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.