DATE=2/21/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDONESIA / AUTONOMY (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-259389
BYLINE=GARY THOMAS
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Indonesia has been wracked by violence, some of
it by armed movements demanding independence or
autonomy. Those demands have become more insistent
with the end of President Suharto's autocratic rule in
1998. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports,
Indonesia's president is looking to change the way the
country is governed.
TEXT: In an interview with VOA, President Abdurrahman
Wahid said demands for independence or autonomy by
restive provinces mean Indonesia will have to move to
some form of federal government. Just don't, he says,
use the word "federalism."
/// WAHID ACT ///
Of course we will federalize the system, but we
don't call it a federal system. I mean because
there are various degrees of federalism.
Because of this we have to be careful.
/// END ACT ///
Under the rule of former President Suharto, all power
was firmly held by the central government in Jakarta.
Local governments had little say in their own affairs.
Attempts to gain more autonomy, some of them by armed
guerrilla movements, were firmly suppressed by the
military - sometimes violently. Thousands of people
disappeared or were killed, allegedly at the hands of
the military, in places like East Timor and Aceh.
But the attitude toward autonomy has changed with a
new government in Jakarta that is more receptive to
local demands. Mr. Wahid says granting real local
autonomy is one of his top priorities.
/// 2nd WAHID ACT ///
One (priority) is how to set up or establish
autonomous governments. Maybe that's federal or
not, I don't care, but, actually, the so-called
local governments should be set up and have real
power.
/// END ACT ///
The spate of violence across Indonesia has raised
concerns that Indonesia will have to institute
federalism to prevent disintegration. But, as Mr.
Wahid points out, the concept has a bad reputation
here because of a failed attempt at federalism early
in the country's independence.
/// 3rd WAHID ACT ///
We will opt for the system we would like but we
don't call it federalism because federalism is a
dirty word left by the Dutch. The Dutch used
federalism to kill the Republic of Indonesia at
that time. So then people were angry because of
that. And until now, they refused to acknowledge
a federal system. Of course, in that way, we
will do federalism, but without the name. So
like what was said by Shakespeare, "What's in a
name?"
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Wahid adds that he still backs the concept of a
referendum for Aceh, where an armed separatist
movement is still very active. But he says leaders
there are content with special status for the
province.
/// 4th WAHID ACT ///
They said to me, well, it's enough for you to
say the Special Province of Aceh. Because it's
a Special Province, you don't need a referendum,
you don't need federal system. It's just the
Special Province of Aceh.
/// END ACT ///
Any move to a federal system for the country as a
whole, however, is liable to run into stiff resistance
from a still-powerful military and a skeptical
parliament. (Signed)
NEB/GT/KL
21-Feb-2000 08:00 AM EDT (21-Feb-2000 1300 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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