Habibie makes missing persons cases a priority
Habibie makes missing persons cases a priority
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie told his Cabinet
yesterday to make an all-out effort to trace activists who were
still missing and to get to the bottom of the mysterious
kidnappings.
"The disappearance cases must be resolved as objectively and
as systematically as possible," Minister of Information Lt. Gen.
Muhammad Yunus quoted the President as saying during a monthly
Cabinet meeting on political and security affairs at the Bina
Graha presidential office.
Yunus told journalists that Minister of Defense and
Security/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto assured the
Cabinet that efforts were continuing to settle the kidnapping
cases.
"Because we are upholding the principle of innocence until
proven guilty, ABRI will not elaborate (on the identity of
suspects) until it has strong evidence. This is sometimes
misinterpreted as being slow while in fact it isn't. In reality
we are continuing our work," Yunus said.
On Tuesday, the National Commission on Human Rights warned
during a meeting with Habibie that the government's credibility
would depend, to some extent, on its ability to resolve various
human rights cases, including the disappearances of activists and
an opposition politician.
The Commission has already stated that the kidnappings were
conducted by a "well-organized group".
Habibie told commission members that he would settle the
issue, but that investigators needed time since the Armed Forces
needed to conduct an "internal consolidation".
Institute
During the meeting the President also suggested the
possibility of establishing a research and development
institution for national economic competitiveness to address both
macroeconomic and microeconomic problems in the economy.
The final goal of the organization would be to promote fair
competition in the business sector and to scrap all unhealthy
practices, including monopolies, in the economy.
"The institution would be aimed at promoting clean practices
in the economy, and struggle for fairness and equality in the
business world," said Yunus.
"So we won't (in the future) find in our economy any more
monopolies, whether in industry or trade, or whether in the
forestry or the plantation sector," Yunus said, stressing that
injustice bred public frustration.
He pointed out that last month's riots here, which claimed as
many as 1,118 lives, were actually triggered by public anger over
the perception that a minority unfairly dominated the economy.
"Some people believe the May riots were caused by racial,
religious or ethnic problems. The real motive was actually a
demand for justice," Yunus cited Habibie as saying.
Speaking on the security situation, especially in Jakarta
which the minister described as "a national barometer", Yunus
said the situation was generally under control.
He pointed out that there had been some attempts to hold mass
demonstrations, but that they generally had been peacefully
foiled.
"Thus far the security apparatus has succeeded in minimizing
or localizing such activities," he said.
In yesterday's meeting, the President also asserted that the
government would not restrict press freedoms.
However, he also warned the national press not to exploit
their freedom for the sake of freedom itself, because
irresponsible reporting would only worsen the country's situation
and eventually victimize the press itself.
"When we are out of control, then we ourselves only contribute
to the worsening economy," Habibie said. (prb)