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