Lord says Indonesians must shape their own destiny

Lord says Indonesians must shape their own destiny

JAKARTA (JP): U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord
said in Washington that while the United States' influence was
important it was the Indonesian people who must ultimately
determine the fate of their nation.

"U.S. influence is important but limited. This said, we have
positioned ourselves on the side of responsible change," said
Lord before a Senate foreign relations subcommittee on East Asian
and Pacific affairs on Wednesday.

"While the U.S. can help encourage positive developments in
Indonesia, it is the Indonesian people and government that will
shape that nation's destiny," he told the senate subcommittee.

Despite having human rights and democratic principles
ingrained in Indonesia's constitution, Lord believes that "many
of these principles are not yet followed in practice."

He then reiterated President Clinton's stand which stresses
that even though the bilateral relationship is strong, it "cannot
reach its full potential until Indonesia improves its human
rights performance".

Lord stated an elaborate list of concerns including the fact
that "although elections are held, the Indonesian people continue
to lack the ability to change their government."

He said the political intricacies and positioning in
preparation for next year's general election may have been a
factor in "the government's role in the removal of one opposition
leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri".

He said that Jakarta's response to the recent unrest was to
arrest activists from reform movements and people like labor
leader Muchtar Pakpahan "who appear to have simply stated their
views on the need for political change".

While claiming that Washington was unwavering in its support
for human rights and democratization, Lord maintained that the
road to pursue should be a persuasive one.

"We need to continue to demonstrate that we approach Indonesia
as a friend. One who recognizes Indonesia's contribution and thus
can speak frankly about areas where further progress will be
necessary for our relationship to reach its full potential," he
said.

He defended the intended sale of F-16 jet fighters to
Indonesia: "The transfer (of F-16s) should also reinforce our
ties with the Indonesian leadership and hence our ability to
influence its thinking about political liberalization," he said.

He claimed that while limitations and self-censorship
persisted, the Indonesian media "routinely carry stories that are
often critical of the government or report foreign criticisms of
the government's human rights performance."

While the United States elects to adopt a critical yet
diplomatic and friendly approach to Indonesia, the European
Parliament continued its tough stance toward Jakarta.

Reuters reported from Strasbourg, France, yesterday that the
European Parliament urged the United Nations on Thursday to look
into the government's crackdown on prodemocracy activists.

"The European Parliament requests that the UN Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions be
asked to undertake an investigation into the events of July 27
and the whereabouts of people still missing," a resolution of UN
deputies was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The European Union has urged European Union member states to
withhold all military assistance and arms sales to Indonesia,
which it accuses of "violating the rights of peaceful critics and
activists".

The non-binding resolution condemned the violent seizure of
the Indonesian Democratic Party headquarters on July 27 and the
subsequent wave of arrests.

The European Parliament has reiterated its support for the
Indonesian prodemocracy movement "in the struggle for a just,
democratic and pluralist society". (mds)