Act firmly on Aceh rebels!

Act firmly on Aceh rebels!

If we read the news in our dailies, especially about the
violence in Aceh, we cannot help feeling that the situation there
is going from bad to worse. The police are attacked almost every
day and casualties among civilians and members of the police are
mounting. Besides attacking the police, the rebels burn houses,
attack offices and government installations.

I can understand the difficult psychological position of law
enforcement troops. If they act harshly they can be accused of
violating human rights; but rebels committing atrocities receive
no blame and sometimes they are even considered heroes.

When I was a close confidant of the late Dr. Mohammad Hatta,
our first vice president, the latter told me that in facing
rebels, we must be prepared for almost everything to happen. You
have to keep your left hand ready to hit and your right hand to
shake hands in peace.

I note that President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) has given a
tough statement in this case, that can only be interpreted in one
way. When visiting the USA he said, "The integrity of the whole
of the unitary Republic of Indonesia must be preserved and
defended. We will negotiate with those who are willing to
negotiate, but those who are not willing to talk or if their
demands are unreasonable, we will face them sternly and harshly."

In an interview on state television on March 14, Gus Dur said,
"I told the minister of home affairs and the coordinating
minister of political affairs and security that if there are
people who talk about wanting to be independent, let them talk.
But if they prepare time schedules and organize power and arm
themselves, they must be arrested. The government is very serious
about this."

In his latest interview with Jaya Suprana, the President
mentioned the situation in Papua, where some people have already
made a time schedule starting from the year 2000, then 2001 and
ultimately they will be free in 2003. This is a blatant
subversive movement.

We don't need more tough statements. The President has given
his opinion and law enforcers should act on those statements and
take actions, without waiting for specific orders. The President
as a seasoned politician, will stay on the safe side and refrain
from giving those specific orders. If people protest later, then
the President can safely say that he never gave orders to attack
the rebels.

The rebels, especially in Aceh, have become more and more
brutal because they feel that the police do not know what to do.
Consequently, they become victims.

The Police, helped by the military if necessary, should act
firmly based on the President's statements and wipe out all
rebels who call themselves Free Aceh Movement (GAM) armed forces.
If this is done, the government will have a strong bargaining
position when it decides to talk with those rebels.

With the current weak position of the government, talk will
only benefit the rebels.

I think the majority of the people in Aceh are still staunch
supporters of the Republic of Indonesia proclaimed in 1945. The
President said that the majority of the Aceh people prefer to
stay in the Republic.

We must admit that many mistakes have been made by the
government and the people in Aceh have suffered a lot, but
indecisive effort at present will only prolong their sufferings.
We are one nation and our country stretches from Sabang to
Merauke. We have vowed to keep it that way. The Indonesian
Military will defend the Republic and they are prepared to die
for it. So let us not waste any more time. Act now and talk
later!

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta