Observer calls for nationwide referendum

JAKARTA (JP): An election observer said on Tuesday the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) should support a referendum which allows the nation too choose between a federal and unitary state system in a bid to ease growing separatist demands.

Secretary-general of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) Mulyana W. Kusumah said the seeds of disintegration had originated from central government policies which belittled provincial aspirations.

"If we want to change from a unitary state to a federated one, the whole nation, not just Acehnese, Irianese or Riau people, should be asked. Other provinces should be consulted in the decision-making process," Mulyana said on the sidelines of a public debate on independence demands in Irian.

He said the nation's participation in the referendum was imperative because the republic was generated from a national commitment between the country's founding fathers.

Mulyana said the government was not the only party to carry the burden of responding to separatist demands. He called on the MPR and the House of Representative (DPR) to help the government communicate its policies to people in the provinces.

He said the government's slow response to complaints raised by people in the provinces had fueled the separatist demands.

"Although we adopted the Law on Regional Autonomy No. 22/1999, I think it's already too late to offer wide-ranging autonomy to the provinces. People can no longer maintain their patience."

Separately, the largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) declared its support on Tuesday for a unitary state despite growing demands for a federal system.

NU deputy secretary-general Arifin Junaedi said the 35 million-strong organization would recommend the government maintain the current unitary system at the end of its congress in Kediri later this month.

"One of our tausiyah (recommendations) will be a confirmation that the unitary Republic of Indonesia is the final form of this country," Arifin said.

"NU will not tolerate any form of separatism."

He said the recommendation would appeal to all elements of the nation to maintain the country's unity, and would mandate NU regional chapters in some volatile provinces to promote the commitment.

NU had assigned officials of its Aceh chapter to ease separatist demands there, Arifin said, adding that the Riau and Maluku chapters would follow suit.

Irian Jaya

During the public debate on Irian Jaya, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, Asmara Nababan, said a commission of truth was needed to deal with rights violations dating from 1969 in the easternmost province.

Nababan said the rights abuses had been committed by the government of Indonesia through its discriminative and oppressive policies in the natural resource-rich province.

Moderator at the debate, activist Karlina Leksono, displayed pictures of rights violations in Irian Jaya.

Nababan, who has visited the province on several occasions to investigate human rights violations, testified that many Irianese had been tortured, killed and raped.

"Not only the civil and political rights, but also economic and sociocultural rights of Irian people have been dishonored, he said.

He said that as an example of the wide-spread denial of rights the government attempted to deny Irianese their staple food staple and was attempting to introduce rice to the local population.

He said that when the Irianese fought for their rights, they faced the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the government, who always labeled the rights defenders as supporters of the Free Papua movement (OPM) or other antigovernment and antidevelopment groups.

"Such a label, in turn, gave the military legitimacy to act arbitrarily against the Irianese," Nababan said.

Irian Jaya has seen mounting demands for independence since the fall of Soeharto's New Order regime in May last year.

Nababan also suggested the establishment of a democratic political framework for Irian Jaya. "Such a framework is needed to protect and respect human rights, or else rights violations will continue in Irian Jaya.

"The political framework is to ensure that Irian Jaya people are free from intimidation and oppression. That's what the Papuans have been struggling for." (eba/emf)