Subject: AW: Editorial: What's the rush?
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 09:32:35 -0400
From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>Editorial: What's the rush?
07/23/1999 AsiaWeek
Set a new date to ensure a fair, peaceful referendum in East Timor It's B.J. Habibie's
fault. The Indonesian president was in an expansive mood when he declared back in
February: "We do not want to be burdened by the problem of East Timor after January
1, 2000." Even before the headline-making statement, Jakarta had indicated that it
was willing to consider independence for the province. But Habibie's date suddenly turned
what should have been a gradual transition into East Timor 's own Y2K race.
So now, five months later, the province, the military, the government and the United
Nations are rushing to get everything ready for a referendum on East Timor 's future, with
autonomy and independence on the ballot. It's not a pretty sight. The faction favoring
integration with Indonesia and, to a lesser extent, its rivals demanding independence have
been going to great lengths to make their views bloodily clear to a terrified electorate,
not to mention U.N. personnel caught in the crossfire. Dozens have been killed in attacks,
mainly by integrationist militias abetted by the Indonesian army.
On July 12, a group of 13 cabinet ministers visited the territory to do their bit for
the vote, which was recently postponed by just two weeks to Aug. 21 or 22. Foreign
Minister Ali Alatas declared that the visit demonstrated the government's "great
determination and our sincerity and seriousness" to hold the polls. Stirring stuff,
but we have a better idea. Why don't we just forget what the president said in February
and set a realistic date for the referendum, one that would give sufficient time for all
necessary preparations?
Never mind if Habibie won't go down in history as the man who solved the East Timor
problem and, possibly, set a new nation free. Better listen to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, who already delayed voter registration by three days to July 16, to give Indonesia
more time to improve security. He has also said that he would not hold the referendum if
people could not vote without fear. Independence advocate and Nobel peace awardee Jose
Ramos-Horta, hardly one who would countenance one second more under Jakarta's rule than is
necessary, has himself urged a postponement if terrorism will mar the balloting.
At this late stage, should reason prevail over the race for a place in history, then
there is a chance that essential conditions for a fair, peaceful and credible referendum
will be achieved. It won't be easy, but first, all warring parties must be disarmed.
Second, Indonesian troops should complete their pullout and be replaced by police. Third,
foreign security advisers have to monitor the territory to make sure that the police only
keep the peace and do not repeat the army's violations. All these conditions are already
in the referendum pact, including a secret section requiring the army to be ready to
disarm contending militias.
If delaying the vote means that it will transpire under a president chosen by the
People's Consultative Assembly which includes 462 new MPs elected last month, so much the
better. It had always been problematic for the Habibie government, which does not enjoy
wide popular support, to decide an issue as fundamental and controversial as giving up
territory. Indeed, in February one objector to the president's Timor timetable was
Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle is leading the June
election count. So let's slow down and get the East Timor vote right.
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