Susilo to tackle security issues in first 100 days

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.