Our diplomacy

Responding to the recent offer by friendly countries wishing to help the Republic of Indonesia after the referendum in East Timor, President Habibie stated that not merely help, but mutual understanding was more important for the Indonesian nation.

The statement may have been based on the reality that nearly the whole world has welcomed the victory of the proindependence group in East Timor. It also means that the world in general does not sympathize with Indonesia. This does not only include Western countries or communist states. None of our fellow ASEAN members expressed their condolences on the "disaster" experienced by the Indonesian nation, especially the veterans of the Seroja Operation in East Timor. This is a lamentable fact.

If we compare the current situation to the more arduous diplomatic struggle to capture West Irian, which required only 13 years, the achievements of our current career diplomats are far below those of earlier diplomats who have become legendary figures, with their names written in golden ink in our national history. They are Agus Salim, Sutan Sjahrir, Muhammad Roem, Sudjarwo Tjondronegoro, etc.

As today, the domestic situation at that time was somewhat fragile, yet their skillful diplomacy succeeded in embracing friends and beating enemies.

Not only communist, Asian and African states, but some Western countries sympathized with Indonesia. Harbor workers in Australia launched a strike to express their unwillingness to serve Dutch war ships sailing to Indonesia.

Now the opposite is happening. The Australian government, with allegedly no record of problems with Indonesia, has silently helped Portugal and the proindependence group so that East Timor can secede from Indonesia. Who is to blame for all this?

IFRAD SUKANTO

Jakarta