Mega's role in APEC

Mega's role in APEC

President Megawati Soekarnoputri loves to travel. Now she is
off again to Mexico to attend the summit meeting of leaders of
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization (APEC). In
fact, following the disastrous Oct. 12 bombing in Bali, the
President drastically cut her travel itinerary, which originally
had been planned to include a number of Latin American countries,
including Cuba.

It is well-known by now that she is keen on revisiting all the
countries her late father, President Sukarno, visited. That is
why she has set aside the advice of foreign ministry officials
not to visit Cuba in order not to irritate Washington D.C.
unnecessarily.

Although many observers have suggested that the President
cancel her travel plans altogether so as better to concentrate on
the increasingly complex problems at home in the wake of the Bali
bombing tragedy, it was deemed important that she attend the APEC
summit in Mexico on Oct. 26 and 27. Foreign Minister Hassan
Wirayuda has explained why the President's presence at the APEC
summit is deemed necessary. Leaders of other APEC member
countries, including President George W. Bush Jr., would be
present at the meeting, he said. The foreign minister also
stressed that one of the important items to be discussed was the
antiterror campaign.

While we accept Minister Hassan Wirayuda's explanation, we
also propose that the President make the most of the summit to
benefit Indonesia's national interest.

First, it should be explained to the participants that Bali
had such a powerful symbolic role in relation to Indonesia's
recovery after the 1997 economic crisis that the damage inflicted
by the Oct. 12 bombing went well beyond material damage only. It
is appropriate, therefore, that the President make an appeal to
the members of APEC to help Indonesia reconstruct Bali.

Second, that assistance -- apart from being extended in
tangible form, such as by providing the necessary reconstruction
funds -- should also include morale-strengthening measures, for
instance by not extending the current travel bans to Indonesia,
and to Bali in particular, for too long a period. Tourism is an
important source of revenue for Indonesia's national income and
the sooner this country's tourist industry recovers, the better
it will be for Indonesia's economic growth.

Third, the President could also suggest to her counterparts,
especially President George Bush, that their security and
intelligence agencies provide finer-grade intelligence data to
Indonesia regarding the suspected intentions of terrorist groups.
We gather the Indonesian police and other security agencies have
been flooded with all sorts of messages and warnings of possible
terrorist attacks. As a result they have had difficulty sifting
through the information and following up on those that are the
most likely to be serious. Besides all that, it is also possible
that President Megawati's presence at the APEC summit in Mexico
could heighten her sense of crisis after Oct. 12, after seeing
and hearing how leaders of other APEC members are so concerned
about Indonesia under her leadership.

;JP;SBS;
ANPAk..r..
Editorial-Singapore-Bali
Thank you
JP/6/6EDIT23

Thank you

The tragic Oct. 12 bombing in Bali has shown in a moving
manner how citizens from a number of countries, neighbors and
even far-away countries, have been working voluntarily to help
the victims of that horrendous event. If in this column we put
our focus on what a number of Singaporean professionals have been
doing in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, it is by no
means intended to discount the work that has been and is being
done by other nationals. However, there is a special reason why
on this occasion we'd like to focus on what Singaporeans have
done in Bali.

We are thinking, for instance, of what Dr. Leslie Kuek, a
plastic surgeon from Singapore, has done together with two of his
colleagues, Dr. Chan Hsiang Sui, a general surgeon, and Dr. Cheo
Khat Kuen, a nose and throat specialist, as the Straits Times
newspaper reported. Dr. Kuek responded to a call for help and
immediately flew to Bali with his two colleagues to help treat
the victims at Sanglah hospital. When they found that the
hospital was badly in need of painkillers, antibiotics, dressings
and other equipment and medicines, this team of Singaporean
doctors called their friends back home for help. Boxes of the
required items were immediately flown from Singapore to Bali.

Or take the case of the Bali-based Singaporeans, Joyce Tan and
her husband, Shaharin Abas Koh. Promptly after the Oct. 12 event
they sent electronic messages to their friends in Singapore and
immediately S$3,000 was collected to help the bombing victims in
Kuta. Joyce Tan's brother, Don, flew in with supplies of
medicines donated by Raffles Hospital to help the local victims
of the Kuta bomb blast.

Most probably there are many more Singaporean citizens whose
voluntary work and donations were never publicized by the media.
Actually, Singaporean citizens have initiated voluntary programs
of assistance well before the tragic events of Oct. 12 that,
however, did not always catch the attention of Indonesians. For
instance, there were the periodical missions organized by Dr.
James Khoo, a well-known neuro-surgeon, to help people in some
villages in Riau province. He and some of his colleagues would
visit a cluster of villages, stay there for about a week and
offer the population there their professional services for free.

We are also reminded of the initiative of Gen.(ret.) Winston
Choo, a former armed forces commander of Singapore and a former
high commissioner to Australia. In his capacity as chairman of
Singapore's Red Cross he led several aid missions to Sumatra and
Java.

All those extraordinary examples, especially the work done by
the Singaporean professionals in the aftermath of the Oct. 12
bombing, makes us, Indonesians, aware that the old stereotype of
Singaporeans who care only for money and are insensitive to the
plight of their neighbors is outdated. The younger generation of
Singaporeans is increasingly aware that their country is an
integral part of this region. Perhaps, eventually, a suitable
doctrine could be developed that Singapore's best defense is its
loyalty and empathy with the region.

In the meantime, it is certainly appropriate here to say
thanks for what Singaporeans, and nationals from other countries,
have done for Indonesians, on a voluntary basis -- especially to
alleviate the suffering of the numerous victims of the Bali
bombing tragedy of Oct. 12.