Old friends but...

The U.S., which has had a long and cosy relationship with dictatorship in Indonesia, is having a hard time coming to terms with its struggling, year-old democracy, reports AMIT BARUAH.

THE WORLD'S largest democracy and the world's largest Muslim nation are having problems. The United States, which has had a long and cosy relationship with dictators and dictatorship in Indonesia, is having a hard time coming to terms with Indonesia's struggling, year-old democracy.

Indonesia, in a sense, is an example in moderation. Its President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, a Muslim cleric, is an intellectual and stands against the forces of extremism. At a time when the United States is fighting battles against the likes of Osama bin Laden all over the world, Indonesia should be considered an automatic friend, a ``natural ally'' for the U.S. But that has not happened. Instead, over the last few weeks U.S.- Indonesian relations have been on the downturn, with the American Ambassador, Mr. Robert Gelbard, in the eye of the storm.

A vicious war of words has broken out between Mr. Gelbard and several key Ministers in the Government, particularly the Defence Minister, Mr. Mohammad Mahfud. The American Embassy is closed; it could re-open but the downturn in relations has seen a number of threats being made to the mission.

Mr. Amien Rais, Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), has been quoted as saying that he would write to the US President, Mr. Bill Clinton, that Mr. Gelbard be recalled. Mr. Rais said that he had never seen a U.S. Ambassador as ``rude as Gelbard''. There has been more than one demand for the recall of Mr. Gelbard. A Parliamentary panel has openly said that the envoy, who has since left the country on a ``personal'' visit, should be declared persona non grata.

The remarks by the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr. Alwi Shihab, who had a meeting with the envoy, have not helped. He dismissed security concerns by saying that anyone could make a threatening phone call. The President, for his part, has said that he would not entertain the idea of taking any action against Mr. Gelbard, who, by all accounts, is a controversial person. In an interview following the formation of the new Cabinet, Mr. Gelbard stated that two Ministers, including the Defence Minister, were anti- U.S.

Such remarks in a country like Indonesia, where words are weighed carefully and cultural traits are important, raised the hackles of many ordinary people. According to Mr. Endy M. Bayuni, executive editor of The Jakarta Post daily, the statements made by the envoy need to be seen in the context of the West Asia violence and the perception that the U.S. and Australia were responsible for East Timor breaking away from Indonesia. Mr. Bayuni explained that the Defence Minister, Mr. Mohammad Mafhud, presides over a sullen military - one which is peeved at the fact that the U.S. snapped military-to-military contacts after the mayhem in East Timor last year. He said that Indonesian politicians had been quick to take advantage of Mr. Gelbard's statements and whip up anti-American emotions.

In a country which is troubled but so far has seen no targeted attacks on American citizens, the creation of the current hostile environment was entirely avoidable. Subtlety, clearly, has not been a strong point in American diplomacy in Indonesia.

On October 28, the U.S. Embassy issued the following statement: ``The United States Embassy is deeply disappointed by the actions of senior Indonesian Government officials who seem determined to create a rift in an otherwise historically strong bilateral relationship.'' It went on to say: ``The Embassy laments that the Defence Minister's repeatedly false accusatory statements, along with those of other Cabinet level officials, are contributing to a disinformation campaign that is creating a rapidly deteriorating environment hostile to U.S. interests in Indonesia, including investment and tourism.'' The vice-regal tenor of the statement cannot be missed. Whatever be the provocation, issuing such statements is bound to create problems between a host Government and a resident mission.

The Defence Minister, too, seems to have taken his views a little too far. His articulation of a defence pact between Indonesia, China, Japan and India to counter the U.S. can be interpreted as a sign of growing frustration and not serious policy. As Mr. Endy M. Bayuni points out, Indonesia has taken the U.S. on for the wrong reasons. ``Such a development could affect the image and credibility of the Government,'' he told this correspondent.

The closure of the U.S. Embassy has also drawn criticism from the spokesman of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. ``The closure gives an impression that the situation in Indonesia is out of control and unsafe,'' Mr. Sulaiman Abdul Manan, was quoted as saying. ``It will make it easier if the U.S. Ambassador helps calm the situation and does not make negative statements. It is an ambassador's duty to smooth relations,'' Mr. Manan added.

Notwithstanding the war of statements, Mr. Abdurrahman said he believed that the U.S. still supported his Presidency. ``There was an announcement from the U.S. Government that said the U.S. Government supported my Presidency,'' he was quoted as saying.

In today's Indonesia, the U.S. is important for economic and political reasons - few can have any doubts on the score. But what goals have the public ``diplomacy'' put on show by Mr. Gelbard achieved for the U.S.? It has only alienated many Indonesians and raised the hackles of senior Government functionaries. The irony that the U.S. as super power could work better with Suharto's Indonesia and not Abdurrahman's Indonesia is too glaring to be missed.

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