Xenophobic nationalism

Xenophobic nationalism

The attack on the United States consulate in Surabaya last
week and the burning of the U.S. flag by protesters outside the
American Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday are disturbing signs that
xenophobic sentiments are on the rise again in this country. It
is even more unfortunate that such sentiments have been fanned by
the country's own leaders. They are playing a very dangerous
game, and if this continues, they will further plunge Indonesia's
already low standing and reputation in the world community.

The two incidents came in the wake of statements by government
leaders who have essentially tried to shift the blame for this
month's deaths of three United Nations aid workers in the West
Timor border town of Atambua on outsiders, particularly the
United States and Australia. Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D., for
example, said that lack of spare parts for military equipment
resulting from a U.S. embargo on military equipment prevented the
Indonesian Military (TNI) from dispatching extra troops to
Atambua when the incident broke out. Government and military
officials have also accused Australia of conducting intelligence
operations in West Timor prior to the killings in Atambua.

Still related to this xenophobic trend, some government
officials are now speaking out against the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) for meddling in Indonesia's economic policy. With the
government planning to hike gasoline prices -- always a
politically precarious time in Indonesia -- next month, one can
only assume that officials are portraying to the public that they
have no option but to comply with the terms set by the IMF for
the massive credit line. Should there be unrest when the gasoline
prices rise, the public will know at whom to vent their anger.

This habit of blaming outsiders for everything that goes wrong
in this country serves no real purpose other than soothing the
bruised ego of the country's leaders who have failed in their
jobs. Yet it is damaging to the long-term interest of the nation,
for it not only undermines Indonesia's reputation, it also
diverts attention away from the real issues in hand when we
really should be confronting and tackling them.

Since the Atambua killings, Indonesia has come under a barrage
of criticism. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.S. President
Bill Clinton led the international chorus in condemning the
incident and in demanding Indonesia take responsibility for it.
The UN Security Council swiftly issued a resolution calling on
Jakarta to tighten security along the East Timor border and to
disarm and disband the pro-Indonesia militias who have been
terrorizing over 100,000 East Timor refugees and UN workers in
West Timor.

The fact that the Security Council passed the UN resolution
unanimously after only a three-minute deliberation demonstrates
Indonesia's tenuous position on this issue. It would be futile
for our leaders to shirk their responsibility and confront the
rest of the world on this issue. Even the World Bank, an
international lending institution most sympathetic to Indonesia's
situation, has now tied its future aid program to a satisfactory
resolution of the Atambua incident.

The criticism of Indonesia over the Atambua killing cannot be
separated from the way the world has been looking at how Jakarta
has treated the whole question of East Timor since the territory
voted to separate from the republic last year. Clearly the world
is not impressed by Indonesia's performance or lack of it.

Jakarta has not even begun to prosecute TNI and militia
leaders who were directly or indirectly responsible for the
campaign of terror and massive destruction in East Timor shortly
after the Aug. 30, 1999 ballot. The process of repatriating East
Timorese from refugee camps in West Timor has been painfully
slow. Then there is also the question of the poor protection for
East Timorese as well as United Nations workers in the refugee
camps. These are all the responsibility of Indonesia.

It is one thing to invoke Indonesia's sovereignty and
nationalism, and completely another to shirk our responsibilities
as a member of the world community. Even without international
prompting, these problems must be resolved by Indonesia. The
nation's pride and integrity would be best served if our leaders
for once seriously make an attempt to resolve these problems,
instead of fanning xenophobic sentiments among the public.