Honor your guests, regardless of who they are!<\/p>\n
Imanuddin Razak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"Honor your guests! If they arrive at lunchtime or dinnertime,
\ninvite them to dine with you no matter how plain the meal is that
\nday,\" said a father of a friend of mine when I and a number of
\nfriends dropped in to visit one evening at dinnertime in the late
\n1980s.<\/p>\n
The advice stuck with me as it came from a retired civil
\nservant who lived in a simple house. And we, guests of his
\ndaughter, could not reject his sincere invitation for dinner even
\nthough there was only a plate of telur balado (boiled eggs fried
\nwith grounded chili) served with rice.<\/p>\n
It was a personal experience, but perhaps such a noble
\nprinciple of honoring guests could be applied by security
\nauthorities and caretakers for rescue and relief operations in
\nthe tsunami-hit province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, and to
\nIndonesians in general, who are hosting \"special guests\" of some
\n3,000 foreign aid and medical workers and foreign troops
\ncurrently on Aceh soil and seas helping with the operations.<\/p>\n
In the wake of heated controversy over the restrictions on
\nthe movement of the foreign aid workers and troops issued by
\nJakarta, the need to serve our foreign guests well, especially
\nwhen they have been invited to come and help with the operations,
\nis a must-do and urgent task of both civilian and military
\nauthorities in Aceh and Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Seemingly unprepared for the visits and poor coordination
\namong our officials, and between our local and foreigner
\nofficials, the government (including the Indonesian Military) has
\nbeen criticized for incidents of misunderstanding and
\nuncoordinated movement of foreigners in the province, which was
\nopened to foreigners only after the tsunami.<\/p>\n
Criticism and expressions of concern were raised, ranging from
\nissues of Christianization, promoting separatism and allegations
\nof intelligence activities of visiting foreigners.<\/p>\n
Such an expression of concern was raised by Smita Notosusanto,
\ndirector of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro). She said, as
\nquoted in a Jakarta magazine, that the presence of foreigners
\nreminded her of the situation prior to the August 1999 referendum
\nin East Timor, the result of which was East Timor's separation
\nfrom Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, former Army deputy chief Lt. Gen. (ret) Kiki
\nSyahnakri said Aceh soil, seas and air were prone to foreign
\nmilitary penetration now that the province was open to
\nforeigners, especially aid and medical workers.<\/p>\n
Cause for concern has yet to be proven. However, the arguments
\nput forth by critics are not completely baseless. After all,
\nWilliam Nessen, a U.S. freelance journalist who was expelled from
\nIndonesia due to his alleged support for the separatist Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) has entered Aceh.<\/p>\n
It's true that we may not be suudzon (Arabic term meaning an
\noverly suspicious manner), but extra caution should be practiced
\nas there is a possibility that some may take advantage of the lax
\ncontrol and monitoring in Aceh.<\/p>\n
In reply to the criticism and to provide protection for
\nforeigners, Jakarta and Aceh authorities issued regulations
\nrequiring all foreigners in Aceh and those wanting to enter Aceh
\nto register and secure an Indonesian liaison officer escort prior
\nto visiting sites outside the Aceh capital destroyed in the Dec.
\n26 tsunami.<\/p>\n
It is the duty of Indonesian officers to serve and accompany
\nany foreigner so as to avoid misunderstandings between local and
\nforeign aid workers as well as foreign troops and at the same
\ntime protect our guests from potential attack by armed groups.<\/p>\n
As for the foreigners, they should not damage the universal
\nspirit of unity that emerged following the tsunami, nor abuse
\nIndonesians' trust in them, by pursuing individual or group
\ninterests instead of providing assistance for rescue and relief
\nefforts for tsunami victims.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/honor-your-guests-regardless-of-who-they-are-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}