Special status final for Papua and Aceh: Susilo

Special status final for Papua and Aceh: Susilo

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government told the provinces of Papua and Aceh on Monday
that the special autonomy status accorded to them in January 2002
would be final and any move to secede from the country would not
be tolerated.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in his year-end news briefing that
there was no room for the two provinces to hold a vote of self-
determination like East Timor.

Papua, the country's easternmost province, has been fighting
for separation from Indonesia since the 1960s, while Aceh,
Indonesia's westernmost province, has been struggling for
independence since 1976. Thousands of innocent civilians have
been killed in both conflicts.

To appease the rebels, the central government introduced in
January 2002 a special status for the two provinces, under which
they can, among other things, retain up to 70 percent of the
revenue derived from natural resources.

The special status, however, has been outrightly rejected by
rebels in both provinces, who insist that they would not settle
for anything less than independence.

The government signed on Dec. 9 an agreement with the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) to end all hostilities in the troubled
province. GAM, however, has not dropped its demand for
independence.

Susilo stressed on Monday that the government was determined
to maintain the country's territorial integrity.

"There are three major points that have become top priorities
for next year and those are maintaining the existence of
Indonesia as a state, keeping national integration and rebuilding
Indonesia," Susilo said.

He also said that the government would closely monitor the
implementation of special autonomy in Papua and Aceh.

"Together, we also have to monitor local administrations in
these two provinces to make sure that the special autonomy is
able to raise the standard of living for both Papuan and
Acehnese," Susilo said.

He also warned the political elite not to exploit people at
the grassroots level in conflict-torn areas, such as Maluku, Poso
in Central Sulawesi, and the border area of Atambua in West Nusa
Tenggara, for the sake of their political interests ahead of the
2004 general election.

"The elite's maturity in democracy is needed so that possible
political conflicts at the top level will not affect the
grassroots," he said.