Dialog with people of Riau
Dialog with people of Riau
From Suara Karya
According to media reports, President Abdurrahman Wahid has
said that he will have people calling for a free Riau arrested
and that these people calling for a free Riau come from Jakarta.
The President reportedly has given his word that once they are
identified they will be sent to a detention house for
investigation.
The statement made by the President is right and must be
supported by all Indonesians. We are aware of the fact that for
32 years the people of Riau have been neglected and therefore
have lived in bitter misery, with Riau being the second poorest
province in Sumatra. In fact, Riau is rich in natural oil
deposits.
A lot of discussions have been held with various figures from
Riau and in essence, the problem is how to narrow the difference
in opinion between the central government and the Riau community
about the need for political autonomy in Riau. Such a difference
is still natural because it is still within the scope of the
nation. Perhaps similar dialogs or discussions should be held for
other regions such as South Sulawesi, Irian Jaya, Aceh and so
forth.
Although Riau is poor, it has always been like that. It will
grow rich, or even become the richest in Indonesia, with the
enforcement of the Law on regional autonomy. This law stipulates
that 75 percent of natural oil and gas production coming from
projects in this region will go to the region, compared with only
15 percent, which has been the case until now.
As a person indigenous to Riau, I hope that the central
government will immediately enforce regional autonomy and I also
call on people in Riau to help the government in its effort to
raise the standard of living in Riau and for its people. Do not
aggravate the problem by playing upon state sovereignty and
national unity or even be lured by the idea of a federal state.
The people of Riau must be patient and careful in making a
decision which will concern many. Do not act emotionally and
recklessly. Remember national unity must be maintained to welcome
the new Indonesia which we all aspire for.
FARHAN AZUMARDI
Depok, West Java