Indonesia: The Foreigner Perspectives

(Ahmad Miftahul Haq)

People act according to their beliefs and interests. Between one and another, these
belief and interests are likely different. These differences often grow as a prejudice, in the end
a conflict. To overcome it, we need to grow a tolerance between us. We need to know each
other to build an understanding in and between. Understanding person per person is not an
easy thing, moreover a nation.
We as an Indonesian, particularly a Javanese, are taught to behave and talk politely. To
behave and talk politely means that we are suppressing what is happening in our mind with
some kind of appropriate and inappropriate regulations. That is why a Javanese tends to talk
twist in and out than frankly. For some foreigners, which are taught to talk straight and
frankly, it is considered as a problem.
In a higher level, the Indonesia governmental policies, in some event, are considered
as unfriendly even vicious. From a Mark Carlton video (Indonesia: A Reporters Journey,
2007), we can see that there are three major events that foreigners, in this term Australian,
consider our governmental policies are vicious. They are G30/S PKI, decolonization of East
Timor, and Dilis Riot.
G30/S PKI
As a Muslim, particularly a part of NU (Nahdlatul Ulama) organization, I was taught
that PKI is an infidel party, an anti God organization. They were also killing Muslims, we
could see its visualization in the Pengkhianatan Gerakan 30 September/PKI movie (1984) there were Muslims killed while they were doing a subuh prayer. Despite the killed general,
these kinds of reasons, and visualization, provoked more for Muslims to get a payback.
Through these points, killing a PKI member found its legality according to Islam. And
because these killing were also blessed by the government policy to burn out PKI, it also
gained its legality from the Indonesian law. NU as a civil organization who killed most of
PKI member in east Java considered it self as hero than a brutal organization. From John
Roosa book (Dalih Pembunuhan Massal: Gerakan 30 September dan Kudeta Suharto, 2006),
we knew that more than five thousand PKI member, or were supposed as a PKI member, had
been killed. What a killing from a nation that called him self as gemah ripah loh jinawi toto
tentrem kerto raharjo.
These killing also gained a peculiar reaction from lots of people and news paper,
especially from United State of America for further note, U.S. was very interested in PKI
because it was the biggest Communist party outside Soviet Union and China. John Roosa
(2006) noted some of those uncommon reaction:
1. Mark Frenkel wrote an article in New York Times entitled U.S. is heartened by Red
Setback in Indonesia Coup.
2. A famous New York Times editor, James Reston, called a savage transformation in
Indonesia as a sparkling light in Asia.
3. Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman consider the massacre in Indonesia as a Goodwill
mass murder and a constructive terror.
These kinds of reaction grew from a different beliefs and interests. For the victims and
families left behind (some lived in Australia), these killing were cruel and unforgiving. But
for people, and countries, who hated a communism, these killing were considered as
reasonable and a right decision.

East Timor Decolonization

For some foreigner, this attack was considered as colonization. From the Indonesia
perspective, this attack was an effort to maintain the unity of the Indonesia territory. Many
countries were not able to understand the concept of this unity. They thought that this was just
a new name for colonization.
Australian had a personal attachment with this event simply because there were five
Australian journalists killed in the attack. Many Australian condemned this attack. They were
demonstrating and protesting in the street. But the official Australia policy stood the other
way around (Indonesia: A reporters Journey, 2007).
Dilis Riot
It happened on 12 November 1991. Although it was said that there was a British
cameraman who took a video of it and then broadcasted it internationally (Indonesia: A
Reporters Journey, 2007), many Indonesian did not know this tragedy. It could be happened
because only the government press release was allowed. Different version of the government
press release would be banned.
From Seno Gumira Ajidarma novel the Trilogi Insiden (2010) - it was a novel about
Dilis Riot that based on his personal experience as an editor of JakartaJakarta relating to
Dilis Riot, we knew that there were 3000 people inside the church and about 1500 people
around the cemetery. It was said that there would be a tabur bunga ceremony, thats why
many people came, including kids. Although there were soldiers with guns every where,
many people believed that they wont be shot. But suddenly, it was heard the first shot and
not for so long there were heard a continuously shot. The official government press release
stated that there were only 19 victims from civilian. This report was unbelievable. How could
be a trained solder with automatic guns could kill only 19 from 3000-4500 people around the
scene?
The Dilis Riot was happened when the cold war was over. U.S. no longer had any
interest with Indonesian ruler, Soeharto. After his defend against two first events, U.S. no
longer stood side by side with Indonesia concerning Dilis Riot. U.S. could freely criticize the
Indonesia government and stopped the U.S. fund for Indonesia army. For Australian, it was
waking up the old resentment against Indonesia. Indonesia in this matter stood alone.
These events show us that other countries beliefs and interest effect their actions. The
switches from friend into foe, and reverse, prove that other countries beliefs and interest
could change in time. In the end, it depends on us and our governmental policies in
illustrating our good image in front of foreigner.
Refferences
Indonesia: A Reporters Journey. 2007. Film Finance Corporation Australia.
Roosa, John. 2008. Dalih Pembunuhan Massal Gerakan 30 September dan Kudeta Suharto.
Jakarta: Institut Sejarah Sosial dan Hasta Mitra.
Ajidarma, Seno Gumira. 2010. Trilogi Insiden. Yogykarta: PT. Bentang Pustaka.