Government threatens separatists loyalists with imprisonment
Government threatens separatists loyalists with imprisonment
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government sent a strong signal against any unfaithful civil
servants on Monday, saying that they would end up in jail if they
were proven to be backing the secessionist movement in war-torn
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said the government
would not hesitate to arrest government employees supporting the
movement, arguing that such civil servants had "forsworn their
oath of allegiance to the country".
"Legal sanctions would be imposed against any wrongdoings soon
after the government completes a 'nationalism test' on all civil
servants nationwide to ensure that they are completely loyal to
the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia," Hari said, as
quoted by Antara after installing members of a council tasked to
oversee an enterprise here owned by Aceh province.
The test will be held throughout the country from July 1 to
July 31.
The test was initially planned for civil servants working in
the province, where government troops are battling the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) rebels.
The martial law administration in the province arrested last
week staff members of the provincial administration suspected of
supporting the movement. It also arrested several local
councillors as well as businessmen accused of supporting GAM.
The government imposed martial law in Aceh last month to crush
the GAM rebels, who have been trying to set up an independent
state within the resource-rich, but underdeveloped, province
since 1976.
Besides the separatism in Aceh, the government is also facing
serious threats of disintegration in the country's easternmost
province of Papua, and is likely targeting to settle the problems
there soon after the security operation in Aceh. Similar
separatism movements have also emerged in other provinces, such
as the Riau Merdeka (Free Riau) and the South Maluku Republic
(RMS).
Separately, Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh said the planned test
would be different from the one introduced during the 32 years of
the New Order regime.
Puteh said such screenings were required as part of the
government's efforts to improve state employees' professionalism.
He, however, was quick to add that the government "was
determined to detect civil servants supporting the secessionist
movement here".
Earlier, a security official said that the arrest of those
civil servants suspected of supporting GAM was based on
intelligence reports as well as field investigations.
Under the New Order regime, many people were arbitrarily
arrested for their alleged involvement in the Sept. 30, 1965
abortive coup blamed on the now-defunct Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI).
Tight screening tests were held afterwards, although they were
biased against certain citizens of the country, such as?.