America in policy bind over Indonesia
America in policy bind over Indonesia
Lee Kim Chiew, The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore
As tiny East Timor celebrates its independence today, its
giant neighbor Indonesia confronts a new reality.
Two influential United States lawmakers -- Republican Senator
Lincoln Chafee and Democratic Senator Russell Feingold -- have
moved a resolution calling for "robust" American aid for the
nascent half-island state.
They urge President George W. Bush to bring to justice the
senior Indonesian officials who promoted the 1999 anti-
independence violence in East Timor.
They want Jakarta to disarm the militiamen, hold them
accountable to the rule of law and ensure stability at the border
separating East and Indonesian-controlled West Timor.
To add sting to the resolution, the lawmakers say they will be
"maintaining appropriate restrictions and prohibitions in law on
military assistance, training, relations and technical support to
the Indonesian Armed Forces".
Seized with democracy and human rights, and excited about East
Timor's emancipation, the lawmakers want to seek redress for the
death and destruction caused by pro-Jakarta militia forces in
1999.
This puts the Bush administration in a bind. The Americans are
in two minds about Indonesia.
The Bush administration wants to restore military ties with
Jakarta as it steps up the war against terrorism, but the
lawmakers in Congress are unmoved.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is fighting an uphill battle
to persuade them to provide funds and lift the sanctions imposed
on Indonesia.
The House Appropriations Committee has rejected two proposals
to give Jakarta aid, citing a lack of progress in prosecuting
those responsible for human-rights abuses in East Timor.
The Bush administration had offered US$18 million (S$32.4
million) to the cash-strapped Indonesian government to train the
police in counter-terrorism and intelligence-gathering.
The money was also earmarked for training courses to help
Jakarta track the banking accounts of terrorist groups, and for
beefing up its forces to deal with sectarian strife in Maluku and
elsewhere.
But the lawmakers refuse to open the kitty. This is a question
of priorities which they must decide quickly.
The bifurcated policy has to change or America's global war on
terror could trip over its intransigence on human rights.
Washington is a bundle of contradictions, as another case
illustrates. There is pending in the Senate a trade Bill that may
undercut the administration's anti-terror campaign in South-east
Asia.
The new legislation has a provision eliminating import taxes
on canned tuna from the Association of Southeast Nations(ASEAN),
while levies remain in place for other countries.
Indonesian Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil, who had talks
with Rumsfeld in Washington recently, lamented that Indonesia was
suffering from the U.S. military embargo.
For three years now, Indonesia has military planes which
cannot fly and ships which cannot patrol its vast archipelago for
want of American spare parts.
The Indonesians have undertaken reforms to establish the
principle of civilian supremacy over the military. A new law on
anti-terrorism will be submitted to the Indonesian Parliament
next month.
But President Megawati Soekarnoputri is unlikely to deliver
all that the Americans demand, particularly with regard to
military accountability in East Timor.
It was only under intense international pressure that the
Indonesians agreed to prosecute several senior officers
responsible for human-rights violations there.
Some Muslim factions in the Indonesian Parliament oppose the
anti-terrorism Bill, arguing that it gives the security forces a
free hand to crack down on political dissidents, besides radical
Islamic groups.
The Indonesian government itself is divided, with Vice-
President Hamzah Haz consorting with Islamic militant leader
Jafaar Umar Thalib to win Muslim votes.
And even if Megawati gets American aid, she has to exercise
control. Recently, troops from the elite Kopassus force fought
with the police in Ambon instead of keeping the peace.
Indonesian legislator Ibrahim Ambong said this proved that the
security forces were incapable of getting their act together.
U.S. military aid might not be able to stiffen up Megawati's
resolve to rein in the Islamic militants, but it would give her
more resources to deal with them, said Sukardi Rinakit, an
analyst in Jakarta's Center for Political Studies.
To be sure, Indonesia's poorly-equipped armed forces can do
better with more American hardware and money.
Said Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum at the Center
for Strategic and International Studies in Honolulu: "The biggest
fear of the Bush administration is that Indonesia becomes a safe
haven for terrorists fleeing from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and
that al-Qaeda will use Indonesia as a place to regroup, with
Indonesian radicals providing support."
But while the Bush administration has revised its post-Sept.
11 strategic priorities to wage war on terror, Congress has not
-- in Indonesia's case.
The obstinacy does not help President Bush when he is reaching
out to moderate Islamic states.
There is no certainty that America's lawmakers are ready to
snap out of their obsessive preoccupation with human-rights
lapses in East Timor.
They are taking this stand even though President Xanana Gusmao
has said his primary objective is alleviating poverty in East
Timor, not seeking retribution for the wrongs done to his people.
By refusing to lift the military embargo and provide funds,
the U.S. Congress is holding back help when Megawati is showing
signs that she is prepared to rein in the Islamic militants.
Cossa said the lawmakers were "extremely shortsighted" in
denying the Indonesians military aid.
He told The Straits Times: "Indonesian military support is
essential to national cohesion and the ultimate success of
democracy in Indonesia.
'Congress' focus is more on past accountability than on the
current crackdown... We should keep our eyes more on the future
than on the past."