Gently does it for ambassador Soemadi

Yenni Djahidin, The Jakarta Post, Washington D.C.

When Ambassador Soemadi Brotodiningrat is asked to describe the state of relations between Indonesia and the United States, he chooses the word "sensitive".

Arriving in March to head the Indonesian mission, Soemadi knows full well that the fight against terrorism is still very much in the minds of the American people, and not just the U.S. government.

He believes that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have changed the nature of how the United States conducts its diplomacy: How one country treats or responds to the issue of international terrorism more or less defines its ties with Washington.

Indonesia may have put the right man in the right place and at the right time by dispatching the 60-year-old Soemadi last month.

A veteran diplomat, including two stints at the Indonesian Mission to the United Nations in New York, he became the first career diplomat to lead the embassy in Washington in 30 years. Regarded as one of the most important if not the top of all ambassadorships, the post in the past had gone to military officers or economists.

His appointment was delayed not only because his nomination was sent late to the House of Representatives, but the legislature itself took its time in giving confirmation because a number of senior politicians had also been lobbying hard for the post.

Soemadi is certainly eager to plunge into his new job.

"Politically, this is a more exciting place," he says. "And the traffic is better than New York, Tokyo or Jakarta!"

Although as the chief representative of Indonesia he is supposed to be active informing the American public about his country, he says he will prefer to spend the first few months to listen to what Americans have to say, and how Americans perceive Indonesia.

The father of two was serving as ambassador to Japan when he was called home by President Megawati Soekarnoputri to move to Washington early this year.

He filled the post that was left vacant in August by economist Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, now Megawati's chief economics minister.

Soemadi spoke to The Jakarta Post's correspondent Yenni Djahidin from his dark-panelled office in one of the historic mansions in the most sought-after neighborhoods in Washington.

Here is an excerpt of the interview:

Question: How would you describe the state of relations today?

Answer: In one adjective, sensitive.

Q: Meaning ...?

A: There are now much more sensitivities in our relations, especially after September 11. Now the predominant foreign policy of the United States is the fight against terrorism. It is a very sensitive issue. It creates sensitivities in general and also sensitivities in relations to particular countries, including Indonesia.

Q: What challenges do you see in your new job?

A: Many. One is this war against terrorism. That's why I have elaborated the sensitive nature of this exercise.

Two, the reformasi in Indonesia is still not sufficiently understood by some Americans. They still perceive that Indonesia is a big violator of human rights, even though we have reformed and abandoned the practices and the policies of the old days.

Three, economic cooperation. In this era of globalization, we need international cooperation, and the United States is of course the largest economy in the world. We need to bring investors back to Indonesia. In the view of the American business community, the situation in Indonesia is not yet conducive enough. What we (the embassy) here could do is sift through the opinions and complaints and send them back home. At other times Americans are not aware of positive developments in Indonesia. It's our task here to inform them of these improvements.

Four, Americans' knowledge about Indonesia. We keep finding by new acquaintances who say that Indonesia is still not yet sufficiently known here. We keep trying to inform the public about Indonesia, and to make our presence felt. Apart from the embassy here, we have five consulate generals throughout the United States.

Q: How do you go about meeting these challenges?

A: Talking to the people. I have met with as many people as possible and pay courtesy calls on officials. I try to understand their opinion and present our views, so that there will be a meeting of minds, or we will understand each other.

I have started to speak at gatherings, even though I always tell people that in the first few months here, I'd prefer to be a good listener than bad speaker.

Q: Where do we stand on the fight against terrorism?

A: Terrorism is not the problem of Americans alone. Every country (including Indonesia) is keen and anxious to combat terrorism. The problem is how do we do that.

Q: How far should Indonesia go along with the U.S. campaign?

A: This is what I have tried to impress upon our American friends. The cooperation is already secured at the highest level, from the President herself, and she had written her pledge of support to President George W. Bush. (But) we hoped he could understand the situation in Indonesia too.

We are the world's largest Muslim populated country in the world. Keep this in mind, because at times the antiterrorism campaign is being wrongly construed as a campaign against Islam.

As a founding member of of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), we cannot host foreign military bases or presence in our country. We still this principle very dearly.

Any cooperation on combating terrorism should be based on this principle. It should not be conceived as a military alliance or designed that lead to Indonesia hosting of foreign troops. We can conduct joint exercises or share intelligence and information sharing.

Q: What about the criticism that Indonesia had been slow, compared to its neighbors, in antiterrorism measures?

A: This is precisely things which we need to get understanding from the U.S. and our neighbors that situation in each country is different. The situation in Singapore is different. It doesn't mean that we cannot work together. We can still cooperate.

Q: How do you plan to deal with the perception that Muslims in Indonesia hate Americans?

A: This problem is happening not only in Indonesia. All countries with big Muslim populations have been at pains explaning that the combat against terrorism is not a war against Islam. So, let us tirelessly inform the general public about this.

We will also inform the American public that there is no proof, at last so far, linking any Islamic organizations in Indonesia with terrorism. They should also know that no American citizen or interest in Indonesia have been harmed.