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)