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)