Whose Aceh?

(II no.62, April-June 2000)

I am finding it extremely difficult to understand what to expect in Aceh over the next few years. Neither of the articles by Tiwon and Aspinall in Inside Indonesia are of much assistance in this endeavour. In the struggle for greater autonomy or even independence, it may be a good idea to ask who will benefit, the little people, or another elite?

Before the oil and gas boom, it is reasonable to assume that the benefits of the 'green revolution' were not widely distributed and that over the years a rich class of landowners has continued to develop. Industrial growth, meanwhile, attracted migrants from the rural areas in search of better prospects. It is more than likely that they would have drifted into casual employment, lowly paid and rather demeaning work. As a result, the province is sharply divided socially and economically.

Against such a background, what is the best generator of change in the direction of a 'just and prosperous society'? Is there any reason to expect that the little peoplewould be better off with either more autonomy or independence? Aspinall lists three groups involved in the present power struggle. It is pertinent to ask which of these would be likely to introduce policies which will benefit the poorer members of an economically divided society. In the final analysis the people may well say 'a plague on all your houses', if they really count in the equation.

Ken Thomas (K.Thomas@latrobe.edu.au), La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, 17 May, 2000

Introducing ADIL

Association Democratie Indonesie Liberte (Adil) was founded in a Chinese restaurant in Paris, on October 9, 1999. Most founding members are students in Indonesian language and civilisation. Adil aims to support the democratic process in Indonesia, defend human rights and make available political news on the Indonesian archipelago. Adil's activities can be grouped under two main headings: making information on Indonesia and on the work of Indonesian non-government organisations (NGOs) available in France, and supporting NGOs in Indonesia. Several conferences organised by Adil have been recorded and transcribed, and will be available on Adil's web site currently under construction. A paper bulletin is also being considered.

Adil welcomes contacts with Indonesian NGOs concerned with human rights and democracy, as well as with international NGOs concerned with these issues in the Indonesian archipelago.

Bruno Kahn (president, kahn@math.jussieu.fr), 5 May 2000. Contact Adil: c/- J Lederer, 14 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris, France, e-mail adil.association@netcourrier.com.

Semsar again

(II no.62, January-March 2000)

It appears that my article on Semsar seriously upset the artist and I am writing here to apologise for this. That was not my intention. My intention was to offer him a spirited invitation to respond, in his own voice and words, to questions not only I myself had, but which many people inside and outside Indonesia - intellectuals, artists, activists and curators - have been asking since May 1998 (indeed as late as April 2000): Where is Semsar? What is he up to? And, once they found out that he was in Canada, what in the world is he doing there?

The intention of my research has always been three-fold: (1) to inform and teach about modern and contemporary Indonesian art at home and abroad, (2) to raise questions I as an informed outsider consider important, and (3) to give voice to important issues raised by individuals within the Indonesian art world who for various reasons do not feel free to voice them themselves.

The world is no longer ignorant of the existence of a vibrant contemporary Indonesian art scene. Particularly with the end of the New Order, many Indonesian artists and curators have called for a more open art-critical discourse. One of the most critical older voices has been Semsar's. A radical and critical discourse surely does not posit 'holy cows,' or exceptions who cannot be critiqued - and particularly not when they themselves actively critique others. In such a democratic discourse, opinions and analyses are just that, and they stand side by side with contrasting ones. Nonetheless my apology for so upsetting the artist - news which came as a surprise to me - stands sincerely.

Astri Wright (astri@finearts.uvic.ca), University of Victoria, Canada, 1 August 2000. An interview with Semsar Siahaan appears elsewhere in this edition.

Justified fears?

At the height of the East Timor crisis numerous reports appeared in the Indonesian media suggesting that Australia's intervention was motivated by the neo-imperialist ambition of acquiring hegemony over eastern Indonesia. In Australia such reporting is all too readily dismissed as contrived propaganda. There is little acknowledgement of the widely shared Indonesian suspicions towards Australian intentions.

Australia's commendable role in assisting the cause of Indonesia's independence from the Netherlands in the late 1940s is well known. But even at this most amicable juncture, Australia preferred that the Dutch should retain sovereignty in West Papua. Indonesian reservations as to our good faith would have been reinforced throughout the 1950s and 1960s by Australia's provision of limited intelligence support (at the behest of the USA) for rebellions against the Indonesian government.

West Papua may become independent eventually, though it is unlikely that Australia's strategic policy makers would be plotting to secure it. But I've met some Neanderthal thinkers within our strategic-defence complex to whom an unreflective 'push Asia away/ build a buffer zone of weak states' approach would appeal!

Is it any more rational for Australians to believe that Australia is a wholly benign regional player than it is for Indonesians to believe the same of Indonesia? The perception gap is far wider than many who love both countries had come to believe prior to the dreadful events in East Timor. The gap lies as much with Australians as it does with Indonesians.

Steven Drakeley (s.drakeley@uws.edu.au), University of Western Sydney, Australia, 20 July, 2000