Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will stick to his schedule of paying a courtesy call to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands early next month, despite an uproar caused by comments made by the Indonesian ambassador there.
“Our schedule hasn’t changed so far. The President will leave Indonesia for the Netherlands on Oct. 5 to fulfill an invitation from the Dutch queen that has been outstanding for four years,” Presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said here Friday.
He said the President was scheduled to stay there until Oct. 8.
Yudhoyono’s visit comes on the heels of a slur made by Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands Junus Effendi Habibie about the possibility of anti-Islamic Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders becoming part of the next Dutch government.
Habibie told Financieele Dagblad in an interview that people who voted for the party might be “psychotic” and that Yudhoyono’s planned visit would be “very much in doubt” if the PVV became part of the next coalition government.
“Of course the President will not come here if there is someone in the Cabinet who says Islam is backwards. I do not want my President to be seen as a clown,” he was quoted as saying by the paper.
Faizasyah refused to comment on the issue, saying he had yet to receive official information from the Netherlands.
Wilders said he was pleased the ambassador had been criticized for his “attack on the PVV vote” and asked Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen to summon Habibie.
Wilders received enormous negative public attention particularly in Muslim countries including Indonesia when he aired a short film in 2008 that suggests Islam encourages acts of terrorism, anti-Semitism, violence against women, violence and subjugation of “infidels”, anti-homosexuality and Islamic universalism.
Verhagen told Nos TV that the ambassador’s words about PVV supporters were “unwise”, dutchnews.nl reported.
“I did not think it wise how he described the PVV voters. An ambassador should not make comments about the electorate,” Verhagen said as quoted by Nos TV.
Habibie told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that he had been misquoted and that Yudhoyono would keep his word and visit the Netherlands. However, he added, if Wilders did make it into the government, the state visit would be a less pleasant affair.
University of Indonesia international relations expert Hariyadi Wirawan and House of Representatives’ international affairs commission member Tantowi Yahya said Habibie’s words were improper, even though they might represent the view of many Indonesians.
Yudhoyono’s visit to the Netherlands means he will skip the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to be held from Oct. 4-5.
Faizasyah said the government had informed the European Commission about Yudhoyono’s absence in the ASEM, and “they understand”.
“A summit does not always have to see all leaders present. Many European leaders would also skip the ASEM,” he said.
