The apology made by President Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia to the rebel provinces of Aceh and West Papua for past human rights abuses by government forces was a statesmanlike gesture. It is the sort of language that needed to be heard from Jakarta if there is to be any hope of allaying local resentments in this fragile archipelago. Unfortunately, as the spate of bombs across Aceh province yesterday demonstrates, the rebels there are in no mood for conciliation. It may be different in West Papua. Two Belgians, seized by the Papuan Liberation Movement eight weeks ago, have just been released, and it seems that the move was a conciliatory gesture, timed to coincide with the 56th independence anniversary.
Not that either the West Papua releases or the Aceh bombs should be seen as a specific response to Megawati’s eve-of-anniversary speech. Both must have been planned in advance. The speech itself shows her to be the best chance that Indonesia has surviving in one piece. The apology, together with the acknowledgement that the country needs a security force which is not just effective, but “highly disciplined” and under the full control of the government, shows that she understands that military repression will do nothing for national unity. All it has achieved so far is to alienate local people and intensify their support for secession.
But her call, with its appeal to the two troubled provinces to accept new autonomy deals giving them greater control over their own affairs, is not as straightforward a conciliatory gesture as it might first seem. It was balanced with a ringing declaration that she would never allow them, or any other province, to become independent like East Timor. There was nothing weak in her words. On the contrary, it all sounds a bit like iron-fist-in-velvet-glove stuff; and the military will have loved it. In fact, it is a combination of nationalism and the sort of common sense that has not been seen in Jakarta for some time. In place of corruption (the Suharto regime) and weakness (Presidents Habibie and Wahid), she has brought to Jakarta a realization that Indonesia’s many problems — secession, abuse of power, the economy, as well as corruption and incompetence — are all interrelated; solving one will help solve the others.
None of this guarantee that she will succeed. The task is daunting; and solving any one problem will take time, which she may not have. Both in Aceh. West Papua, which have for so long been stripped of their natural resources with nothing given in return other than army brutality, there will have to be major investment programs to weaken the allure of secession. But major investments require a healthy economy — and good intentions will not be enough to turn the economy around.
But she is setting out on the right tracks. Her very public orders to her family not to even think about dipping their hands into the national coffers and to government ministers and officials to reveal their wealth to state auditors are bound to improve her credibility and provide an extra degree of confidence in the Indonesian economy.
She sounds decidedly tough — but sensible. And that is precisely Indonesia needs from its government at present, if it is not to fall apart.
