Indonesia loses?<\/p>\n
I would like to express my disappointment to Jeffrey Winters,
\nwho wrote on Oct. 16 the article titled The world blinks, but
\nIndonesia loses. In general he gave the impression that
\nIndonesians did not do anything, while we know the government has
\ndisplayed a commitment to disarm the militias. Coordinating
\nMinister for Political Affairs, Welfare and Security Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono flew to Atambua to supervise the implementation
\nof the policy.<\/p>\n
First, Mr. Winters said this effort by the government to stand
\nup against the pressure of the international community reflects
\ncheap nationalism. If the United States was in Indonesia's shoes,
\nwould its government and citizens not react in the same manner?<\/p>\n
What if some country such as Indonesia criticized the U.S.
\nover its policy on Cuba, its invasion of Granada, or maybe its
\ninvolvement in Vietnam years ago? I don't think all those
\nCongress members nor those in the government would be quite
\nhappy.<\/p>\n
Winters should also elaborate more on the meaning of
\n\"nationalism with principle\". Was the U.S. invasion of other
\ncountries a reflection of such nationalism?<\/p>\n
Second, I don't quite agree with his argument that honoring
\nIndonesian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in East Timor is
\nthe same as the Dutch honoring their own in defending colonial
\nrule. We may not accept the atrocities of our soldiers but it is
\nthe deed we condemn, not the persons!<\/p>\n
So we can still honor their sacrifice by, say, compensating
\ntheir families while also bringing to justice those involved in
\nthe atrocities.<\/p>\n
Third, I'd like to remind Mr. Winters about the double
\nstandard practiced in the international community in the case of
\nPalestine. Why doesn't he question all those Israeli soldiers who
\nkill hundreds in Palestine, including innocent children, in the
\npast few days? Why didn't the UN or U.S. threaten to disrupt
\nIsrael's economy?<\/p>\n
Finally I don't think Indonesians have lost all their ability
\nto think and act according to basic principles of justice. I'm
\nalso sure that many among us still have something to be proud of;
\nat least we're trying our best to correct all our past wrongs.<\/p>\n
VITTO R. TAHAR<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-loses-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }