Aceh referendum should be last alternative: Amien<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR) Amien Rais said here on Thursday that resorting to a
\nreferendum on self-determination in the restive province of Aceh
\nshould be \"the very last alternative\".<\/p>\n
\"I have no objection to the idea, but a referendum in Aceh
\nshould only be considered as the very last alternative after all
\nmeans (to resolve the Aceh problem) have been exhausted,\" Amien
\ntold a delegation of university students.<\/p>\n
He said it was not necessary to offer the referendum this
\nyear. \"It could be delayed for two years while a better solution
\nto the problem is sought,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Amien said he, along with MPR Deputy chairman Nazri Adlani,
\nwill travel to Aceh on Friday to observe the latest developments
\nin the province.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Nazri and I will visit Aceh in our personal capacities.
\nWe plan to meet with a number of Acehnese public figures to help
\ncalm down tensions in the province,\" he told reporters.<\/p>\n
He said he had asked Abdurrahman to visit Aceh immediately,
\nbut the president looked hesitant.<\/p>\n
\"He (the president) said he will let the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) celebrate its anniversary first before he makes the visit,
\nand besides, he has made an appointment with his United States
\ncounterpart Bill Clinton\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung
\nsaid the majority of factions in the House of Representatives
\n(DPR) have expressed their objection to granting Aceh a
\nreferendum, as the only way-out of the dispute there.<\/p>\n
\"A referendum will only lead to a disruption of national
\nunity,\" Akbar said at an anniversary celebration of Surakarta
\nSultan Pakubuwono XII's coronation on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Akbar reiterated that the government could not decide to grant
\nAceh a referendum, without first getting DPR approval.<\/p>\n
He asserted that a federal state would not necessarily solve
\nthe problems in Aceh and other troubled provinces.<\/p>\n
\"Wide-ranging autonomy is the ideal scheme to quell conflicts
\nwithin the provinces,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Akbar, who is also Golkar chairman, warned against foreign
\nintervention in the Aceh issue, saying the province remains part
\nof the republic.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Semarang political observer Arbi Sanit from the
\nUniversity of Indonesia suggested President Abdurrahman refrain
\nfrom making promises in dealing with demands for a referendum in
\nAceh.<\/p>\n
\"He should take concrete measures in Aceh. The government
\nshould go to the province, instead of coordinating meetings all
\nthe time,\" Arbi said.<\/p>\n
Politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas agreed, saying that
\nAbdurrahman must watch what he says about referenda. \"Gus Dur
\nmust be careful with his words. It's better if he asks Assembly
\nSpeaker Amien Rais and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung to accompany
\nhim on his Aceh visit,\" Bintang said.<\/p>\n
In the capital of South Sulawesi Makassar, formerly known as
\nUjungpandang, political and sociology expert M. Darwis from
\nHasanuddin University said the calls for independence prevailing
\nin several provinces, including Aceh, South Sulawesi and Irian
\nJaya, were exaggerated.<\/p>\n
\"I think these independence demands are unrealistic and are a
\nbreach in the nation's history. Many provinces are not thinking
\nabout global challenges. As a united state, Indonesia is unable
\nto compete against economic hegemony and multinational
\ncorporations. What will happen if the country is divided?\" he
\nsaid. (27\/44\/har\/edt\/byg\/rms)<\/p>",
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