We were all relieved by the statement made by our President on Geert Wilder’s film Fitna, which he said had the potential to disrupt harmony in society (The Jakarta Post, April 1, 2008). Well done, Bapak President — we salute you for your timely decision and prompt action.
I first met His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1996. Accompanying me was a parliamentarian and two other friends. We were fortunate enough to have a private audience with him. When I said we were from Indonesia, he immediately reacted: “Oh yes, yes, yes … Indonesia …. Tibet has very strong relations, strong ties with Indonesia.”
One may ask, “Are we progressing now?”
It depends on how we define the word “progress”. It depends on what kind of yardstick we use to measure our progress. If we use the number of super malls, skyscrapers, luxurious housing and shopping complexes as the major yardstick – then yes, we are progressing.
Several months back I wrote that Malaysia could no longer justify its use of the slogan “Truly Asia”. This view is now confirmed by the latest events there.
The assassination of Benazir Bhutto should convince us all that the radicals in Pakistan are very much alive and active. And, this is bad news for us, for Indonesia. We must not forget that all our radicals, hardliners and the so called fundamentalists have had Pakistani connection in one way or the other.
(more…)