Pilger's film

Pilger's film

This is rather a belated reply to Melise Van Kamp's Aug. 12,
1994 letter entitled "On John Pilger's film", concerning East
Timor. In it she assails The Jakarta Post contributor Dino Patti
Djalal's article, published earlier, which criticized the
Australian filmmaker's methods.

Ms. Van Kamp accuses Mr. Djalal of giving precious little
attention to Pilger's film Death of a Nation: The Timor
Conspiracy, and of making personal attacks on the producer, but
she herself is guilty of failing to sufficiently discuss the
movie in her letter. Instead, she disparages Djalal's "low
quality of journalism" and "inelegant prose." She must remember
that watching one movie doesn't make her an ordained expert on
the East Timor problem.

At this stage I must say that except for persons of a certain
political hue (or those with a short supply of perspective), East
Timor's integration with Indonesia was the best possible
geopolitical solution to the problem. Death of a Nation is a
misnomer: there never was an East Timorese nation (Why isn't West
Timor a nation?)

After the utterly irresponsible Portuguese pullout in 1975,
the Marxist Fretilin declared itself the rightful heir to the
colony's administration. It was not the only grouping in the
territory, but it had the most arms; the departing Portuguese
soldiers made sure of that. Fretilin had a definite political
agenda. What would have been next? Cuban troops invited into
Indonesia's, and also Australia's backyard? The whole region
destabilized?

This does not mean that I condone some of the later events
that occurred after the integration of East Timor into Indonesia.
Those elements of the Indonesian army who committed mistakes in
East Timor must be punished accordingly . We have also been
guilty of poor public relations and clumsy handling of some
important matters. But some progress has been made, several human
rights issues, albeit slowly, have been addressed, and it seems
the government is committed to improvement.

Now back to John Pilger. Despite his having won press awards,
the best indicator of good journalism are still the ABC's:
Accuracy, Balance, and Completeness. By starting out with an
obviously anti-Indonesian premise in Death of a Nation, Mr.
Pilger has violated these principles. Some of Mr. Djalal's points
in his articles, in fact, are quite valid. To repeat, it seems to
be controversy-making rather than the whole truth that is a
hallmark of Pilger's journalism. But perhaps press judges prefer
controversy. Sensationalism and dramatization sell newspapers.

For readers not too familiar with John Pilger, read the
British magazine New Statesman & Society. Pilger's column is
filled with references to "capitalist democracies" and "Tory
propaganda." Never "socialistic propaganda." Perhaps Pilger has
the coat of arms of the "heroic Fretilin nation" on his wall.
Workers of the world, unite!

FARID BASKORO

Jakarta