President Habibie makes final plea on East Timor

President Habibie makes final plea on East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie made a final impassioned
plea before the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Sunday to
ratify the results of the Aug. 30 ballot in East Timor which in
effect would separate the territory and pave the way for its
independence.

Seeking the most weighty justification, Habibie cited the 1945
Constitution which stipulates that independence is the right of
all nations.

He contended that it would be pointless for the country to
stubbornly maintain the integration of East Timor as the
integration was never recognized by the international community.

East Timorese voted overwhelmingly to reject wide-ranging
autonomy under Indonesia on Aug. 30. The results of the ballot
means that the territory will be returned as a nonself-governing
territory to the United Nations, which will then administratively
prepare its independence.

However, any formal separation from Indonesia has to be
conducted through the Assembly which must revoke Decree No.
VI/1978 which legalized the integration of East Timor as the
country's 27th province.

Habibie has come under fire from all quarters, including the
Assembly, for taking such a rash political decision which would
see state integrity undermined and without prior consultation
with the Assembly.

Habibie, during his reply to the Assembly's overview of his
accountability speech, said on Sunday that the Assembly must
honor the aspirations of the East Timorese.

"Although it is very bitter and sorrowful for us to see the
defeat of prointegration in East Timor in the direct ballot,
however, as a great nation... and in this new era where we are
determined to advance democracy and human rights in Indonesia, we
have to accept and respect the result of the ballot," he said.

All of the 11 factions in the Assembly, including the
Indonesian Military/National Police faction, blamed Habibie for
his hasty decision.

But Habibie dismissed these rebukes, including concerns by
factions that the government failed to press the United Nations
Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), as the organizer of the direct
ballot, to resolve the allegations of irregularities during the
ballot process.

"It is not true at all that the government is avoiding its
responsibility toward the East Timorese and just handed over
their fate to UNAMET," Habibie remarked.

He reiterated his justification for allowing a ballot,
politically referred to as a popular consultation, to take place
by arguing that Indonesia would not be able to play a major
international role in the future as long as there was no
internationally acceptable solution to the East Timor issue
found.

"We all hope with this policy that the problem of East Timor
which has become prolonged and caused heavy burdens for
Indonesians will eventually be resolved," Habibie asserted.

He also argued that he had fully involved the House of
Representatives (DPR) during the policy making process on East
Timor.

He maintained that all the policies on the troubled territory
were conducted in a transparent way.

Habibie noted that foreign minister Ali Alatas held regular
hearings with House Commission II for foreign affairs to brief
legislators on the latest developments in the territory.

"The whole process of negotiation was undertaken in a
transparent manner," the President said.

The decision to allow a ballot to take place shocked everyone.
The government announced on Jan. 27 that it was reversing its
two-decade old policy and offering a special autonomy option to
East Timor, which could be accepted or rejected by a ballot.

"It (the decision) was fully consulted with the leaders of DPR
and the factions," the President repeatedly said.

Most leading Assembly members have said they would agree to
repeal the 1978 decree on East Timor.

However, the debate remains on how the revocation should take
place. Some have suggested that East Timor's former colonial
power, Portugal, should reciprocate the Assembly's move by
deleting reference to East Timor as part of Portugal in its
Constitution.

The Assembly working committee has drafted two alternate
proposals: one would immediately revoke the 1978 decree, thereby
separating East Timor from Indonesia, and the other would delay
the revocation until Portugal does the same.

The Assembly is expected to endorse one of the options on
Tuesday night. (rei/prb)