Detrimental to many, not most
This is in response to Ms. Melody Kemp's letter (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 29, 1995).
My reference to communism had nothing to do with the elected East Timor government of the time. It was as follows: With the debacle of Vietnam still fresh in mind, Australia viewed the instability in East Timor as an open invitation for Vietnamese inspired communism to possibly infiltrate the region, and therefore supported the integration with Indonesia as a means of effectively closing the door. This was the mid 1970s, Ms. Kemp, and "Reds under the bed" was still very high on the West's Paranoia Priority list.
"Australia's laudable democratic system" lost its wheels when Gough Whitlam was sacked and only recently got a pumped up new set from Keating and Co. Your knowledge of Portuguese political history is astonishing, save one rather major oversight. Perhaps one page of the book you quoted from was missing?
Portugal, in its holy pursuit of a squeaky clean new "colony free" democratic image deserted only its non-profitable colonies. It chose to retain its island casino colony of Macau as it was, and as it still is, a major contributor to the Portuguese tidy democratic colony free coffers.
Flags to some people are not just a peace of cloth. The Bendera Merah Putih represents to the Indonesian people the blood, sweat and tears they shed in a five year war of independence.
"Selective memory." I am not opposed to morally or politically justified protest. I was among the first in my hometown to demonstrate against the Holt regime for committing young male Aussies to go "all the way with L.B.J." into Vietnam, then eventually fled to England when no one listened. However, I strongly oppose unjustified protest. The flag burning by Fretilin and their ill-informed followers has absolutely no genuine foundation on Human Rights as claimed.
Finally, I take offense at your insinuation that I am naive, stupid or both in placing economic growth above political freedom. Its money makes the world go round, not soapbox screamers. "To the political detriment of many" is not necessarily to the political detriment of most. The fundamental rule of democracy is that the 51 percent plus vote wins the day. The 49 percent minus vote loses. The losers can choose to adapt or move on. In the case of East Timor your "political detriment of many" constitutes less than 20 percent. Sure, that's many, but, that's not most.
G. N. BROWN
Sanur, Bali