Elation, skepticism greets RI's election to UN Council
JAKARTA (JP): News of Indonesia's election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was met with elation at the foreign ministry yesterday despite skepticism by some on it's true impact on the Western dominated Council.
"On the basis of a telephone interview with our permanent representative (at the UN) I can tell you that we have been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council," Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas told journalists yesterday morning.
Alatas said that Indonesia wished to thank the Asia group for its endorsement along with other countries outside the continent which lent support.
For many, news of the election came as no surprise since Indonesia has for the past year undertaken an aggressive, albeit low-key, approach to garner a non-permanent seat.
The UNSC is made of five permanent members -- Britain, the United States, China, France and Russia -- who have exclusive veto powers, and 10 non-permanent members.
The non-permanent seats are selected by the UN General Assembly to serve two-year terms of which each year five become eligible for new membership. Indonesia replaces Pakistan as the second representative from the Asia region.
Based on a 1963 amendment, the General Assembly agreed that the 10 non-permanent seats on the UNSC would be divided geographically.
"Indonesia is wholeheartedly determined to contribute constructively and concretely to the programs and agenda of the Council," Alatas said.
However, at a separate event held earlier, a senior political scientist, J. Soedjati Djiwandono, from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) tore down whatever grandiose notions exist of Indonesia's role at the UNSC.
"Absolutely none!" barbed Soedjati when asked by The Jakarta Post about Indonesia's potential influence on the Council.
He justified his skepticism by saying that the so-called "New World Order" and the Security Council are mere tools of the United States.
"Membership has a lot of prestige, we can be heard there even though we have no power there," he allowed.
According to Soedjati, who is also a member of the UN Secretary General's Advisory Council, evidence of this lies in the fact that in the post-Cold War period, Russia has not used its veto power.
"It's not being used because Russia does not dare to," he remarked, underlining Russia's desperate need for U.S. financial investment and assistance as the chief reason.
Dr. Hero Kuntjoro-Jakti, head of international relations studies at the University of Indonesia, told the Post that Indonesia as a member of the UNSC could represent the concerns of the developing nations.
"Indonesia's role could be very profound in issues of development, including poverty and pollution," Hero said.
Soedjati also noted that Indonesia could play a role in voicing the concerns of the developing countries, but would not take for granted that membership in the UNSC meant it could automatically do so.
"Whether or not it can be done depends more on our diplomatic savvy," he said.
Forecasting the prospect of Indonesia's tenure which begins on Jan. 1, 1995, Alatas said that it carries many new responsibilities and duties.
"We are contemplating expanding our staff there (in New York) to beef up our permanent representative office," he said.
When queried whether this "victory" signaled a prelude to Indonesia's desire to become a permanent representative, a beaming Alatas chuckled, "that's another matter."(Dini S. Djalal/mds)