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)