---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Dengan mengClick banner sponsor anda menyumbang Rp. 1000,- untuk HomePage IndoNews. ---------------------------------------------------------- KOLOM SUPANGKAT: IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO VOTING FOR EAST TIMORESE? Given the deadlock Tripartite caused by the adamant insistence of Indonesia's opposition against the referendum in compliance with Jakarta's own idea of "either autonomy or independence", there seems to be little chance if there is any to get the negotiations going. It put the Portugal and the UN Secretary General and his personal assistant Jam- sheed Marker on the spot as if the ball is on their court now. In the meantime, Fo- reign Minister Alatas and President Habibie kept saying that "East Timor is all yours!" while they are preparing for a civil war dreaded by all by arming the militia. Indonesia is demanding the impossible, the alternative to voting to determine the self-determination of a disputed territory under United Nation jurisdiction who has only one way to deal with: referendum. It is absolutely ingenious but unconscienable and totally in contravention with the Reformation spirit of the Habibie regime and reminiscient of the Suharto's new or- der: dominating the majority by the minoriy through unlawful means and thereby violating the human rights. Is there an alternative to voting to resolve the problem of basic arithmetic: how many for autonomy and how many for independence? Indonesia insisted irrationally that there is a way to find out: selective consultation of a few out of 800.000 people! Indonesia should realize that this is a matter of principle, democracy of oligarchy not only for Portugal and Secretary General Kofi Annan, but for the whole world. Again and again Indonesia tends to be unique in a bad way making ourselves a laughing stock of the world. I understand, Kofi Annan understands that Indonesia needs a face-saving device to leave East Timor gracefully but find a good one, there are some, I will reveal later. H.S. Hidayat Supangkat UN Room 343 Phone (212) 963-7140 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 17 Feb 1999 jam 13:50:56 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
