Give democracy a chance

Give democracy a chance

Abdurrahman Wahid may not have had the last word when he said
that a referendum would be held in Aceh within seven months, but
it would be foolish for anyone to deny the Acehnese the right to
determine their own future now that many of them are having
second thoughts about their existence in this republic.

The President still has to argue his case before the House of
Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR). He needs to convince some hard-headed people in Jakarta
that a referendum is the best, and certainly most peaceful and
democratic, course to resolve this problem once and for all.

In the way are DPR Speaker Akbar Tandjung and leaders of the
Indonesian Military (TNI), who are openly opposed to the
referendum idea. Akbar's opposition, stemming from Abdurrahman's
failure to observe the proper constitutional process, is easier
to deal with. The President has allowed himself seven months to
fulfill the procedures. TNI, given its strength, will probably be
a harder sell. But since the problem in Aceh is largely its
doing, the military voice no longer carries any moral force and
even sounds hypocritical. It has also raised suspicions of TNI
having strong vested interests, or an agenda, in Aceh, including
attempting to cover up its gross misdeeds in the province over
the last 10 years.

The case for allowing a referendum in Aceh is already so
compelling for President Abdurrahman to make such a bold
commitment. The Nov. 8 mass march in Banda Aceh, with more than
one million people demanding a referendum, sent the loudest
message to Jakarta. MPR Speaker Amien Rais returned from Aceh
last week to pronounce his support for the Acehnese demand. A
Cabinet delegation led by State Minister of Human Rights Affairs
Hasballah M. Saad, dispatched last week to pave the way for
Abdurrahman's dialog with Aceh leaders, returned with the message
that the demand for a referendum was almost unanimous.

The Acehnese must be praised for approaching this issue in a
democratic way. They could have taken up arms, as the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) has, and fought for separation. Instead, they are
opting for the peaceful path. Referendum is the least the central
administration in Jakarta could give them. Depriving them of this
right will plunge Aceh into renewed violence and provide a new
pretext for TNI to send its troops back. It was precisely the
attempt to impose a military solution, with all its excesses,
that fostered the current discontent in Aceh.

It would be futile for TNI or anyone else to oppose the
referendum following the President's commitment to the idea.
Lingering opposition would only complicate the process, and we
could end up botching the entire process the same way the
government of B.J. Habibie did in East Timor.

Abdurrahman's promise of a referendum, if fully supported by
the major political groups in Jakarta, should appease the people
of Aceh and ease tension there. They could resume their normal
activities while the President fulfills the constitutional
requirements and makes the necessary preparations.

Politicians in Aceh and Jakarta could begin debating the
details of the referendum, especially on the options to be
presented in the vote.

Discourse on the subject has already begun. One proposal calls
for a nationwide referendum, saying that other provinces should
also be consulted about the future of Aceh. Another backs a
nationwide vote on changing Indonesia into a federal system of
government, which is no longer a taboo for open discussion. No
doubt we will hear more proposals in the coming weeks, some
reasonable, others absurd, but this is what democracy is all
about. The discourse on Aceh has already expanded into a healthy
debate about the system of government appropriate for the country
as a whole.

Aceh is a complex issue indeed because it is an accumulation
of various problems dating back more than a decade. There are no
sure shortcuts in resolving this problem, but the best way is
still the democratic way, of which a referendum is one approach.
We must give democracy a chance to work.