INFID
INFID | TAPAK Ambon | AKUI
| PosKo Zwolle | Diverse Artikelen
INFID News New statement and press release by
NGO Coalition for a New Constitution (Bahasa only): Press release: http://infid.ngonet.be/konferensipers.html Critical review and recommendation
on the process of the 1945 Constitution amendment: http://infid.ngonet.be/tinjauanamandemen.html INFID Related Issues Debt Indonesia said it was optimistic
it would secure more debt rescheduling from the Paris Club of official
creditors in a meeting in April. Earlier last month the government said it
would seek to reschedule both principal and interest on some of its official
foreign debts maturing between April 2002 and December 2003 from the Paris
Club. If successful, the next round of Paris Club talks would lead to
Indonesia's third debt restructuring since the crisis. But this move would
risk Indonesia's long-term sovereign debt rating being downgraded by Standard
& Poor's to "selective default," if the Paris Club insists on equal
treatment for private lenders. A downgrade to selective default would make it
more difficult for the country to attract foreign capital and would likely
force up the cost of borrowing, though analysts in Indonesia have brushed off
such concerns. They said even without the downgrade the country was already
at the stage where hardly any foreign institutions would extend new lending
as Indonesia was still struggling to restructure its existing hefty debts.
Standard & Poor's already cut the country's long-term sovereign debt
rating to CCC from CCC-Plus in early November, citing concerns the Paris Club
creditors would insist private bondholders of Indonesia's official debts
share the burden of debt restructuring in terms of both principal and
interest payments. Minister of Finance Boediono said he would go on a
two-week trip in the second week of this month to lobby several member
countries of the Paris Club. Meanwhile, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has informed Jakarta that progress has to be shown on a
number of key issues before it will approve the next disbursement under a
US$5 billion economic package. The Fund will only disburse the next trench of
US$450 million after receiving approval from its board. But the approval now
hangs in the balance given that the government has made slow progress on the
six items, such as a credible plan for recovering the loans owed to the
government by former bank owners; a clear tax policy to improve tax
collection; conducting a rights issue for Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII);
and exchanging the fixed rate bonds for floating rate bonds in Bank Niaga.
The government hopes to sell this bank in the near future. The other two
items - the completion of a credible process to sell Bank Central Asia (BCA)
and submission of a report on a new law for Bank Indonesia to parliament -
are close to completion. The government is currently discussing the new law
with legislators and is in the final stages of completing the BCA sale. By
far, the most contentious issue is the plan to grant former bankers an
extension period of six years to repay their huge loans. The Cabinet has been deeply split
on the issue with Mr Dorodjatun, Minister for State Enterprises Laksamana
Sukardi and the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) in favour of
granting the extension while State Minister for National Development Planning
Kwik Kian Gie question the viability of the plan as many of the debtors have
not shown any intention of repaying their loans. The government rejected the
controversial plan on March 7. Source: Reuters 01/03, BT 01/03 Human Rights TNI/Polri The Indonesian military (TNI) will
write a letter to the House of Representatives (DPR), asking them to summon
the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Commission for
Inquiry to Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM) to explain their works on the
Trisakti/Semanggi I-II incidents, a high ranking TNI official says.
Chairperson of Law Development Body (Kababinkum) Maj. Gen. Timor Manurung
said on March 6 that the works of KPP HAM had violated the law and molested
the TNI institution, adding that TNI would not answer to the summonses of KPP
HAM. Later on the same day, the National Police also showed its defiance.
Ins. Gen. Logan Siagian, the Polri’s Kababinkum, sent a letter to Chairperson
of KPP HAM, Alber Hasibuan, rejecting the summons. Former National Police
Chief Gen. (ret) Roesmanhadi and former Armed Forces Chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto
are also maintaining their resistance to the summonses. While Wiranto was
unresponsive, Roesmanhadi, through his lawyers, gave a prior notice to KPP
HAM probing the incidents that he would not bow to the summons because he did
not recognise the existence of the inquiry. He also insists the inquiry to be
disbanded. The Central Jakarta District Court has ruled that the inquiry is
legitimate and has the right to summon security officers involved in the
bloody incidents. KPP HAM has issued new summonses at the request of the
court. The first summons sent to the two retired generals was dated Feb. 26. Sources: KCM 06/03, JP 06/03 General News "Alternative" Approach
to Debt The Indonesian Government is
reviewing its membership of 185 international organisations and is likely to
leave more than 40 of them to save money. A report said Indonesia’s membership
of the 185 international organisations costs at least US$17.38 million a
year. No figure was given for the possible cost saving of withdrawing. But other figures are available
(for comparison): Total foreign debt: US$143,5
billion Private banks debt to government:
US$13 billion Buloggate II that involves the
House Speaker as a suspect: US$5.4 million Military expenditure: US$1 billion Sources: AFP 05/03, BI 05/03, AT
28/02, JP 06/03, CW 07/03 Regional News Aceh Authorities in Indonesia's restive
province of Aceh said they will start enforcing an Islamic dress code in
towns and cities this month. Provincial secretary Thantawi Ishak said the
regulations would be introduced on March 15. "In the first phase, proper
Muslim attire for women will be required in all urban areas in Aceh," he
said. Islam requires women to cover everything except their face, hands and
feet. Muslim men must cover their midriff and wear shorts which cover their
knees. Ishak said police would conduct street checks but initially violators
would just be warned and excluded from urban areas. Future sanctions would be
decided in talks between the sharia office, the Muslim Scholars' Council and
local police. The Indonesian government in 1999
authorised provincial authorities to implement partial Sharia law. Last year
parliament also passed a law which grants the province greater autonomy and a
much larger share of oil and gas revenues. Ishak also said all government and
private offices must install business signs in Arabic-style script. Sharia
law is not in force anywhere else in the archipelago. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in
its statement called the plan as a "hypocrisy". "Here we have
an avowed secular anti-Islam force that has been responsible for the death,
rapes and brutalization of thousands of women in Aceh for years, now wanting
to be their guardiance of morality", the statement says. " … ,
although we agree that women and men dress modestly, we don't consider it is
a matter for the State to dictate." GAM condemned the plan as another
government desperate act to create discords among the population, referring
to the recent Laskar Jihad’s intention to deploy its member in Aceh.
"This is to show the world as though the Acehnese were such fanatic
Muslims that Jakarta has to appease", the statement concludes. Sources: AFP 4/03, IS Maluku Four people were injured on March
3 in clashes that marred a joint Muslim-Christian peace rally in Ambon City.
A group of unidentified people armed with machetes attacked Muslim and
Christian residents parading in the city's Wai Hong district to celebrate a
peace accord signed last month. On Feb. 27 Muslims and Christians
mingled freely for the first time in years in Ambon. Witnesses said people
from the two faiths hugged each other or shook hands. Christian and Muslim
leaders on February 12 signed an agreement to end the sectarian bloodshed.
The violence began in Ambon in January 1999 with a minor neighbourhood
quarrel and quickly spread to other islands in the Malukus, leaving some
5,000 people dead and half a million homeless. The two sides vowed to halt
all conflict and agreed to disarm. Police have set a deadline of March 1 for
people including soldiers or police to surrender illegal weapons. Source: AFP 03/02 Abbreviations AFP Agence France Prese Stichting TitanE |