U.S. and UN fail to understand RI dilemma

U.S. and UN fail to understand RI dilemma

Following the U.S. disappointment expressed last week, chairperson of the UN High Commission for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, has also reiterated her dissatisfaction with the outcome of Indonesia's recent trial of cases of human rights abuses in East Timor.

At the end of her three-day East Timor visit on Aug. 25, Mrs. Robinson urged that an international tribunal be established to take over the trial of alleged crimes against humanity. She was dissatisfied with the acquittal of six military/police officers by the ad hoc human rights tribunal on Aug. 15. The only defendant found guilty was former East Timor governor Abilio Osorio Soares, who got three years in jail -- a sentence also under fire for being too light.

The Indonesian government has explained that the trial of these cases was in conformity with international standards and held openly to allow public view as well as international monitoring. As a free and sovereign nation, Indonesia should not overreact and lose confidence. On the other hand, it should not ignore the U.S. and UN criticisms either, in order to avoid difficulty in international discourse. By exercising restraint, Indonesia needs to distinguish between serious world demands from casual ones.

It is noticeable how the U.S. and Robinson have tended to make one-sided judgments. They completely failed to consider the dilemmas and difficulties our nation faces with this issue, besides the disturbed conscience of the majority of Indonesian people.

The trial had to be undertaken to meet external demands, but conversely, the defendants were of great service for supporting the integration of East Timor with the unitary state of Indonesia.

-- Kompas, Jakarta