[Kabar-indonesia] Indo News - 3/8/06 (Part 1 of 2)

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- Indonesia's interfaith dialog goes Dutch
- Indonesian Christians sceptical about new decree on places of worship
- Indonesian military loses 14 million dollars in graft: army chief
- Aceh bill, a decentralization bill at best
- Devastating storm forces thousands to flee
- Tension intensifies in Ambon city
- Police officer questioned over clash in Ambon
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The Jakarta Post.com
Opinion
March 06, 2006
Indonesia's interfaith dialog goes Dutch
Endy M. Bayuni, The Jakarta Post, The Hague

The Netherlands, among the most secular areas of secular Europe, hardly
seems the place to discuss dialog between religions. You would be very
hard pressed to draw the attention of a nation for whom religion is either
not important, or is simply too private to be discussed publicly.

Still, the Indonesian Embassy decided to organize one anyway in Jakarta's
latest campaign to push the issue of religion into the domain of
international diplomacy. We have our own selfish reason for pushing this
agenda, because Indonesia is struggling to build a more harmonious and
peaceful coexistence between the different religious communities.

But is there any real interest and value for such a dialog here in the
Netherlands, where fewer and fewer people go to church, and where religion
to many people has come to be seen as an impediment to progress and
modernity?

Apparently yes. The Netherlands Foreign Ministry cosponsored the two-day
interfaith dialog held at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague last week.
Some local private organizations, including Radio Nederland, also
supported the program.

Predictably, the majority of speakers were flown in from Indonesia, with
leaders of Islamic, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Hindu denominations
sharing their thoughts and experiences, as well as struggles, on
interfaith relations in Indonesia.

Dutch speakers said circumstances were forcing the Netherlands to rethink
its attitude toward religion, though not so much toward Christianity being
the cultural identity (rather than the creed) of most Dutch people.
Instead, it was more toward Islam, being the religion and cultural
identity brought by many of its immigrant communities, particularly from
Morocco and Turkey, and to a lesser extent, Indonesia.

A series of tragic events, some but not all attributed to Muslims, have
changed the attitude of the Dutch people, who are known for their
tolerance if not total indifference to other people's cultures and
religious practices, even among those who have taken up Dutch citizenship.

The 2002 murder of anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn, the killing of
filmmaker Theo Van Gogh in 2004, the suicide attacks in the U.S. in 2001,
as well as the recent controversy over the publication of Danish cartoons
depicting the Prophet Muhammad and the strong reactions from Muslims
worldwide, have gradually but surely pushed religion back into Dutch
mainstream politics.

Karel Steenbrink, from the School of Technology at Utrecht University,
quoted a survey that found that in the 1950s and 1960s, media coverage of
Islam in Dutch media amounted to only between five and 10 articles a year.
Even as Turks and Moroccans immigrated to the country, their religious
identity was rarely mentioned at all.

"Today, you cannot open a Dutch newspaper without finding two, three or
even four pages about Islam," he said.

But with more reporting about Islam, the Dutch media also began paying
attention to practices and values of Christianity, he said, recalling an
article about the fasting to mark the start of Lent at one of the free
newspapers earlier in the morning.

"Islam has led the Dutch to rediscover religion," he quipped.

Willem Breedveld, political commentator for the Catholic-run magazine
Trouw, said modernization and secularization went hand in hand in the
Netherlands, and reflecting this, religion was fast losing its place in
the media.

"There was even a belief among journalists that religion would fade away
in the 1980s," Breedveld said. "Journalists were not serious about
religion then -- but now we have to take it seriously because we have a
big problem."

The polarization today is not so much the historical enmity between
Catholics and Protestants that has virtually segregated Dutch society, but
more between religion and non-religion.

Muslims now account for up to one million of the 16.4 million population
thanks largely to immigration. With Muslim migrants insisting on retaining
their identity rather than trying to assimilate with the mainstream
population in the Netherlands as well as across Europe, there is perhaps a
value in promoting interfaith dialog after all.

