Our outmoded nationalism

Our outmoded nationalism

In the case of East Timor, Australia is behaving like a
pubescent child. It is raucous in its speech and tends to act
with excessive drive. This country has been like close kin to us
for many years.

Considering such a background, we, as a large nation currently
in trouble, must not overreact. All the more so because
Australia's ambition to lead the peace force (in East Timor) is
endorsed by the United Nations -- an organization which we, as a
member, must support whether we like it or not.

We must gradually learn to abandon our old style of
nationalism -- a nationalism that does not accept rough talk from
any other nation. We must unabashedly admit that we are indeed
still often prone to act foolishly. In many aspects we still
don't mean anything.

East Timor is one example of such foolishness. It teaches us
how one fatal misguided decision -- to take East Timor -- can
result in a string of other mistakes. We seldom win when we
confront the outside world because we are forever occupied with
fighting foolish domestic squabbles.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta