Military rules East Timor<\/p>\n
The imposition of martial law in East Timor on Tuesday
\ncorroborates the bitter reality that real power in this country
\nlies in the hands of the Indonesian Military (TNI), not the
\nPresident, his Cabinet, or the House of Representatives. Those
\nwho fail to grasp this fact probably find it mindboggling that a
\nstate of emergency could be declared a mere few hours after the
\nidea, which came from the military, was rejected at a Cabinet
\nmeeting, and at a meeting between the President and House leaders
\nbefore that.<\/p>\n
The decree, signed by President B.J. Habibie, invokes a rarely
\nused 1959 law which allows the head of state to declare a state
\nof emergency. The measure empowers the military to do whatever it
\ndeems necessary to restore peace and order in East Timor. It is
\nscary to think that we are giving a carte blanche to an
\ninstitution with a long history of human rights abuses, not only
\nin East Timor but elsewhere in Indonesia, including Aceh.<\/p>\n
For better or for worse, martial law has been declared. Even
\nthe United Nations has given the benefit of the doubt and given
\nits consent, albeit with a caveat: Indonesia has 48 hours to end
\nthe violence in East Timor.<\/p>\n
The United Nations had no alternative, at least at this stage,
\nbut to accept the imposition of martial law. East Timor has
\nplunged into anarchy since the United Nations announced on
\nSaturday the result of the Aug. 30 ballot in East Timor which
\ngave an overwhelming victory to proindependence forces. Like it
\nor not, the only power that could still be expected to stop East
\nTimor's descent into lawlessness, the killings and the forced
\nevacuations, is still the Indonesian government, that is, TNI.<\/p>\n
The idea of a UN peacekeeping force may be gaining support,
\nbut even if Indonesia approves the idea, it would be some time
\nbefore such a force could be assembled to send into East Timor.
\nAs it is at the moment, Indonesia rejects the idea completely.
\nThe United States, which would provide the logistics to support a
\nUN peacekeeping operation, is reluctant to commit itself to the
\nplan which would mean sending its soldiers and risking their
\nlives.<\/p>\n
The House leadership and some members of the Cabinet reflected
\npublic thinking when they rejected the martial law plan. They
\ndoubted whether imposing martial law could really curtail the
\nviolence in East Timor. TNI's history of human rights abuses is
\none reason. Another is that the decision may have been based on a
\nwrong diagnosis. Since the military is widely deemed part of the
\nproblem in East Timor, more militarism, which is what the martial
\nlaw essentially means, may exacerbate the conflict.<\/p>\n
East Timor has degenerated into such a state of lawlessness
\nchiefly because of the inaction of Indonesian security forces as
\npro-Indonesia militias launched their terror campaigns against
\nthe populace before and after the Aug. 30 ballot. The campaign
\nwas initially conducted by the militias right under the noses of
\nthe police. Lately, there have been allegations that Indonesian
\nsoldiers were taking part in the campaign.<\/p>\n
Whether these allegations are true or not, TNI seems to lack
\nthe political will to prevail over its self-created militias in
\nEast Timor from the beginning. This raises speculations that TNI
\nmay have its own agenda, different from the government. East
\nTimor has been a military adventure all along, from the 1975
\ninvasion, the 1976 annexation, through all these years until
\ntoday as Indonesia's rule is about to end. It would not be
\nsurprising to see TNI doing all it can to prevent the inevitable
\nseparation, and deprive East Timorese of their hard-earned
\nfreedom.<\/p>\n
If the domestic and international public harbor suspicions of
\nTNI's intentions with the martial law in East Timor, it is
\nbecause it fits a pattern. With most of the UN officials and
\nforeign and Indonesian journalists out of the territory, a
\nmartial law gives TNI a free rein in East Timor. It could use
\nthis power, which has now been sanctioned by the United Nations,
\neither way: end the violence, as it promises; or consolidate its
\nhold on East Timor.<\/p>\n
In the course of the next two days, we hope TNI will disprove
\nthe misgivings. Indonesia's international reputation has already
\nbeen tarnished by the recent events in East Timor. Here is a
\ngolden last chance for the military to salvage some respect,
\npride and credibility, if not for itself, at least for the
\nnation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-rules-east-timor-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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