---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ and click banner our sponsor ---------------------------------------------------------- Subj: INDONESIA BLUNDERED AGAIN ON EAST TIMOR Date: 1/29/99 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] INDONESIA BLUNDERED AGAIN ON EAST TIMOR The Indonesian Money Lenders: the CGI, the IMF, the ADB, the World Bank pressured President Habibie to put his house in order before he could get another loan for getting even with the deficit spending a la Keynes. Alatas, Wiranto, Habibie apparently talked about how to kill the monster who has bedeviled them in this crisis by a "doubled edged sword": to appease both the money lenders whose loan is a must for the survival of his regime, and the international problem of East Timor especially the stronger and stronger pro- independence movement through some kind of a "face saving device" to getting out of the Vietnam-like quagmire gracefully. They would have argued along these lines: The independence of ET should be given neither through referendum which they had rejected all long nor as a gift but as a punishment for not accepting the offer for autonomy plus. How to give independence as a punishment and get out gracefully? The punishing gift should be delivered as a hot potatoto the next regime, so they would'nt be responsible in the least for the "boobytrap". What is the best way to give independence without the most hated referendum at the same time punish the rejctionists for not accepting the autonomy? Give independence as both a threat and punishment altogether without referen- dum for not accepting the offer for autonomy plus and don't give them the chance to backtrack to petition for integration. The idea is excellent as a self-fulfilling device to satisfy both the money lenders and the independence fighters. However, by not involving neither Portugal nor the UN in the ET problem is a blunder because according to the UN, ET has to fulfill the decolonization process. Both Portugal and the UN did not recognize the Balibo declaration for integration with Indonesia. According to UN resolutions 1514 the people of ET has the inalienable right for self determination by way of full independence, or association with an already independent state, in this case either Portugal or Indonesia. Naturally according to the internasional law the decision should be taken through referendum conducted or supervised by the United Nations. The pro-integration people of East Timor who has nothing to do with the rejection of the autonomy plus in the Tripartite talks would be punished by the Indonesian sully atittude and the threat of "no more petition for integration". They became the unintended victims of the hastily created bad policy. The punishment which will be inflicted the pro-integration people unintentionally would be evenmore severe and amounts to betrayal had Indonesia chickened out exactly as Portugal did in 1975 which had become the justification of their in- vasion claiming they could not tolerate a civil war which has the potential to flare up during the cold war right in their own backyard. Portuguese President Sampaio got on his conscience and suspected the Indone- sian move which would leave behind another civil war Portugal left in 1975. Indonesia blundered again on East Timor since their masterstroke diplomacy is disregarding the existing United Nations resolutions on decolonization concur- rently throwing the pro-integration East Timorese "to the wolves". Indonesia is on the receiving end of two UN Security Council resolutions one of them unanimously adopted plus about eleven General Assembly resolutions. H.S. Hidayat Supangkat United Nations. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 4 Feb 1999 jam 17:13:27 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
