Susilo pledges to tackle conflicts in restive areas
Susilo pledges to tackle conflicts in restive areas
JAKARTA (JP): Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and
Security Affairs Lt. Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said one
of his top priorities would be to help resolve problems in the
strife-torn provinces of Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya.
After presiding over his first ministerial coordinating
meeting here on Tuesday, Susilo said there should be equitable
and realistic solutions for all of the problems in the provinces
based on the concept of the unitary Republic of Indonesia.
"We hope that the implementation of special autonomy for Aceh
and Irian Jaya can provide comprehensive solutions, which are
acceptable to everybody," Susilo said.
He underlined that the government will give enough leeway for
these regions to control their own affairs and will listen the
people's aspirations as long as they are based upon the concept
of an integrated and unified Indonesian state.
Among those present during the meeting were Minister of Home
Affairs and Regional Autonomy Surjadi Sudirdja, Minister of
Defense Mahfud M.D., Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril
Ihza Mahendra, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Adm. Widodo AS and
Attorney General Marzuki Darusman.
Earlier on Monday after the official handover from Surjadi
Sudirdja, Susilo had also said that the ongoing clashes have only
exacerbated the sense of national insecurity and were hampering
economic recovery.
"It is my priority to find the most equitable, appropriate and
constitutional format to end all of the problems in Aceh, Maluku
and Irian Jaya in the near future," Susilo said.
Susilo described five immediate "homework" exercises for him
to tackle: improving security in the country and avoiding
disintegration, upholding the law, implementing regional
autonomy, internal reform of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and
National Police and enhancing international diplomacy in the
national interest.
"But all five of these aspects will once again raise the
specter of the many problems prevailing in the three provinces,"
he added.
"Frankly speaking, there are many areas in Indonesia where
people feel insecure, where people can be easily provoked to
create riots. I believe that the government should pay more
attention to the recent conditions," he added.
Regarding the expanded responsibilities of his office, which
now include social affairs, Susilo said some of the functions of
the former coordinating minister for people's welfare and poverty
eradication would be put under his office's authority.
"Some of the authority will be put directly under the Vice
President's office. But everything related to sociopolitical
problems will be under the coordination of my office," he said.
Susilo explained that the new state minister for
administrative reforms, Ryaas Rasyid, was planning to restructure
the allocation of duties as between the coordinating minister of
political, social and security affairs and the Vice President's
office.
On the recent wave of bomb threats, Susilo considered that the
government could stop the ongoing wave of terrorism by increasing
the public's awareness about such threats.
"I have ordered the National Police chief, TNI and the
minister of home affairs and regional autonomy to develop
measures to enhance the public's awareness of such disturbances
and to create control mechanisms before more incidents occur,"
Susilo said on Tuesday.
Susilo added that the police would play a role in informing
and educating the members of the public so as to provide them
with better information on such threats and enable them to become
better prepared.
"We hope that by providing clear information, the public will
not panic and will report to the security forces if there are any
indications of a bomb," Susilo said.
"We are not prepared for it, that is why we have to find
correct ways of avoiding and handling such incidents," he added.
(dja)