INFID
INFID | TAPAK Ambon | AKUI
| PosKo Zwolle | Diverse Artikelen
Title
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Short News Overview.
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No
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91
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Period
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17 May 2002 – 23 May 2002
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INFID Related Issues
Debt
The Indonesian Government insists
on carrying out its plan on capital raising through rights issue to recover
the BII. INFID studies shows that the decision to liquidate BII would only
cost Rp24 trillion and therefore is cheaper than rights issue that would cost
the government Rp29.6 trillion. According to INFID, the studies done by
government showing BII rights issue as the cheapest alternatives (Rp15.8
trillion net) is unfounded, since it did not include the potential cost which
can emerge if after the rights issue BII fails to recover. Liquidation would
guarantee that there would be no additional cost for the government in
recovering national banks. Economic recovery is a must, but the cost of it
should be fairly and proportionally shouldered by public and the economic
actors. The debt burden of Rp640 trillion caused by re-capitalising has
seriously threatened the development budget, especially those allocated for
health service and education. Therefore the government must reject additional
burden caused by converting private debts into public debt. INFID urges the
government to see the BII case not only as a technical financial matter, but
also as an action of obligators who do not keep their promise to re-pay their
debts. The government must apply sanctions according to criminal and civil
laws to this kind of debtors.
Sources: MI 21/05, Republika
21/05, BI 21/05
General News
TNI
The nomination of incumbent Army
Chief of Staff Endriartono Sutarto as new TNI Commander was immediately
followed by the news that his predecessor, Tyasno Sudarto, would be promoted
as the head of BIN, replacing AM Hendropriyono. As for Hendropriyono,
information circulating among members of Commission I of the parliament
indicates that he will become the new cabinet secretary, a post vacant since
Megawati took over the presidency last August. The reports are in line with
the assumptions that Megawati will keep Bambang Kesowo on as State Secretary,
but some sources suggest that given the clash between the President and the
powerful bureaucrat, his job could also be open to Hendropriyono.
Analysts believe that the plan to promote Tyasno is strategic as he would
potentially act as a countervailing force against Endriartono, as
Sumatran-born former Kostrad commander Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago would if he
got the post soon to be left by Endriartono. The likely candidate for Army
Chief of Staff remains Kostrad Commander Ryamizard Ryacudu, the son-in-law of
former Vice President Try Sutrisno.
Source: LN 16/05
National Awakening Day
Students, activists and members of
non-government organisations held various protests and rallies to commemorate
National Awakening Day on May 20. In Jakarta, groups of protesters marched
along its main streets, demanding all elements of the nation to stick to the
reform agenda, particularly the eradication of corruption and strengthening
of law enforcement. Former President Abdurrahman Wahid and political activist
Sri Bintang Pamungkas were among the attendance.
In Central Java, violence broke out during at least two separate
demonstrations. At least 15 people were wounded when around 300 students
scuffled with police in Purwokerto regency. An activist of the Democratic
People’s Party was attacked by a group of hoodlums in Semarang. He was among
dozens of students staging a protest against President Megawati’s government
earlier in the day.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark National Awakening Day in Denpasar, President
Megawati said the the unabated crisis the country was facing had been
exacerbated by the yawning gap between the political classes and the
masses. The gap, she said, was evident from the public’s resistance to the
agenda set by the national leaders.
Source: JP 21/05
Caucus of Muslim political
parties
A recent series of meetings among
Muslim politicians have fueled speculations that there was an effort to form
an Islamic caucus, apparently aimed at improving ties and countering the
nationalist-oriented Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan). At least until May 18, the new caucus has convened three times
since it was informally formed three weeks ago. No PDI Perjuangan leaders
were invited to attend the forum in the past three meetings. Saifullah Yusuf,
one of the founders of the caucus and PKB, said that one should not view the
caucus with too much suspicion, because apart from holding social gatherings
between Islamic political parties, the forum often discusses national issues
such as the amendments to the constitution and national integrity. He claimed
that the caucus was focussing on 2004, in particular the conduct of a
democratic general election. PKB faction member Chatibul Umam Wiranu
explained that the caucus often criticised President Megawati’s policies
including weaknesses in solving the problem of separatism and the
anti-amendment movement. Megawati is also felt to be hampering political
reform by “hiding” the draft Politics Bill up to now.
Sources: JP 18/05, BWM 17/05
Regional News
East Timor
The Indonesian military’s decision
to send six warships without permission into East Timor’s territorial waters
on the eve of the new nation’s independence day was either a spectacular and
crass bungle by dysfunctional armed forces or a deliberate and
calculated provocation by generals who still have not accepted the loss of
East Timor, Lindsay Murdoch wrote for Sydney Morning Herald. According to
Lindsay, it was more likely to have been a deliberate provocation than a
serious miscalculation since the military refused to sail all the ships from
Dili harbours though the UN and East Timor’s leaders asked them to. President
Megawati made a brief visit to East Timor on May 19 to attend the country’s
declaration of independence. Before attending the ceremony, Megawati visited
Seroja Hero’s Cemetery, where some 300 civilian Indonesians and military
personnel, killed in keeping East Timor’s integration in Indonesia, are
buried. Hundreds of Seroja Operation veterans and widows burnt their “hero’s
medals” at the same day to protest Mega’s attendance in the independence
celebration.
Speaking in Cirebon on May 20, Assembly Speaker Amien Rais said the nation
must accept the fact that its former province of East Timor had become the
world’s newest country. At the same time, he also vowed never to let
separatists win again. On the same day, Vice President Hamzah Haz expressed
his sympathy over the Seroja fighters’ frustration at Megawati’ visit to East
Timor, but reminded the nation to move forward and to not only look at the
past. There have been calls for the government to provide generous
compensation to the Seroja fighters and their families, as well as resolving
Indonesian assets in East Timor.
Sources: SMH 20/05, JP 20/05
Maluku
Kontras blamed the escalating
tension in Maluku on the lack of law enforcement and poor co-ordination
between the security and civilian authorities. Kontras co-ordinator Ori
Rachman pointed out that the latest gunfight in Ambon between members of the
Army’s Special Force (Kopassus) and police officers in Kudamati, Ambon, on
May 14 was a reflection of how the security forces in Maluku have been
involved in the conflict and have disregarded civilian authority.
Washington director for Asia Human Rights Watch Mike Jendrzejczyk noted that
the slow response of the Indonesian security forces to violence in Maluku was
not because of a lack of training and equipment but a lack of political will
and the highly political role of the army. He was commenting on a US plan to
provide US$8 million to train and equip a domestic peacekeeping force in
Indonesia, which he said would do more harm than good.
Sources: JP 17/05, LAT 20/05
Abbreviations
BI Bisnis
Indonesia
BII Bank
International Indonesia
BIN State
Intelligence Agency
BWM BBC
Worldwide Monitoring
JP The
Jakarta Post
Kontras Commission for Missing Persons and Victims
of Violence
Kostrad Army Strategic Reserve
LAT Los
Angeles Times
LN Laksamana.Net
MI
Media Indonesia
PKB National
Awakening Party
TNI Indonesian
Military
Terug
Stichting TitanE
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