UI opens Non-Aligned Movement study center

UI opens Non-Aligned Movement study center

By Achmad Nurhoeri

JAKARTA (JP): The prestigious state University of Indonesia
has established a center to study the development of the Non-
Aligned Movement (NAM), of which Indonesia is now chairman.

The Center of Analysis for NAM Studies hopes to produce
studies that could be used by the 112-nation movement as the
basis of its policy-making decisions.

Although Indonesia is past the half way mark of its three-year
term and will end its chairmanship next September, the proponents
of the new center did not think that they have arrived late.

And judging by the remarks of proponents at the inauguration
on Wednesday, the center could present a major departure from the
tone of Indonesia's leadership at NAM, which is seeking
cooperation rather than confrontation with industrialized
countries.

They fully support Indonesia's insistence that the movement,
founded in the early 1960s to accommodate countries not wanting
to be dragged into the superpowers' Cold War, is still relevant
to this day as a forum for developing countries.

Dr. Hero Kuntjoro-Jakti, head of the university's
international relations department, said at the inauguration that
NAM, whose members largely comprise of developing countries,
needs to be able to stand up in the face of domination by the
wealthy industrialized countries.

Hero suggested that NAM should be united in facing economic
giants rather than trying to meet them individually.

He said, at best Indonesia could only play a moderate role as
NAM spokesman in view of reliance on aid and trade from the
industrialized countries. Even Malaysia, whose prime minister
Mahathir Mohamad is an ardent critic of the West, has its limits
because it too depends on the United States and Europe for a
large portion of its trade, he added.

Soesiswo Soenarko, chief director of the NAM study center,
said one of NAM's chief difficulties is that it is a movement and
not a proper organization.

He also noted that some NAM members have doubts about the
relevance of the movement after the end of the Cold War.

"Indonesia, as its chairman, needs every input it can get to
solve the matter and that is why this center was formed,"
Soesiswo said.

The center was formally inaugurated in the presence of Sundaru
Rachmat, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Research and
Development Agency.

The center, which will be manned by scholars of the
university's School of Social and Political Sciences, has also
been retained by the Ministry under a five-year contract to help
with some studies and come up with solutions to a number of
problems.

Inputs

Zainuddin Jafar, who will be running the center's day to day
activity, said the sheer size of NAM makes leading the movement
more difficult. He pointed out that NAM is the second largest
forum in the world after the United Nations.

"They need inputs from scholars to create formulas that really
work," Zainuddin said.

The center has established seven divisions, based on issues
facing the movement, including the debt problem of developing
countries.

The center also has plans to establish multi-disciplinary
studies in cooperation with schools in the university. It also
hopes to develop a data base that monitors the political and
economic trends in all NAM member countries.