Mega takes issue of separatism seriously<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Megawati Soekarnoputri and her new
\nCabinet honed in on details of its working programs on Monday,
\nwith an emphasis on maintaining national unity and lifting the
\ncountry out of the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
According to her top security minister, in the first meeting
\nof the new Cabinet, Megawati decided that she would lead efforts
\nto bring peace to the restive provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya
\nwhere separatist unrest had been on the rise.<\/p>\n
"The President will concentrate on the conflict in Aceh and
\nIrian Jaya," Coordinating Minister for Political and Security
\nAffairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after the one-hour meeting.<\/p>\n
It is not yet clear, however, how Megawati will approach the
\nseparatist movements in Aceh and Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
Susilo only said that he was asked by the President to
\nimmediately identify threats that would potentially endanger the
\ncountry's territorial integrity and measures that could be
\nimplemented to deal with the problems.<\/p>\n
"The President underlined that we have to find the best
\nmeasures to maintain the territorial integrity of the country,"
\nSusilo remarked.<\/p>\n
When she was vice president, Megawati was tasked by former
\npresident Abdurrahman Wahid with dealing with religious and
\ncommunal unrest in the Malukus. She has been criticized for
\ndevoting little time to the issues.<\/p>\n
After becoming president, Megawati assigned Vice President
\nHamzah Haz to handle communal unrest in the Malukus, Central
\nKalimantan and Central Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Hamzah said in Balik Papan, East Kalimantan, on Monday that he
\nwould be very embarrassed if he were unable to solve the
\nsectarian clashes in those areas.<\/p>\n
The vice president flew to Balikpapan minutes after the
\nCabinet meeting to attend a peace declaration there by the local
\nchapter of the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) aimed
\nat preventing another sectarian clash from breaking out in the
\narea.<\/p>\n
"That is why I have come to this island and I hope the
\ndeclaration will be a good way to start resolving the continuing
\nconflicts across the country," Hamzah said as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
Maintaining national unity is the first priority of the
\nCabinet's six-point working program Megawati unveiled when
\nannouncing the Cabinet lineup last Thursday. The other priorities
\nincluded continuing the reform and democratization process, and
\nnormalizing the economic situation.<\/p>\n
Susilo said that during the meeting Megawati gave ministers
\npointers about their respective duties, reiterating that her
\nadministration only had three years to make an impact.<\/p>\n
The most important change in the current Cabinet is the new
\nrole of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) and
\nthe transfer of control over the Indonesian Bank Restructuring
\nAgency (IBRA) into the hands of State Minister of State
\nEnterprises Laksamana Sukardi.<\/p>\n
In addition, Laksamana, an executive member of Megawati's
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), is also
\ntasked with acting as the representative of shareholders in state
\ncompanies.<\/p>\n
Previously, IBRA, which controls billions of dollars in
\nassets, was under the Ministry of Finance, while the finance
\nminister legally controlled state enterprises.<\/p>\n
"The finance minister is tasked with concentrating on efforts
\nto raise and safeguard state revenues, and to handle the matters
\nof the state budget and state treasury," Susilo told the press
\nconference.<\/p>\n
Susilo was accompanied at the media conference by Coordinating
\nMinister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti and
\nCoordinating Minister for People's Welfare Yusuf Kalla. However,
\nit was only Susilo who outlined details of the meeting.<\/p>\n
All three coordinating ministers refused to answer any
\nquestion asked by the large crowd of journalists gathered at the
\npresidential palace.<\/p>\n
"I was assigned to disclose the guidelines of the meeting and
\nthe question and answer session will be conducted tomorrow
\n(Tuesday) in my office," Susilo said.<\/p>\n
He said that his office will oversee the ministries of home
\naffairs, foreign affairs, defense, justice and human rights, and
\ntransportation, as well as supervising the National Intelligence
\nAgency, the Indonesian Military, the National Police and the
\nAttorney General's Office.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the ministries of finance, energy and mineral
\nresources, industry and trade, agriculture, forestry,
\ntransportation, maritime affairs and fisheries, manpower and
\ntransmigration, resettlement and regional infrastructure, and the
\nstate ministries of research and technology, cooperatives and
\nsmall and medium enterprises, and national development planning
\nwill be under Dorodjatun's supervision.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jusuf Kalla will supervise the ministries of
\nhealth, national education, social affairs, religious affairs,
\nand the state ministries of tourism and culture, the environment,
\nadministrative reforms and women's empowerment. (dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mega-takes-issue-of-separatism-seriously-1447893297",
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