Tim Dodd, Jakarta – On the eve of East Timor's independence a majority of Indonesians, ranging from the influential political elite to ordinary people, appear ready to accept the new nation as a friendly neighbour.
The latest opinion poll of Jakarta residents published by the news magazine Tempo showed that 66 per cent of respondents were willing to accept East Timor as a good neighbour.
And among key political figures in Jakarta, opposition to President Megawati Soekarnoputri's attendance at the independence celebrations has sharply diminished, ensuring that relations between the two countries get off to a good start.
This week Indonesia's two parliamentary leaders reversed their opposition to Mrs Megawati's attendance at the independence ceremony in Dili at midnight this Sunday.
The speaker of the legislature, Akbar Tandjung, on Wednesday backed the visit and praised her decision to make her first stop in Dili at the Indonesian war cemetery to pay respect to fallen Indonesian soldiers.
And the chairman of the supreme parliament (which has the power to sack the president), Amien Rais, called on people to back Mrs Megawati's trip to Dili. "May it be a successful visit," he said, although he also made it clear he still held reservations about it.
Although the Government indicated last month that Mrs Megawati was likely to visit Dili, the President held her options open until Tuesday night, when the Foreign Ministry finally confirmed her attendance.
It came after the same poll in Tempo magazine this week found that 55 per cent of respondents backed her trip to the independence ceremony, which suggested at least 50 per cent public support, as the sampling error of the poll is estimated to be 5 percentage points.
Her decision to attend came after intense lobbying by East Timorese leaders who regarded it as a crucial step in ensuring smooth relations with the new nation's big neighbour and former ruler. Two weeks ago East Timor's president-elect, Xanana Gusmao, visited Jakarta and personally invited Mrs Megawati to go to Dili. In an effort to bury the hatchet, he also met privately with former army commander General Wiranto.
The sensitivity to the visit comes from within the armed forces and from politicians who are conscious of public opinion, rather than diplomats who appear committed to good relations with East Timor.
The Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirayuda, said three months ago, after East Timor issued a public invitation to Mrs Megawati, that he was urging Mrs Megawati to go to Dili.
Mrs Megawati will not see much during her visit because she will be there for only about three hours at night, arriving at about 10pm on Sunday and staying only long enough for the independence ceremony.
She is likely to miss seeing the indications of enduring Indonesian influence in East Timor.
Indonesian, spoken by 43 per cent of the population, is by far the most widely spoken "advanced" language. Only 5 per cent speak Portuguese, currently the official language, and only 2 per cent speak English. The dominant local language, Tetun, is not developed enough for use in government administration or business.
There are also good opportunities in East Timor for Indonesian businesses, as they can supply the cheap goods that East Timor can afford. Indonesia's state-owned oil company, Pertamina, says it currently has 70 per cent of the market share of fuel in East Timor.
There are few Indonesians in East Timor today – only diplomats, journalists and the odd business person and aid worker. But the East Timorese show no signs of emnity toward them.
"There is no ill-feeling towards Indonesians. I found them very friendly to me, very warm," said an Indonesian journalist who had spent nearly a week in East Timor last month, talking to a range of people from market traders to politicians. "They said they only hated Soeharto and the TNI [the armed forces]," she said.