RI-Australia ties
RI-Australia ties
I am writing in response to Mr. Damien Kingsbury's article
Hard road to RI-Australia ties of Nov. 12, 1999. To his credit,
the effort is there, but his view is not exactly the kind that
would improve ties between Indonesia and Australia.
The East Timor tragedy began at a time when Indonesia was
nearing a showdown against its dictatorial regime for greater
democracy. The time when the then president B.J. Habibie, in
violation of the decree of the People's Consultative Assembly of
1978, took a decision for East Timorese to opt for independence
and the violence in East Timor which ensued. It is also history
that Prime Minister John Howard showed no sympathy or sensitivity
toward the Indonesian people fighting for democracy, and even
made the path strenuous.
The author mentioned that despite the Australian government's
endorsement, three-quarters of its population opposed the
integration into Indonesia of East Timor, which resulted in two
decades of military clashes against the communist-based group,
the Fretilin. Was Australia's participation in the Vietnam War
part of the anticommunist crusade, or was it about creating
goodwill with America to aid in the event that Australia's
security is threatened? What was the sentiment of Australians
then?
One should neither neglect history nor mock the culture of
Indonesians or their intelligence even when the education system
and media interpreted various events favoring the former
dictatorial regime. Indonesians knew, but lived in fear, and
those opposing (many Javanese) paid the price with their lives. I
do not find Australians receptive when the international
community criticizes their treatment toward the Aborigines,
brutal involvement in the Vietnam War, support for the economic
embargo on Iraq, among others things, which cause deaths of
untold number of innocent people. Whether foreign or local, the
media have always been partial and biased. Foreign media of rich
countries, noticeably, have the resources to manipulate world
opinion, while most local media are constrained within their
budget.
Indeed, trust and friendship must be earned, but futile if
honesty and transparency is biased and partial. The Howard
government should take the initiative, because it is that
government which started the disruption of friendly relations
between the two nations by its arrogance against the Indonesian
nation.
Do not forget, Indonesia is a great nation of 205 million
people. Its history is full of struggles against colonial powers
all over the archipelago. One thing that the Indonesian people,
as a struggling nation, cannot take is an insult to their
national dignity.
VIKRAMAVARDHANA D.S.
Jakarta