---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- SUPANGKAT'S COLUMN: PRESIDENTS SUHARTO AND HABIBIE, MIGHTIER THAN PINOCHET The whole Indonesian regime is responsible in East Timor. President Habibie is the most poweful president in the whole world according to the 45 Constitution. Like his predecessors, Sukarno and Suharto, he is responsib- le to no one. He is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The fact that he was unable to excercise his absolute power is another matter and legally speaking won't make him free from his responsibility as President. If the Human Rights people think only General Wiranto and his 21 officers are responsible and have to be indicted on crime against humanity, they too select- ive, too ignorant about our 45 Constitution. Why is Pinochet held responsible for the attrocities in Chile and not Suharto and Habibie in Indonesia ? Both are by far not less powerful than Pinochet, they are evenmore mightier under the 45 Constitution which I called the "Dinosaur Constitution" of this age. The President of Indonesia is like holding a blank check of power. It would be very unfair to rate him lower than Pinochet. Jurists of international stature should have known this. The defenders of Indonesia (Asia Africa) within the Human Rights Commission succeeded to apply a new double standard to the Human Rights violation: the destabilizing effect of the international inquiry on EastTimor. As an Indonesian citizen and former independence fighter I realized what is at stake here, but bearing in mind that the Indonesian Armed Forces has been committing attrocities for decades with incredible impunity, it is only logical that we should let the inquiry and possibly the indictment take precedence for the past forgotten violations. What kind destabilization process will come out of the inquiry on East Timor? I think it is both inconceivable and irrelevant. The destabilization of Indonesia has been in process for a long time due to the repressive, corrupt and at- trocieties being condoned even given impunities in the Dutch colonial style of law and order based on "The Opportuniteits Beginsel" (The Principle of Expediency). It would be a disgrace to let the international community to manage our own internal affair like in East Timor. Foreign Minister Alatas and his Foreign Ministry is still practising the old East Timor policy of President Suharto in defending Dilli at all costs. Why? Because the truth about East Timor will expose the hands full of blood of Su- harto. Both Habibie and Alatas are Suharto's proteges and they are obliged to pay him back whatever is left in their power as cabinet members ad interim. In two months they will be deposed and replaced by the new elected regime. I really don't understand why a prestigious American institute would give honour to Alatas for his "outstanding performance" in foreign policy of Indonesia? New York, September 27, 1999. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 27 Sep 1999 jam 17:27:00 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
