Cracked war drums

Cracked war drums

What began as a neighborly spat has degenerated into an ignoble
quarrel. The dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia over a patch
of water in the Sulawesi Sea has taken an ugly direction over the
past week.

Instead of quiet diplomacy, both countries have arrogantly
deployed military might to emphasize their claims.

Military briefings boast of scrambling F-16s, gunship
confrontations and military standoffs, leading to sensational
news stories that fraudulently stirs up latent xenophobia and
exaggerated nationalism. Suddenly, long forgotten slogans from
Sukarno's 'Old Order' regime -- "konfrontasi", "ganyang Malaysia"
(crush Malaysia) -- are regurgitated in cities throughout the
archipelago by groups of ignorant crowds feeding on jingoism.

Does anyone in their right mind really believe that Indonesia
could even be remotely close to waging a military confrontation
with its brethren neighbor?

Those who do believe this have obviously fallen victim to two
common curses of mankind: folly and ignorance.

We wholly support Indonesia's claim to the disputed territory.
It has been, and hopefully will always be, an integral part of
the nation. Kuala Lumpur has no right to claim territorial or
exclusive economic rights to the particular area. Malaysia is not
an archipelagic state and therefore, based on the UN Convention
on Law of the Sea, has no right to invoke a claim based on the
archipelagic concept.

The Indonesian government must pursue every available
diplomatic measure to affirm its sovereignty over the maritime
area in question.

Should the Malaysian government, or any other foreign actor
for that matter, seek to partition any territorial part of this
republic, then the nation would rightfully respond voraciously.

Yet we are far from such a juncture. This is not a case of a
dwarf stirring up trouble with a tired giant. Nor are the two
nations ever likely to reach that most horrible of predicaments.

Those who now so eagerly bang the war drums -- on both sides
of the border -- are not patriots; they are either conniving
political hustlers, or the obtuse poisoned by nationalistic
vanity.

These unnecessary, tempestuous actions can create long-term
rifts between two nations of common heritage.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit on Monday to East
Kalimantan was acquiescence to the forces of nationalistic
fervor. His visit did little to either reinforce Indonesia's
territorial right to the area, or to defuse an overheated
situation with a neighbor; a neighbor that so amicably received
him less than a month ago.

We can only hope that his defense of Indonesia's claim will be
firm but prudent. Tactful diplomacy is, ultimately, the only
sensible way to resolve this dispute.

Top officials from both countries must convene in the near
future. Apart from initiating what will certainly become lengthy
negotiations, it will serve the more immediate purpose of cooling
the atmosphere. A sincere handshake between top representatives
will resonate friendship between our peoples.

Once bilateral channels have been exhausted, and the nations
cannot resolve the matter, then Indonesia and Malaysia, as
founders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),
should engage the diplomatic mechanisms available within the
grouping.

If Malaysia truly believes that it has a legitimate claim to
the territory in question, then we call on them to have the
courage to submit the dispute to the ASEAN High Council.

ASEAN leaders proudly boast about an ASEAN Community. This is
an opportunity to put the boast to the test.

In the meantime, Malaysians and Indonesians should keep things
in perspective. They must not aggravate the situation with
unnecessarily provocative actions or purposeless fiery rhetoric.
Politicians must stop fanning the fires in a cynical attempt to
boost their own popularity, and the military must cease their
combative rhetoric.

Both nations have bigger enemies to fight -- poverty, hunger,
natural disasters, just to name a few. And even with the
differences between us, we have too much in common to turn each
other into bogeymen. True friends should bear the other's
infirmities.