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