Megawati and East Timor

Bantarto Bandoro, Editor, The Indonesian Quarterly Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta

The invitation extended by the president-elect of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao, to President Megawati Soekarnoputri to attend that territory's independence celebration on May 20 has driven people here in this country to polemic.

Certain members of the academic community have sent a clear message that Megawati should not skip Dili's independence declaration, while most politicians and other members of the legislature have urged Megawati to boycott the ceremony. Although Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Gen. (ret.) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced on Thursday that Megawati would fulfill the invitation, the issue remains controversial.

Perhaps some still remember when Megawati expressed her strong opposition to the 1999 UN-sponsored self-determination ballot in East Timor. One can only wonder about her exact feelings on the end results of that ballot. If it is eventually decided that Megawati will not accept the invitation to attend the ceremony, it will probably be because of these feelings.

However, that East Timor has emerged as an independent entity is a political fact that cannot be ignored, especially by Indonesia, which shares a border with the new country.

Much of what happened in the past with regard to East Timor seems relevant to the present debate. But, of course, there are some people who cannot discuss this issue without becoming overly emotional, particularly those who exhausted their energies trying to develop East Timor and thus are absolutely against the territory's separation from Indonesia.

The future of East Timor will certainly be different from the time it spent under the authoritarian rule of Indonesia. As the youngest member of the international community, East Timor will have to go through the extremely difficult period of nation building. Xanana Gusmao made clear that the transition to independence will not be easy after centuries of Portuguese colonial rule, followed by more than 20 years under Indonesian military rule.

Xanana has reportedly expressed his sincere commitment to developing a good neighbor policy. And he has gone out of his way to bury the hatchet with Indonesia, as he understands the importance of having a positive and constructive relationship with such a close and large neighbor.

This is perhaps the message that is carried by the invitation extended to the government of Indonesia; one should not simply assume that the invitation was meant to test the leadership of Megawati, especially with regard to the issue of East Timor.

Given this, it is difficult to understand why a politician the caliber of Akbar Tanjung has adhered to the idea that Megawati should ignore the invitation, arguing that problems related to East Timor's independence remain unresolved.

Although the past 25 years shook the faith of both Indonesia and East Timor, it is still fashionable to believe the countries can develop an underlying harmony of interest in the future that will become the basis for resolving any remaining problems.

It is against such a background that Megawati should accept the invitation. Megawati's presence at the independence ceremony would send a clear signal to all members of the international community that both countries have buried old grievances and are eagerly looking to the future. Furthermore, Indonesia's international image would certainly be helped by Megawati's presence.

Efforts by both sides, once they have established diplomatic ties, to make the harmony more explicit by promoting mutual interests and other activities are essential, in terms of the two countries future contributions to the development and stability of the region.

It is thus not irrational to think that East Timor may become part of Indonesia's regional diplomacy. It would be understandable if history cast a shadow over future relations between Indonesia and East Timor. But a true commitment by both sides to develop a better relationship would gradually eliminate the bad feelings. And domestically, this would also help reconcile contradicting views with regard to the issue of East Timor.

The emergence of East Timor as an independent entity has made the territory the focus of international assistance. It is perhaps here that Indonesia should initiate policies that would hopefully win the hearts of the East Timorese.

Economically, East Timor may be insignificant compared to Indonesia. But its strong international political network cannot be ignored, being evidence of the continuing international support for an independent East Timor. If Megawati rejected the invitation from Xanana Gusmao, it would mean ignoring of the reality that East Timor will one day be an important player in regional networking.

The great transformation that has taken place in East Timor will drastically change the political, economic and security landscape of the region. Once the territory attains full independence, the opportunity is there for East Timor to become a member of the regional organizations, be it in the Southeast Asian region or in the Asia Pacific.

But historically and geographically, East Timor belongs to Southeast Asia. It is just as much a part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as it was once part of Indonesia. Thus, there is no reason for other ASEAN members to reject East Timor's presence in the grouping, provided that East Timor is willing to enter and abide by the regionally accepted code of conduct.

Viewed from such a perspective, it is necessary that Indonesia grant diplomatic recognition to East Timor. Megawati's acceptance of the invitation would be a first and major step toward such a recognition.

Indonesia should realize that with the emergence of an independent East Timor, blood and iron are no longer on the menu, having been replaced by the need to build fruitful bilateral relations.