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)