Fifty years of German-Indonesian friendship

Fifty years of German-Indonesian friendship

By Ambassador Dr. Heinrich Seemann

In 1999, Germany celebrates a number of anniversaries, the most import one being the 50th birthday of the first solid democratic state on German soil, the Federal Republic of Germany, established in 1949. At the same time, Germany commemorates the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, which brought freedom and democracy also to the Germans in the East.

Furthermore, we celebrate the 250th birthday of the most important German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Federation of German Industry and Trade, Deutscher Industrie-und Handelstag (DIHT); and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the first German Chamber of Commerce abroad.

Concerning the present-day political life in Germany, it seems significant that the seat of the German Parliament, and of the German Government, moves from Bonn to Berlin also in this very year.

All these events which Germany commemorates and celebrates in 1999, contribute to formulate our new policy toward Europe and the world. Being a free and democratic state based on human rights and the rule of law, Germany regards as pillars of her policy the idea of European unity, the solidarity with other democratic states, the search for international peace and human dignity and, last but not least, the cooperation with our friends in the developing countries. We are proud of the fact that Article 1 of our Constitution states: "Human dignity shall be inviolable". This phrase could very well be a word by Goethe himself, the man who created the term Weltliteratur (world literature), and whose name our cultural institutes abroad bear proudly.

Close Indonesian-German relations for centuries

When talking about "50 years of German-Indonesian friendship", I have to admit that this is not quite correct. First, because the Federal Republic of Germany, when founded, did not have the right to establish diplomatic relations. We could open our Embassy in Jakarta only in the early 1950s. Second, because the friendship between Germans and Indonesians is much older than that. Since the end of the 16th century, thousands of people of German descent have lived here as scientist, medical doctors, artists, painters, officials, soldiers, planters and writers.

The list of famous persons of German origin is long: * Imhoff (1705-1751), reform-governor and founder of Bogor; * Rumphius (1628-1702), botanist of Ambon; * Wurmb (1742-1781), cofounder of the Batavian Society of Arts and Science; * Goethe (1749-1832), who was made an honorary member of that society in 1826; * Reinwardt (1773-1854), founder of the Botanical Park in Bogor; * Junghuhn (1809-1864), who used to be called the "Alexander von Humboldt" of Java; * Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835), who based his most important philosophical work on the "Kawi language in Java"; * Robert Mayer (1814-1874), who formulated the first draft of the law of the preservation of energy in Surabaya; * Dauthendey (1867-1918), an expressionist poet, who died in Malang; * Adolf Bastian (1826-1905), to whom we owe the rapid spread of the name "Indonesia"; * Walter Spies (1895-1942), who reshaped the art of Bali.

Also German products from firms like Siemens, Mercedes-Benz, Krupp, Thyssen or Zeiss have acquired their reputation since the middle of the 19th century, and many others followed in the 20th century.

With this history in mind, it was not surprising that many young and brilliant Indonesians of the postwar generation decided to study in Germany. About 17,000 "Alumni Jerman" have come back and we are very eager to invite also the present-day generation to go again to Germany as their fathers have done. Germany is still a country where no student, also no foreigner, has to pay fees for university studies. And the German language is still number two in Indonesian schools after English. It is also taught in our Goethe-Institutes in Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung.

Heading toward democracy

To talk about present-day relations between Germany and Indonesia is a subject which can happily take into account the fact that Indonesia, since the fall of Soeharto last year, has embarked on the way toward democracy, toward a state of law and toward respect for human rights.

The end of totalitarian rule, the introduction of freedom of the press and the first free and democratic legislative elections are milestones on a much broader road of future cooperation between Germany and an Indonesia which is on its way to becoming the third largest democracy in the world after the U.S. and India. It is our wish to assist Indonesia on that way as much as we can.

From our own experience, we are well aware that the road to democracy is not an easy one. And in saying so, I do not only think of the build-up of democracy and a parliamentary system in Western Germany after the war, but also of our recent experience with German reunification. Similarly to your problems, we had to face the problem of human reconciliation. And again, similarly to Indonesia, the task was to transfer a host of state enterprises into a free and social market economy.

