The Foreign Service Journal, October 2004

A former student activist, Witoelar’s concern is human rights advocacy, a sore point in U.S.-Indonesia relations. Due to alleged abuses in previously Indonesian-occupied East Timor, the U.S. Congress does not want military train- ing aid to resume for Indonesia, much to the dismay of Indonesia’s generals. Now, after the Abu Ghraib scandal and the alleged abuses at Guantanamo Bay, the Indonesian military is gloating. And Witoelar fears that human rights will now become a peripheral issue. Already, many Indonesians — military and civilian — resentful of years of lecturing by U.S. officials, are publicly saying that Washington can no longer tell us how to adhere to human rights. Even editor Katoppo, himself a victim of legal arbitrariness when the government banned his news- paper, complains of American double standards when it comes to human rights. How can the U.S. demand the tri- als of suspected war criminals, he asks, while at the same time insisting that U.S. soldiers serving overseas be exempt from the same laws? Fear prompts this censure. The military is regaining clout and power in Indonesian politics: two former gener- als vied for the presidency this year, and one advanced to the run-off. Without the U.S. setting a stern example, activists say, human rights advocacy may retreat to oblivion. Says Witoelar: “The human rights approach, while not always simple to implement without drifting into a patron- izing relationship, is much better than the polarizing sig- nals the U.S. sends now.” Fretting about Free Trade If there is some agreement that a Kerry administration would offer a friendlier foreign policy, there is less accord that its trade policy — another hot-button issue in Indonesia — would be as benign. As is the case with human rights, some Indonesians argue that the U.S. does not practice what it preaches. Katoppo outlines the protective tariff barriers on steel and other domestic manufactured goods, as well as the subsi- dies on agricultural products, as examples of what he describes as “self-interest at stake.” F O C U S 32 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 4