Gently does it for ambassador Soemadi

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.