Now, elected representatives in Aceh also face screening<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The central government and the martial law administration in Aceh
\nwill expand the scope of a proposed screening program to local
\nelected representatives and village heads in the war-torn
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
The screening, aimed at uncovering any links between officials
\nand Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels, will now apply to all the
\nmembers of legislatures in the province following the arrest of
\ntwo local legislators on charges of financing separatist
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Martial law administration spokesman Col. Ditya Soedarsono
\ndenied allegations on Saturday that the screening would discredit
\nthe state apparatus in the province.<\/p>\n
\"This screening is aimed at creating a clean and strong
\nadministration, not discrediting local officials,\" Ditya said as
\nquoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
Originally the screening, scheduled to last from July 1 to
\nJuly 30, was targeted at 67,000 civil servants.<\/p>\n
The screening, Ditya said, was part of an attempt to
\nstrengthen the local administration, which was one of the
\npurposes of the integrated operation in Aceh. The operation is
\nprimarily intended to quell the three-decade-long rebellion,
\nprovide humanitarian assistance and enforce the law in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Zulkifli Adam, a member of the Sabang legislative council
\nrepresenting the United Development Party, and Marwan of the Aceh
\nBesar legislative council representing the Golkar Party were
\narrested on Thursday on suspicion of being involved with GAM.
\nThey also face dismissal from their respective parties.<\/p>\n
The arrests came a few days after 76 village heads resigned en
\nmasse, citing intolerable pressure from both the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI) and GAM.<\/p>\n
Ditya said that the strengthening of local administrations
\nwould comprise improving supervisory functions to help create
\nprofessional, clean and strong state institutions.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the screening plan, National Commission on Human
\nRights (Komnas HAM) member Achmad Ali suggested that the tests
\nshould not be exclusively conducted by military officers.<\/p>\n
Achmad said civilian officials should also be involved in the
\nprocess to ensure it complied with the prevailing regulations and
\nhuman rights principles.<\/p>\n
\"It must be conducted as part of the integrated operation in
\nAceh,\" Achmad told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
He suggested that the public should not react negatively to
\nthe planned screening, saying it was designed to detect GAM
\nmembers who might be working in the bureaucracy and other
\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n
But Munir, the director of the advocacy group, Impartial, and
\na human rights campaigner, lashed out at the plan, which he said
\nwould revive the authoritarian practices of the past.<\/p>\n
Munir, who admitted to having been screened in the past, said
\nthe results of the screening tests could possibly be used by the
\nmartial law administration to label critical Acehnese people as
\nbeing \"pro-rebel\".<\/p>\n
During the New Order regime, screening was conducted on people
\nseeking jobs in government and military institutions to detect if
\nthey had any links, direct or indirect, with the now defunct
\nIndonesian Communist Party.<\/p>\n
Ditya said the martial law administration was continuing the
\nprocess of recruiting district and village heads, and renovating
\ngovernment office buildings in Aceh.<\/p>\n
He added that the local administration would soon replace
\nexisting ID cards in the province with new ones, which use the
\nnational red and white flag as a background.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/now-elected-representatives-in-aceh-also-face-screening-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}