the
Appropriation Committee of the Congress to lift the ban on military
co-operation between the US and Indonesia. INFID asked all CGI governments it
met during their visits to make this very clear to their ally in the various
fora. To engage the military in the so-called war on terrorism runs contrary
to all current policies and wisdom that security matters are not the
military’s task but that of the police forces. INFID conveyed its conviction that the current
indebtedness of Indonesia is in urgent need for an alternative approach to
its solution. The current terms of rescheduling agreed upon in the Paris Club
are not promising any substantial and sustainable solution, but will most
likely result in further rescheduling agreements in the future. INFID is
therefore calling for an independent assessment of the debt situation that
sincerely takes into account available knowledge and data beyond those
information hitherto by the IMF. Another topic was the crucial and cross-cutting
role of the forestry sector for Indonesia’s future. Much more co-ordination
is need among the donor countries to avoid their conflicting messages to the
GoI as they occurred in the past, which partly contributed to the more than
disappointing performance of the various governments in Jakarta, since they
provided them with excuses and pretexts for inactivity and a policy of
business-as-usual. The European initiative for a certification system for
legally logged timber is flawed by the very fact that it will rely on the
most corrupt judicial systems of the world. (see report below.) The overall message conveyed to the
governments and institutions INFID met during the past four weeks, is the
necessity for a change in the current policy approach and a reform of the
CGI. The present compartimentalisation of the approaches in solving
Indonesia’s problems needs to be overcome and replaced by a comprehensive
strategy that acknowledges the interdependency of the various problems and
fields. This holds true especially for the policies pursued by the Paris Club
as the sovereign creditors’ forum and the CGI as the donors’ consortium: The
left takes what is being granted by the right hand. Two concrete steps have
to be taken: An independent commission should investigate the current
situation of Indonesia’s debt and assess its sustainability against the human
development parameters. The Government of Indonesia should conduct a sincere
and thorough defence review, supported by the donor and creditor countries,
to address and assess the real needs of armed forces in a democratic society
that serve the purpose of defence and that are securely controlled by the
democratically elected institutions of this country. Papers related to the lobby visits are
available at http://www.infid.be/lobby2002.html.
One Year Megawati It is one year ago that President Megawati
Soekarnoputri came to power. How did Indonesia pass its first year under her
administration? Did she fulfil people’s expectation for reform? Did she bring
the nation to a better economic situation? The INFID European Liaison Office
compiled articles from various sources to capture public assessment on
Megawati’s performance. Visit our website at: http://www.infid.be/#Current Issues. INFID Related
Issues Debt House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung
urged the government to seek another debt rescheduling facility next year
from foreign creditors. He said that the rescheduling facility was crucial to
help ease the burden on the state budget, so that more funds could be
allocated for development programs. He did not explain the rationale behind
his stance, but to seek the help of the Paris Club would require the
government to extend the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the
country. The proposed extension of the IMF program here drew strong criticism
from a number of sources, including State Minister of National Development
Planning Kwik Kian Gie. Minister of Finance Boediono said in April that the
government had no intention of seeking another rescheduling facility from the
Paris Club next year. The country's debt stood at a staggering US$137.60
billion in 2001. Meanwhile, an IMF team led by Daniel Citrin is
scheduled to arrive next week to discuss the implementation of the fifth
letter of intent signed by the Fund and the Indonesian government in June.
