RI Embassy responds

RI Embassy responds

We have taken due note of Ahson Saeed Hasan's article titled
President's mission to U.S. needs proactive follow up, published
in The Jakarta Post on June 21. While appreciating his interest,
we are troubled with his less than perceptive, if not even
uninformed, observations, and thus feel compelled to set the
record straight.

First, while in less than one month it would be too early to
judge the effectiveness of the follow-up to the President's
visit, Saeed Hasan conveniently forgot to see the active role
played, and preparatory work done, by the embassy leading toward
that successful visit.

Second, with regard to assistance for tsunami victims, we
sincerely appreciate the spontaneity of the American people and
the hard work by their bureaucracy, relief agencies and the media
to mobilize the funds. But failing to note the role of the
embassies of the affected countries, including the Indonesian
Embassy, in facilitating that work constitutes the most grotesque
omission any observer could possibly make.

It would have sufficed for Saeed Hasan to check U.S. agencies,
some humanitarian NGOs or major business associations to see how
closely and intensively they cooperated with the embassy,
including in the successful holding of the Private Sector Summit
on May 12 (if he is aware at all of this important event).

Third, even more puzzling is Saeed Hasan's observation on the
lack of exposure of the Indonesian ambassador or the Indonesian
Embassy's staff at meetings, seminars and conferences organized
by think thanks. We keep wondering why in the frequent
appearances by the ambassador as a speaker and the participation
of the embassy's staff at such meetings, seminars and
conferences, as well as cultural events and commercial
exhibitions, none of us has ever met Saeed Hasan.

Even if he himself never showed up at such events to meet with
us, he should have felt free to check such institutions as
USINDO, the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce, the World Affairs Council, The Asia Society, CSIS,
SAIS, The Executive Council on Diplomacy, the Smithsonian
Institution, the Corcoran Gallery, The Meridien Center, etc.,
before making his unsubstantiated observations.

The Indonesian Embassy has never been complacent with what it
has done. More effort and improvements are indeed still needed.
It is in this light that we appreciate Saeed Hasan "advice". We
would be more than glad, therefore, to have direct contact and an
exchange of information with him in the hope that his future
articles would be more enlightened.

RIAZ J.P. SAEHU, Second Secretary Press and Information Division
Indonesian Embassy, Washington DC