Ministers arrive in rebellious Aceh
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): State Minister of Human Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad returned to his restive homeland on Saturday to pave the way for a dialog between President Abdurrahman Wahid and Aceh leaders later this month.
"I come here to visit my brothers. I have no specific message from the President, as I was only told to listen to the people of Aceh," Hasballah said upon his arrival in the provincial capital, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Monday to demand a self-determination referendum.
Hasballah was earlier seen kissing the tarmac on his arrival.
As his convoy headed into town, it passed groups of Acehnese waving banners that read Referendum and Without independence, Aceh is ready for a war.
Hasballah was accompanied by State Minister of Women's Empowerment Khofifah Indar Parawansa, State Minister of Housing and Regional Development Erna Witoelar and Minister of Transmigration and Population Al Hilal Hamdi.
On Saturday afternoon, Hasballah, Khofifah and Erna met with representatives of 22 non-governmental organizations in Aceh.
During the meeting, the activists told the three ministers that they supported the referendum as it had become the popular demand in Aceh.
"The people's years of suffering have compelled us to reconsider our presence within Indonesia," an activist said, reading a statement.
Earlier in the day, speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Amien Rais admitted that it would be difficult for Jakarta to reject the demand for a referendum as the Acehnese were strongly committed to the referendum cause.
"I have met with activists, students, ulemas and representatives of the Free Aceh Movement and I have reached the conclusion that all of the people here have agreed to push for a referendum," said Amien, who was about to return to Jakarta after completing a two-day visit here on Friday.
"I only appeal to the people here to think clearly because setting up a state is not an easy task," he added.
Amien also said that Jakarta should immediately pay its "debt" to the Acehnese by prosecuting alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses and implementing fairer revenue sharing to ease tension in the province.
Jakarta has come under mounting pressure to prosecute military personnel who were responsible for serious human rights abuses in Aceh.
In Washington D.C. on Friday, Abdurrahman said his government would not hesitate to take "tough attitudes against those who did not want to negotiate (with the government) and air demands which are not reasonable at all."
Abdurrahman was answering his United States counterpart Bill Clinton, who had asked him about his policy to maintain the Indonesian territory in the wake of growing resentment from provinces outside Java against the central government.
The President was referring to the Acehnese who are persistent in their demand for a referendum on their homeland's future.
Abdurrahman told Clinton he would primarily take a persuasive approach and hold a dialog with the parties concerned to find a settlement.
In the West Java capital of Bandung, constitutional law expert Sri Soemantri said on Saturday that Jakarta should consult the whole nation through a Canadian-style referendum to decide whether a referendum in Aceh is acceptable or not. (43/50/byg/prb)