Anggito Abimanyu, a senior official at the finance ministry, said that the
team would focus on the country’s commitment to privatizing state-owned
enterprises, raising cash from the sale of bank assets and reducing its
budget deficit. Indonesia is tied to a three-year US$5 billion bailout loan
from the IMF. Sources:
JP 20/07, 24/07 Corruption Datuk Param Cumaraswamy, the UN special rapporteur
on the independence of judges and lawyers, describes Indonesia’s legal system
as the worst he has seen. Cumaraswamy, a Malaysian lawyer and a UN appointed
special rapporteur since 1994, was visiting Indonesia in a 10-day mission to
investigate Indonesia's judiciary independency. He is to report his findings
to the U.N. Human Rights Commission next April. The latest revelation by the
Audit Commission on State Officials' Assets (KPKPN) confirms the seriousness
of the problem. Petrus Selestinus, who works at the commission in charge for
examining the assets of judicial officials, said that most of the judges
summoned to clarify their wealth had failed to give logical explanations. Sources:
ST 23/07, Reuters 20/07, SCMP 21/07, JP 22/07 General News US Military Aid The Senate Appropriations Committee on July 18
voted to drop conditions on providing U.S. military training to the
Indonesian armed forces (TNI), lifting restrictions on the Indonesian
military's participation in the Pentagon's International Military Education
and Training program, known as IMET. The committee went along with the Pentagon's
arguments that the TNI's cooperation in the global war on terrorism waged by
President George W. Bush should take precedence over human rights and related
considerations. Human rights groups are furious. "This is a huge step
backward," said Mike Jendrzejczyk, an Indonesia expert at Human Rights
Watch (HRW). He said activists hope that at least some of the conditions will
be re-attached when the bill reaches the Senate floor or the House of
Representatives. "TNI does not deserve this program as they are
continuing to defy legal procedures and demand impunity for all their
wrongdoings in the past," said Hendardi, of the Indonesian Legal Aid and
Human Rights Association (PBHI). ``This is a very dangerous move. The
(Indonesian) military badly needs this endorsement from the United States in
order to further legitimize its meddling in politics (and) human rights
violations,'' said Munir, the founder of Kontras, Indonesia's most prominent
human rights organization. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security
Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on July 22 that the government would
not use the US$400,000 US financial aid to supplement its funds to combat
terrorism. Sources:
IPS 20/07, Reuters 17/07, JP 22/07, AP 21/07 Presidential Election 2004 President Megawati Sukarnoputri has suddenly
changed her opinion and decided that ordinary Indonesians are ready for
direct presidential elections in 2004. She claimed recently that Indonesians
were too violence-prone for a direct presidential election, which is ironic
since one of the most violent protests was the result of popular anger over
the indirect election process in the 1999 presidential election. Analysts
have said Megawati's desire to delay a direct election might signal her doubt
over her chances of winning, even though many believe her popularity remains
unchallenged. Debate over the direct presidential election is part of the
ongoing amendment process to the 1945 Constitution. Sources:
ST 23/07, JP 22/07 Regional News Aceh Local community members have joined the Aceh
administration in opposing the central government's plan to impose a state of
emergency in the restive province to stop decades of separatist fighting. The people living in Banda Aceh and remote areas in
the jungle-clad Pidie, Bireun and North Aceh regencies are demanding a
peaceful settlement to the conflict. Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh, the
province's legislative council, Muslim clerics and non-governmental
organization activists have turned down the central government's plan for the
imposition of a civil emergency or martial law. Puteh said 90 percent of the
Acehnese people were opposed to any planned state of emergency. Coordinating
Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said
the central government would pursue its plan to impose a state of emergency
in Aceh, arguing that the Acehnese people demanded that GAM be dealt with
firmly. Chief of the Army’s Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) Lieutenant
General Bibit Waluyo says there's no reason to fear the possible imposition
of martial law in the rebellious Aceh province because the military will be
‘selective’ in killing people. "Why should we be afraid of a military
emergency status? Only those who damage public facilities will be shot by the
military," he said. Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR)
Amien Rais supports the government to
take drastic measures against ‘troublemakers’ in Aceh. "If necessary,
cut off the hands of those troublemakers," he said. Sources: JP 23/07, LN 23/07 Links MPR new website The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
launched another website on July 24. The new website, : www.gatsu06.com, to be updated on weekly
basis, is, unfortunately, only available in Indonesian language. Gatsu06 is
an abbreviation of Jalan Gatot Subroto No. 6 -- the actual street address of
the Assembly building. The existing homepage, www.mpr.go.id,
will continue to be updated daily. The MPR will have its annual session on
August 1-12, 2002. Source:
JP 25/07 Abbreviations AP Associated
Press IPS Inter
Press Service JP The
Jakarta Post LN Laksamana
Net ST The
Strait Times SCMP South
China Morning Post Stichting TitanE |