Rob Metz, vice mayor of Apeldoorn, a city which prides itself on its
cultural diversity and boasts the second largest Indonesian community
after The Hague, said the principles underpinning the interfaith dialog in
Indonesia could be applied in his city, although it would be a dialog
between cultural rather than religious groups.

Development Cooperation Minister Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven stressed
that freedom of expression, discredited as it may have been following the
cartoon controversy, should be part of the items for discussion in
interfaith dialog.

"Few of the people who are making a commotion about freedom of expression
are prepared to learn about other cultures and religions," she said. "All
too often, tolerance masks indifference or even hostility towards other
cultures and religions."

And what exactly is in it for Indonesia?

Djauhari Oratmangun, charge d'affaires of the Indonesian Embassy in charge
of the dialog, underpinned the shared history Indonesia and the
Netherlands have, noting in particular the role played by Dutch churches
and missions in promoting inter-religious and intra-religious relations in
Indonesia under Dutch colonial rule.

"It is time and important for Indonesia and the Netherlands to share
experiences and good practices in an attempt to figure out the best way to
manage the interfaith relations," he said.

Mangasi Sihombing, director general for information and public diplomacy
at the Foreign Ministry, saw the dialog as one way of stemming the growing
tide of extremisms at both ends.

"All of us, who stand for moderation and the empowerment of the moderates,
must respond to this enlarged challenge of extremism. We must expand and
intensify the process of dialog; and we must go beyond dialog into
action."
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AsiaNews
8 March, 2006
Indonesian Christians sceptical about new decree on places of worship
by Moerkekaq Senggotro
-- The revision of controversial decree regulating building places of
worship is completed. Christians react as Muslim leaders express their
support.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – The revised version of the 1969 Joint Ministerial
Decree on building places of worship now goes to the Indonesian president
for approval. Although the revision is completed minority representatives
involved in the process still retain misgivings about the law despite
claims by the Religious Affairs Ministry Maftuh Basyuni that all has been
settled. Christian leaders warn that the decree is still a threat to
minorities and contrary to the constitution, which guarantees freedom of
religion.

The revised law retains the basic principles of the old law, but now
requires local government officials to issue permits upon consultation
with local religious forums and branches of the Religious Affairs
Ministry. Residents of areas where a new place of worship is slated to go
up must also give their consent.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), long an ardent supporter of the
decree, welcomed the new version. “If we don't limit the places of
worship, they will be abundant. There would be competition from different
religions or sects, and it would create public disorder,” said Amidhan, a
MUI member. Moreover, the Council’s chairman, Ma’ruf Amin, said he was
steadfastly opposed to demands that permits no longer be required as some
had suggested during the consultation phase.

For Nathan Setiabudi, chairman of the (Protestant) Indonesian Christian
Synod Churches, religious leaders split over this and two other issues,
namely how many members should a congregation have before it can apply for
a permit—under the revised decree, the minimum requirement would be
100—and what would constitute a “temporary place of worship”. Also in his
view, the revised degree fails an important legal litmus test since “it is
the duty of every country to guarantee its citizens the right to freely
practice their religion”.

Fr Anton Benny Susety, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of Indonesia, agrees that “some details, for example the makeup
of consultative forums, have not yet been sorted out”.

Father Susety said that “an alternative choice” must be examined should a
forum but not residents agree to grant a permit.

Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), announced
it would back minorities whenever they apply for permits to build their
places of worship.

NU Chairman Hasym Muzadi urged minority groups to respond affirmatively to
the new decree stressing that “under the new rules, it will be easier and
quicker to get a permit to set up a place of worship”.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Indonesian Communion of Churches
have not yet made any official statement about the revised decree.
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Indonesian military loses 14 million dollars in graft: army chief
Tuesday March 7, 4:19 PM
Jakarta (AFP)

The Indonesian army has lost 129 billion rupiah (14 million dollars) in an
alleged embezzlement scheme involving a colonel and an official from the
state bank Mandiri, it has been reported.

