Greetings by the German Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia,
\nDr. Gerhard Fulda, on the occasion of the German National Day<\/p>\n
On 3 October 2000 we will be celebrating the tenth anniversary
\nof German unity. After forty years of enforced division, Germany
\nwas once again united with the agreement of all its neighbours
\nand allies. For the first time in our history Germany is
\nsurrounded only by friends and partners. For that we are
\ngrateful. And we see it also as an obligation in terms of the
\nfuture.<\/p>\n
Creating comparable living conditions throughout Germany and
\nreuniting - in a social, economic and also psychological sense -
\ntwo societies that for decades had been cast in very different
\nmoulds, was and remains an immense challenge. Although the
\nmaterial progress of the last ten years is clearly visible - some
\nparts of Eastern Germany nowadays have a more modern
\ninfrastructure than some in the West - there is still talk of a
\nlingering 'mental divide' between East and West Germans. In this
\nrespect, the united Germany is still a country in transition.<\/p>\n
I am stressing this point, because I think it contains a
\nvaluable lesson for all of us living in Indonesia. When I took
\nover my post as the new German Ambassador to Indonesia in June
\nthis year, I was astonished to realize that some observers,
\nforeign and Indonesian, viewed events in Indonesia with a certain
\npessimism. Although some of the recent events are indeed
\nworrying, I am optimistic about the future of 'demokratisasi' in
\nIndonesia. Not least because we Germans know from our own
\nexperience that it takes a lot of time to change attitudes,
\nhabits and mentalities which have developed over decades under a
\nregime, where the freedom of expression was suppressed. It seems
\nto me that we have forgotten too quickly that it is only a little
\nmore than two years since Indonesia embarked on its road to
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
Indonesia and Germany are linked by a longstanding friendship.
\nGerman scientists, explorers and traders lived on Sumatra, Java,
\nBali, the Moluccas and other islands since the 16th century.
\nToday, every year tens of thousands of German tourists visit your
\nbeautiful country. Vice versa, since the independence of
\nIndonesia around 17.000 Indonesians have studied in Germany and
\nhave brought back their newly acquired skills to Indonesia. As I
\nwrite, nearly 2000 young Indonesian study in Germany and I would
\nlike to encourage more young Indonesians to enquire about the
\npossibilities of 'Studi di Jerman'. Principally tuition-free!!<\/p>\n
One sign of our solidarity with Indonesia is the German-
\nIndonesian development cooperation. The overall goal of this
\ncooperation is to improve the living conditions of the Indonesian
\npopulation in general. Since its beginning in the 1950s, Germany
\nhas spent approximately 6 Billion Deutsche Mark in technical and
\nfinancial cooperation in Indonesia. Today, over a hundred German
\nlong- and short term experts are working together with Indonesian
\nexperts in projects all over Indonesia. The focus areas are
\nenvironment, health, human resources, transport and the promotion
\nof small and medium scale enterprises. In this context, I would
\nalso like to mention the successful scientific cooperation
\nbetween our two countries and the financial assistance to
\nIndonesia Germany is channeling through its membership in
\nmultinational organisations like the UN, the IMF, the World Bank
\nand others.<\/p>\n
As far as the bilateral trade between Indonesia and Germany is
\nconcerned, I am glad to say that we begin to see the first
\nencouraging signs. The most recent trade figures show an increase
\nin the bilateral trade volume of 27% for the period January - May
\n2000 compared to the same period in 1999, thus ending the
\nnegative trend of the last two years and creating a trade surplus
\nin Indonesia's favour in this period of over one billion Deutsche
\nMark. More than 150 German firms continue to be active in
\nIndonesia and although investment remains unsatisfactorily low, I
\nhave witnessed an enormous amount of interest in Indonesia as a
\npotential business location in my discussions with German
\nbusinessmen so far.<\/p>\n
The German reunification has shown that democracy is the key
\nto prosperity and stability. Let me conclude by saying that
\nGermany will continue to assist Indonesia on its way to a more
\ndemocratic society, because a prosperous and stable Indonesia is
\nin the interest of all. Human rights are good for business!<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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