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.