So, right from the beginning of the reforms, Germany has offered help in various fields. The Bundestag advised on election and party laws; German political foundations contributed toward voter education and preparation of the elections. Within the framework of the European Union, some 30 German election observers helped to monitor the first free and democratic legislative elections in Indonesia. Via GTZ, German experts helped to shape new laws on decentralization and state administration free of corruption, collusion and nepotism, a very important subject for every state.

Regarding the necessary steps toward a free, social market economy, we offered help in the fields of Central Bank and Antitrust Law. The former president of the Bundesbank, Prof. Dr. Schlesinger, assisted in rendering the central bank independent and in introducing an independent banking supervisory agency. It is our belief that only an independent central bank can be a guardian of stability of the currency and a barrier against inflation.

In the field of Competition Law, it was the former president of our Antitrust Board, Prof. Dr. Kartte, who took on the task to acquaint Indonesian policymakers and the public with the fact that only an Anti-Monopoly Law can secure competition and that only competition can best serve the interest of the customer.

At the same time, only a competition law can promote the formation of small and medium enterprises which the Indonesian economy needs so badly. Of course, Germany has also provided ample credit lines for small and medium enterprises. German business represented in Jakarta has set up the "German Business Scholarship Program", a fund for Indonesian students, to help Indonesia in difficult times.

Future Indonesian-German Relations

Also, in other fields, German-Indonesian relations have been developing rapidly. As a most visible sign of our confidence in the future of Indonesia, we decided to organize "Technogerma 99" in Jakarta in February 1999. We believe that more than half a million visitors, most of them from the younger generation, have accepted our offer for a big-scale cooperation in the years to come.

The 4th meeting of the German-Indonesian Forum, organized together with the Technogerma, pointed in the same direction, as did the official opening of the German Center in Bumi Serpong Damai. Not to forget the inauguration of the new German School in Bumi Serpong Damai also at the same time, which offers education leading to the German Abitur and which is housed in one of the most modern school-buildings in the world.

Apart from these major events, German-Indonesian economic relations had to undergo a difficult time. The consequences of the crisis had not left German investments unharmed. No German firm, however, had closed its doors. There were even new investments, e.g. in the fields of pharmaceutical and mechanical goods and in the automotive sector, although on a much smaller scale than in the years before.

Altogether, approximately 150 German firms are active in the country today, some of them since the last century. Their fields range from power-plant construction to the transfer of energy, from shipbuilding to railway systems, from telecommunications to electrical engineering, from chemical and pharmaceutical goods to manufacturing of cars, buses and trucks -- just to name a few. The German-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, EKONID, continues to be a center point for the development of our business relations. And not to forget: the first German Chamber of Commerce was established in Batavia exactly 75 years ago.

When talking about important fields of German-Indonesian cooperation, there is even another anniversary to celebrate this year: German-Indonesian cooperation in technology and research can look back on 20 years of a successful relationship. Biotechnology, research on renewable energy and environmental technology, protection of tropical forests and marine ecosystems, geoscience and air and space research constitute its main elements. Our research ship Sonne is a regular guest in Indonesian waters.

Last but not least, in the field of economic cooperation, being determined to help the development of the country remains one of the largest and broadest aspects of German-Indonesian cooperation. It will, due to the crisis, keep its importance also for the years to come. With a total amount of more than DM 6 billion, Germany belongs to the most active donor countries aiding Indonesia.

Moreover, Germany gives substantial financial contributions to the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank and the Development Fund of the European Union. More than 70 projects of financial and technical cooperation cover fields like energy, transportation, environmental protection, vocational education and training and good governance. The well-known acronyms of KfW and GTZ stand for reliability and quality.

Outlook

Based on a very old friendship, on a dense net of Indonesian- German relations and on the great number of German institutions involved, Germany feels well-prepared to assist the new Indonesia on its way toward more democracy. This also includes help to alleviate the present suffering of a great number of people displaced in the context of the East Timor crisis, as well as assistance to build up and strengthen democratic institutions, respect of human rights and the rule of law in Indonesia.