USAID/OTI Indonesia Field Report
March 2000
Country Situation
The Government of Indonesia (GOI) and the rupiah have been shaken
by the unwillingness of the IMF to release its second traunch. This
payment of $400 million dollars was to have been received in March,
and is part of a $5 billion dollar bailout package. The IMF has a
detailed list of requirements and the GOI appears surprised that the
Fund is prepared to condition disbursements against concrete
reforms. President Wahid has asked his government to immediately
follow through on promised reforms, and suggests that Indonesia will
be ready to receive the funds in mid-May. In the interim, the
Jakarta stock exchange has been under pressure and the rupiah has
lost ground against the dollar and regional currencies.
President Wahid continues to issue controversial statements, and
in March suggested that the GOI would lift the ban on the Indonesian
communist party. He appears to have little support, with the
Indonesian military and some civilian observers predicting great
social and political upheaval. It seems unlikely that the National
Parliament will approve the lifting of the ban. While it is
difficult to understand the level of concern that Indonesians have
regarding potential communist conspiracy, Indonesian history seems
to place blame for the 1965 events and subsequent upheaval largely
on the shoulders of the communist party.
March was a period of relative calm in the Moluccas, but this may
be about to change. For a long time there have been calls from the
more radical elements of Indonesian Islamic society for a
"Jihad" in support of Muslims in the Moluccas. It now
appears that these groups have become more concrete in their
planning. A training camp has been established in Bogor, outside of
Jakarta. It is reported that there are 3,000 volunteers in this camp
undergoing various sorts of paramilitary training. In recent days
group members met with President Wahid, who ended the meeting after
five minutes. In response to a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the
President, 1,000 members visited the House of Representatives on
Monday demanding that lawmakers begin impeachment proceedings
against President Wahid. They have threatened to unleash a Jihad on
Java if they are not allowed to travel to the Moluccas. There is
some evidence to suggest that some members may already be present in
Ambon, although the security forces there are reportedly watching
these developments closely. The Indonesian military and police
forces have cautioned that no outside agitators will be allowed to
create new strife in these troubled islands.
The investigation of former President Soeharto continues with
high drama. Repeated attempts by the Attorney General's office
to question the former leader have been deflected by his medical
team, which claims the former leader is unfit for questioning. These
reports are at odds with public photos of Soeharto entertaining
powerful individuals, including President Wahid.
OTI
Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
Civilian/Military Programming
OTI/Indonesia recognizes the importance of promoting civilian
oversight of the Indonesian military (TNI) and continues to look for
opportunities to expand efforts in the civilian/military arena. For
the first time, OTI/Indonesia teamed with another U.S. government
office, the Office of the Military Attaché for Defense
Programs (OMADP), for the purpose of supporting a civilian/military
program. The initial proposals were for a book translation and a
detailed study of TNI's controversial territorial command
structure in South Sulawesi. From this initial proposal, the study
has expanded to include four additional territorial commands.
During the reporting period, four proposals valued at more than
$215,000 were reviewed and approved. The grants include a discourse
on the military's dual-function role and its impact on civil
society; assessments to examine military practices in village
society; diminishing the impact of military values and military
practices being forced on civil society; and a discussion on how to
manage the military in the new era.
Improving Local Governance:
Strengthening Local Capacity and Increasing Citizen Engagement in
Policy Formulation
With the recent passage of two new laws on decentralization that
will devolve substantial decision-making authority to the local
level, OTI has expanded its efforts to improve local governance
throughout Indonesia -- with a new focus on the islands of Sulawesi
and Kalimantan. This comprehensive program, which is being developed
in coordination with several other USAID offices, includes training
in both confidence-building and capacity-building for local
parliamentarians and village-level executives, and public hearings,
dialogues, and media campaigns to promote effective governance and
open dialogue between communities and their elected
representatives.
To kick off this new initiative, a joint OTI/DG team traveled to
South Sulawesi and Central Java from March 7-14 to assess local
needs, to glean lessons learned from ongoing parliamentary training
programs, and to identify potential local partners. Upcoming travel
to Medan and Kalimantan is planned for April.
Media Development
In March, OTI provided $187,000 for eight indigenous civil
society organizations to further the development and/or use of the
media in Indonesia's democracy. Activities included:
- Establishment of a local SEAPA office - The establishment of a local branch of the
Southeast Asian Press Alliance to assist in freedom of
information issues and conduct other activities.
- Radio Dialogues on Democracy -
Production and distribution of a radio talk show called
"Obrolan Rakyat" (the Common Person) to discuss and
promote public dialogue on emerging issues regarding democracy,
pluralism, inter-religious tolerance, and anti-violence.
- Media Management Skills Workshop -
A three-day workshop in Jakarta for 150 journalists to address a
host of management and resource issues confronting Indonesian
editors and management teams in the era of Internet and
cybertechnology.
- Role of Mass Media in Women's Development - YKP, Yayasan Koran Perempuan held an
OTI-sponsored dialogue on the Role of Mass Media in Women's
Development in Jakarta.
- Journalist Training in Writing about Conflict and
Prevention - A four-day training to develop
journalists' understanding and technical writing skills
regarding conflict nuances and prevention.
- Information for the Return of East Timorese Refugees to East
Timor - OTI/Surabaya's grantee,
KAK- Keuskupan Agung Kupang (The Archdiocese of Greater Kupang),
is encouraging the return of refugees to East Timor by
distributing leaflets, visiting several cities in East Timor to
ensure information accuracy, and posting public service
announcements on radio stations and in newspapers.
- Newsletter on Current Issues for Legislators and the Public
(CODE) - The Community for
Democracy Empowerment is producing six editions of a newsletter,
"Komunitas". Following each edition, CODE will poll to
evaluate the impact of the newsletter and elicit feedback from
their readers regarding good governance issues, and use the
results of the polling as public pressure to 'talk' with
legislators.
- Media in Human Rights and Conflict Prevention -- A five-day workshop on creative media
assessment and development for use in human/civil rights and/or
conflict prevention/peace campaigns.
B. Grants
Activity Summary
OTI Indonesia grant numbers break down as follows, FY00:
Total number of grants FY00: 104
Total grant funds committed: $2,956,820
Grant numbers by sector:
Civil Society: 52 grants ($1,470,275)
Civil/Military: 12 grants ($424,562)
Governance: 24 grants ($698,414)
Media: 16 grants ($363,567)
Total OTI Indonesia grants, FY00
Total grants: 104 grants ($2,956,820)
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