The Nobel decision

The decision to award this year's Nobel peace prize to East Timor Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo and exiled separatist leader Ramos Horta came as something of a shock. Few in Indonesia question the selection of Bishop Belo who, in spite of his often scathing criticisms of the government's policy, has tirelessly worked towards the promotion of peace in the territory.

However, the selection of Horta is controversial and represents a major blow to Indonesia. Anyone who knows of his past, even his recent past, would dispute the Nobel committee's decision. Horta is neither an angel of peace nor a warrior for peace. On the contrary, Horta's actions have often obstructed the United Nations' sponsored negotiations between Indonesia and Portugal which are meant to settle the East Timor question. If anything, he has helped to make peace even more elusive for the people in East Timor. He is a leader of Fretilin, one of the parties involved in the bloody civil war in East Timor in 1975. The Fretilin's human rights record is hardly commendable enough for any of its leaders to receive the celebrated peace prize.

Alas, the Nobel committee has made its decision, either out of ignorance, or because it is poorly informed, or politically motivated. Whichever is the case, there is no need for Indonesia to pursue the matter beyond questioning the motive behind the decision. It is a fact that Indonesia, particularly the government, will have to live with. From now on, Ramos Horta will be referred to as a Nobel laureate wherever he goes, whether Indonesia likes it or not.

Nor is there any need for Indonesia to look for scapegoats. Suffice it to say that Indonesia has problems and failures both on home ground and in international fora on the question of East Timor which have contributed to this affair. Instead, Indonesia must look at the challenges ahead, because this turn of events is bound to put East Timor further in the international limelight.

The government will have to work even harder toward solving the various problems existing both in East Timor and at the United Nations. The government has repeatedly said that there is no longer any political problem in East Timor and that the problems that do exist there are mostly economic, particularly the growing number of unemployed educated young people in the territory. Yet, we have yet to see any concrete measures to remedy these problems.

Far too often, perhaps because of pressures from abroad, the government finds itself caught up in its own rhetoric, rehashing the progress achieved in East Timor since it became part of Indonesia. In international fora, the government has never stopped pointing out the fact that it has succeeded in having the East Timor debate deferred from discussion at the United Nations General Assembly, year after year. Unfortunately, relying solely on such successes would be to take a myopic view of the whole East Timor problem.

Indonesia still has a long way to go in making the integration of East Timor complete, before it will be able to convince the world that the territory is truly part of the republic. The Nobel peace prize controversy should not upset the government's efforts on any front, but it should bring the realization that solutions must be found quickly.