The colonel, who was also the director of the army's housing fund
Ngadiman, was detained last month along with bank official H.P. Simbolon,
on suspicion of conspiring to embezzle some 29 billion rupiah.

But the Koran Tempo quoted Army Chief General Joko Santoso as saying that
under the scheme, Ngadiman also stole some 100 billion rupiah that was
supposed to be used to set up a foundation, on top of the original amount.

The foundation was to provide free education for children of soldiers, but
stipulated that the army must first put up 100 billion rupiah as
collateral.

After agreeing to give the foundation the money in July 2004, the army
discovered late last year that it was bogus, Santoso said.

"We checked and the money turned out to be missing," Koran Tempo quoted
him as telling a parliamentary meeting Monday.

Jakarta police detective chief Syahrul Mamma told AFP in February that
Simbolon had already confessed to transferring 29 billion rupiah into the
colonel's private account, which was managed by his branch, in 2004.

Simbolon also admitted he had been paid 800 million rupiah (87,000
dollars) by Ngadiman in May 2005 to issue a fictitious cheque, which the
colonel later gave to his supervisors during a routine fund inspection.

The embezzlement was uncovered when the cheque bounced.

No military spokesman was immediately reachable for comment.

Corruption is rife within Indonesia's armed forces, according to
anti-graft watchdogs.
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The Jakarta Post.com
Opinion
March 06, 2006
Aceh bill, a decentralization bill at best
Riyadi Suparno, The Jakarta Post

The high-ranking officials gathered around a table at a ministry office in
Jakarta literally divided Aceh's forests into a number of concessions, to
be offered to the interested businesspeople with the deepest pockets.

Not only that, but Jakarta also plundered the oil, gas and other natural
resources of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and returned a fraction -- about 0.5
percent -- of the money earned to the province.

These things came to pass in the Soeharto era; they may not happen again.

The bill on Aceh governance, which is being deliberated by the House of
Representatives, should prevent any exploitation of Aceh resources by
people in Jakarta without the consent of the Aceh government.

However, at this stage, the Acehnese are outsiders in the discussion and
consideration of the bill. They can only wait, and on the odd occasion,
try to influence the debate; but they are not a party to it. In this case,
the battle ground is far from level.

Those at the center could launch a war of attrition against the Acehnese
by having their way with the bill, but this would bring about disaster.

Therefore, it is high time for both the government and the House to take
into account the concerns raised by the Acehnese over the past few months,
particularly with regard to a number of articles in the bill, which
require special attention from the working committee deliberating it.

The most contentious issue concerns the division of power between the
central government and Aceh, aside from some terms that could open doors
to Aceh's independence.

In terms of division of power, the Aceh bill adopts much of Law. 32/2004
on special autonomy for Aceh, stipulating that Aceh would govern the
public sector, except on foreign affairs, defense, national security,
national fiscal and monetary policies, the judicial system and religious
affairs.

But the Acehnese want the central government to be responsible for
external defense, not defense in general, which would infringe on the
civil lives of the Acehnese; and give religious affairs to the Acehnese,
considering that Aceh has adopted sharia.

On these two issues, there is no reason for the central government not to
agree with the Acehnese.

On other political issues, while it is heartening to see the governance
bill adopts local political parties -- as pledged in the peace agreement
signed by the government and the Free Aceh Movement -- it fails to
recognize independent candidates. Again, the central government has no
reason to drop articles about independent candidacy from the bill, as this
would do no harm but only good for local democracy.

Also, the center should meet the Acehnese request for a clear division of
power between the executive and legislative branches, allowing the
legislative council to demand accountability in the use of the local
budget. Such a clear division would also benefit local democracy,
subjecting the local executive to legislative scrutiny, which would in
turn improve local governance.

On the economic side, the Acehnese demand they be allowed to manage
resources in Aceh, including oil and gas and vital infrastructure like
ports and airports, and demand more revenue sharing from taxation.

The government would likely be willing to give strategic infrastructure
like ports and airports to local governments, but is going to insist on
overseeing oil and gas, as well as keeping taxation as it is.

