Abstract
Indonesia is one of the southeast Asian countries that had faced an economic disaster in 1997. As a result of this and its political and ethnic problems, Indonesia’s political future became unstable. Problems had begun when East Timor, a Portuguese colony that fell under Indonesian control in 1975, demanded its independence. Following a long struggle that cost many human lives, the East Timorese succeeded in voting for independence with the help of the United Nations in August, 1999. In May, 2002 it became an independent state. The separation of East Timor provoked other provinces such as Aceh, Riau, Papua, Kalimantan, and Ambon to express their wishes for independence. This paper explains the effect that East Timor’s independence had on other separation movements. Moreover, it concludes that in order to achieve unity, Indonesia must adopt a decentralization policy and distribute its revenues equally among all the provinces. Indonesiashould also preserve political and the human rights of all minority groups.
Recommended Citation
Karam, Jasem M.
(2003)
"Indonesia: A Geopolitical Study,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 45:
Iss.
2, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol45/iss2/2