Blessings on the duumvirate

Blessings on the duumvirate

From Rakyat Merdeka

The relationship between Indonesia and the United States, which went rather sour during the administration of B.J. Habibie, seems now to have improved with the congratulations that President Bill Clinton has conveyed to the duumvirate of President Gus Dur and Vice President Megawati. It should still be borne in mind though that this expression of congratulations is in fact only a manifestation of the ethics in diplomacy, intended, perhaps, to reduce the tension in bilateral relations as a result of U.S. interference in the East Timor question.

However, the blessing from a superpower such as the United States must have its own significance and must also mean a desire to bring the bilateral relations back to normalcy. It is an outstanding feature of the United States to be able to bury the hatchet as long as its interests remain unharmed. The Indonesian government must follow in the footsteps of the U.S., because it is aspiring to be the largest democratic country in Asia, or the fourth largest one in the world.

KRISNAMURTI

Jakarta