Understandably, if the government backs down and gives the authority over
oil and gas to the Aceh government, other resource-rich provinces like
Riau, East Kalimantan and Papua would demand the same thing.

But on taxation, the Acehnese proposal demands serious consideration,
particularly with regard to land and property taxation, which in other
countries normally falls within the purview of local governments.

>From here, it is clear that the bill on Aceh governance, particularly that
drafted by the Aceh legislative council, serves as no more than a special
decentralization bill at best. It accommodates all the important aspects
of local governance that are missing from our decentralization law, Law
No. 32/2004.

When the bill on Aceh is passed into law, with all those good qualities in
tact, we could expect to see quality staffing in Aceh public offices and
better public services. Eventually, the Acehnese would be more prosperous
as a result of better resource management and improved accountability.

When it happens, it will be time to replicate this system of better local
governance in all other regions in the country, to improve public service
and the welfare of the people. Let Aceh be a role model for all of us.
-- The author is a staff writer of The Jakarta Post.
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The Jakarta Post.com
National News
March 05, 2006
Devastating storm forces thousands to flee
M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

A tropical storm that has pounded Maluku since Wednesday has forced
thousands of residents to flee their devastated homes, an official said
Saturday.

Besides demolishing at least 309 houses and engulfing others in five
regencies, the storm has also destroyed various public facilities,
including sea barriers, a government building and two churches, all in
Buru regency, said Anthonius Silaholo, head of the Maluku Public Works
Office.

"The destruction of the sea barriers resulted in the devastation of nearby
road networks," Silaholo said, referring to the collapse of 5,925 meters
of sea barriers in the five regencies, which functioned to protect roads.

Of the 309 houses destroyed by the storm, 104 were located in Pandan
Kasturi village in Sirimau district, Ambon. Their owners will be relocated
to safer areas.

At least 2,350 people were displaced in Ambon alone, city administration
official H.J.I. Huliselan said Saturday.

"The displaced people are currently being accommodated at relatives'
houses, places of worship, school buildings and tents erected by the local
community and soldiers from the Indonesian Military," she said.

Most of the displaced people are women, children and the elderly,
Huliselan said, adding that the Maluku provincial administration and Ambon
city administration had provided various forms of assistance, in
cooperation with non-governmental organizations.

"The emergency assistance is expected to meet the basic needs of those who
have been displaced for the next three to four days," she said.

Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said his administration had not been
able to calculate the total monetary cost of the destruction because the
data was still being collected, but acknowledged that the impact of the
storm was immense.

Ambon Meteorology and Geophysics Office head Herman Rahallus said Saturday
that even though the storm had begun to move away from the area, residents
were advised to remain alert.

"Our weather forecast shows the storm has moved to the north of Maluku
waters," he said.
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The Jakarta Post.com
Headline News
March 06, 2006
Tension intensifies in Ambon city
M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

Peace was shattered in conflict-torn Ambon in Maluku province when a
soldier was stabbed to death Saturday and in a separate incident, a
student was seriously injured when the police allegedly shot into a crowd
of people.

Both incidents took place following tension between the police and
military personnel in Ambon after the death of Second Brig. Arnold R.
Wakolo who was stabbed to death by eight unidentified people outside a
restaurant Friday night. Wakolo, who carried a rifle on his back, could do
little to repel the attackers and died on the way to the hospital.

On Saturday, a military personnel, Second Brig. I Putu Haryanto, was
stabbed to death and died on the spot. His body was flown to his family in
Bali Saturday.

Following the two incidents, tension heated up in Ambon, with both police
officers and military personnel, all carrying firearms, traveling in
groups.

"This is the first time I have seen traffic police carrying guns since I
have worked as a motorcycle taxi driver," Saiful Mahu, 31, told The
Jakarta Post on Sunday.

According to chief of Maluku Police, Brig. Gen. Adityawarman, the tension
was triggered by previous act when a military personnel from Pattimura
command was hit by a police officer when passing on a motorcycle outside
the police paramilitary unit headquarters in Tantui, Ambon on Thursday.

