The Sidney Jones case<\/p>\n
I found several interesting things when reading an article by
\nJusuf Wanandi The Sidney Jones Case and the Presidency of
\nMegawati published in The Jakarta Post of June 28.<\/p>\n
I am one of those who admire Sidney Jones and have often read
\nher writings. However, in this particular article, Wanandi seems
\nto have gone somewhat overboard when "viewing" Sidney Jones ("...
\nhow much she loves Indonesia, and therefore, could do no harm to
\nthe country, society and nation she has given so many years of
\nher life to ...").<\/p>\n
The question is the extent to which Wanandi can measure her
\nlove for Indonesia. Is it just because she has spent many years
\nin Indonesia doing research and criticizing our country?<\/p>\n
It is said in the article that " ... she is critical,
\nsometimes brutally." She is indeed critical but it is not
\nappropriate to demonstrate your critical opinion at a time when
\nthat opinion may spark people's hatred for their government, or
\neven lead to disintegration. This is indeed what Sidney Jones has
\noften done.<\/p>\n
Neither is it right to compare Sidney Jones to intelligence
\npersonnel. Anywhere in the world, intelligence work covers more
\nthan what Sidney Jones and her ICG do. It is also unwise to
\ncompare Sidney Jones with Hendropriyono because as an Indonesian
\ncitizen, it is obvious that his love for his country is not to be
\ncompared to a foreigner's love for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
I believe the government does not hate foreigners. Many
\nforeigners work and conduct research in Indonesia, and they have
\nnever caused trouble.<\/p>\n
In the case of Sidney Jones' "deportation", this deportation
\ndoes not affect the presence of the ICG in Indonesia. Sidney
\nJones and her assistant were deported because they did not
\npossess a valid stay permit.<\/p>\n
For me, it is better that we criticize our country by
\nourselves rather than allowing foreigners to do this for us
\nbecause we can never know how much these foreigners really love
\nour country. Besides, it is more painful to see our own citizens
\n"sell" their country only to get "something" from foreigners. How
\ncan we thank Sidney Jones only because she is "honest" to us
\nabout our "shortcomings and mistakes"?<\/p>\n
It would be better for us to work together to put the country
\nin order rather than regretting "the loss" of Sidney Jones. We
\nshould be able to criticize our own country without having to
\nexpose this to outsiders. Of course, we must work together to
\nfind solutions and should never criticize without offering a
\nsolution.<\/p>\n
A. AMIR<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-sidney-jones-case-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }