East Timor's troubles bound to continue<\/p>\n
By Lela E. Madjiah<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): East Timor is mostly seen in black and white,
\ndivided into those who are prointegration and others who are
\nproindependence.<\/p>\n
In fact, East Timor is more complicated than what is presented
\non TV or in the newspaper.<\/p>\n
The truth is that the conflicting parties which make most of
\nthe headlines are far from being a majority. The best part of the
\nEast Timorese community consists of people whose main interest is
\nto live a normal life. They have been caught in the tug of war
\nbetween prointegration and proindependence camps and are often
\nvictimized in the violent struggle for power.<\/p>\n
Most who belong to this group are poor farmers and
\nbusinesspeople who have enjoyed a relatively profitable
\nlivelihood during Indonesia's rule. They are aware that
\nindependence means starting all over again and that they may be
\nforced to give up much of what they have achieved these past 23
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Prointegrationists have been blamed for much of the escalating
\nviolence that has gripped the province after President B.J.
\nHabibie announced his second, deadly option in January this year.
\nIn the view of the international (Western) world,
\nprointegrationists are evil through and through, while members of
\nthe proindependence camp are the chosen angels. Thanks to the
\nslant of the Western media, the proindependence supporters are
\nviewed as the perfect victims and the prointegrationists are the
\nculprits.<\/p>\n
A more objective look at the problem of East Timor shows that
\nboth camps are victims of a power play, with the U.S. the master
\nplayer. Both sides lost family members in the 1974 to 1975 civil
\nwar that ended with Indonesia's presence in the territory. This
\nis a well-known fact, but which most Westerners refuse to
\nacknowledge or simply ignore.<\/p>\n
"I thought only the Fretilin got killed," a UN observer
\nconfided in a recent interview following a two-week visit to East
\nTimor in July. "I didn't know that there were people on the other
\nside who also were killed," he added, referring to the 1975
\nbloody war between Fretilin and pro-Indonesian supporters.<\/p>\n
The present militias are seen as a mere tool of the Indonesian
\nMilitary which, despite its outward support for Habibie's policy,
\nis accused of quietly helping the militias build strong armed
\ngroups to fight the Fretilin.<\/p>\n
This is a misleading view. Even without encouragement from the
\nmilitary, people like Eurico Guterres, a die-hard militia leader,
\nwill raise arms to defend their right to remain citizens of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
"People like us, and there are many of them, are poor. If
\nsomething happens, like a civil war, we cannot afford to flee the
\ncountry. We are the ones who have to stay. That's why we are
\ndetermined to fight, not because the military pays us," a UN
\nobserver who asked to remain anonymous quoted Guteres as saying.<\/p>\n
The military also has been blamed for renewed clashes between
\nprointegration and proindependence supporters. The military is
\naccused of arming and funding local militias, as well as
\npreparing them for a guerrilla war should they lose to the
\nproindependence group.<\/p>\n
The military is in a very delicate position.
\nProintegrationists have accused the Indonesian government of
\nbetrayal, of stabbing them in the back by giving them the second
\noption. After 23 years in East Timor, the military cannot simply
\nwalk out and bid goodbye with a neat, "That's it, this is the end
\nof the story".<\/p>\n
There is an emotional attachment, whether or not one chooses
\nto believe it, between the military and local people, however
\nsmall the number might be. After all, they have joined hands in
\nfighting the Fretilin and, as brothers in combat, neither feels
\nit can abandon the other. For this reason, the military has tried
\nto remain neutral although it has to convince pro-Indonesian
\nsupporters that, in spirit, it remains with the East Timorese.<\/p>\n
The matter is made more complicated by the involvement of
\nveterans and active military officers who fought in East Timor
\nand who are against Habibie's decision. They feel betrayed. After
\nall, in their view, they entered East Timor in 1975 because there
\nwere East Timorese who wanted to become part of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Habibie's second option is threatening the existence of those
\nEast Timorese who want to remain with Indonesia, something these
\nofficers cannot tolerate after so many Indonesian troops were
\neither killed or wounded during military operations in East
\nTimor. These officers are supporting the prointegration camp,
\neither openly or secretly.<\/p>\n
Given its background, East Timor will remain a problem
\nregardless of the outcome of the Aug. 30 ballot. Independence is
\nseen as not viable, as Indonesia has threatened to carry out a
\nscorched-earth policy if the proindependence camp wins the
\nballot.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, if the prointegrationists win, the opposition and
\ntheir international supporters are bound to accuse Indonesia of
\nfoul play. They will demand another poll or a UN presence in the
\nterritory until a further arrangement is achieved.<\/p>\n
The worst to come may be another civil war; the Aug. 26
\nclashes between proindependence and prointegration supporters
\nshow the possibility is not only there but is also an increasing
\nreality. The hostile sides have pledged to refrain from violent
\nacts and both have failed to keep their promise. Both camps have
\npromised to respect the outcome of the ballot, but both are also
\nbuilding up arms to prepare for another guerrilla war.<\/p>\n
Until both parties agree to respect their own oaths and to
\nreconcile, East Timor will remain a flash point and a perfect
\ntarget for outside interference, including the Indonesian
\ngovernment and military.<\/p>\n
The writer is a journalist.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-timors-troubles-bound-to-continue-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }