Indonesian gov't slammed for use of national police, village security to halt Peoples’ Global Conference against IMF-WB
10 October 2018
The national and international organizers of the Peoples’ Global Conference against IMF-WB slam anew the Indonesian government’s use of police and village security forces to suppress people’s dissent over the IMF-World Bank.
The management of Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) has succumbed to yet another pressure from the police and cancelled once and for all the reservation for the People’s Global Conference against IMF-WB. While the local police has already issued a recommendation in favour of holding the conference, the national police is now using the local village leadership and paramilitary saying that no event can be held without its permission.
The paramilitary has patrolled around the venue and hotels of the local participants, and engaged the legal aid office in a heated confrontation questioning the event and its participants. After the incident, a signage was posted at the RRI saying any event requires a permit from the village head.
Prior to this, the organizers received text messages warning them to stop all planned actions including the conference. Hoax banners of the event carrying logos of terror-tagged organizations as co-sponsors were also seen hanging around the vicinity.
“It is very malicious and unjust for local authorities to be associating this with terrorism or any terrorist-tagged organization because the Peoples’ Global Conference is a legitimate activity organized by peoples and their organizations adversely impacted by IMF-WB policies and projects,” said Rahmat, spokesperson of the Gerakan Raktan Menentang IMF-WB (Peoples’ Global Movement Against IMF-WB). “If there is anyone doing terrorist acts here, it is the local police and the police-trained local village security forces. It is a big shame that the Indonesian government is allowing them to do these,” he said.
In response, Ivan Enrile of the Asia Pacific Research Network, one of the co-organizers of the PGC raised this during their session at the Civil Society Policy Forum and caught the attention of the IMF-WB CSO liaison officers, who committed to bring the issue up to their higher officials. With support from the Society for International Development and the Bretton Woods Project, the issue will now be raised to the IMF’s European Executive Directors.
“We, along with supporters such as Eurodad and ActionAid, will call the IMF-WB’s attention to this at the CSO Townhall event later today. We will assert our right to free expression, peaceful assembly, and our right to development. Given our long track record in holding global conferences that criticize anti-people policies and projects, the local communities can rest assured that the PGC upholds the interest of the people. We enjoin all civil society organizations and advocates of human rights and social justice to stand in solidarity with us,” said Beverly Longid, indigenous peoples’ leader and Co-Chair of the CSO Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.
“Let us not leave the development agenda in the hands of IMF-WB and the corporations behind it. Reclaim our future, reclaim our rights; fight the corporate takeover of development,” Longid asserted.
The PGC organizers will announce the new venue and other details of the event shortly. In addition, Southern CSOs will be holding a demonstration inside the Annual Meetings venue according to the policies published on the host government website on October 12.#
References:
[email protected]
Rahmat +62 85781182257 | Kurniawan Sabar +62 8112011868
The management of Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) has succumbed to yet another pressure from the police and cancelled once and for all the reservation for the People’s Global Conference against IMF-WB. While the local police has already issued a recommendation in favour of holding the conference, the national police is now using the local village leadership and paramilitary saying that no event can be held without its permission.
The paramilitary has patrolled around the venue and hotels of the local participants, and engaged the legal aid office in a heated confrontation questioning the event and its participants. After the incident, a signage was posted at the RRI saying any event requires a permit from the village head.
Prior to this, the organizers received text messages warning them to stop all planned actions including the conference. Hoax banners of the event carrying logos of terror-tagged organizations as co-sponsors were also seen hanging around the vicinity.
“It is very malicious and unjust for local authorities to be associating this with terrorism or any terrorist-tagged organization because the Peoples’ Global Conference is a legitimate activity organized by peoples and their organizations adversely impacted by IMF-WB policies and projects,” said Rahmat, spokesperson of the Gerakan Raktan Menentang IMF-WB (Peoples’ Global Movement Against IMF-WB). “If there is anyone doing terrorist acts here, it is the local police and the police-trained local village security forces. It is a big shame that the Indonesian government is allowing them to do these,” he said.
In response, Ivan Enrile of the Asia Pacific Research Network, one of the co-organizers of the PGC raised this during their session at the Civil Society Policy Forum and caught the attention of the IMF-WB CSO liaison officers, who committed to bring the issue up to their higher officials. With support from the Society for International Development and the Bretton Woods Project, the issue will now be raised to the IMF’s European Executive Directors.
“We, along with supporters such as Eurodad and ActionAid, will call the IMF-WB’s attention to this at the CSO Townhall event later today. We will assert our right to free expression, peaceful assembly, and our right to development. Given our long track record in holding global conferences that criticize anti-people policies and projects, the local communities can rest assured that the PGC upholds the interest of the people. We enjoin all civil society organizations and advocates of human rights and social justice to stand in solidarity with us,” said Beverly Longid, indigenous peoples’ leader and Co-Chair of the CSO Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.
“Let us not leave the development agenda in the hands of IMF-WB and the corporations behind it. Reclaim our future, reclaim our rights; fight the corporate takeover of development,” Longid asserted.
The PGC organizers will announce the new venue and other details of the event shortly. In addition, Southern CSOs will be holding a demonstration inside the Annual Meetings venue according to the policies published on the host government website on October 12.#
References:
[email protected]
Rahmat +62 85781182257 | Kurniawan Sabar +62 8112011868
