No-Nukes incident
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