Mandela's puzzling E. Timor solution

Mandela's puzzling E. Timor solution

President Mandela's state visit to Indonesia in early August
was, of all the state visits made to this country so far, rather
unusual.

During his visit Mandela had a meeting, arranged at his
request, with Xanana Gusmao who is serving a 20 year jail term.
Gusmao was imprisoned for forcibly resisting East Timor's
integration with Indonesia and leading an outlawed, armed group
in that province.

Soon after the completion of his Asian visit, Mandela sent a
letter from South Africa to President Soeharto requesting
Xanana's release.

The request was apparently based on his belief that Xanana's
release would be instrumental in helping the tripartite dialogue
on East Timor, under the auspices of the UN secretary-general, to
find a solution to the East Timor problem.

One could validly wonder what kind of solution Mandela has in
mind. What would be the relation between Xanana's release from
prison on the one hand, and a solution to the East Timor problem,
on the other?

We seem to be facing a highly mathematics puzzle posed by
Mandela.

Regardless of the answer to the above question, one could
certainly infer that, in Mandela's view, Xanana Gusmao is not a
criminal convict but a political prisoner jailed for his
political convictions.

Why did president Mandela, in the first place, request
Xanana's release? Why does he attach so much importance to Xanana
and his release? Was the request made with his own initiative or
at a third party's prodding?

First of all, there seems to be a direct relation between
Mandela's request and Ramos Horta's selection as a Nobel Prize
laureate for peace (along with Bishop Belo) in November last
year.

The conferment of the award to Ramos Horta was, in my opinion,
a slap in our face (almost literally). We cannot, however, blame
the remote demigods, the distinguished members of the Nobel Prize
Board, for not having had the time to listen to us.

President Mandela is probably considered by many to be the
right person to make such a request for Xanana's release. He is
the living symbol of non-violent resistance to a system of
injustice and oppression and racial arrogance.

He emerged victorious without the slightest trace of vengeance
and animosity toward the white supremacists, those who
incarcerated him for 27 years. And South Africa is the most
economically advanced country in the region, which can hopefully
act as a "locomotive" in the region's economies.

Yet, South Africa under a resistant Mandela has opted for
membership in the club of developing countries (NAM). South
Africa is, therefore, bound to be a member if not the natural
leader of black African countries, at least during Mandela's
presidency.

Hence, Mandela's request for Xanana's release probably also
conveys the voice of 40-odd black African countries.

The notion widely held among black African political elites on
East Timor anti-integration groups has probably been based on
erroneous analysis and factitious reports.

Black African leaders, because of their apparently inborn
sympathy and solidarity with any groups calling themselves
national liberation movements, should be given more time to hear
the other side.

SOEGIO SOSROSOEMARTO

Jakarta