Indonesia loses?

Indonesia loses?

I would like to express my disappointment to Jeffrey Winters,
who wrote on Oct. 16 the article titled The world blinks, but
Indonesia loses. In general he gave the impression that
Indonesians did not do anything, while we know the government has
displayed a commitment to disarm the militias. Coordinating
Minister for Political Affairs, Welfare and Security Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono flew to Atambua to supervise the implementation
of the policy.

First, Mr. Winters said this effort by the government to stand
up against the pressure of the international community reflects
cheap nationalism. If the United States was in Indonesia's shoes,
would its government and citizens not react in the same manner?

What if some country such as Indonesia criticized the U.S.
over its policy on Cuba, its invasion of Granada, or maybe its
involvement in Vietnam years ago? I don't think all those
Congress members nor those in the government would be quite
happy.

Winters should also elaborate more on the meaning of
"nationalism with principle". Was the U.S. invasion of other
countries a reflection of such nationalism?

Second, I don't quite agree with his argument that honoring
Indonesian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in East Timor is
the same as the Dutch honoring their own in defending colonial
rule. We may not accept the atrocities of our soldiers but it is
the deed we condemn, not the persons!

So we can still honor their sacrifice by, say, compensating
their families while also bringing to justice those involved in
the atrocities.

Third, I'd like to remind Mr. Winters about the double
standard practiced in the international community in the case of
Palestine. Why doesn't he question all those Israeli soldiers who
kill hundreds in Palestine, including innocent children, in the
past few days? Why didn't the UN or U.S. threaten to disrupt
Israel's economy?

Finally I don't think Indonesians have lost all their ability
to think and act according to basic principles of justice. I'm
also sure that many among us still have something to be proud of;
at least we're trying our best to correct all our past wrongs.

VITTO R. TAHAR

Jakarta