RI, Australia have common destiny

RI, Australia have common destiny

Sitting here in Kupang, Indonesia, West Timor, I reflect on my holiday, fast drawing to an end.

Christmas, a festival shared in this city by Christians and Muslims alike, was attested to by the eclectic mix of followers of all religions thronging the new Ramayana shopping mall, sharing the festive season.

Idul Fitri, the Muslim festival was also enjoyed by the devotees of all faiths, both in the public and private sectors.

On this occasion, the proponents of religious disharmony did not manifest their misguided malignance in any way, shape or form, and for that we can be thankful to God.

Police vetting of foreigners has been beefed up. This is good to see.

Cars with East Timorese number plates ply the streets, down from the world's newest nation (like it or not) for the cheap shopping, armed with rupiah and not U.S. dollars. There's a BMW, a Honda Prelude, and a new Corolla -- not all the people in Timor Leste are doing it tough.

Relaxing and reading the new book by retired Army general Wiranto, an aspirant for the Indonesian presidency in 2004, one passage leapt out at me from the book's pages as something similarly relevant to Australia's recent history.

To quote Wiranto: "I wish to remind all that we should not try to promote justice through injustice; we should also not try to promote human rights by breaking others' rights. If we do so we would only create uncertainty and further problems in a country that is otherwise very beautiful."

I have mental pictures of these words superimposed on a screen over images of Tampa, Nauru, Australia's Port Hedland, Woomera, Baxter detention centers, Iraq, the ghosts of the SIEV X passengers; the list is unending.

The year 2004 is an election year for both Indonesia and Australia. Let us hope and pray that both countries have the courage and wisdom to make the choice that will lead to a future of close and prosperous cooperation between us.

IAN MODJO Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara