The country is suddenly faced with myriad political and social demands, all of which seem to require immediate answers. And of course you know that there are no ready-made solutions. Among these challenges, probably none seems more threatening than the issue of separatism. It may well feel to some of you as if Indonesia's very existence is under attack from covert forces which believe the country iss too large, and want to break it up. But in fact, your case is not unique at all.
Separatism is a challenge facing many countries.
They are political problems and as such, they require political solutions. Separatism is a much more complex issue than terrorism though it is often identified with terrorism, because some separatists use terrorism to promote their cause. We cannot say that separatism is always wrong. After all, many member states of the United Nations today owe their existence to separatist movements in the past. But please do not think that that means the United Nations is predisposed in favour of separatism, or that its purpose is to break up large states into smaller ones.