Foreign intelligence

Foreign intelligence

From Sinar Pagi

There was concern when State Minister of Women's Affairs Tutty Alawiyah reported, after a recent Cabinet meeting, that President B.J. Habibie had instructed the coordinating minister for political affairs and security to invite foreign intelligence agencies to Indonesia to gather data or conduct a field study about the reasons why Indonesia is, in many respects, being put in a tight corner in the international community. I believe this problem is not too difficult to explain. Let's look at the following:

1. The difficult position Indonesia has been put in the international community is the result of political acts taken by the New Order regime, including Mr. Habibie himself, who was then a minister in the Soeharto administration. The government conducted itself beyond the rules of Pancasila democracy. The Constitution was not implemented, laws were violated, the nation's cultural ethics were ignored and everything was geared toward dictatorship (arrest, abduction, pitting one against the other and the like). Just contemplate the July 27, 1996 tragedy.

2. Over the last five years, the friendship policy with our dialog, trade and cultural partners in the world has been damaged on the grounds of maintaining self-respect and under the pretext of not wishing to maintain give-and-take relations with influential countries (the United States and the European Union).

3. We have been overconfident about the strength of our economic fundamentals.

4. We have ignored suggestions and warnings from influential countries which helped us obtain loans for our budget every year.

5. We have childishly and too easily got angry and terminated military and civilian cooperation projects.

Unfortunately, during the Soeharto administration nothing was done to properly (on a basis of political psychology) deal with these five items.

So, it is not necessary to invite foreign intelligence agencies, especially considering that we are now experiencing a deep economic crisis. Let's now uphold the regulations of the Republic of Indonesia, a free, sovereign and civilized country on a par with other modern nations in the world. Don't give foreigners the slightest chance to find out about our ugliness.

DARIUS THALIB

Padang, West Sumatra