'Golden' articles

For me, your Nov. 22, 1996 edition was a "golden one" which I will certainly keep in my files. Mangunwijaya, Mochtar Buchori, Th. Sumartana; the three of them have shown themselves to be intellectuals with a vision and courage who write "against the tide". However, your editorial of Nov. 15, 1996 set the tune for introspection.

As a foreigner with a special interest in Indonesia's state- formation and nation-building processes, I have long been very confident of the Indonesian nation's perception of what was politically and ethically correct and what was not. Lately, this confidence has been shaken by developments and subsequent reactions and opinions of individuals and groups in society, and more so by their sometimes arrogant display of self- righteousness.

Mochtar Buchori's The unseen and unseeable in Indonesian society has helped to restore this confidence, because I am sure the author is one out of many individuals who is able and, above all, willing to "see" the real as it is often concealed.

What I "see" through the eyes of an observer, however, is a successful process of nation building in Indonesia which, paradoxically, is also the outcome of the practice of mind control and coercion of loyalty by the rulers. Whatever positive results they may have generated, these practices create a society of people who lack the ability to think independently. The result is clearly manifest today and has prompted the authors to write down their viewpoints, raising the alarm. They have my deepest respect.

"Unity in Diversity" in the Indonesian context, to my understanding, also indicates the interdependence and interwovenness of state and society, therefore opposing the dichotomy of state and society. Reality, however, shows the latter.

I am convinced that Mochtar Buchori's article, as well as the articles written by Mangunwijaya and Sumartana, contain extremely valuable lessons to learn from.

INGRID COSIJN-MITRASING

Palembang, South Sumatra