Territorial Integrity
Territorial Integrity
President Abdurrahman Wahid has been widely criticized for
spending more time abroad than at home in the first month since
he took office, even as various crises escalate. But if one of
those crises is the threat of national disintegration, which his
critics often speak of, then his extensive foreign travels have
not been entirely wasted. Winding up his visit in the Philippines
for the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), the President said on Sunday that he had secured the
support of Indonesia's neighbors to defend its territorial
integrity, including its rule over the restive Aceh province
where a secessionist movement has been building up. Previously,
he received similar assurances from U.S. President Bill Clinton
in Washington and from Arab leaders during his Middle East trip.
These statements of support essentially mean that they endorse
Abdurrahman's leadership in dealing with insurgencies that have
been brewing in some parts of Indonesia, in particular Aceh,
where the problem is most serious. Indonesia's neighbors have
expressed concern -- widely shared by officials and politicians
in Jakarta -- that if Aceh goes, it will lead to the breakup of
Indonesia. Others, including the United States and Japan, have
warned of the prospect of a fragmentation of Indonesia into
dozens of small states.
Such statements of support are essential given Indonesia's
recent unhappy and embarrassing international experience during
the separation of East Timor in September. East Timor has always
been a different case because Indonesia's rule there was never
recognized by the world. When the people of East Timor demanded a
referendum of self-determination, they had massive international
support. It is interesting to see that not a single country in
the world has openly stated its support for a similar demand from
the people of Aceh, although they have suffered just as much as
the East Timorese when it comes to human rights abuses.
The assurances that President Abdurrahman received from
foreign leaders should send clear signals to the Acehnese who are
harboring separatist sentiments that they will find little
international sympathy or support for their cause. For Jakarta,
the assurances signal that as far as most of the world is
concerned, Aceh is Indonesia's domestic affairs. Indonesia can
therefore discount the possibility of major foreign countries
helping to supply arms or to train separatist guerrillas.
The statement of assurances that President Abdurrahman
received, however, should not be treated as a blank check for the
Indonesian government to do whatever it takes to maintain its
unity, including keeping Aceh under its rule. The ASEAN leaders,
for example, clearly qualified their support for Abdurrahman by
saying that the Aceh problem should be resolved by peaceful
means. It is therefore very disturbing to hear the President, in
a media conference in Manila on Sunday, state that Indonesia will
defend its territorial integrity "at all costs".
Such a statement from Abdurrahman could send the wrong signal
not only to the Acehnese, but also to the Indonesian Military.
Both have been anxious to find out what the President has up his
sleeve, and both appear to have been confused by his conflicting
statements in regard to the situation in Aceh, from the question
of a referendum to martial law. To the Acehnese, the statement in
Manila signals a hardening in the President's position when he
has yet to explore peaceful avenues.
To the military, it gives justification for the use of force
in the name of maintaining national unity. Some elements of the
military have certainly been pushing hard on the President to
declare martial law in parts of Aceh.
The President's "at all costs" remark should preclude the use
of military force because the problem in Aceh originated from the
disastrous military policy in dealing with separatist sentiments.
It was the military's high-handed approach of the past decade or
so, more than anything else, that prompted many Acehnese to
demand the self-determination referendum. More militarism will
only exacerbate the problem. We should have learned our lesson
well from the way the past administrations botched East Timor. A
referendum, as dangerous as it is to the cause of territorial
integrity, must still precede any military solution.
Although President Abdurrahman has won assurances from foreign
leaders that Aceh will be treated as Indonesia's domestic issue,
the world will not be able to stand silent to renewed atrocities
which will likely take place if he sanctions another military
operation in the province. The President would do well to clarify
his remarks in Manila by saying that he will defend Indonesia's
territorial integrity, but never at the cost of human lives or
democracy. This way, he would not only pacify the Acehnese, but
he would also keep the military on a leash.
President Abdurrahman Wahid has been widely criticized for
spending more time abroad than at home in the first month since
he took office, even as various crises escalate. But if one of
those crises is the threat of national disintegration, which his
critics often speak of, then his extensive foreign travels have
not been entirely wasted. Winding up his visit in the Philippines
for the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), the President said on Sunday that he had secured the
support of Indonesia's neighbors to defend its territorial
integrity, including its rule over the restive Aceh province
where a secessionist movement has been building up. Previously,
he received similar assurances from U.S. President Bill Clinton
in Washington and from Arab leaders during his Middle East trip.
These statements of support essentially mean that they endorse
Abdurrahman's leadership in dealing with insurgencies that have
been brewing in some parts of Indonesia, in particular Aceh,
where the problem is most serious. Indonesia's neighbors have
expressed concern -- widely shared by officials and politicians
in Jakarta -- that if Aceh goes, it will lead to the breakup of
Indonesia. Others, including the United States and Japan, have
warned of the prospect of a fragmentation of Indonesia into
dozens of small states.
Such statements of support are essential given Indonesia's
recent unhappy and embarrassing international experience during
the separation of East Timor in September. East Timor has always
been a different case because Indonesia's rule there was never
recognized by the world. When the people of East Timor demanded a
referendum of self-determination, they had massive international
support. It is interesting to see that not a single country in
the world has openly stated its support for a similar demand from
the people of Aceh, although they have suffered just as much as
the East Timorese when it comes to human rights abuses.
The assurances that President Abdurrahman received from
foreign leaders should send clear signals to the Acehnese who are
harboring separatist sentiments that they will find little
international sympathy or support for their cause. For Jakarta,
the assurances signal that as far as most of the world is
concerned, Aceh is Indonesia's domestic affairs. Indonesia can
therefore discount the possibility of major foreign countries
helping to supply arms or to train separatist guerrillas.
The statement of assurances that President Abdurrahman
received, however, should not be treated as a blank check for the
Indonesian government to do whatever it takes to maintain its
unity, including keeping Aceh under its rule. The ASEAN leaders,
for example, clearly qualified their support for Abdurrahman by
saying that the Aceh problem should be resolved by peaceful
means. It is therefore very disturbing to hear the President, in
a media conference in Manila on Sunday, state that Indonesia will
defend its territorial integrity "at all costs".
Such a statement from Abdurrahman could send the wrong signal
not only to the Acehnese, but also to the Indonesian Military.
Both have been anxious to find out what the President has up his
sleeve, and both appear to have been confused by his conflicting
statements in regard to the situation in Aceh, from the question
of a referendum to martial law. To the Acehnese, the statement in
Manila signals a hardening in the President's position when he
has yet to explore peaceful avenues.
To the military, it gives justification for the use of force
in the name of maintaining national unity. Some elements of the
military have certainly been pushing hard on the President to
declare martial law in parts of Aceh.
The President's "at all costs" remark should preclude the use
of military force because the problem in Aceh originated from the
disastrous military policy in dealing with separatist sentiments.
It was the military's high-handed approach of the past decade or
so, more than anything else, that prompted many Acehnese to
demand the self-determination referendum. More militarism will
only exacerbate the problem. We should have learned our lesson
well from the way the past administrations botched East Timor. A
referendum, as dangerous as it is to the cause of territorial
integrity, must still precede any military solution.
Although President Abdurrahman has won assurances from foreign
leaders that Aceh will be treated as Indonesia's domestic issue,
the world will not be able to stand silent to renewed atrocities
which will likely take place if he sanctions another military
operation in the province. The President would do well to clarify
his remarks in Manila by saying that he will defend Indonesia's
territorial integrity, but never at the cost of human lives or
democracy. This way, he would not only pacify the Acehnese, but
he would also keep the military on a leash.