Asia Times: Wahid is urged to stay home more



	November 27, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Wahid is urged to stay home more

JAKARTA - Chairman Amien Rais of Indonesia's People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has urged President Abdurrahman Wahid to stop visiting foreign countries, and concentrate on pressing domestic matters.

''The President should concentrate on internal affairs, particularly the Aceh issue,'' Amien said Thursday. After returning from the current Middle East tour, Amien wants the president to work out a solution to the Aceh issue with Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the cabinet ministers concerned and the National Defense Forces (TNI) high command.

The MPR leader stressed internal events were just as important as foreign affairs: ''If the situation at home is stable and healthy, our approach to foreign countries will also be stable. On the other hand, if our domestic situation is not favourable, our foreign policy will also be shaky.''

Amien accused the government of handling Aceh in a rather ''clumsy'' way. Indeed, the crisis has reached an advanced stage, and yet the government still has not prepared a strategy to deal with the problem. ''This is only adding to the alienation between the central government and the Aceh people, who want to know their future prospects as soon as possible,'' Amien said.

In the light of lack of governnent action, Amien said that the demonstration by thousands of Acehnese at the parliament building on Thursday to demand a referendum was something proper in a democratic country.

Responding to a question about the possibility that the military would reject the human rights violation charges against them on the ground that they had merely been carrying out their duties in the service of the state, Amien said the military should not use that pretext.

(Asia Pulse)

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©1999 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.