Court cases in Aceh to proceed
KENDARI, South East Sulawesi: Minister for Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin said that all legal cases currently in process in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam will continue even though documents and papers in the cases might have been swept away by the tsunami that hit the province two weeks ago.
He said that courts would be able to use copies of any missing documents, which are available at the Attorney General's Office and the Supreme Court.
Hamid also said that the reconstruction of infrastructure in the province, including the court system, should be prioritized, to allow ongoing and scheduled trials to proceed. --Antara
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PAN postpones congress
JAKARTA: The National Mandate Party's (PAN) second national congress has been rescheduled to April 7-10 to allow party members to focus on how they can assist relief efforts in tsunami-ravaged provinces of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra.
PAN's deputy secretary general Ambia Boestami said that the postponement of the congress, initially scheduled for early February, was an expression of their concern about the disaster and was not due to any preparation problems.
PAN members will select a new leader for the next five-year period. Incumbent Amien Rais has decided not to re-nominate. Several names have been mentioned as front-runners, including economist Didiek Rachbini, legislator Patrialis Akbar, and Muhammadiyah figure Dien Syamsuddin. --Antara
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Minister says he is bugged
SURABAYA, East Java: State Minister for Administrative Reform Taufik Effendi revealed over the weekend that he had allegedly fallen victim to wiretapping effort.
Taufik said that he found a bugging device installed under his table, a discovery which had been confirmed by an investigation from the National Code Agency.
"It was a bugging device and officials from the National Code Agency have confirmed it," he was quoted by Antara as saying.
He suspected that the device was installed by those who resented his drive to reform the corrupt bureaucracy. "My efforts have spawned many enemies. However, I won't back down," Taufik said.
The minister said that his first target in the bureaucratic reform drive would be the nationwide police corps and attorney offices. -- Antara
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PDIP commemorates anniversary
JAKARTA: The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) will on Monday commemorate its 32nd anniversary in a ceremony led by party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri here.
Megawati, who is a former president of the country, will also declare the start of a series of regional congress in all party chapters throughout the country.
During the regional congress, each chapter will also elect figures to represent them at the party's central executive board (DPP).
"The names submitted by the regional chapters will be brought to the national congress scheduled for March 28 through April 1," said Heri Akhmadi, a deputy secretary general, here on Sunday.
As the daughter of the country's first president Sukarno, Megawati would likely be the strongest candidate and retain her position as chairwoman of the party, the country's second biggest party after Golkar. - JP