Habibie under fire over East Timor's independence vote

Habibie under fire over East Timor's independence vote

SEMARANG (JP): President B.J. Habibie was already feeling the
effects of the political fallout of the East Timor ballot as
observers across the country demanded he be held accountable for
the likely separation of Indonesia's 27th province.

"I'm not saying that Habibie should resign from his post as a
consequence of the proindependence victory in East Timor,"
National Commission on Human Rights member Bambang W. Suharto
said here on Saturday.

"But he has to be held accountable for it in the next General
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)," he said.

Bambang conceded that the Indonesian government only had
itself to blame.

"When Indonesia was asked to hold a referendum by the United
Nations after the Balibo Declaration (on Nov. 30, 1976), the
government refused. Had we run the ballot then, we could've
gathered full support from all East Timorese," Bambang said.

Indonesians have to accept the fact that East Timor is no
longer a part of the country, he added.

Former minister of environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja shared
Bambang's view, saying that Habibie's administration made a
"sloppy decision" by hastily holding an autonomy ballot.

He called Habibie's move impulsive and reckless.

It was Habibie who suddenly reversed Indonesia's long-standing
policy on East Timor in January by saying that he would allow
East Timor to accept or reject an offer of wide-ranging autonomy.

In Yogyakarta, A.S. Hikam said the results of the ballot could
cause Habibie's accountability speech to the Assembly later this
year to be rejected.

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences political scientist said
that if the accountability speech was rejected then there would
be no chance for him to retain the presidency.

Hikam therefore urged the Golkar Party to renounce Habibie's
nomination, "unless Golkar chooses to be foolish by confirming
its support (to Habibie)".

Another broadside was fired by constitutional law expert
Muchsan, who said Habibie failed to carry out the people's
mandate as Assembly Decree No. VI/1978 clearly stipulates that
East Timor is an integral part of the republic.

Noted political scientist and lecturer Afan Gaffar said as a
Golkar candidate, it was only natural for party chairman Akbar
Tandjung to demand Habibie be responsible for the loss.

"Habibie has to be responsible for three main things:
Soeharto's wealth investigation, East Timor, and the corruption
cases in his administration, including the Bank Bali scandal,"
Afan said.

Nevertheless, Afan conceded that the result of the ballot may
have been the best for all concerned.

"One thing is clear, we have spent so much money on East Timor
yet they aren't willing to accept the republic. It's like having
a thorn in your side," Afan said.

Separately in Ujungpandang, political observers Sadly A.D. and
A. Muis from Hassanuddin University noted that the East Timor
case was a vivid example of the government's lack of control over
the country as a whole.

"The disintegration issue could easily erupt into a separation
issue," Muis said.

Sadly encouraged the government to reduce tension in other
provinces hit by unrest and separation issues by implementing a
regional autonomy concept.

"If other provinces such as Aceh or Irian Jaya get their
autonomy rights fairly and properly, things will be better."

Conspiracy

In a statement issued in Dili on Sunday, the United Front for
East Timor Autonomy (UNIF) strongly rejected the results of the
ballot, calling it a contrived international conspiracy.

They condemned the United Nations Mission in East Timor
(UNAMET) for its manipulative and colonialistic behavior in
always siding with the antiautonomy camp.

UNIF urged the People's Consultative Assembly and the
Indonesian government to reject the ballot and to hold a second
one.

They further demanded that the government file suit against
UNAMET at the International Court of Justice.

Another proautonomy group, the Forum for Unity, Democracy and
Justice (FPDK) also described the ballot as an international
conspiracy.

"The existence of a conspiracy cannot be denied. There's
enough proof to show the involvement of the international
community," FPDK spokesman Basilio Araujo told Antara in Dili.

"UNAMET's mission from the start was to help the
proindependent side win," he asserted on Sunday.

He claimed that one strategy used by UNAMET was to switch the
symbols on the ballot paper.

"They did that so the proautonomy sign would be on the bottom
of the ballot paper because during the campaign, people were told
that to choose autonomy one should choose the top symbol,"
Basilio claimed.

He also alleged that in the district of Ossu, Viqueque
regency, a UNAMET official dashed away with the ballot box only
to return later with the box's seal broken.
(44/30/har/edt/05/06/23/swa)