Amien says federal state remains a viable option

JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais warned on Wednesday against the maintenance of a unitary state, saying the move would lead to the disintegration of Indonesia.

Amien said the establishment of a federal state remained the most reasonable option for the survival of the Indonesian nation- state.

"Federalism is a middle option, a golden way which is the best way the dissatisfaction of the regions can be resolved," he said.

He said that under a federal system the regions would directly enjoy the benefits of their resources and be able to assert their own cultural identity.

Amien called on the provinces to remain calm and patient, noting that in the current political climate whatever solution was adopted would take time to implement.

He said the country should only consider the option of independence and a referendum after a federal system was tested.

"If after that (federalism) we don't see any results, then we can talk about referendum and the rest."

Amien said amendments to the 1945 Constitution would be necessary if there was agreement to the idea of federalism.

"We have to change the articles inside the Constitution," he said.

Separately, political observer Eep Syaifullah Fatah proposed the government hold a national referendum to ask the nation whether Indonesia should become a federal nation or remain under the current unitary form modified with wider autonomy for the provinces.

He said the referendum should be held after the House of Representatives (DPR) prepared a law on the referendum as a legal instrument to endorse the result of a national referendum.

Eep said the referendum must be conducted before Aug. 17 in order for the results to be inserted before the deadline for constitutional amendments.

Indonesia briefly adopted the federal system following the Netherlands' recognition of the republic's sovereignty over its former Asian colony in 1949.

Opposition

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Military (TNI) disclosed on Wednesday strong opposition to proposals to form a federal state in Indonesia, arguing that the nation should remain faithful to the concepts laid down by the founding fathers.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sudradjat called for calm in the debate over federalism.

He said Indonesia was not conceived as a federal state and that while the idea might be attractive amid the increased demands for more regional autonomy, there was no clear foundation for federalism.

Sudradjat's statement indicated that the nation would be opting for unchartered terrain if it decided to take the federalist route.

"The idea of federalism can be used as a means of enlightenment, however we must retain our unitary form," he said during a seminar here titled A Solution to Regional Unrest in the Perspective of Federalism.

"We should be very careful," Sudradjat warned.

Following the fall of former president Soeharto and the election of a more open government, provinces throughout the country have been clamoring for more power.

The government has tried to accommodate the demands by promising greater regional autonomy, a move expected to be completed in 2001.

However, East Timor's decision to opt out of the republic following a referendum held in August, and widespread discontent after years of repression have stirred strong regional sentiments. Some provinces are indicating impatience for greater self-rule and an increased share of the province's wealth.

Sudradjat said there would be extreme consequences if a federalist concept was hastily adopted without a true understanding of the wide-ranging implications of the move for a multiethnic and multireligious state like Indonesia.

He said that in his opinion federalism could lead down the dark alley of extremist ethnic or religious prejudice.

"We should be careful to avoid the likelihood of ethnic cleansing such as might happen in Aceh," the two-star general said.

Another critic of the federalist state was political observer Sulastomo, who contended that the quality of human resources in the country was the main drawback to establishing a federal state.

Sulastomo said the quality of human resources to implement regional autonomy was questionable. He said a federalist system would demand even higher competency from each individual federal state or province.

Citing findings from a research project conducted by Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, he claimed that 98.5 percent of the regions were not adequately prepared to execute their responsibilities under the regional autonomy plan.

Sulastomo said there was no need for federalism and decried tendencies to sever the nation's unitary characteristic.

"The desire to become an independent entity or adopt a federalist state bucks the global trend," he said, adding that even European states were heading toward greater integration and unity rather than separation.

"Small separate countries cannot compete globally. They will be eaten by others ... A big and united Indonesia has greater bargaining power in global competition.

"So what is most proper is higher autonomy in the provinces," he said. (04/emf)