"This was then followed by the stabbing incident and it went on. The
police officer who started this will be given a severe sanction,"
Adityawarman said Sunday.

Separately, chief of Pattimura military command, Maj. Gen. Syarifudin
Summah, deplored the conflict between his personnel and the police. "I've
coordinated with the police chief since the Tantui case and we've been
conducting joint patrols since Friday night," he said.

The situation made many residents decide to stay inside at night after
widespread rumors that there were road blocks at several points close to
the military and the police areas.

The situation worsened when police officers allegedly shot into a crowd in
Batumerah village in Sirimau district Saturday night, injuring 21-year-old
Saiful Wakano.

The student of Pattimura University School of Engineering, who was on his
way home after doing his homework, was taken to Al-Muqadam hospital for
treatment to remove a bullet that passed through his back and into his
stomach.

"I didn't know what was going on. I had just finished my homework. I
stopped when I saw the crowd but suddenly, police cars showed up and (the
officers) shot at us," Saiful said at the hospital, saying the car stopped
some 35 meters away from the crowd and some 10 police offices got out of
the cars.

"We heard the first shot, maybe it was a warning shot," Saifudin Japsuha,
24, a Batumerah resident who was at the site, told the Post.

When the crowd did not immediately disperse, the police officers walked
toward the people who ran in panic. At the same time, he said he heard
repeated shots. "Maybe some of those shots hit one of our residents,"
Saifudin said.

Saiful's family asked the authorities to find the shooter and punish him,
urging both the military and the police to solve their conflict to prevent
more civilian victims.

"The military and police should protect people, not create problems," said
Saiful's uncle Abidin Wakano.

"The conflict between the two institutions has caused anxiety among the
people, at a time when people's lives had returned to normal after years
of conflict. The conflict could disrupt recovery and reconciliation," he
said.

Chief of Ambon and Lease Islands Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Leonidas Braksan,
said the police would be responsible for the case and find those
responsible and would pay for Saiful's medical treatment.
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The Jakarta Post.com
National News
March 07, 2006
Police officer questioned over clash in Ambon
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Ambon

An Ambon Police officer was questioned Monday following a clash between
police and military personnel which sparked a weekend of violence in which
two people died.

Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Air Marshal Djoko Suyanto said Monday the
clash between several soldiers and police officers last week was triggered
by individual problems and had nothing to do with any perceived rivalry
between the military and the police.

"It was unplanned," he said on the sidelines of a meeting with House of
Representatives Commission I on defense.

He described the men involved as "teenagers who are still emotional".

There has been a series of conflicts between the military and the police
since the separation of the police from the TNI at the beginning of the
reform movement in 1998.

In Ambon, chief of the Maluku Police's security unit, Adj. Sr. Comr. I
Wayan Suparman, said Chief Brig. Imanuel Mahise was questioned over his
alleged involvement in the beating of a soldier, First Brig. Aprisol A.
Luik, last Friday.

The clash allegedly started when Aprisol, who was on his way home to Teluk
Ambon Baguala, stopped his motorcycle outside the office of the
paramilitary police (Brimob) unit in Tantui. Imanuel is alleged to have
approached and attacked the soldier, and was allegedly soon joined by
other police officers.

Aprisol ran to a nearby police post, where he was picked up by members of
his unit and taken to the army hospital.

Following the incident, two men -- a police officer on Friday and a
soldier on Saturday -- were stabbed to death. A university student was
seriously injured after police officers allegedly fired shots into a crowd
on Saturday.

The tension subsided Monday after a team from the National Police and TNI
Headquarters was deployed to Ambon to deal with the matter.

Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Adityawarman said Monday the investigation
into the cases would involve officers from both the TNI and the National
Police.

"The joint investigation will gather information and we will discuss it
together," he said.

He blamed the weekend's tension on Friday's incident.

"It started with the stabbing and went on and on. The police officer who
started this will be punished," Adityawarman said.

Separately, Col. M. Jayusman, who heads the military police at the
Pattimura Military Command, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that so far no
soldiers had been arrested over the violence.
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