Milosevic now. Who's next?

Milosevic now. Who's next?

Indonesia should take heed of the way Belgrade succumbed to
international pressure and delivered former Serbian strongman
Slobodan Milosevic to the United Nations to face war crime
charges.

The real message this story sends out is that the world
community has become more determined than ever to ensure that
those who have committed crimes against humanity will be
punished.

Belgrade had no choice but to deliver Milosevic to the
International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. The United States
and its European allies withheld aid that Belgrade so badly needs
until it complied with their demand.

The present government in Belgrade, which beat Milosevic's
regime in a democratic election in October 2000, had been
reluctant to hand over the man who was indicted by the tribunal
in 1999 for the mass killings and expulsion of ethnic Albanians
in Kosovo.

Many in Belgrade have argued that, for all the horrible things
that Milosevic was supposed to have done, he is a Serbian citizen
who must be protected by the constitution. If a trial had to be
held, they wanted it held in a local court in accordance with the
law of the land. To send him to The Hague has not only brought
shame on the man and his regime, but also the entire nation. It
will leave a stigma that will be hard to erase for years to come.

Milosevic became the first head of state to face an
international court for war crimes committed while in office.
Prosecutors also plan to charge him with war crimes committed in
Bosnia and Croatia. As we wait for the process to unfold in the
next few days, there are already many valuable lessons for
Indonesia to learn from the way the international community, or
more precisely the Western powers, pressured Belgrade.

Like Serbia, Indonesia has been facing international demands
to prosecute and punish officials in the government and military
for their alleged roles in the campaign of terror and destruction
in East Timor, before and after the people in the territory voted
for independence in October 1999.

Like Serbia, Indonesia is heavily dependent on the support of
the West to resuscitate its ailing economy. Already, Indonesia's
economy is virtually being managed by the International Monetary
Fund, with three successive governments holding power since 1997
practically having little say over policy. From an economic
standpoint alone, Indonesia is already far more vulnerable to
international pressure than Serbia.

Unlike Serbia, however, no Indonesian official or general has
been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal. But don't
bet that it won't happen here. Patience has its limits, and,
judging by statements from Australian and New Zealand officials
during President Abdurrahman Wahid's visit there this week, the
international community's patience may soon run out.

The United Nations has so far given the benefit of the doubt
to Indonesian authorities, who have said that they would
prosecute and punish errant officials involved in the East Timor
debacle in accordance with the crimes they committed. That was
the position in late 1999, when Indonesia promised that justice
would be upheld.

It is now nearly two years since that promise was made. Since
the initial investigations of officials in the government and the
military, which attracted massive publicity, progress has been
painfully slow. Not a single one of those investigated has been
brought to court, let alone convicted.

In the intervening years, questions about the progress of the
investigation have arisen on various occasions, like in Canberra
and Wellington this week. Each time the question came up,
Indonesia made new promises to pursue the matter.

How long do we think can we play this game without testing the
patience of the international community? The Milosevic case
should serve as a warning that the government had better get its
act together and prosecute those responsible for the East Timor
debacle before the matter is taken over by the United Nations,
putting the entire nation to shame, similar to what Serbia is
going through now.

Indonesia should stop pursuing this narrow brand of
patriotism, protecting a handful of its own people, particularly
if they brought shame on the entire nation through their actions
in East Timor two years ago. These officials should be punished
accordingly. By continually shielding them from the law, the
government and present military leadership are further risking
the nation's reputation and honor.