Old ties, new meaning

Old ties, new meaning

Of course, it should surprise no one that for many years
Indonesia's relations with the Netherlands were more impassioned
than those with other countries. For over 350 years, as the
popular -- though historically not quite accurate -- saying goes,
that small country on the North Sea was master over the more than
17,500 islands of the Indonesian archipelago.

The first Dutchmen arrived here in 1596 as merchants in search
of the source of the tropical spices that were at the time highly
coveted by the rival merchant states of Europe. Either by design
or through the course of developments, the Dutch ended up as
masters of what they called their East Indies colonial
possessions -- a situation that ended abruptly in 1942, when the
Japanese imperial forces occupied this country for the remainder
of World War II.

Indonesian history books are filled with accounts of
wrongdoings committed by "the Dutch" at that time. To be fair, it
was of course also the Dutch who introduced such Western concepts
as modern education, roads, railways and other forms of
infrastructure to Indonesia -- irrespective of their motives for
doing so.

The important point here is that such extensive contacts,
taking place over several centuries, were bound to lead to the
emergence of a special relationship between the two peoples.
Colonial bonds, says the Indonesian historian Onghokham, tend in
the end to create a love-hate relationship loaded with a high
degree of "emotional baggage." In the words of another Indonesian
historian, Taufik Abdullah, "If an American shows a superior
attitude here, people do not pay attention to it. But if a
Dutchman acts superior, people notice it right away."

We believe such sentiments do indeed help explain emotional
outbursts such as the one that nearly led to the disruption of
whatever ties still remain between Indonesia and Holland. As most
of us remember, Indonesia suspended all forms of Dutch aid and
broke up the international aid consortium IGGI (Inter Government
Group on Indonesia), which the Netherlands chaired, after
repeated offensive remarks by Dutch officials about the human
rights situation in Indonesia.

As it turned out, the strain proved to be not only limited in
scope, but temporary in nature. At present, according to the
Indonesian ambassador to The Hague, Soedarmanto Kadarisman,
relations between the two countries have not only recovered, but
are even stronger than before the 1992 incident. Reciprocal
visits by top government personalities have lately gathered
momentum. And today, Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers and his
entourage are expected to arrive for a state visit.

What we find particularly heartening in this case is not so
much that old wounds seem to have healed. Rather, it is the fact
that a greater maturity appears to have evolved governing the
country's bilateral relations. As new generations of citizens
emerge, both in Indonesia and in the Netherlands, it is
inevitable that the old emotional ties, in so far as they ever
existed, will weaken and a new bond of understanding will have to
be nurtured.

A new world order is emerging in which countries can no longer
live in isolation and all must contribute to the promotion of
peace and stability. The old bond between Holland and Indonesia
may be no more. Yet, there is one legacy of the colonial period
that may help bridge greater understanding between the two
nations. That is, the storehouse of amassed knowledge that is
available to the present generation, both in Holland and in
Indonesia.

We feel that the visit beginning today by Prime Minister
Lubbers can make a valuable contribution to that end.