Read more about RI-U.S. relations<\/p>\n
Unfortunately the letter by Mr. Karl Fritz, Press Attache at
\nthe U.S. Embassy (The Jakarta Post, Jan. 18, 2000: Indonesia and
\nthe U.S.), in response to my article (the Post, Jan. 13 and Jan.
\n14: The U.S.: A party to mass murder) comes across as little more
\nthan a public relations exercise rather than any serious attempt
\nto establish the truth. Rather than trying to rebut the numerous
\nfacts contained in my article, Mr. Fritz, rather suspiciously,
\nhas tried instead to cajole the reader with phrases such as
\n\"Sophisticated readers will quickly recognize (my article) as an
\ninaccurate, distorted attempt to discredit the U.S.\" And more
\ncrudely he stops just short of labeling me a communist by stating
\nthat my writing is \"curiously reminiscent of Cold War
\ndisinformation\".<\/p>\n
Mr. Karl Fritz has obviously not read much about Indonesian-
\nAmerican relations himself, for if he had he would know that, to
\nthe great credit of American society, there are a number of very
\neminent \"American scholars\" who hold very similar views to mine
\nabout the heinous activities of the C.I.A. The agency's crimes
\nagainst humanity, not only in Indonesia but also in other parts
\nof the world, are now quite well documented.<\/p>\n
The only, perhaps, surprising fact is that no C.I.A. director
\nhas yet been indicted by an international court for those crimes.
\nIn my view such an indictment is essential if the complete truth
\nis to be arrived at. I wonder whether Mr. Fritz and the American
\nEmbassy are quite as keen as I to reveal the truth through such a
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
While there is plenty of evidence to show that America has
\nbeen far from a \"reliable friend\" to the people of Indonesia,
\nthere are increasingly more signs nowadays that it is more
\nsincere in wanting to be such a friend. Provided the U.S. intends
\nto match words with deeds then these recent statements by Richard
\nHolbrooke, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, are indeed encouraging:
\n\"Any (Indonesian) officers thinking of military adventurism have
\nforgotten that we are now in the 21st century\", and \"I want to
\nsay clearly that the U.S. government at every level, from the
\nPresident, the secretary of state and myself, all stand firmly to
\nthe fact that the military is risking doing massive damage to
\nIndonesia by continuing to attempt to thwart the efforts of
\nPresident Wahid, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman and other
\nleaders\".<\/p>\n
However, the empowerment of the Indonesian people through the
\ndevelopment of democracy is much more likely to succeed if the
\ntruth about the past is widely known. Only then will Indonesia
\nhave a more solid foundation for democracy to prosper, through a
\nproper assessment of the role and influence of key players in
\nevents over the past four decades in particular. If the U.S.
\ntruly wishes to be a \"reliable friend\" then it must be seen to
\nwelcome public debate and the truth that will eventually lead to
\nthe greater empowerment of the Indonesian people to effect
\nchanges in their own lives.<\/p>\n
FRANK RICHARDSON<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/read-more-about-ri-us-relations-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }