Difficult logic

Difficult logic

I was shocked to read your reportage Canada protests RI
ambassador (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 4, 1996). I simply cannot
understand how the foreign minister of Canada can so completely
disregard international decency; all the while trying to sell to
Indonesia a nuclear reactor reportedly rejected by Canadians
(Nuclear plant should be built in Jakarta: Scholar, (The Jakarta
Post, Feb. 5, 1996).

Correct me if I'm wrong: The Indonesian Ambassador to Canada
went to see an Indonesian citizen (Theresa Ghalos, mother of
Isabel Ghalos) on Indonesian soil (East Timor), while Canadian
diplomats based in Indonesia afterwards also went to see the same
person. And yet Indonesia is on the wrong side and not the
Canadians for meddling within the boundaries of an independent
and sovereign state? Is the logic too complex for an Indonesian
like myself, or is it simply out of place and out of time, a
variation of "white man's burden" in the modern age?

I am inclined to agree with Premier Mahathir Mohamad who said
in The Voice of Asia (co-authored by Shintaro Ishihara): "What is
at the root of this sense of superiority? ...(I)t comes from the
perception that white people are better than colored people. It
is a racial and cultural phenomenon."

Bearing in mind the close cooperation between the two
countries, Canada could perhaps seriously consider the kind of
relationship Indonesia has with Australia. It is based on
comprehensive engagement built upon a wide range of interests and
not allowed to become hostage to one issue. Or, as the case with
Holland, Canada may continue to test Indonesia's patience and see
how far Indonesians are willing to go.

ARTO S.R. SURYO-DI-PURO

Jakarta