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Jakarta Post

Indonesia-Netherlands: Let the past rest and move on

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono postponed a state visit to the Netherlands on Tuesday

Teuku Faizasyah (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, October 8, 2010

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Indonesia-Netherlands:  Let the past rest and move on

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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono postponed a state visit to the Netherlands on Tuesday. Many world leaders have made a similar decision in the past for different reasons, often due to pressing domestic issues. US President Barack Obama twice postponed visits to Indonesia: first to ensure that his health care proposal was passed by the US Congress and second to manage the Gulf of Mexico environmental disaster.

Issues of sovereignty and national pride that touch the nerves of the public must always be handled delicately by world leaders. A human rights violation lawsuit filed against the President of Indonesia touched those very nerves.

The way the suit was handled sent mixed signals. At stake was the dignity of the nation and the presidency as an institution. Neither were trivial matters.

A human rights abuses lawsuit filed against a democratically-elected president certainly raised much more than eyebrows, but three things should be remembered.

First, no serious abuses of human rights have been committed in Indonesia since Yudhoyono took office in 2004. Political reform and respect for human rights have been the President’s top priorities and he has been successful in advancing his agenda.

Second, since becoming president, Yudhoyono has tirelessly pursued peaceful resolutions to the country’s protracted internal conflicts. In 2005, he was instrumental in bringing political settlement to the Aceh conflict, after a separatist movement waged a struggle that cost Indonesia thousands of lives over  three decades. He also played a significant role in the Malino negotiations that brought peace and reconciliation to the Mollucas.

Third, the President has worked and is continuing to work in consolidating democracy in Indonesia.
When democratic citizens agitate and incite their fellow citizens to commit criminal acts, then justice must be served. When the unrecognized South Maluku Republic (RMS) raised their separatist flag, this clearly broke the law, specifically penal codes 106 and 110, which deal with crimes against the state. If individuals and groups can execute acts that threaten the unity of Indonesia without punishment, then Indonesia will crumble.

Indonesia today is different than  in the past. Our founders together with all people from every corner of the archipelago swore allegiance to the greater cause of a united Indonesia. They built a nation out of the ruins of the colonial period and committed to developing the country and resolving every issue within the framework of a united Indonesia. Democracy, participation and accountability made their commitment even stronger.

Through our robust and vibrant democracy, any individual or group can voice their aspirations — even to change penal codes some think are no longer relevant, if necessary. There is no need for the RMS and their sympathizers to develop a militant political machine or commit criminal acts that can only bring suffering to their fellow Indonesians.

Why not discuss complaints with the respective representatives at the regional and national levels instead, and seek counsel from other individuals? This will clarify the true, underlying problems and will open ways for solutions.

If RMS members truly want to help their brothers and sisters in Indonesia, then they should focus on real issues that touch everyday lives. Indonesia is a developing country, and as such, its imperatives are that of development. Let’s work together to pull a significant portion of our brothers and sisters out of poverty, increase welfare and provide financial security.

Separatism is not a silver bullet that will solve long-standing problems. Such claims are utopianism advanced by power-hungry individuals bent on achieving their narrow interests at the expense of the majority of the population.

The President’s planned visit to the Netherlands was cancelled abruptly before it even got off the ground. Indonesia and the Netherlands are in one of the best periods of their long and complex relationship. This trip was to also take the bilateral partnership to new heights.

The Netherlands government recently announced that it would “politically and morally” accept Aug. 17, 1945 as the independence date of the Indonesian nation — as opposed to 1949.  

The two governments were due to sign a joint declaration to explicitly acknowledge this fact and to deepen and strengthen cooperation. The areas of cooperation that would have been covered included economic and sustainable development, tourism, and education. These areas are significant for meeting to Indonesia’s development goals, including creating jobs and increasing the welfare of people in the Moluccas.

The President did not attend the ASEAN-US Summit in New York in September and the Asia-Europe Summit in Brussels this month. Yudhoyono was clearly focused on the Netherlands and intent on making the most out of the golden opportunity presented by the visit.  

Unfortunately, the atmosphere in The Hague was not conducive to a successful visit and sent the wrong signal. Let’s hope that once the trip is rescheduled, the focus will be on the greater goal of letting the past rest and moving on.



The writer is a spokesperson for the President on foreign affairs.

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