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JULY 7 , 2000 VOL. 29 NO. 26 | SEARCH ASIAWEEK Less Restless As the provinces await consistent solutions, a temporary pause in separatist demands By JOSE MANUEL TESORO Jakarta What do trips to Washington, Beijing, London and Paris have to do with keeping restless provinces part of Indonesia? To President Abdurrahman Wahid, the answer is so obvious that the question does not even bear asking. Part of the purpose of his round-the-world travels, his government argues, is to acquire great-power guarantees that no other separatist movement will gain the kind of global support that was granted to East Timor. Without international pressure or recognition of claims to independence, the theory is that Jakarta can deal with its problem areas at its own pace and on the terms it chooses. The strategy seems to have paid off in at least one troubled province: Aceh. On June 2, after secret negotiations, Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM by its Indonesian initials) signed a "humanitarian pause" in Geneva. For the moment, enthusiasm for the separatist cause seems to be abating. Troops no longer search villages or abduct suspected separatist activists, says GAM strategist Teuku Malida. He says that Wahid's government has provided funds for rehabilitation and school fees, among other development and aid projects. Now, he says, he can drink coffee in his house without a weapon perpetually at his side. "People don't talk so intensively about a referendum on independence," says the guerrilla leader. "But confidence in Jakarta is still weak. What is the goal of the central government?" Heading off international support for separatism buys time for Wahid, but provides no lasting solution. His exact intentions for the regions remain unclear. "Gus Dur is inconsistent," says Dedi Ekadibrata of the Jakarta-based Autonomy Journal. He points out that people in the provinces, especially those dominated by the military, still feel unable to obtain justice from the government. That is one reason why in the province formerly known as Irian Jaya, independence sentiment remains high despite the separatists' international isolation. So many people raise the Papua "morning star" flag that police have their hands full pulling them down daily, report residents in the province. In May, a conference calling itself the Papua People's Congress reaffirmed West Papua's sovereignty since 1961, when it was turned over by the U.N. to Indonesia. Says activist Tom Beanal: "Our congress made it clear we do not want to be a part of Indonesia." Such sentiment reflects less a rational calculation of the costs and benefits of self-sufficiency than long-standing resentment over unequal sharing of revenues and resources between Jakarta and its provinces. In two years' time, according to laws passed by the administration of B.J. Habibie, Jakarta needs to complete a wide-ranging fiscal decentralization. About a quarter of what is now central government revenue will go to Indonesia's some 300 districts and municipalities, while both Jakarta and the regions will share earnings from resources (excluding oil and gas). Many government services, such as transport, health and public works, will be turned over to local authorities. If not handled carefully, this decentralization may pose as much a threat to national unity as armed separatist movements. Ekadibrata says he has reports that districts and municipalities are already quarreling over matters such as borders and water rights. Despite the short time-frame for the implementation of decentralization, Wahid seems uninterested in it. He has spent less time in the provinces than abroad, and leaves a single, understaffed state ministry to plan a process that involves the entire government. That has left a dangerous unfamiliarity at all levels with the powers and responsibilities of local administrations. If the euphoria raised by the prospect of more autonomy is not matched by reality, it may create even worse resentment of Jakarta. Often Wahid and his team take the problems of the rest of the country lightly. On West Papua, Wahid eerily echoes his predecessor Habibie's overconfidence on East Timor. "Most still want to stay with Indonesia," he declared after meeting West Papua leaders in Jakarta. He has ignored Bengkulu in southern Sumatra, still suffering from the effects of a June 4 earthquake. Eight months after he had given responsibility for eastern Indonesia to his vice president, North Maluku and Ambon remain roiled with religious violence despite a recent decision to shut off the region to outsiders. Persuading the world that Indonesia is indivisible may be a far easier and more pleasurable task than convincing one's own citizens. With additional reporting by Dewi Loveard/Jakarta Write to Asiaweek at mail@web.asiaweek.com
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