President Megawati Sukarnoputri's performance in dealing with rebellious Aceh province is worse than her two predecessors Abdurrahman Wahid and B.J. Habibie, says an Australian observer.
State news agency Antara on Saturday quoted Lesley McCulloch, a lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania and an expert on Aceh affairs, as saying that Megawati's dependence on the military is the reason behind her weak performance.
She said that when Megawati was elected Indonesia's fifth president in July 2001, the people of Aceh expected a lot from her, specifically that she would be able to resolve the province's conflict through peaceful means.
This what Megawati said on July 29, 1999, when she was vice president: "Especially to my brothers and sisters in Aceh, I ask your patience. When Cut Nya' [Acehnese: your female leader] leads this country, I shall not allow a single drop of the People's blood to wet your sacred land that made such a huge contribution to making Indonesia free. To all of you I shall give my love, I shall give you your Arun [oil fields], so that the People can enjoy the wondrous beauty of "Mecca's Veranda" [a metaphor for Aceh] when it is developed with love and responsibility among the various Peoples of a nation, the Indonesian nation!"
That turned out to be utter hogwash, evidenced by almost daily reports of killings in Aceh.
McCulloch said Megawati disappointed the people of Aceh when she opted to use the military to carry out her policies in the province.
Noting that Megawati once shed tears over the sufferings of the Acehense, she said those tears no longer mean anything to the people of the strife-torn province.
The revival of the Aceh Regional Military Command and indications that the military and police are being given a free hand in conducting operations in Aceh show the Indonesian government's current policies are not conducive for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, she said.
In the name of territorial integrity, Megawati has indirectly given permission to the military to take whatever measures it sees fit in Aceh, she added.
This policy was never pursued by her predecessors, said McCulloch, adding that Megawati does not have a clear policy on Aceh.
The Australian academic claimed the number of Indonesian troops in Aceh is greater than those that were in East Timor.
She expressed concern that many Indonesian soldiers and police in Aceh do not wear their official uniforms while on duty, but often conduct searches for weapons while dressed in civilian clothes.
Commenting on the possibility of the government placing Aceh under civil or military emergency status, McCulloch said a declaration of either status would be a mere formality as there is already a pervasive military and police presence in the province.