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