President's mission to U.S. needs proactive follow up

President's mission to U.S. needs proactive follow up

Ahson Saeed Hasan, Washington

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's recent visit to the
United States was indeed a landmark journey that wrote a new
chapter in the history of Jakarta-Washington relations.

The fact that President George W. Bush pledged support for the
reforms being introduced in the Indonesian Military (TNI) and
expressed the desire to reestablish full military relations
indicates a gradual transition towards the normalization of
affairs between the two countries that have an age-old tradition
of warm and cordial interaction and cooperation.

However, a complete turnaround of fortunes still seems miles
away due to resistance in the U.S. Congress and harsh criticism
by certain human rights groups of alleged abuses by the
Indonesian Military. However, if concerted efforts are
persistently made it may, after all, not be too difficult to
achieve a breakthrough vis-a-vis the sanctions imposed on
Indonesia.

President Susilo's efforts to lobby for Indonesia's interests
are indeed commendable. He came to the U.S. with a set plan and
executed it in an extremely efficient and effective manner. He
was not only given an audience in the White House but was also
received with open arms and minds by those who matter in the
nation's capital.

While the President's visit did achieve a certain measure of
success, one wonders what role the Indonesian Embassy in
Washington DC could play in the evolving situation. It is felt by
many here in the post Sept. 11 world when circumstances are
rapidly changing that Indonesian diplomats need to do a lot more
than they have done in the past.

With the U.S. certainly playing an integral part in writing a
"revised script" of the New World Order and with people like Paul
Wolfowitz openly advocating Indonesia's potential role in the
fight against terrorism and talking in terms of the country being
an ideal democratic Muslim polity, it is indeed the right time to
exploit the situation and work toward building a stronger
association with Washington.

However, the role of the Indonesian Embassy here seems limited
and uncertain and it is not wholeheartedly involved in diplomatic
circles. Indonesian diplomats are hardly ever visible at the many
meetings, seminars and conferences organized by the think-tanks,
pressure groups and lobbying firms.

Politics in Washington is a rather tricky affair. It requires
much more than a "physical presence" in the capital -- it is
about tact, an art to preempt and act upon moves and factors that
can make or mar a country's future. Hence diplomatic missions are
not only expected to be the effective eyes and ears of a country
but also to operate with the objective of finding the ways and
means to enhance and propagate the nation's interest, rather than
adopting a laid-back approach; waiting for dignitaries from the
home country to visit and make some sort of an impact.

Apart from the lack of exposure of the embassy staff, there is
little or no media coverage on the Indonesian political front.
One comes across many communities here that put out newspapers,
periodicals and disseminate information about their countries as
well as news and events from back home. This process helps to
enhance business and cultural links and by following such a
pattern of interaction, the prospects of foreign investment
trickling into the country become much brighter.

Although one cannot blame the embassy entirely for this
deficiency, the mission should make some kind of an attempt to
promote an Indonesian identity, perhaps by networking with
Indonesian expatriates and Indonesian-Americans and coming up
with material to lobby for Jakarta's business and political
interests.

While it is indeed true that Indonesia has been the focus of
attention since the tsunami hit Aceh in December, one must hasten
to add that it was the work of the U.S. media, bureaucracy and
relief agencies, not the Indonesian Embassy, which made it
possible to mobilize U.S. aid and help out the people in
distress.

While the mission in Washington did actively participate in
the meetings that followed in places like the State Department,
not much was done by it to start a process that would create
relief mechanisms and help the victims of the disaster.

More generally, it is vital the embassy highlight the moderate
face of Indonesia, the free society that the public here is
unaware of, the subtle secularism, the happily blended ethnic
groups that live together in a tolerant and productive
environment and the spirit of unity, brotherhood and equality in
which the country was created and that continues to this day.

In such a situation, the role of the embassy becomes
critically important. It is definitely the function of the
missions abroad to cultivate, develop and lay bare the truth
about a country and its people, thereby negating any
misconceptions that people in the outside world nurture in their
somewhat confined realities. The beauty of good diplomacy does
not necessarily lie in going around in shiny black limousines and
wearing well-pressed expensive suits and ties -- instead it is
the virtue of spreading word in the community and creating
exposure and goodwill.

In the final analysis, although the President's visit has set
the ball rolling for the improvement of U.S.-Indonesia relations,
a proactive follow-up is required. It is, therefore, sincerely
hoped that Ambassador Soemadi Brotodiningrat and the members of
his staff apply themselves in an effective manner in order to
build on Susilo's good work.

The embassy's advocacy role needs some reconfiguration. Once
that is done, one can confidently say that the mission will be
able to play an effective, productive and a legitimate role in
propagating the best interests of the 250 million people of
Indonesia.

The writer is a senior editor in the Federal Document Clearing
House, a Washington DC-based transcription and news service.