In Brief... DTE 69 - May 2006

Down to Earth No 69  May 2006

New Mentawai indigenous organisation

Indigenous peoples on the Mentawai Islands, off West Sumatra, have demanded that the central and local governments recognise their rights as an ethnic group, and involve them in all policy-making which affects them, especially in matters of culture, education, local economy and natural resources management.

The demands were made at the first Mentawai People's Celebration and Congress, April 7-10, which was attended by 265 indigenous representatives from villages across Mentawai district, in Tuapejat, the district capital. The congress approved the establishment of the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples Concerned about Mentawai (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Peduli Mentawai AMA-PM) as an indigenous umbrella organisation for Mentawai indigenous groups at subdistrict and village (laggai) level. Reverend Urlik Tatubbeket, who was chosen to head AMA-PM's council, said this was the first such indigenous organisation in Mentawai's history. It has been formed in stages, at subdistrict and village level since 1998.

The Mentawai Islands only gained autonomy from Padang on the mainland when a new administrative district was created in 2001.

Tatubbeket said Mentawaians had suffered under discriminatory government policies in the past and had been excluded from involvement in development programmes affecting them. Today, this marginalisation is still going on, in government decisions about education, culture and natural resource management like awarding logging concessions.

The congress issued 19 recommendations, most of which were addressed to the Mentawai district assembly and government. These urged the two bodies to draw up a policy to recognise Mentawai indigenous rights over land and resources and to settle problems over land and forests caused by transmigration, logging and other projects.

The congress was welcomed by the district assembly leader, Kortianus Sabeleake, a former NGO activist (see DTE 68) and the district's deputy head, Aztarmizi. (YCM 6/May/06; Jakarta Post26/Apr/06; Tempo Interaktif 7/Apr/06.)

 

More World Bank loans for Indonesia - NGOs demand cancellation

The World Bank is allocating around US$900 million in loans to Indonesia this year, but the country can borrow more if needed, according to country director Andrew Steer. The money is aimed at boosting economic growth, reducing poverty and better management of Indonesia's finances. Steer said that Indonesia could borrow up to US$1.4 billion, because its debt to the World Bank "has been falling very rapidly".

Finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that Indonesia plans to ask for $2.5 billion in new loans from lenders, including the World Bank, this year to help cover the budget deficit and pay existing debt. Last year Indonesia's creditors grouped in the CGI agreed $2.8 billion in loans and $600 million in grants.

A joint Indonesian NGO statement issued April 11, accused the Bank of impoverishing Indonesians through its liberalisation, privatisation and deregulation programmes. The People's Alliance for Debt Cancellation (GARPU) pointed to the fact that Indonesia has allocated 26% of this year's budget for debt repayment, whereas education was only getting 5% and health 2%. It said 50% of Indonesians were living on less than $2 per day, due to the abolition of subsidies on basic goods and services. The group called on the Bank to cancel the 30% of Indonesia's $80 billion government debt that was corruptly used during the Suharto era and to answer civil society demands to reform the Bank's decision-making system so that it was no longer dominated by rich countries. The NGOs also demanded that the Indonesian government request debt cancellation on projects implemented in Aceh and Nias in northern Sumatra, the areas affected by the 2004 tsunami disaster, and to start investigating former president Suharto's assets and possessions so these could be restored to the people. (GARPU Joint Statement 11/Apr/06, circulated by INFID)

 

UK recycled waste dumped in Jakarta

Paper, cardboard, plastic and cans sorted for recycling by UK households is being exported to Indonesia for dumping there, according to a BBC investigation. Customs at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port impounded 500 tonnes of mixed waste, exported from the UK, which was falsely described as waste paper, then alerted the BBC. The UK's Environment Agency says that about half the 8 million tonnes of recycled material that UK households put in green bins provided by local councils, ends up overseas. It is not illegal for contractors dealing with the waste to export it, as long as it is sorted so that foreign mills can recycle it. But this waste was mixed up and classified by the Indonesian authorities as hazardous waste.

Environment minister Rachmat Witoelar said exporters were deceiving the recycling public and were trying to dump the waste in Indonesia "when we are not looking." Jakarta's only recycling plant does not receive foreign waste and struggles to cope with waste produced locally. The UK Environment Agency told the BBC that recent national inspections of green bin material being exported found that around 75% of the waste containers were "not in accordance with the requirements for export" and were stopped. (news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4493728.stm)