Aligning with Soehartoism won't end bombings, terror<\/p>\n
Max Lane, Visiting Fellow, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University<\/p>\n
Indonesia is in a process of transition out of the period of
\ndictatorship during the presidency of Gen. (ret) Soeharto. This
\nprocess of transition is occurring in the midst of a severe and
\ncontinuing economic crisis, often seen to be linked to
\nglobalization.<\/p>\n
The transition has already been marked by political
\nvolatility: A president has been ousted in a virtually
\nunconstitutional manner; a war has been declared in Aceh; there
\nare armed conflicts in Maluku and Papua; support for the
\npresident and all the major parties is declining; there are
\nprotests from all sectors of society every day. There has been
\ntwo serious bombings of public places in a period of 11 months.<\/p>\n
It is unlikely that the transition out of volatility will be
\nover within a decade.<\/p>\n
The Howard government's has renewed military cooperation with
\nJakarta, including with the army's special forces. This policy is
\nan extension of the Australian government's statement of support
\nfor president Megawati Soekarnoputri's military solution to
\nAceh's political situation.<\/p>\n
In this way, Howard has decided to stand with Megawati and the
\nhangers on from the Soeharto order against all those voices of the
\nnewly emerging Indonesia who want the military to withdraw and
\nwho are striving for an end to state violence and coercion in
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
The transition out of dictatorship -- a dictatorship which all
\nAustralian governments supported and lauded -- has not been and
\nis not some kind of automatic sociological process. It has been
\nand still is the result of a political struggle by Soeharto, the
\ngroups around him and the groups that still think like him
\nagainst a new generation of Indonesians wanting a different,
\ndemocratic future. Soeharto did not bow out voluntarily he was
\nforced to go by hundreds of thousands of people demonstrating on
\nthe street.<\/p>\n
But Soeharto's going did not end this struggle. The Megawati
\ngovernment represents an essential continuity with the Soeharto
\nmentality constrained only by a stronger pro-democratic public.
\nIn the Politics and Security Committe of her Cabinet are herself;
\nthe Vice President Hamzah Haz, head of the conservative Islamic
\nparty forged by Soeharto during the dictatorship; the national
\npolice chief and several Soeharto Generals: Hendripriyono, Hari
\nSabarno, and Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
It is not surprising then that Megawati is implementing a
\nmilitary solution to the political problem of self-determination
\nin Aceh; that there are more political prisoners in goal now than
\nin the last years of Soeharto; that almost no military have been
\nconvicted for human right violations under Soeharto and that no
\nhuman rights charges have been brought against Soeharto himself.<\/p>\n
But democratic sentiment in opposition to the government
\nremains strong. This is most obvious around issues of state and
\nmilitary violence. Over the last few weeks more and more
\nIndonesians from the democratic camp have criticized the military
\noperations in Aceh. These include the prominent writers WS
\nRendra, Ratna Sarumapet, Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Goenawan
\nMohamad. The Aceh Commission of the National Human Rights
\nCommission has been increasingly critical.<\/p>\n
Prominent labor and political leaders like Dita Indah Sari
\nhave called for an end to the war. There have been peace vigils,
\nand even a peace concert involving pop groups and jazz singers
\nechoing this sentiment. Journalists have often been at the
\nforefront of these criticisms also.<\/p>\n
These are the voices of change that represent the next
\nIndonesia. All public opinion polls also show rejection of the
\nold elites and a longing for something new.<\/p>\n
The Megawati government, encouraged by the Howard government,
\ncontinues to rely on violent coercion, that is terror, in Aceh,
\nin Papua and often against farmers and poor workers.<\/p>\n
Can anybody expect that there will not be some people, often
\ndriven to inhuman irrationality by desperation, hopelessness, or
\nalienation generated by the deep poverty and humiliation of an
\neconomy in crisis, who decide to reply in kind? The current
\npolicies, which depend on violence and coercion, will bring no
\nend to bombing incidents.<\/p>",
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