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.