Message from the Ambassador

Message from the Ambassador

Message from H.E. Mr. Luk Darras, Ambassador of H.M. the King
of the Belgians to the Republic of Indonesia on the occasion of
Kings' Day, November 15, 1999.

The birth of a new democratic dawn in Indonesia is offering
privileged spectators a unique opportunity to witness the
emergence of a renewed society. As one of these spectators, I was
particularly struck by the high energy burst in the development
of a new Indonesia in all fields of life, the will to change and
the peaceful way in which most dramatic changes took place.

It is indeed rare, even in a diplomatic career, that one can
literally live through such an explosion of freedom, fascinated
by new architectures and constellations. All this happened in a
country marked by a tremendous diversity of authentic cultures, a
deeply rooted "laras" philosophy -- the positive power of Islam
and an openness of mind typical of a continent spanning maritime
nation looking at far frontiers. New spaces are continuously
being opened. Liberating concepts are being promoted. Global
thinking and planetary consciousness are growing, while stressing
the riches of local diversity. "To start anew" are the favorite
words one hears around everywhere these days.

Belgium, too, a small country located in the heart of Europe,
is experiencing a period of profound changes. The new government
that took its oath on July 16 marks a break with the past, both
in composition and policy. But Belgium's fundamentals remain.
With its 10 million inhabitants, it is one of the highest
exporting countries per capita in the world, in absolute terms
the 10th exporter in the world. Belgium exports total daily some
US$700 million. We are the third largest investor in the world
per capita and are among the countries with the highest
productivity and added value per working hour in the world.
Marked by a high input of small and medium-sized enterprises, we
have engaged in knowledge-based and technology-oriented
industries. In the latest UNDP Human Development Report, Belgium
is ranked fifth, but with an uncontested first for its excellent
education system.

Belgium is greeting the new millennium with a range of diverse
activities. Brussels will be one of the Cultural Capitals of
Europe in 2000. Together with the Netherlands, Belgium will host
the European Soccer Cup 2000. We are commemorating the 500th
anniversary of the birth of Emperor Charles V, one of the first
truly European monarchs. Also, a number of exhibitions
celebrating one of Belgium's unique artists, the unclassifiable
painter James Ensor, are being held.

Since we celebrate today the Feast of the Dynasty, it is my
pleasure to highlight the forthcoming marriage of Crown Prince
Philip of Belgium with Lady Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz on December
4. It is one of the rare occasions which brings together all
Belgians, in Belgium and abroad, for a happy event, full of hope
and united in their diversity.

Although numbers are only one aspect to characterize
relations, it is useful to keep in mind that Belgium and
Indonesia have always been close business partners. Belgium is a
keen buyer of Indonesian goods; Indonesia exported seven times
more to Belgium in 1998 than Belgium did to Indonesia.
Conversely, there has been a continuous flow of Belgium
investment to Indonesia, even during the last two years, with new
factories and bold initiatives.

We are proud of, and encourage actively our Belgian
entrepreneurs who dare to venture on uncertain ground and, in
their own way, contribute to strengthening good relations. Not a
single Belgian company has even envisaged leaving Indonesia, even
at the height of the economic crisis. On the contrary,
investments continued as a sign of confidence in Indonesia's
great potential and future. On an international level, Belgium is
keen on helping Indonesia as much as possible to overcome its
financial problems and we are studying ways in which Belgium can
set up appropriate initiatives or join existing ones to help
achieve urgent priorities. In this respect, we are working
closely together with our partners of the European Union, all
committed to strengthening ties between Indonesia and Europe.

It is therefore challenging and at the same time rewarding to
further build and reinforce, in a modest way, relations between a
giant in full transformation like Indonesia and a small country
thousands of miles away. But it matters to look at a common
ground, which in this case is deeply human. Belgians have always
been fascinated by Indonesia, a country well-known from our
literature. Belgians have been coming to Indonesia at all times
and in great numbers, the most famous one probably being King
Leopold III, who fell in love with Indonesia during his honeymoon
and returned numerous times to explore the never-ending richness
of the archipelago. With our own personalities and cultures --
Belgians are known to be hard-working, multicultural and to keep
a low-profile while integrating smoothly in different societies
-- we are actively working in Indonesia toward a universal
community of interests. A National Day is a good moment to
reflect on these relation-building efforts, with the main focus
on trying to diversify them, bring quality to them and especially
to humanize them in terms of mutual respect and synergy in
developing interactions which are mutually beneficial. To this
end, we are working daily with our Indonesian partners on a
creative interface. This is the essence of the noble vocation of
the small Belgian community in our beloved host country.