From: CTROCKI@GUVAX.BITNET (Carl A. Trocki)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Subject: response to andrean
Date: 16 Oct 92 13:10:00 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
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From:   GUVAX::CTROCKI      "Carl A. Trocki" 16-OCT-1992 08:46:52.51
To:     IN%"andrean@cc.utexas.edu"
CC:     CTROCKI
Subj:   Indonesian liberation

Dear Andrean,
        Thanks for your letter.  I will put this on the net as well as
sending it to you by email.
        You are correct that Indonesia's cultural diversity is a
problem when one considers the objective of national unity.  I think
that your fears of the chaos that might break out if the military
dictatorship were overthrown are justified.  Certainly the military
spend a lot of time telling everyone that they are the only solution
to solve national chaos.  The problem is, however, that represssion
and propagandistic exhortation will not make these things go away.  I
think that you should continue to trust your first impressions as a
child in rebelling against indoctrination.  It doesnt work.  The
differences have to acknowledged and faced openly.  Look at the former
USSR and Yugoslavia.  There the attempt to submerge cultural diversity
and to create a new identity persisted unabated for nearly 70 years.
What has been the result?  These hostilities were saved up in the
hearts of the people.  Perhaps the conflict has even been made worse
by the experience of military and party dictatorship.  The same is
true in Burma.  The fact is, military rule does not create stability.
It simply acts as a pressure cooker and holds it inside until it
explodes.
        Now the Indonesian military is facing its first crisis of
succession.  This is the problem with military rule.  They came to
power by violence and the only way they know how to transfer power is
by violence.  There will be violence no matter what happens.
        If you look at the example of Thailand, you see that the
people were able to rise up, following the example of the students,
and now, after nearly 20 years of pressure, they have thrown the
military pretension of political power down.  The move to promote
democracy, if it comes from the people, will create unity in the
country.  I think that the experience of the struggle against Holland
is what gives Indonesia its main source of unity.  I do not think that
most people want to separate from Indonesia (except for the E.
Timorese were conquered and occupied by illegal force) and that their
reason for resisting military domination now is because they feel that
the military has betrayed the ideals of 1945.
        The period of military rule since 1965 has brought Indonesia a
lot of prosperity and, because the American and Japanese corporations
prefer to deal with soldiers (they are both stupid and greedy and
always willing to sell out the country) a lot of foreign capital has
come into the country and there has been extraordinary growth.  This
growth is creating a new class of people, a middle class, who feel
that they ought to be able to  express themselves politically,
socially and economically and, yes, culturally.  I think that these
people, many of whom are now students here in the US and in other
countries, will be the ones to lead that change.  Whether it is
violent or not depends on the military.  If they want to resist the
will of the people, then there will surely be chaos.  If they want to
hand over power peacefully and get out of politics, then the
transition will be less chaotic.
        But, remember, democracy is always a little chaotic.  It is
characterized by people telling the government what they want.  Right
now, the government spends all of its time telling the people what it
wants and it insists that surface harmony and obedience to the
government are the most deeply rooted Indonesian "cultural values".  I
don't think so, I think these are colonialist values.  the ABRI has
simply replaced the old colonial ruling class - they even live in the
houses the Dutch built.  They are like the pigs in Orwell's "Animal
Farm".
        Lately, I have been reading the novel's of Indonesia's great
writer, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Dunia Manusia (This Earth of Mankind),
Anak Semua Bangsa (Child of all Nations), Jejak Langkah (Footsteps)
and Ruma Kaca (Glass House) which were written while he was a prisoner
in Buru during the 1970s.  It strikes me that the attitudes and
policies that the Dutch were practicing at the beginning of this
century, which is the setting of the books, are a parallel with the
attitudes and policies of the ABRI/GOLKAR of today.  I suppose this is
the reason why Pramoedya is still under house arrest in Indonesia and
why all of his works are banned inside of Indonesia.  Is Pramoedya an
enemy of the "people", which people?
        Finally, I think that people do what seems advantageous to
them.  If people see an advantage in being part of Indonesia, then
they will keep the country together.  If they don't then they wont.
Now, people only see an advantage in keeping their mouths shut,
because they know they have a gun pointed at their heads.  But,
someday that will change.
                                Carl