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