All Alatas' work for nothing?

All Alatas' work for nothing?

From Merdeka

Foreign Minister Ali Alatas has borne the hopes of many
people. He is a seasoned diplomat who can be quite impressive at
high-level international discussions. He is a sophisticated
lobbyist, an expert negotiator, an astute debater and is firm
with foreign journalists interviewing him. In handling the East
Timor issue, Ali Alatas had the support of a whole array of his
counterpart foreign diplomats.

A thousand pities that reality has not replied in kind to such
good odds. On the subject of East Timor, Ramos-Horta has given a
beating to our foreign minister numerous times. The contest
between the two has been like a tennis match. Ramos-Horta
displays a rich variety of strokes and his smashes are lethal,
leaving Alatas gaping in surprise at the always innovative tricks
of his opponent.

Remember the maneuvers surrounding the MV Lusitania, the
incident of East Timorese students jumping the gate of the
British Embassy in Jakarta at the time of the nonaligned nations
summit conference, and the discussions on East Timor in Manila
and Kuala Lumpur. Ramos-Horta's superiority culminated in his
winning of the Nobel Peace prize with Bishop Belo. Ramos-Horta's
maneuvers have succeeded in forming the world opinion that
Indonesia is a colonialist and an aggressor.

Actually East Timor was nearly in Indonesia's hands. Pope John
Paul had removed the East Timor problem from his speech agenda,
big countries and friendly countries were on Indonesia's side,
and the abolishment of the East Timor issue from the UN agenda
was just a matter of time. However, due to our own stupidity,
Indonesia now wants to abandon the province. It has caused
Portugal to laugh and rejoice immensely. Perhaps Portugal does
not intend to return as the colonial power, but Indonesia's
withdrawal is a moral victory of extraordinary importance for the
country.

Indonesia actually has many possibilities to win the debate,
for example, the historical fact that the island of Timor was
formerly one kingdom. By the indication of West Timor, Indonesia
can remind the world that East Timor is only part of an island
with its western part belonging to Indonesia. However, Indonesian
diplomats never brought up the question of east and west. Now
look at the debating stance. The term "integration" should not
have been used because it has the connotation of annexation.
Should not we have used the term "re-unification"?

If during the New Order regime the government had allocated
one ministerial seat in the cabinet to an East Timorese, just
one, maybe the East Timor people would have felt they
participated in ruling Indonesia and would not have seen Jakarta
as a colonist.

Looking at our own shortcomings, we feel it is not surprising
that the East Timor problem has finally ended like it has now. It
is a case of futile sacrifice. The foreign ministry is
checkmated. Portugal is laughing while Indonesia's image has
plunged new depths.

SETIAWAN SALMIN

Jakarta