| Former
Indonesian President’s death must trigger cancellation
of illegitimate debts
Jubilee Debt Campaign, Jubilee Scotland and
the Anti-Debt Coalition Indonesia are calling on the UK government
to cancel £525 million of illegitimate debt owed by
Indonesia from loans made to former President Suharto, who
died on Sunday (27th January).
Much of Indonesia’s debt to the UK
was contracted in the 1980s and 1990s to buy British arms,
including tanks, water cannon and aircraft. At least 75% of
the £705 million Indonesia owes the UK – which
is still being repaid – is known to relate to arms sales
[1]. Suharto’s use of arms to suppress his own people,
such as in East Timor, is notorious.
Dr Ben Young, of
Jubilee Scotland, said:
“Indonesia is still paying the UK millions in debt every
year from arms loans made to Suharto. Rich countries including
the UK lent billions of dollars to a known dictator, to fund
arms sales including Hawk jets and Scorpion tanks. It’s
time the Indonesian people stopped paying for their own oppression.”
Yuyun Harmono,
of Koalisi Anti Utang (Anti Debt Coalition Indonesia), said:
"The Indonesian media are maintaining that Suharto had
no faults; they need reminding that he was a dictator and
has committed many crimes. Suharto took out many loans from
the multilateral institutions, and from the UK, the US, Australia
and Germany. These loans were not taken out by Indonesia,
but by a dictator. We're saying that the Indonesian people
will not now pay the loans back."
Sarah Williams,
of Jubilee Debt Campaign, said:
“After the fall of Saddam Hussein there was clear international
agreement that whatever the reasons for the original loans,
the Iraqi people should not have to repay their dictator’s
debts. Yet ten years after the fall of Suharto, the Indonesian
people are doing exactly that, while more than half the population
live below the poverty line.
“Suharto’s death is a chance
for the UK and other rich countries to take the lead in cleaning
up international lending – by cancelling Indonesia’s
illegitimate debts.”
NOTES
1. Obtained following
a Freedom of Information request by Jubilee Scotland, see:
http://debttribunal.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/export-credit-debt-owed-to-the-uk/.
2. Jubilee Scotland’s
briefing for parliamentarians on Indonesian Arms Debts is
available at: http://www.jubileescotland.org.uk/forms/Parliamentary%20briefing.pdf.
For more information about Jubilee Scotland see http://www.jubileescotland.org.uk/.
3. For more information
about Koalisi Anti Utang (KAU)/Anti Debt Coalition Indonesia,
see http://www.kau.or.id/.
4. For more information
about Jubilee Debt Campaign’s campaign to Lift the Lid
on Bad Loans, see http://www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk/liftthelid. |
