Kafil Yamin. Jakarta – Besieged by convulsions of violence, Indonesia's government faces more trouble from another flank – provinces and territories that want greater autonomy or even secession.
These calls show how centrifugal forces pulling on Indonesia's multi-ethnic archipelago – which spans 13,700 islands – are peaking at a time when the country is in political transition and the government probably most ill-prepared to deal with them.
The difficulty of holding together this nation of 220 million people, the fourth most populous country in the world, was often cited as a strength of former President Suharto's rule.
During his rule, calls for autonomy and decentralisation, in order to effect fairer wealth distribution and more control over gains from natural resources, were largely kept under control. But now that Indonesia is, for many, unraveling, regional administrations are reaffirming their long-held desire.
Even areas considered relatively calm and without secessionist movements, like South Sulawesi and Bali, have threatened to distance themselves from the central government. Some provinces have threatened to separate themselves from the republic, formed in 1945. Others say it is time to review the republic's structure and make it a federation.
Amien Rais, chairman of the newly established National Mandate Party, proposes a federal state. Since the present form of republic is under threat, he said "we should try to find the alternative which is more reliable in accommodating the interests of all Indonesians".
Places like Aceh or East Timor, home to armed movements for separation, are restless due to a history of human rights abuses by the government or the military and a desire for a bigger share of the wealth they contribute. Other regions have long felt at a disadvantage, not to mention, poorer, than the main island of Java, where Jakarta is.
For instance, Northern Sumatra or Aceh province contributes at least 11 billion US dollars to Indonesia's yearly state revenues. But it gets back not more than 57 million dollars – less than 0.4 percent – in its five-year development budget allocation from the central government.
"If we regained 50 percent of the regional revenue, we'll see a much more prosperous Aceh in the near future," said Djalaluddin Hasan, chairman of a commission in Aceh's House. With its abundant forests, oil and gas, Aceh in the western end of the archipelago has been feeding Indonesia with much of its produce for decades but remains poor.
For decades, Aceh was known as the site for what Indonesians call DOM or 'daerah operasi militer' (territory for military operation), where oppression, terror, shootings, killings and human rights violations were rampant.
Joining the chorus for a fairer share of wealth is Irian Jaya province, home to lush rainforests and giant gold and copper deposits – and mining operations led by the US based firm Freeport McMoran.
Freeport McMoran has 80 percent of PT Freeport Indonesia's shares, a copper mining company operating in the province for more than three decades. But while the Indonesian government and businessmen share ownership of the remaining 20 percent, the Irian Jaya provincial administration does not have a stake.
For its part, the provinces on Kalimantan island hold in their soil forests, gold, briquette, oil and cattle. The island feeds almost 40 percent of the state revenue, but its 30 million people earn less than a dollar a day.
Kalimantan is also the site of thousands of forest concessionaires, whose central offices in Jakarta are run by rich executives. "They have breakfast in Singapore, lunch in Hong Kong, dinner in Amsterdam," said Effendi Rustam, a forestry employee who goes with these executives on overseas trips.
The regions' pent-up feelings of resentment are now rising to the fore, feeding restlessness among a population long unable to express dissent and creating added problems for a government concerned with its very survival.
Irian Jaya has sent a strong warning to Jakarta that it would well see an independent Irian Jaya unless the central government reviews its governance structure. Aceh officials have aired similar demands, to stop human rights abuses, review wealth distribution that the central government takes and greater autonomy.
It is not surprising for Aceh and Irian Jaya to express such sentiments, but they are increasingly shared by socially and economically stable provinces like South Sulawesi and Bali.
Recent statements by Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Ahmad Muflih Syaefuddin stoked the resentment of the mostly Hindu Balinese, who threatened to break away from the republic unless the minister makes an open apology to them.
Syaefuddin had said opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri's chances of winning next year's presidential election were dim "because she is a Hindu, while Indonesia's majority is Muslim".
"I saw her praying in a temple. I think Muslims will soon notice that she is not a proper leader for them," Saefuddin said, in derogatory remarks interpreted as equating being Hindu with not being a good Muslim. For the Balinese, the statement was a gross insult to their religion.
Foreseeing growing pressure for disintegration ahead, some leading politicians and analysts argue that the decentralisation of governance is now inevitable. Argued Rais: "Under the federal system, regional discontent against the central government can be sublimated."
But the ruling Golkar party quickly rejected the idea. "Golkar will do its best to preserve this republic. We will not compromise about this," said Golkar chairman Akbar Tanjung.
Instead, he says Golkar wants to review the wealth distribution system among the regions. The military has made clear where it stands. As defense Minister and military chief Gen Wiranto put it: "ABRI's (the armed forces') divine duty is to defend this republic and its constitution."