On the Nobel prize

I share Mr. Kale's view in his letter of Nov. 1, 1996. C. Northcote Parkinson, with his laws, is one of my favorite sources of guidance on human behavior. The way Mr. Kale put one of the laws in context was quite a clever idea. I personally respect all the decisions the Nobel Committee has made. They have every right and every reason to support their choices.

I reacted when I first heard the announcement on the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize to East Timor Bishop Belo and exiled separatist leader Ramos Horta with shock. But then I felt proud of having Bishop Belo as the Nobel Peace Prize winner, because he is one of our countrymen. I wonder why the government was not very enthusiastic about this. In my opinion, Bishop Belo deserves a warmer greeting from Indonesian people and the government.

As for Ramos Horta, I have no comment. He is a separatist who refused to unite with the country and has been campaigning for self-independence.

In his article on this subject (Kompas, Nov. 4, 1996), sociologist Iwan Gardono Sudjatmiko said that aside from its choice of Mother Teresa as the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Nobel Committee often applies a double standard, which is somewhat siding with European/American counterparts, in selecting winners for the Nobel Peace Prize. He provided data showing that up to 1970, almost all the awards went to Europe or the USA. However, some have been granted to dissidents of non-European and American countries who are against their own governments, such as Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (1991), the Dalai Lama of Tibet (1989) and Andrei Sakharov of the former Soviet Union (1975).

How about today's human rights activists, like those who favor the Aborigines of Australia, or the Maoris of New Zealand, or the Indians of America? Would they have the same opportunity to receive the Nobel prize? Mr. Sudjatmiko goes on to say that in those countries experiencing conflicts with the West, the awards were granted to both dissidents and representatives of the government. In 1973, Nobel prizes were granted to Le duc Tho (Vietnam) and Henry Kissinger (USA), and in 1993 to Nelson Mandela and De Klerk (South Africa).

JENNY LAURITZ KHOENG

Jakarta