Threat of disintegration in Maluku alarming: Ryaas

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister for Administrative Reforms Ryaas Rasyid said on Tuesday that threats of disintegration in Maluku were much more dangerous than the separatist movements in Aceh and Irian Jaya provinces.

"It's easy to deal with separatist movements, as international law allows any government to use all instruments, including the military, to handle such problems," Ryaas, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Public Administration Society (MIPI), said while addressing a seminar on a year-end evaluation of the government's performance here.

"But, we have not yet found the proper instrument for settling the problems in Maluku. Therefore, we need leadership to settle them," he added.

The minister said that the problems in Maluku, Aceh and Irian Jaya were not merely security problems, but also administrative and political ones.

"You cannot settle the problems in Maluku, Irian Jaya and Aceh by merely sending in the military and Brimob (police mobile brigade), or even genies.

"They must be settled by sending leaders who will hold dialogs with the local people and offer solutions," he said, as quoted by Antara.

Resign

Ryaas also confirmed on Tuesday that he was considering resigning from the cabinet in early January.

"Officially, I have yet to send a resignation letter to the President, but I am serious about possibly quitting the cabinet. I'm considering doing it early in January," he later told journalists after the seminar.

Asked about his reasons for quitting his post, Ryaas responded: "I will announce them to the public in the immediate future."

Ryaas, who along with Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Minister for Regional Settlement Erna Witoelar drafted the current cabinet's composition earlier this year, conceded that he had sent the President a six-page memorandum, expressing his disappointment with the way the President had led the nation and the government's poor performance.

"I sent the paper recently and have yet to receive his (Abdurrahman's) response," he said, adding that he had also sent a copy of the memorandum to Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Rumors were rife that Ryaas, along with Susilo and Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra, were planning to resign. Only Susilo has denied the rumors.

Asked about the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle in the near future, Ryaas warned that frequent cabinet reshuffles would only cause political instability.

"I don't know whether Gus Dur is considering reshuffling the present cabinet, but the President should bear in mind that frequent cabinet reshuffles will certainly increase political instability," he said.

Regional autonomy

Ryaas, who was state minister for regional autonomy in the former national reconciliation cabinet, predicted that the planned implementation of regional autonomy, which is slated for Jan. 1, 2001, would fail because most regions were not yet ready for self-government.

"The regions should not be blamed if regional autonomy fails because the policy was completely initiated at the behest of the central government," he said.

He conceded that he was disappointed that the President had not appointed him as minister of home affairs and regional autonomy in the current cabinet. He said he was also disappointed with Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Surjadi Soedirdja whom he considered slow and not proactive in preparing for regional autonomy.

"So far, the government has failed to issue regulations to back up the regional autonomy law and the law on fiscal balance," he said. (rms)