Asia Times: Habibie falls into Timor quagmire



	September 10, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Habibie falls into Timor quagmire
By Kafil Yamin

JAKARTA - Already viewed as a lame-duck leader, Indonesian President B J Habibie's stature at home has been undercut, perhaps irreversibly wrecked, by the East Timor crisis.

But if he is drawing flak overseas for failing to restore order in East Timor, at home he is being pilloried for ''losing'' territory for which many Indonesian soldiers lost their lives, and for giving in to foreign pressure in holding a referendum in the first place.

''The international community may (see him as) a pioneer of human rights. But I would say he's a trouble maker,'' said Rachmat Witoelar, secretary general of the National Front (Barisan Nasional).

Others fault him for opposite reasons: failing to assert civilian leadership over the military amid the killings and arson in recent days by pro-Indonesia militias backed by members of the military.

Habibie's standing has been so damaged that talk is rife here about a military coup - denied by the armed forces chief Gen Wiranto - or an impending resignation, denied as well. ''There are so many rumors. There are rumors of (Habibie's resignation), of a coup d'etat. They're baseless,'' Defense Minister Wiranto said. On Thursday, a government statement said Habibie was ''in full control''.

Opinions on Habibie's decision to let East Timor go are far apart. Supporters say he ought to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for allowing the vote on East Timor's future. ''He gained more popularity among the international community as a leader who put high respect on human rights,'' said Theo Syafi'ie of the opposition Indonesian Democracy Party-Struggle (PDI-P).

Critics accuse Habibie of selling out East Timor for the sake of foreign funds. ''The nation's unity and dignity is too (expensive) to be swapped for IMF or the World Bank money. He should be held responsible for this disintegration,'' argued retired general Kemal Idris, head of the National Front.

Allowing a vote in East Timor may have boosted Habibie's reputation overseas, but it has made a casualty of his political career at home. The East Timor crisis has clearly ruined his chances of nomination for the presidency in November.

Since the announcement of the East Timor vote on September 4, demonstrations and street rallies have been intensifying in Jakarta both for and against the result, coming right in the middle of a presidential campaign. Those sympathetic to East Timor hold vigils for the besieged territory and stage rallies, while the opposite side demands Habibie's resignation and slams Australia for interfering in Indonesia's affairs by campaigning for an international peacekeeping force in East Timor .

By law, Habibie is scheduled to make an accountability report when parliament convenes on November 10, including a presentation of the results of the East Timor vote. Parliament's acceptance is needed so Jakarta can formally revoke a law that annexed East Timor in 1976, but now critics are saying the assembly might well reject the result of the ballot.

Habibie is at his most vulnerable. He is already under fire for Bank Bali scandal, which involves a finance firm linked to his Golkar party receiving a $68.6 million payment from a nationalized bank under questionable circumstances.

Habibie has been belittled by many since the presidency was turned over to him by Suharto under an arrangement that had the sanction of the powerful military. Others however say he has not done too badly, not least in seeing Indonesia through its first democratic election in June.

Criticism of Habibie here also centers on the absence of results of the government's inquiries into Suharto's alleged ill-gotten wealth, and ethnic unrest in Ambon and other areas. The issue of East Timor has provided new ammunition against him.

Critics recall that Habibie did not consult with the House of Representatives or the military when in January he offered East Timor independence if that was what its people wanted. ''As a head of the transitional government, he should have known his limitation,'' said Dimyati Hartono, chairman of the PDI-P executive board and political advisor of opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri. ''He should have not made a crucial decision like that.''

''The East Timor issue is related to state territory. Even a legitimate president cannot decide it himself, before listening to the people's aspiration,'' Dimyati added.

Habibie's signing of a decree imposing martial law in East Timor on Tuesday, in spite of opposition from his Cabinet and the House of Representatives, is also being held against him as a sign of not being in total control and of dissension within the government. The martial law declaration had been sought by Wiranto, but rejected at an earlier Cabinet meeting when officials said it could be seen as a violation of the UN-brokered accord that provides for the police to be in charge of East Timor's security.

Rebuffed, Wiranto went straight to Habibie and got him to approve martial-law announcement.

Because Habibie ''rushed'' the East Timor ballot and buckled to international pressure, his critics say, the military and police are now unable to control the situation. ''It is obvious that the military officials were surprised. Even Portugal was surprised,'' argued Syafi'ie.

A S Hikam, a political expert at the Indonesian Institute of Science, said: ''The police and the military find it difficult to deal with the situation because they didn't have enough preparation for that. Habibie has put the military in a difficult position.''

Rumors of a coup continue to swirl around Jakarta, even as Habibie meets with the five-member ambassadorial team sent by the United Nations Security Council to discuss how to bring security to East Timor. Indonesia has been adamant in rejecting a UN peacekeeping force in East Timor. Many here say foreign troops would be viewed as an insult to Indonesia and bullying from outside powers, which could stoke already rising resentment against Western nations, especially Australia.

(Inter Press Service)

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