Megawati apologizes to Acehnese, Papuans

Megawati apologizes to Acehnese, Papuans

JAKARTA (JP): In her first state of the nation address on
Thursday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri apologized for past
human rights abuses, promised to maintain national unity and
outlined her vision, which will focus on efforts to rescue the
country from its current dilemmas.

Speaking before members of the House of Representatives on the
eve of Independence Day, Megawati offered the nation's apology to
the Acehnese and Papuans, whom she said had become the victims of
"very oppressive" policies in the past.

"It is therefore natural that, as a nation, we offer a sincere
apology to our fellow citizens who have long suffered from those
incorrect policies," she said.

Megawati promised to redress past mistakes through "basic
corrections" in the two regions, giving them special autonomy
status that would provide greater potential for local governments
to manage their own affairs.

Megawati has signed the Nanggroe Aceh autonomy law, giving the
staunchly Muslim province the power to determine its own judicial
and education systems, as well as increased revenues from its oil
and gas resources. A similar law is being prepared for Irian
Jaya.

"Yet, one thing is clear; all these should remain within the
context of preserving the territorial integrity of the unitary
state of the Republic of Indonesia," the President said.

In her speech, Megawati, nevertheless, acknowledged East
Timor's opportunity to separate from Indonesia, contending that
East Timor had not been a part of Indonesia since the beginning.

Megawati also promised to settle past human rights violations
allegedly committed by security forces in Aceh, Irian Jaya, the
former Indonesian province of East Timor and other areas.

"Should there be convincing evidence of severe violations of
human rights outside the battleground, those found guilty should
be held responsible and legal action must be taken against them,
according to the law. We will not entertain any notion of
covering up such abuses," she said.

In her speech, Megawati also outlined her vision for
Indonesia, noting short-term and longer-term objectives needed to
achieve the mission.

She mentioned that her short-term objective would be restoring
the living conditions of the people, who had been living under
constant fear during the past four years.

"This is closely related to resuming normalcy which, among
other things, needs the functioning of democracy and upholding of
the law," she said.

Megawati explained that her longer-term objective would be
building a better Indonesia by amending the 1945 Constitution,
combating corruption and improving respect for human rights.

Acknowledging that authority to amend the Constitution lies
with the People's Consultative Assembly, Megawati suggested some
issues that could be accommodated in the Constitution.

They included institutional relations between the legislative
and executive branches; the electoral system; and relations
between the regional and central governments.

The President also affirmed her commitment to fighting
corruption, saying that the practice was the main factor that led
Indonesia into its current devastation.

"Regardless of how trivial they may be, corrupt, collusive and
nepotistic practices will transgress public trust and at the same
time violate one's official oath," she said.

She stated that she had asked family members and close
relatives to promise not to open the slightest window of
opportunity for corrupt practices to occur among the country's
first family.

"They have given me their solemn pledge and I hope that they
will be able to resist the many temptations around them.

"I am sure that we will be able to undertake a major
breakthrough to stop and overcome these corrupt, collusive and
nepotistic practices if we in this Nusantara Room promise -- at
least in our hearts -- to avoid them," she said.

Regarding the economy, the President maintained that the
government would continue to honor its obligations, including to
international institutions.

Nevertheless, she also appealed to donor countries and
financial institutions to provide more "breathing space" for the
government while it navigated the current transitional period.

Megawati concluded her speech by reviewing her six-point
working program for the Cabinet, which includes maintaining
national unity, continuation of the reform and democratization
processes and restoring the economy.

Megawati also apologized for taking longer than expected to
form her Cabinet. She contended that she could not accommodate
all candidates presented to her.

"Hopefully, next time round, the others will get their
chance," she said. (dja)