Aceh referendum should be last alternative: Amien

Aceh referendum should be last alternative: Amien

JAKARTA (JP): Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) Amien Rais said here on Thursday that resorting to a
referendum on self-determination in the restive province of Aceh
should be "the very last alternative".

"I have no objection to the idea, but a referendum in Aceh
should only be considered as the very last alternative after all
means (to resolve the Aceh problem) have been exhausted," Amien
told a delegation of university students.

He said it was not necessary to offer the referendum this
year. "It could be delayed for two years while a better solution
to the problem is sought," he said.

Amien said he, along with MPR Deputy chairman Nazri Adlani,
will travel to Aceh on Friday to observe the latest developments
in the province.

"Pak Nazri and I will visit Aceh in our personal capacities.
We plan to meet with a number of Acehnese public figures to help
calm down tensions in the province," he told reporters.

He said he had asked Abdurrahman to visit Aceh immediately,
but the president looked hesitant.

"He (the president) said he will let the Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) celebrate its anniversary first before he makes the visit,
and besides, he has made an appointment with his United States
counterpart Bill Clinton" he said.

Separately, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung
said the majority of factions in the House of Representatives
(DPR) have expressed their objection to granting Aceh a
referendum, as the only way-out of the dispute there.

"A referendum will only lead to a disruption of national
unity," Akbar said at an anniversary celebration of Surakarta
Sultan Pakubuwono XII's coronation on Thursday.

Akbar reiterated that the government could not decide to grant
Aceh a referendum, without first getting DPR approval.

He asserted that a federal state would not necessarily solve
the problems in Aceh and other troubled provinces.

"Wide-ranging autonomy is the ideal scheme to quell conflicts
within the provinces," he said.

Akbar, who is also Golkar chairman, warned against foreign
intervention in the Aceh issue, saying the province remains part
of the republic.

Meanwhile, in Semarang political observer Arbi Sanit from the
University of Indonesia suggested President Abdurrahman refrain
from making promises in dealing with demands for a referendum in
Aceh.

"He should take concrete measures in Aceh. The government
should go to the province, instead of coordinating meetings all
the time," Arbi said.

Politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas agreed, saying that
Abdurrahman must watch what he says about referenda. "Gus Dur
must be careful with his words. It's better if he asks Assembly
Speaker Amien Rais and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung to accompany
him on his Aceh visit," Bintang said.

In the capital of South Sulawesi Makassar, formerly known as
Ujungpandang, political and sociology expert M. Darwis from
Hasanuddin University said the calls for independence prevailing
in several provinces, including Aceh, South Sulawesi and Irian
Jaya, were exaggerated.

"I think these independence demands are unrealistic and are a
breach in the nation's history. Many provinces are not thinking
about global challenges. As a united state, Indonesia is unable
to compete against economic hegemony and multinational
corporations. What will happen if the country is divided?" he
said. (27/44/har/edt/byg/rms)