On leasing of islands

On leasing of islands

I very much regret Amien Rais' and Amin Arjoso's rejection of
an island-leasing idea, as reported in Kompas, May 29, 2000.

Amien's bombastic statement that he could not allow the
leasing of even a portion of an island gives the impression that
he is most patriotic in defending the nation, as the statement
suggests that Indonesia's islands are not to be leased for
whatever reason.

In the same vein, a statement that this denies a state's
sovereignty is felt to be an exaggeration because in my opinion,
the state's sovereignty is meaningful not because you make loud
statements about it but because its presence is beneficial to the
greater part of the people.

What we have at present is a sovereignty of the powers that be
and the political elite. Our state's sovereignty has, in fact,
been sold to the IMF and corrupt officials.

In the same way, Amin need not have shown off his being
constitutional or his great care for the nation's identity if he
himself fails to mention which constitution and which national
identity had been violated. Actually, he has not put forward a
constructive alternative to counter the island-leasing idea.

We can appreciate and respect the statements of Amien and Amin
if they themselves have proved to the people that they, as part
of Indonesia's leading figures, can serve as models for
patriotism and national dignity by, for example, refusing to
accept a Volvo car and be content with a Karimun, refusing a pay
rise, declaring their wealth, refusing to assume dual positions
and concentrating on their tasks in the House of
Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly and also by
practicing exemplary deeds on how to be rationally frugal. In
this way, they will really show their patriotism and great care
for the state's current heavy financial burden. Simple exemplary
deeds will contribute favorably to cooling down the prevailing
heated atmosphere in all aspects of life in our country.

If Amien and Amin cannot do these small things, which can, in
fact, exert a broad psychological impact on other national
leaders/figures and the community at large, it would be better
for them not to talk about high-sounding matters. They had better
keep quiet and enjoy all the facilities at their disposal now.

As a matter of fact, the idea of leasing Indonesia's islands
is based on a good intention to boost the state's finances and
must be supported by other ideas to minimize its adverse impacts,
such as those introduced by the naval chief of staff, Ahmad
Sutjipto. If we see only the adversity because we do not wish to
overcome these impacts or are lazy to do this, we need not beg
the IMF for money, as the money, in the absence of tighter
control, will only be subject to corruption. Likewise, we need
not freely practice democracy because of our inability to control
mass rallies, etc.

H. WISDARMANTO GS

Jakarta