All talk no action
It is a very depressing time; so many problems are popping up, all at the same time. The problems are connected with finance matters, the economy, politics, law enforcement and more. The people have given 100 days to the current government to prove itself, and time is running out.
It is sad to see people trying to champion their cause, sometimes accompanied by threats, and organizing demonstrations demanding the government act according to their demands while forgetting other existing demands and the national cause which should get the first priority. To be a minister at this time is not a very desirable position. Of the so many urgent problems, the Aceh case is certainly the prima donna demanding everybody's attention, but the government is doing very little.
The situation in Aceh is getting worse. People are fleeing Aceh, and the government of the North Sumatra province is having a very difficult job housing and feeding more than 150,000 refugees. The armed rebels become more daring and arrogant every day and ridicule the armed forces by appearing in towns openly carrying guns and showing off their power.
According to Governor of Aceh Syamsudin Mahmud and his police chief, Brig. General Bahrumsyah Kasman, the armed rebels started to rob, intimidate, kidnap and kill innocent people. The situation is getting out of hand.
The small police force can only look at what is going on without having the capability of doing anything. The police decided to leave Aceh with their families after a large number of their members have gone missing and later found dead, killed by the rebels in a sadistic way. This is a clear violation of basic human rights and I hope the media and the National Commission of Human Rights will not close their eyes only because the violators are not members of the Indonesian Military (TNI).
TNI Commander in chief Admiral Widodo reported that so far 88 TNI members have been killed and 300 more injured.
What is our government doing? Waiting for a miracle to happen? So far not much has been done except sending a ministerial mission to Aceh to find out about the aspirations of Acehnese and what they mean by a referendum, which according to the present Indonesian law is nonexistent. This mission is headed by the minister of human rights, who in his heart supports Aceh's call for independence. He said loud and clear that he was an Acehnese, born as an Acehnese and would die as an Acehnese.
He does not mention at all that he is an Indonesian. In the whole of my 70-year life and from observing our Republic since 1945, this is the very first time that a minister has declined to mention that he is Indonesian. This is also the very first time that a minister mentioned his ethnic origin.
Aceh is becoming more and more serious and the government should act quickly. Proclaiming a limited emergency situation as proposed by the police chief and supported by the Army chief is politically not yet acceptable, because according to a politician this step is the same as declaring war. But how can a government declare war on its own people?
The government will be in a stronger position if it opens a dialog with Acehnese, with the presence of a large number of troops. I was very happy to read in Suara Pembaruan on Nov. 24, 1999 that TNI is ready to send troops to Aceh at any time. Let us hope for the best.
SOEGIH ARTO
Jakarta