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.