USINDO's 10th anniversary
Washington D.C., as the capital city of the United States of America, is virtually like a huge marketplace in which competing interests vie for the attention of decision makers to promote whatever interests they have to protect.
Naturally, thousands of lobby groups, law firms and prominent individuals are constantly busy at work representing the interests of corporations, social organizations and foreign countries with important business to conduct with decision makers in either the executive, legislative or judiciary branches of the administration.
Foreign countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the United States naturally have their embassies in the capital city. The Indonesian Embassy occupies a magnificent and historical building at 2020 Massachusetts Avenue housing a large staff, with Ambassador Soemadi Brotodiningrat as chief of mission.
In light of the embassy's wide-ranging activities since diplomatic relations were established in 1950, it was felt that for a world power such as the United States with its busy capital city, an additional, non-governmental, organization was needed for the dissemination of quality information on the various aspects of Indonesia's constantly changing scene. Such an organization was also needed so that the busy decision makers in Washington D.C., continually overwhelmed by all sorts of problems, both domestic and international, could get a focused briefing on any particular problem that Indonesia was facing.
Thus, 10 years ago on Feb. 14, 1994, the United States- Indonesia Society (USINDO) was founded by Ambassador Edward Masters and the late Prof. Soemitro Djojohadikoesoemo, both of whom were thoroughly familiar with the complex dynamics of both Indonesia and America. Ed Masters served at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta during the critical years of the mid-1960s and later became the embassy's chief of mission. Soemitro, a noted economist, represented Indonesia on the United Nations Security Council in the late 1940s, when the conflict between the Republic of Indonesia and the Netherlands was at its height. He is also known as the man who founded the economics faculty at the University of Indonesia and at different times served as Indonesia's finance minister and minister of trade. USINDO is currently marking its 10th anniversary with a variety of programs, highlighted by a speech to be delivered by former foreign minister Ali Alatas on March 23 in Washington D.C.
We wholeheartedly agreed with the remark made by Ed Master, USINDO's co-chair, that the organization is about to conclude a very productive decade of work "to strengthen this most important organization in Indonesian-U.S. bilateral relations, one which has not been fully understood by many people in the U.S." Indeed, the many conferences, lecture programs, Congressional staff trips, summer study programs, publications, travel grants and fellowships that have been organized by USINDO in the past decade have created a radius of understanding and a pool of informed decision makers not only in Washington D.C. but in the United States in general.
It is no exaggeration to say that without USINDO's activities in the past 10 years, relations between Indonesia and the U.S. may well be a bit more trying than they are at present. However, we should also resist the temptation to romanticize this bilateral relationship. There were periods in the past when the U.S. could have played a more positive role and avoided some irrational steps in order to speed up Indonesia's development into a democracy with a healthy economy. Had the U.S. been more forthcoming in the mid-1950s in applying its effective diplomacy to settle the West Irian dispute between the Netherlands and Indonesia, the radicalization process in Indonesia's domestic politics could most probably have been prevented. Instead, the Eisenhower administration in the late 1950s, based on what turned out to be incorrect assessments, intervened excessively in Indonesia's regional conflict, which was effectively suppressed by the Indonesian armed forces. On the other hand, President Sukarno's flirtation with communism and his adventuristic foreign policies caused much frustration in Washington D.C.
We are referring to these past incidents in order that both Indonesia and the United States may act more prudently in facing the future by making a special effort to better understand each other's complex problems. The activities of USINDO are indeed crucial to nurture this mutual understanding in order to prevent a breakdown in bilateral communication that could spark unnecessary conflicts. Therefore, as we wish USINDO's staff and officials a happy anniversary we hope that USINDO will continue to conduct its highly salutary activities in the future under the leadership of its new president, Ambassador Al La Porta. Special mention is due to the excellent and dedicated work done by Ed and Aline Masters, who have worked so hard since the very beginning of the organization's existence. The same recognition goes to USINDO's retiring president, Ambassador Paul Cleveland, whose valuable work has contributed significantly to the organization's continued vitality over the years.