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