Alatas ponders retirement once E. Timor issue resolved
Alatas ponders retirement once E. Timor issue resolved
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas hinted he
may consider retiring once the East Timor issue is resolved.
In an off-the-cuff remark, before delivering a speech at a
luncheon here on Wednesday, Alatas said the issue had kept him
from going stale dedicated during his tenure in office and that
it was good to quit while on top.
The minister's remark followed a speech by Australian
Ambassador John McCarthy in which Alatas' decade-long service as
one of the most accomplished foreign ministers in Asia was
lauded.
Before reading his official speech, Alatas thanked McCarthy,
saying the kind words reminded him of the length of time he had
served in the position.
"(But) one unresolved question has always kept me from turning
stale, and that is East Timor," Alatas remarked.
He added that "it's always good to quit while you're on top
and not when you're sliding down".
When later pressed by journalists to clarify whether his
remark signaled his imminent retirement, Alatas cheerily side-
stepped the question. But it was clear such thoughts were on his
mind.
"I was just saying that it's about time to think about
(retirement), right?" he deftly replied.
Alatas, 65, is one of the most respected Indonesian figures on
the international scene. Appointed to lead the post of foreign
affairs in 1988, he has now become Indonesia's longest serving
foreign minister.
Known to his close friends as Alex, Alatas is a career
diplomat who has served as Indonesia's permanent representative
to the United Nations.
He started out as a journalist working for a stint at
Niewsgier daily and then Aneta news service in the early 1950s.
The East Timor question has continued to dog Alatas throughout
his term as foreign minister.
Many observers have said that Alatas -- in the past a staunch
defender of the former Portuguese colony's integration into
Indonesia -- may have felt undercut by President B.J. Habibie's
decision to abruptly change Indonesia's policy on the issue last
month.
The decision to "part ways" with East Timor if it rejected
special autonomy status within Indonesia came as a bombshell to
everyone.
Last week, Habibie even said that by Jan. 1, 2000, East Timor
would no longer be an issue for Indonesia.
National pride
Alatas, less than two weeks before the major policy change,
dismissed suggestions that no act of self-determination had
occurred in East Timor and that the issue was a matter of
national pride.
Some analysts have privately said the abrupt turn around in
policy was developed by advisors close to Habibie and that the
foreign ministry was not consulted.
Alatas rejected suggestions that his remarks about retirement
reflected disappointment with the new government approach to East
Timor.
"Yes, the original idea of the second alternative came from
the President. But it was thoroughly discussed and supported by
all of us, including myself," he contended.
"It's good to have two alternatives on the table. (They are)
very clear cut choices... It's always been in the back of our
minds that we need an alternative," he added.
The current Cabinet under Habibie is expected to serve until a
new president is elected by the People's Consultative Assembly in
November. (mds)