Milosevic now. Who's next?<\/p>\n
Indonesia should take heed of the way Belgrade succumbed to
\ninternational pressure and delivered former Serbian strongman
\nSlobodan Milosevic to the United Nations to face war crime
\ncharges.<\/p>\n
The real message this story sends out is that the world
\ncommunity has become more determined than ever to ensure that
\nthose who have committed crimes against humanity will be
\npunished.<\/p>\n
Belgrade had no choice but to deliver Milosevic to the
\nInternational Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. The United States
\nand its European allies withheld aid that Belgrade so badly needs
\nuntil it complied with their demand.<\/p>\n
The present government in Belgrade, which beat Milosevic's
\nregime in a democratic election in October 2000, had been
\nreluctant to hand over the man who was indicted by the tribunal
\nin 1999 for the mass killings and expulsion of ethnic Albanians
\nin Kosovo.<\/p>\n
Many in Belgrade have argued that, for all the horrible things
\nthat Milosevic was supposed to have done, he is a Serbian citizen
\nwho must be protected by the constitution. If a trial had to be
\nheld, they wanted it held in a local court in accordance with the
\nlaw of the land. To send him to The Hague has not only brought
\nshame on the man and his regime, but also the entire nation. It
\nwill leave a stigma that will be hard to erase for years to come.<\/p>\n
Milosevic became the first head of state to face an
\ninternational court for war crimes committed while in office.
\nProsecutors also plan to charge him with war crimes committed in
\nBosnia and Croatia. As we wait for the process to unfold in the
\nnext few days, there are already many valuable lessons for
\nIndonesia to learn from the way the international community, or
\nmore precisely the Western powers, pressured Belgrade.<\/p>\n
Like Serbia, Indonesia has been facing international demands
\nto prosecute and punish officials in the government and military
\nfor their alleged roles in the campaign of terror and destruction
\nin East Timor, before and after the people in the territory voted
\nfor independence in October 1999.<\/p>\n
Like Serbia, Indonesia is heavily dependent on the support of
\nthe West to resuscitate its ailing economy. Already, Indonesia's
\neconomy is virtually being managed by the International Monetary
\nFund, with three successive governments holding power since 1997
\npractically having little say over policy. From an economic
\nstandpoint alone, Indonesia is already far more vulnerable to
\ninternational pressure than Serbia.<\/p>\n
Unlike Serbia, however, no Indonesian official or general has
\nbeen indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal. But don't
\nbet that it won't happen here. Patience has its limits, and,
\njudging by statements from Australian and New Zealand officials
\nduring President Abdurrahman Wahid's visit there this week, the
\ninternational community's patience may soon run out.<\/p>\n
The United Nations has so far given the benefit of the doubt
\nto Indonesian authorities, who have said that they would
\nprosecute and punish errant officials involved in the East Timor
\ndebacle in accordance with the crimes they committed. That was
\nthe position in late 1999, when Indonesia promised that justice
\nwould be upheld.<\/p>\n
It is now nearly two years since that promise was made. Since
\nthe initial investigations of officials in the government and the
\nmilitary, which attracted massive publicity, progress has been
\npainfully slow. Not a single one of those investigated has been
\nbrought to court, let alone convicted.<\/p>\n
In the intervening years, questions about the progress of the
\ninvestigation have arisen on various occasions, like in Canberra
\nand Wellington this week. Each time the question came up,
\nIndonesia made new promises to pursue the matter.<\/p>\n
How long do we think can we play this game without testing the
\npatience of the international community? The Milosevic case
\nshould serve as a warning that the government had better get its
\nact together and prosecute those responsible for the East Timor
\ndebacle before the matter is taken over by the United Nations,
\nputting the entire nation to shame, similar to what Serbia is
\ngoing through now.<\/p>\n
Indonesia should stop pursuing this narrow brand of
\npatriotism, protecting a handful of its own people, particularly
\nif they brought shame on the entire nation through their actions
\nin East Timor two years ago. These officials should be punished
\naccordingly. By continually shielding them from the law, the
\ngovernment and present military leadership are further risking
\nthe nation's reputation and honor.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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