Doug Bereuter: “this Member rises tonight to comment on the crisis in East Timor and its broader implications for the political future…”

“this Member rises tonight to comment on the crisis in East Timor and its broader implications for the political future of Indonesia. This issue was a topic of a hearing of the Committee on International Relations' Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific which this Member chairs today. It was held jointly with the subcommittee's Senate counterpart committee, and Indonesia and East Timor will undoubtedly be a major topic at the APEC summit President Clinton will be attending this weekend. In the wake of the historic vote in East Timor, both Indonesia and East Timor face a future filled with portent. For Indonesia, the referendum comes at a time of very sensitive political maneuvering and a fragile economic recovery. When the subcommittee last held hearings on Indonesia on May 12, we were anxiously awaiting the June 7 national election results. Despite some violence, a very slow vote count and a limited amount of election irregularities that election was nonetheless judged by the international community to be a success. It buoyed optimism about Indonesia's ability to overcome its profound political and economic crises. However, that June election also created new complexities. No one party achieved a majority, and, in fact, the opposition, PDIP led by Megawati Sukarnoputri won a plurality of the vote.”