An inevitable decision
An inevitable decision
President B.J. Habibie's decision to "invite" a United Nations
peacekeeping force to join the Indonesian Military (TNI) in
restoring peace and order in East Timor is a wise decision in the
face of strong international pressure this past week. It provides
Indonesia with a face-saving exit after suffering such
international indignation for its handling of East Timor.
After Indonesia bungled its job to promote security in the
territory, it would not be surprising to find some countries have
misgivings about Jakarta's intentions. They would be right to see
the "security cooperation", as Habibie termed the offer, as
another trick by Jakarta to buy more time in its desperate
attempt to keep East Timor.
In the past week, the whole world has watched in horror as
East Timor degenerated into total anarchy. The Indonesian
government, which has been entrusted with the task of maintaining
peace and order, did virtually nothing as pro-Indonesia militias
in East Timor launched a massive terror campaign against their
own populace, killing proindependence supporters, forcing
hundreds of thousands to leave their homes, and destroying
buildings and other property.
It was this inaction, and the strongly substantiated
allegations that the military was aiding the scorch-earth
campaign, that raised the international outcry against Indonesia
and the calls to send in an international peacekeeping force into
East Timor to replace the Indonesian security forces.
A remark by Gen. Wiranto, the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief,
during the weekend that his soldiers had psychological
difficulties in clamping down on, or shooting the rampaging pro-
Indonesia militias because they had fought together against the
East Timor separatists these last 23 years, served only to
confirm the lack of impartiality of the military. If only such a
frank yet disturbing admission had been made months ago, then
security arrangements during and before the ballot in East Timor
would never have been entrusted to Indonesia, and we could
probably have avoided this unnecessary bloodshed.
Indonesia's belligerent attitude before Sunday fueled
speculation that the government and the military had no real
intention of letting East Timor go, and that they had other plans
for the territory. That suspicions will likely remain until
Indonesia proves its honest intentions with deeds.
Indonesia's offer looks good on paper, but Jakarta will most
likely find it an uphill struggle to regain the trust and
confidence of the international community.
The human tragedy that unfolded in East Timor this past week
made compelling argument for Indonesia to leave the territory,
over which it never had any legitimate claim in the first place,
as soon as possible. The government, until Sunday, had stood
firmly by an agreement it signed with the United Nations in May,
which states that Indonesia would leave East Timor, if it lost
the vote, only after the result was endorsed by the People's
Consultative Assembly in November. Indonesia argued that only the
Assembly, rather than the government, can annul its own 1978
decree which formally annexed East Timor into the republic.
If the government is serious about living up to the letter of
that agreement, the responsible thing to do now is to admit
failure, and to plan an immediate exit. In the course of the
discussion to bring the UN force into East Timor, Jakarta should
come up with a game plan of phasing out its soldiers and let the
UN force take complete charge of the security arrangement. As the
result of the Aug. 30 vote in East Timor shows, Indonesia does
not have any business staying there one day longer.