Rifts arise over state of emergency in Maluku

Tiarma Siboro and Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The central government and North Maluku authorities seem to be at odds over the planned revocation of the state of civilian emergency in the province. While the government has been considering lifting the state of emergency soon, North Maluku acting Governor Muhyi Effendi wants it to remain in place for at least another six months.

The governor, who was here to attend a coordination meeting between the central government and governors and regents, said it was unlikely that the central government would lift the emergency state in the near future because his administration would need six months to deal with the refugee problem.

He conceded the situation in the province was gradually returning to normal and that it was more favorable than the situation in Maluku. "But we need six months and Rp 500 billion to return a total of 197,327 refugees to their home villages both in the province and Maluku," he said.

Winding up his visit to the province on Monday, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government would make an evaluation within one week to determine whether or not to lift the state of emergency, which was imposed in April 2000.

Susilo, along with Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno and National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar toured the province after conducting a similar mission to Maluku, particularly Ambon.

Muhyi said that the situation might not stabilize quickly, because members of the local provincial elite had been politicking on the back of the sectarian conflict in a bid to strengthen their bargaining positions ahead of the gubernatorial succession.

The provincial legislative council is trying to arrange a gubernatorial election following the bribery scandal surrounding the latest poll last July, which saw several legislators and governor elect Abdul Gafur held as suspects.

"Clashes between the two warring groups have rarely occurred there. But the emergency state should be extended for another six months to allow the local authorities to repatriate the refugees and restore security and order in certain areas prone to the sectarian conflict," he said.

The government imposed the state of emergency after the sectarian conflict that first erupted in Maluku on Jan. 19, 1999 spread to its northern neighbor, claiming at least 8,000 lives in the two provinces.

A total of 17 battalions of security personnel from both the Indonesian Military and the National Police have been deployed to enforce its implementation in both provinces.

Separately, Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina called on the central government to lift the state of emergency in those parts of the province that were considered stable.

"We want the emergency state to be maintained only in areas prone to clashes between the two warring groups," he said.

He said he was hopeful that the situation would return to normal soon after security authorities had begun to enforce the law and the warring factions had achieved a reconciliation.

In their meeting with Susilo and his entourage, representatives from the warring factions called on them to work more seriously to help them create peace because they had become tired of the prolonged war.