Postponement E. Timor ballot

Postponement E. Timor ballot

From Media Indonesia

According to a morning news report from one private television
station on July 29, Indonesia is now considering the offer of
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the direct
ballot on the future status of East Timor, scheduled to be held
on Aug. 21 or Aug. 22, should be postponed to Aug. 30. The reason
for this postponement is that the registration for participation
in this direct ballot began a few days after the original
schedule, necessitating the extension of the registration period
to a new deadline, which is yet to be determined.

The proposal to postpone the direct ballot has tickled our
curiosity and left us wondering what is really going on in East
Timor. Have the East Timorese themselves hampered the
implementation process of the direct ballot by creating turmoil
and insecurity, or is it because the UN Mission in East Timor
(UNAMET) officials themselves are not really ready for this
project? In this context the explanation made by Nahdlatul Ulama
chairman Abdurrahman Wahid (better known as Gus Dur), who has
just been to East Timor, is worth contemplating. According to
him, the situation in East Timor is secure, with the exception of
one or two incidents that may be considered quite normal.

Some people have lodged their objection to the obligation to
show a baptism certificate in addition to the residence
identification card when registering for participation in the
upcoming direct ballot. This objection should be studied by those
in charge of the registration process and if necessary an
alternative should be sought to ensure that the East Timorese who
are actually eligible to take part in the upcoming direct ballot
will not miss their opportunity simply because of their inability
to fulfill the additional requirement (the baptism certificate).

In fact, Indonesia's good intention to sign a tripartite
agreement (with the United Nations and Portugal) to settle once
and for all the East Timor question should be supported by all
parties concerned. If all conflicting parties realize the
significance of this direct ballot, they will certainly restrain
themselves and help maintain the security in this region so that
the implementation of the direct ballot will no longer be
postponed. It must be borne in mind that security matters are the
responsibility of both security apparatuses and the East Timorese
people as a whole.

The upcoming direct ballot is important because it will
determine the future status of East Timor. Therefore the
implementation of the direct ballot must be supported by all
parties, particularly those still embroiled in conflicts. They
must remember that the fate of East Timor depends on their own
choices. Most important of all is that all parties can accept the
outcome of the direct ballot, whichever it may be: remaining
within the Republic of Indonesia with wide-ranging autonomy or
becoming an independent state.

SYNTHIA W.

Jakarta