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.