Better too late than never

Better too late than never

The Netherlands gave Indonesia a special gift for our 60th
independence anniversary: A long overdue recognition of Aug. 17,
1945 as the day Indonesia reclaimed its sovereignty, rather than
Dec. 27, 1949, when the Dutch formally handed it to the young
republican leaders.

Visiting foreign minister Bernard Bot, the first ever Dutch
government representative to come for our Independence Day
celebrations, expressed "profound regret" for the military
violence that took place between those two dates, when the Dutch
forces tried to reimpose their rule in Indonesia after the end of
World War II.

As a civil nation and a good host, we Indonesians should
graciously accept the gesture.

Not that the issue still matters to most Indonesians.

Every year for the past 59 years, we have celebrated our
national day on Aug. 17, which is the day in 1945 when Sukarno
and Mohammad Hatta jointly proclaimed our independence. We have
marked it as the day we became an independent nation. As for the
military violence, for most of us it belongs to the history
books. It is probably still important for the few remaining
Indonesians who lived through those years.

But since the expression of regret is limited to that period
in the late 1940s, it raises the question about the three-and-
half centuries that the Dutch ruled the people of this
archipelago, which it then called the East Indies, and ruthlessly
too according to history lessons we took at school. Shouldn't
they apologize for this too?

But Indonesians are a forgiving, if not forgetting lot.

Mr. Bot's message, as noble and genuine as it sounds, will not
likely draw much attention, let alone a passionate public debate
here. The passage of time has removed most emotional ties -- good
and bad, love and hate -- that lingered on after the war was
over. Those who fought the Dutch or lived through the violent
years have either died or are too old to be in a position of
power to have any influence.

Few Indonesians use or learn the Dutch language, and English-
speaking countries are the preferred choice for Indonesians
studying abroad. For most present-day Indonesians, the
Netherlands is just another small European country, with some
great soccer stars playing for English or Spanish teams.

Mr. Bot's expression of regret is more relevant for the
Netherlands than for Indonesia. Setting history straight is
important, and 60 years seems like a good time to review and even
rewrite one's own national history, with less emotional and
political baggage. You come to terms with the tragic reality of
history only when you feel comfortable. The loss of a colony was
a tragic event for the Netherlands.

Relations between the two countries have long gone past that
level where our emotions were still governed by what happened in
the 1940s. Nowadays, Indonesia and the Netherlands interact as
two equals on the basis of mutual respect. The intensity of our
relations are determined more by how much benefit each will get
out of it, and not by history or by emotional ties. That's the
way it should be with any relations.

For what it's worth, the Dutch acceptance of our independence
date and expression of regret has given closure over that tragic
war between our two peoples. Let's move on.