Rifts arise over state of emergency in Maluku

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.