Susilo to tackle security issues in first 100 days

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration will focus on security in conflict areas and the fight against separatism, rampant smuggling and terrorism in the first 100 days in office.

In specific, the government will devote its time and energy to providing security prior to and during Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year holidays.

"This security maintenance program is aimed at building people's faith in the government and among themselves," State Minister of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Board Chairperson Sri Mulyani Indrawati said after a Cabinet meeting.

However, she failed to provide details on the concrete measures to reach the goals, saying the action plan of the program would be further determined by the related ministries.

Mulyani said the Cabinet meeting, which lasted three and a half hours, discussed the outline of the program and did not touch specific or concrete measures.

She said the separatist movements in Aceh and Papua, unabated conflicts in Poso, Maluku and North Maluku, as well as crimes that cost the country's economic resources like fish pouching, illegal logging and widespread smuggling were high on the agenda.

"Of course we do not expect to address all those issues in the first 100 days, but we will find initial steps to cope with them," Mulyani said.

To put an end to the decades of separatist movement in Aceh, the government had imposed a state of civil emergency over the past year. The government will have to decide whether to extend or lift the security status by Nov. 19.

The government will set up a task force that will find comprehensive solutions for illegal activities on smuggling and other transnational crimes.

Initial measures and commitment to eradicate corruption and create good governance will also top the 100-day program, by establishing a supervisory commission for the prosecutor's office and carrying out bureaucratic reform.

"We are determined to eradicate the mentality among the bureaucrats who tend to make things difficult and costly," State Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan A. Djalil said.

The latest data from the World Bank revealed that Indonesia was among the worst countries in providing services for the business community. It takes 155 days to complete a business permit here, compared with 94 days in Cambodia and 198 days in Laos.

Regarding the supervisory commission for the prosecutor's office, Mulyani said the form and other details of the commission will be discussed soon.

Land ownership, free health services and education for the poor will also be a priority of the government in the 100-day program.

"Creating job opportunities, setting up mechanism to protect migrant workers, as well as the handling of the mass exodus of workers (from Malaysia) are among our priority programs in the first 100 days," Mulyani said.

She said President Susilo had appointed Vice President Jusuf Kalla to chair the supervisory board overseeing the implementation of the programs.

"We have not discussed the form of the supervisory board. It just floated in the Cabinet meeting," the minister said.

She said it was in accordance with the regulations that the government would spend three months to draft a comprehensive program for the next five years.