One way for East Timor<\/p>\n
The recent attempts by Indonesian President Bacharuddin
\nHabibie to offer what he considers a solution to the East Timor
\nquestion only serve to emphasize the intractability of the
\nproblem. Of all the challenges facing his new presidency, this is
\nlikely to prove among the hardest to deal with unless Indonesia
\nis prepared to give up its claim to the territory.<\/p>\n
Although not rejected out of hand by the influential Nobel
\nlaureate Bishop Carlos Belo, President Habibie's offer to grant
\nspecial status to the former Portuguese colony and withdraw
\n15,000 Indonesian troops stationed there comes nowhere near
\nsatisfying the aspirations of the East Timorese.<\/p>\n
After almost 24 years of occupation -- marked by massacres,
\ntorture, extra judicial killings and disappearances'' -- the end
\nof the Soeharto regime has given new vigor to demands for self-
\ndetermination, and raised fresh hopes.<\/p>\n
Not even the offer of early release for the jailed resistance
\nleader, Xanana Gusmao, jaw dampened calls for a referendum on the
\nfuture of the territory. Making Gusmao's freedom conditional on
\nthe international community recognizing East Timor as an integral
\nand permanent part of Indonesia simply ensured that the move
\nwould be rejected.<\/p>\n
Since the United Nations has never recognized Indonesia's
\nclaim to the territory, the issue will taint Jakarta's
\ninternational relationships until it comes up with a proposal the
\nTimorese can accept.<\/p>\n
If, as Bishop Belo appeared to imply, special status could be
\nused as an interim measure, there might be reason to hope that
\nthe offer could be accepted as an initial step to independence.
\nBut that would require much more international and domestic
\npressure on the government in Jakarta. Even if the government
\nproved ready to yield, it is doubtful if the military would
\nsupport the move.<\/p>\n
The brutal crackdown by riot police on demonstrators earlier
\nthis month showed that, beneath the surface, repression remains
\nthe main means of stifling calls for self-determination. Only if
\nGusmao is released unconditionally, together with all remaining
\npolitical prisoners, and President Habibie offers a new agenda on
\nreform, can there be any real prospect of progress.<\/p>\n
In Indonesian terms, special status is largely symbolic. The
\nonly fundamental way forward is for East Timor to be given the
\nright to decide its own destiny.<\/p>\n
-- South China Morning Post, Hong Kong<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/one-way-for-east-timor-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }