DATE=9/20/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=TIMOR / POLITICAL FALLOUT
NUMBER=5-44285
BYLINE=KYLE KING
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Indonesian reaction to the deployment
of the peacekeeping force in East Timor has so
far been muted. There was one small
demonstration outside the Australian embassy,
but none of the mass protests some analysts had
feared. However, the crisis in East Timor --
and the government's handling of it -- have
raised some troubling questions about the
country's difficult transition to democracy.
VOA's Kyle King has this report from Jakarta.
TEXT: With less than two months to go before
the Indonesian General Assembly is scheduled to
select a new President and ratify the results of
the U-N referendum on independence for East
Timor, Indonesia is a nation in turmoil.
In downtown Jakarta, a small group of angry
students staged another anti-government rally
outside the hotel where many Western journalists
have been staying.
// DEMO ACT, FADES UNDER //
The students, who have held almost daily
protests in the city, say they want less
military involvement in Indonesian politics.
// STUDENT LANGUAGE ACT, FADES UNDER
//
This student, from the Alliance City Forum,
wants to know why the military continues to have
two roles in Indonesia, exercising its security
function and taking an active role in politics.
The students also reject the authority of
President B-J Habibie, who along with many of
his ministers was appointed by former President
Suharto.
After years of authoritarian rule, the people of
Indonesia are anxious to embrace democracy. But
political analysts, like Salim Said, say the
transition to democracy has been difficult.
// SAID ACT //
This is a country that is trying to
develop itself and become a democratic
society. So we are now allowing people
and seeing how different opinion is being
aired into the society. 37
// END ACT //
But the results have been uneven. In the past
week, police silently looked on when noisy
protests were held against foreign involvement
in East Timor. But a student rally against the
government was broken up by police who fired
rubber bullets to disburse the crowd.
The managing editor of the Jakarta Post, Endy
Bayuni, says he is concerned about the
nationalistic feelings that have emerged in
Indonesia.
// ENDY ACT //
My own feeling is this is not the right
kind of nationalism we want to portray,
taking nationalism in a very narrow sense.
What is happening in East Timor is that we
made a mistake there, we did a very
terrible job, were rightly criticized for
failure, this is not a reason for the
government or military to rally public
opinion under the cause of nationalism.
There is no point in trying to shift the
focus or the blame away to other people.
// END ACT //
With a long history of colonial rule still in
the minds of many Indonesians, the idea that an
Australian led military force would be necessary
to quell the violence in East Timor is difficult
to swallow. Some militia leaders blamed for the
looting and killing there have even called for
attacks on the Australian led force, saying they
are thirsty for the blood of white people.
Canada's ambassador to Indonesia, Kenneth
Sundquist says such rhetoric is a symptom of the
country's difficult transition from
authoritarian rule, a transition that began with
the resignation of President Suharto just last
year.
// SUNDQUIST ACT //
What we are looking at is a country that
is making up for 50 years of lost time on
the political issues. Their economy has
progressed over the last decades
immeasurably, but the political system
didn't keep up with it. Now they are
trying to do that.
// END ACT //
Analysts say the question now is whether the
country's leaders can resist autocratic
responses to Indonesia's problems and allow a
democratic transformation to flourish. And,
they say, that challenge will have to be met in
the coming days and weeks, as key decisions are
made about the future of the country. (Signed)
Neb/KBK/KL
20-Sep-1999 10:50 AM EDT (20-Sep-1999 1450 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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