The Dresden incident<\/p>\n
President Soeharto is well-known for his composure, wisdom,
\nand self restraint. Seldom he is known to engage himself in an
\nemotional outburst. Thus, it came as a surprise, when, last
\nThursday on his return from a state visit to Germany and several
\nCentral Asian countries, he lashed out at certain Indonesian
\nindividuals, who are believed to have been directly, or
\nindirectly, involved in demonstrations against him in Germany. He
\nhas asked the authorities to take firm measures against them.<\/p>\n
Although the President concealed his true feelings in his
\nusual relaxed manner, while smiling and laughing, judging from
\nthe words he used in reference to those individuals -- \"crazy\",
\n\"insane\", \"irrational\", \"selling out their country\" -- one could
\ngauge that this time the President was really upset.<\/p>\n
During visits abroad, it is not unusual for President Soeharto
\nto encounter demonstrations against him, but he has never been
\nknown to publicly condemn them. Thus, there must be substantial
\nreasons why the President was so upset this time.<\/p>\n
The first assumption is that this may be because for the first
\ntime, the President's entourage was in very close proximity to
\nthe demonstrators. Some reports said the crowd, which was
\nshouting obscenities, came as close as one meter, or one-and-a-
\nhalf meters, of the President's vehicle.<\/p>\n
Second, President Soeharto has received reports that some
\nIndonesians took part in the demonstrations, or had given input
\nto the foreign protesters, and that some even went as far as to
\ngo to Germany to provide materials for the protesters. Perhaps,
\nthese might be the reasons behind the President's wrath, that
\nmotivated him to use the term \"sell out\".<\/p>\n
We certainly deplore the demonstrations in Germany, and
\nparticularly condemn those protesters in Dresden, who shouted
\nobscenities and insults at President Soeharto. Any Indonesian
\nwith enough common sense and patriotism would certainly be angry
\nand upset if our head of state was insulted or abused with dirty
\nwords. If it is true that some Indonesian citizens took part in
\nthose protests, it is a most deplorable act and their involvement
\nmust be investigated.<\/p>\n
But, first, we have to question how the protesters in Dresden
\ncould come within such close proximity to the President's
\nentourage. The idea that the security officers in Dresden, which
\nwas formerly a communist state, \"maybe do not have the experience
\nfor effective crowd control\", as the President has said, sounds
\nsuperficial.<\/p>\n
What would have happened if terrorists, for instance, had
\ncapitalized on the lax security to wage an attack on Pak Harto?
\nWho would have to bear the responsibility if such a thing had
\nhappened? Who was responsible for allowing the President's
\nentourage to enter into such a vulnerable situation? Clearly,
\nthis incident must be thoroughly investigated and not settled by
\na merely plausible apology.<\/p>\n
As to those people believed to be linked with the
\ndemonstrations -- some security officials have named Goenawan
\nMohamad, Sri Bintang Pamungkas and Yeni Rosa Damayanti -- we
\nthink that we must be careful and use common sense before
\nindulging ourselves in joining the chorus already blaming them.
\nAfter all, we always pride ourselves in being citizens of a
\ncountry which respects the law. Thus everybody must be considered
\ninnocent until proven otherwise by the law. Hence, it would be
\nwise to let the nation's law agencies have the chance to
\nthoroughly investigate the matter before making a hasty judgment.<\/p>\n
We believe that it is also wise to clearly define what is
\nmeant by the term \"giving out materials\" to foreign parties. Does
\ngiving lectures or interviews abroad fall under this category?
\nCan exchanging information on the current situation with foreign
\norganizations be considered giving input to foreign parties? And,
\nwhat materials are considered \"negative\" or \"harmful\"?<\/p>\n
We have to remember that in this age of information, the world
\nhas shrunk to an extent that information can be easily obtained
\nthrough any electronic means. We should also remember that from
\nthe very beginning we opted for an open society in which
\ninformation is easily accessible for everybody.<\/p>\n
Consequently, it is impossible for us to contain what is
\nhappening in this country and keep it from the eyes and ears of
\nthe international community. The foreign press, embassies and
\nother international organizations are free to file their reports.
\nHence, any information can be easily obtained without necessarily
\nhaving to pass through the hands of our own nationals.<\/p>\n
In relation to this, we also have to be aware that different
\nsystems and values can lead to misinterpretations. The conclusion
\nis, we have to be ready to face criticism on practically
\nanything, particularly in relation to any perceived misdeeds.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-dresden-incident-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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