Terrorists vs. Aceh rebels

What is the difference between terrorists and the Aceh rebels? I sometimes get the impression that Americans are more or less egoistic in their policies -- domestic as well as foreign -- and their desire to dictate other countries what to do or not to do.

Indonesia is an independent and sovereign country, which was not a gift from the Dutch, but was the result of the people's hard and continuous struggle. Indonesia might not be a rich country at this moment, but we are rich in national pride and prepared to fight anybody who wants to change it.

The Jakarta Post of Oct. 4 reported that America wanted to crush terrorists all over the world, especially because terrorists are a danger to the U.S. Jefferey Winters of Northwestern University has put together a "Must Do Agenda" for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the new president.

What right has Jefferey to put such an agenda to the president-elect? We don't need to accept orders from foreigners as we have our own legal institutions that can act for the benefit of our nation.

The case in Aceh is a clear rebellion in violation of the Constitution lead by so-called leaders who live safely in faraway countries. Any rebellion violating the Constitution must be crushed for the benefit of the whole country.

In Indonesia we have a saying, that before you accuse other people, you have to look to see whether you are as clean as you would like them to be.

Winters wrote that the Acehnese are always ready to give leaders a chance, but once promises are broken the Acehnese will not only lose faith, but take up arms. This is only true of the rebels and not of the Acehnese as a whole. But the new government will tackle this "political misunderstanding" firmly and humanely based on the prevailing law so as to stop the rebellion and return to the ethos of the Republic proclaimed in 1945.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta