No-Nukes incident
Many of us in Indonesia--from government to opposition alike--are chagrined by the fact that often the West does not practice the democratic principles that it professes to espouse. My most recent experience with this was during the celebration of the French Bastille Day on July 14, 1995 in Jakarta.
For many years I have been invited to the Bastille Day celebration. This year I felt myself to be in somewhat of a quandary--on the one hand I wanted to pay my respects to the French on their national day, on the other, I have deep objections--as do many people in the world--to the intention of the French government to conduct nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll, in the South Pacific. I attempted to resolve the dilemma by attending, but by wearing a "No Nukes" sticker on my dress.
As I walked into the French ambassador's residence, I was arrested by a gendarme (there were also many Indonesian police present), and asked to remove my sticker. Not wanting to create a scene, I complied and was allowed to enter the premises. I shook the hand of Ambassador Thierry de Beauce, who I had never met before since he is newly appointed to Indonesia. I congratulated him on the occasion of his people's national day, then handed him a "No Nukes" sticker. In an instant his polite demeanor changed into anger, reacting as if I had insulted him personally, and ordered the gendarme, who had been observing me closely all this time, to expel me from the premises.
Within five minutes of walking into the French ambassador's residence I was out on the pavement. I was not even allowed to use the car-call to summon my driver. I had no option but to stand on the sidewalk as invitees came one by one, many of whom I knew, hoping to find a way to get home. After about 10 to 15 minutes, a journalist from Reuters walked by and I told him what had happened. He told me there were a number of journalists just 20 meters away and that I should talk to them. Rather than be stranded on the pavement, I approached the group of journalists and came across a group of peaceful demonstrators from the Indonesian Environmental Group and the Indonesian Anti-Nuclear Society. I had heard of their intention to protest and show their concern by lighting candles and handing out flowers and "No Nukes" badges to the invitees attending the Bastille Day celebration, but I was not involved with them directly. I know some people from the Indonesian Environmental Group, but this was the first time I had had any encounter with the Indonesian Anti- Nuclear Society.
The journalists there, including from Reuters and AFP, were eager to hear what happened to me and I was more than happy to tell them. I added that the Bastille Day celebration represents an international gathering, and those attending are implicitly approving the French government's intention to test their nuclear bombs. However, I knew that some, perhaps many, of the guests were personally against the testing but had been instructed to attend by their superiors or their respective governments.
As we all know, the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution that followed inspired many other countries to follow France's democratic path. It is therefore exceedingly ironic that when I attempted to exercise my democratic rights to express an opinion concerning a French government policy I did not agree with, that I should be treated with such hostility, notably as an officially invited guest. Had I resisted, no doubt I would have been handled in a considerably more violent manner.
YULIA SURYAKUSUMA
Jakarta