U.S. must prevent chaos in RI<\/p>\n
By Tom Plate<\/p>\n
Why U.S. must not let Indonesia devolve into anarchy<\/p>\n
LOS ANGELES: The problem with moral purity of the political
\nkind is that it can produce consequences of the most immoral
\nkind.<\/p>\n
That will be the case in Indonesia if the United States adopts
\nwhat would in effect be a hands-off policy, as many Western human
\nrights groups are advising. Such a course would prolong
\nIndonesia's agony and cause many more deaths than if the U.S. is
\nproperly involved. Commendably, the Bush administration appears
\nto be on top of this Asian crisis and understands the grave
\nissues at stake.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, is now at
\na crossroads. Lady-long-in-waiting Megawati Soekarnoputri, tapped
\nby parliament last week (July 23) to succeed mystical Muslim
\ncleric Abdurrahman Wahid as president, should in fact have been
\npresident for the past two years anyway. In 1999, she garnered
\nmore votes than any other politician, only to be outmaneuvered
\nfor the job in the final turn by Abdurrahman.<\/p>\n
Now this untested daughter of Sukarno, post-colonial
\nIndonesia's first maximum leader, inherits the ironical destiny
\nof being drafted by her countrymen to save the very modern nation
\nthat her father founded.<\/p>\n
Will this taciturn but well-connected member of parliament
\nprove to be the strong-willed Margaret Thatcher of Southeast
\nAsia, the needed Indonesian iron lady? Or will Megawati, in the
\nwords of unkind critics, be a \"Mini-wati\"?<\/p>\n
Among the keys to her ability to succeed will be the support
\nnot only of her own people but of the biggest players in the
\nAsia-Pacific region. Japan still has enormous investments there.
\nChina is well aware of widespread anti-Chinese tensions within
\nthat largely Muslim society and would gain stature by helping the
\nnew government keep its balance.<\/p>\n
And the last thing the U.S.. wants in geopolitically pivotal
\nSoutheast Asia is an anarchic archipelago of thousands of
\nislands, near some of the world's most vital sea lanes, self-
\ndestructing and spilling over onto the shores of key U.S. allies
\nAustralia, the Philippines and Singapore.<\/p>\n
That is why the Bush administration is right not to hide
\nbehind the apron of moral correctness and look the other way.
\nIndeed, it appears poised to ask Congress to drop the well-
\nintentioned but ill-advised ban on U.S. military aid to Jakarta,
\nand is working to reconnect with the country's military in ways
\nthat are consistent with our own values. The military-to-military
\nban was initially put into place by lawmakers under pressure from
\nhuman-rights lobbies upholding the morally pure view that the
\nmilitary's past excesses invalidate any future effort to work
\nwith it.<\/p>\n
This is a touchy issue, of course, because the Indonesian
\narmed forces have indeed often proved a mechanism of rough law-
\nand-order, most notoriously for repression in East Timor,
\nscheduled for independence next year. But while it is true that
\nthe military must not be given free rein to levy truncheon law,
\nit can hardly be cut out if Indonesia is to avert the far more
\nmassive bloodshed of national disintegration.<\/p>\n
Sure, the military must be properly supervised by the civilian
\nMegawati government, just as true internal economic reform must
\nbe a condition for further aid from the International Monetary
\nFund. But the purist human-rights position -- that the past
\nmisdeeds of the Indonesian army irredeemably dirty the hands of
\nany nation that would help -- is a formula for an Asian
\nYugoslavia of roiling ethnic revenge.<\/p>\n
Oft-exemplary Western human rights organizations, from the
\nluxury of their well-evolved democracies, don't understand the
\nwrenching ethical choice here. One New York-based human rights
\nspokesman put it this way: \"Any reengagement with the military at
\nthis time would severely undercut reform efforts.\"<\/p>\n
In actuality, the opposite is the case. Failure to reengage
\nthe Indonesian military will doom economic reform for this nation
\nof 206-plus million. And many more people will die if the army,
\nhistorically central to the cohesion of this sprawling,
\nethnically diverse country, is not actively involved in the
\nnation rebuilding.<\/p>\n
The unpleasant truth is that, no matter what happens, either
\nmany will die in Indonesia or only some. A hands-off policy will
\nalmost certainly lead to the former; a pragmatic policy of
\nWestern engagement could well help mitigate Indonesia's ongoing
\nagony and loss of life. The penchant for morally pure foreign
\npolicy solutions can lead only to large scale tragedy.<\/p>\n
-- The Straits Times\/Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-must-prevent-chaos-in-ri-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }