Princen sided with people<\/p>\n
Anyone who cares about human rights in Indonesia will mourn
\nthe passing of one of the greatest champions of human rights, and
\nmore broadly the poor and oppressed in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
While working in the U.S. Embassy from 1996 to 1999, I met
\nfrequently with J.C. Princen -- often \"summoned\" to his office to
\nbe pressed to follow up on some outrage by the Indonesian (or
\nU.S.) government, or sometimes simply to chat about events.<\/p>\n
Among many inspiring memories of Princen one stands out: there
\nwas a trial session for one of the Soeharto regime's young
\n\"enemies\" at the Central District Court in Jakarta. Shortly after
\nit had begun, the normally wheelchair-bound Princen appeared to
\njoin friends of the defendant. As the trial session was taking
\nplace on the third floor, and there was no elevator, many of us
\nwere mystified as to how he had made it to the courtroom. As the
\nsession ended, it became apparent. With the assistance of friends
\nhe had climbed the multiple flights of stairs.<\/p>\n
I was honored to be asked among others to help him as he made
\nthe slow, painful descent back to the ground floor. His
\nwillingness to sacrifice for others, his wisdom and his love for
\nthe people of Indonesia, especially the poor, made him a tower of
\nstrength for Indonesians in their darkest days.<\/p>\n
I recall also a conversation in which I joked that it was
\nstrange that he had been jailed by both president Sukarno and
\npresident Soeharto, and that he had managed also to irritate
\npresident Habibie. I said it seemed he was consistently against
\nall Indonesian governments. With his playful smile he responded,
\n\"No you have it wrong; it is that I am always on the side
\nof the people.\"<\/p>\n
I recall finally what he called his \"anthem\", Edith Piaf's
\nhaunting Je ne regret rien. Truly, he had nothing to regret
\nthroughout a long and noble life, but we who knew him regret his
\npassing profoundly.<\/p>\n
ED MCWILLIAMS<\/p>\n
Falls Church, Virginia<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/princen-sided-with-people-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }