Let's do it right

Let's do it right

Indonesia finally has begun prosecuting the military soldiers,
police officers and government officials in charge of East Timor
in 1999, the year the territory overwhelmingly voted to become an
independent nation. Two and a half years in the making, the East
Timor tribunals should be seen as a golden chance for Indonesia
to prove to the outside world that it can live up to its
responsibilities as a member of the international community.

The violence that broke out in East Timor before and after the
UN-sponsored ballot in August 1999 has tarnished the image and
reputation of Indonesia. Put in simple terms, Indonesia failed to
protect the lives, the safety and the property of the East
Timorese under its charge. Keep in mind that it was Jakarta who
insisted that security arrangements in East Timor during the
self-determination vote be entrusted to the Indonesian Military.

And Jakarta's reluctance and foot-dragging in prosecuting
those responsible for the violence has only destroyed what little
credibility Indonesia still commanded in the eyes of the world in
the wake of the 1999 mayhem.

The tribunals, which will try 18 government officials,
military soldiers and police officers, should answer many of the
questions that have been lingering for the last two and a half
years. We know what happened in 1999, but we are short of
explanations as to why these events happened at all.

Shortly after it became apparent that pro-Indonesian forces in
East Timor had lost the vote by a landslide, violence on a mass
scale erupted in East Timor. Hundreds of thousands of East
Timorese were herded at gunpoint by pro-Indonesian militias
across the border into the western part of Timor island. Those
who did not comply were slaughtered. Most towns, including the
capital Dili, were destroyed as was most of the infrastructure
that Indonesia had built over the 25 years it ruled the
territory.

There are allegations that the violence was a deliberate
policy, in fitting with the Indonesian Military's scorched-earth
policy. Even if the violence was not a deliberate policy, there
are questions about the failure of the Indonesian security
apparatus to prevent the attacks. At any rate, someone within the
Indonesian government, particularly the Indonesian Military,
should be held accountable for this mayhem, which caused a major
international uproar.

The tribunals, for all their shortcomings, should at the very
least come up with some credible explanations about the
unfortunate chain of events in East Timor in 1999. Once the
tribunals have established the truth, they should have the
courage to mete out punishments that fit the crimes.

Indonesia has wasted so much time trying, in vain, to prevent
the tribunals from taking place. It dragged its feet in
formulating a human rights law, establishing the human rights
tribunal and enacting other necessary legal instruments.

It is unfortunate that pressure on the government to hold the
tribunals has come mostly from outside the country. For most
Indonesians, East Timor was not just a mistake, but a nightmare
they would rather forget, especially now that the territory is no
longer part of the Republic. This explains why domestic pressure
for the tribunals is nearly nonexistent.

It is left to the international community to remind Jakarta of
its obligations in East Timor. The United States is leading the
campaign to put pressure on Indonesia, halting all military
cooperation with Jakarta, including the sale of weapons, until it
sees a credible trial take place.

The danger in this is that the tribunals may be seen largely
as a response to outside pressures or an attempt to please the
international community, rather than a genuine attempt to find
the truth, uphold justice and punish the guilty.

For what it is worth, the East Timor tribunals have finally
begun. The best we can do now is hope that justice be allowed to
run its full course. While it is not our intention to interfere
in the legal process, we hope that members of the tribunals
realize what is at stake and get down to work and uncover the
truth in a swift manner. Justice delayed is no justice at all.

Here is a rare chance for Indonesia to do the right thing.
This is not simply a matter of restoring Indonesia's honor and
integrity in the eyes of the world. We owe this to ourselves as
much as to the East Timorese who lost their lives, their
livelihoods and their homes in 1999. Let's not squander this
opportunity.