Serious about unity?

Serious about unity?

On Dec. 12 I read in The Jakarta Post an article titled Govt
to get tough on Aceh rebels, with mixed feelings. Is our
government serious, or is this another statement just for
propaganda purposes.

It is only logical that I cannot yet accept this statement as
the sincere and serious will of the government. Already, several
statements from the President himself have confirmed the decisive
will of the government to implement the reform era's goal of
implementing the principle of supremacy of law, however what we
have seen so far is only what is popularly known as NATO (No
Action Talk Only).

The President once said that one day, as a president, he would
govern according to the Constitution, and yet he promised to
attend the Irian Jaya Congress fighting for independence, and on
top of that promised to donate one billion rupiah, to allow those
people to hoist their Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag. Now he
asks the police to free from detention the Irian leader, and will
probably fire the Police Chief if he does not obey his order.
What a situation.

When he was in America, the President said that he would talk
with people who are prepared to talk, but stern action would be
taken with those who didn't. The President further said that the
integrity of the unitary Republic of Indonesia must be defended
at all cost. The President also said, according to the Post of
Aug. 8, 2000, that there were no possibilities of a compromise
with law violators.

On March 14, 2000 in a televised interview President
Abdurrahman Wahid said, among other things: "I told the Minister
of Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs
and Security, that if they prepare themselves, organize power and
arm themselves, then they must be arrested. The government is
very serious about this."

The Post, in its editorial, was critical of the government for
arresting leaders of the independence movement in Aceh and Irian
Jaya, as they were preaching nonviolent means in their struggle
for freedom. This statement by the Post implies that the daily
agrees with the independence movement's calls for separation from
the Republic, which is against the Constitution. In my opinion,
as somebody who has participated in the freedom struggle, the
unity of the Indonesian unitary republic cannot be bargained
with. That is why the government of Soekarno, without the
slightest hesitation, fought the PRRI, PERMESTA and the DI/TII
rebellion. Even in a democratic government like Indonesia there
are limits about what we can talk about, and the deciding limit
is the Constitution.

I personally don't believe that a majority of the people
support the rebels. When I was fighting the Tentara Islam
Indonesia (Indonesian Islamic Army), of the Darul Islam in West
Java, I had the chance to talk with people living in fear and
uncertainty. They said: "There is no choice. We have to support
the TII, because if we don't they will kill us. But if we don't
support the TNI then we are only tortured. We prefer being
tortured to being killed."

I sincerely hope that the government will show a strong will
and seriously try to find a solution in the shortest possible
time. The people in those areas have suffered long enough and it
is time they enjoyed a normal, happy life. Let us pray that the
government will take the right step and once decided, they stick
to it.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta