History lessons

History lessons

Donna Woodward has written a clear and important analysis of
corruption in Indonesia, the powerful conclusions of which really
ought to give pause to people doing business here in their most
unguarded moments.

However, to arrive at those conclusions, she has had to ride
roughshod over centuries of history. First off, she refers
throughout to "Indonesia" and "Indonesian" culture (complete with
a "village mentality") as somehow singular items. From Sabang to
Merauke, with over 300 ethnic groups and with centuries-long
incorporation of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc. -- this requires
no further elaboration.

In response to her assertion that "corruption is not an
endemic part of Indonesia's culture or character", I ask is
anything "endemic:?. To her assertion that "corruption is a
perversion of Indonesia culture, not its essence", I beg her to
reveal to me that "essence" which I've been searching for it.

Second, she jumps straight from her initial indictment of
"foreigners" to the Europeans. Not fair. In centuries past, there
were "cultures", states and peoples interacting on the island of
Java alone that were foreign to each other, and used to advantage
just the sort of money/power relationships that she decries.

States of wholly different cosmologies attacked and smote one
another. This is to say nothing of the astounding power of
Chinese and Siamese navies to exact tribute from archipelagic
states in exchange for "protection," nor of all the pirates and
traders that came to do business from India, Indochina, Persia,
the Arab world, and, of course, from all over what would become
Indonesia.

The great 15th century Islamic city-state of Malacca was
founded by pirates and a fugitive prince from Palembang,
according to legend. At the time, it rivaled any city-state in
the world in wealth and political power. That wealth and
political power were supremely concentrated and remained
basically fused to the detriment of its long-term survival at the
hands of military adventurist later traders.

We'll have to reread our Fernand Braudel, but it was partly
the evolving separation of wealth and power that allowed European
city-states to develop superior technology from a previous
position of basic parity with Asian civilizations. The
Portuguese, the "White Bengalis", smashed Malacca in 1511, and
the rest is history.

Whether foreign investors here recently have served to
entrench and enrich a corrupt system more than they have helped
to rescue it from itself remains open to debate, and there is
probably much evidence currently available to support either
viewpoint. Ms. Woodward undoubtedly could come up with a well-
argued position.

MRS. ZENZIE CHARLES U.

Jakarta