Megawati betrays Sukarno's views

Having known Sukarno well since I first met him in Yogyakarta in 1948, I was shocked to learn that Megawati Soekarnoputri is accepting the advice of those who advocate the incorporation of East Timor into the Indonesian state. Such a course would be a gross betrayal of Sukarno's views and flagrant abandonment of the realities of Indonesian history.

When I knew Sukarno there were certainly some Indonesians who urged annexation of East Timor, but he steadfastly opposed doing so. Among his objections, one also strongly shared by Hatta, was that for Indonesia to annex East Timor would undercut the logic and the argument for its claim to all of the Netherlands East Indies, including West Irian.

Later, Sukarno additionally argued against annexation of East Timor because to do so would make it appear that Indonesia was imitating India's 1961 annexation of the Portuguese colony of Goa.

GEORGE MCT.KAHIN

Ithaca, New York