Jakarta – Indonesian diplomats and scholars recalled the arduous struggle of former foreign minister late Ali Alatas during the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor (now Timor Leste), one of the most challenging moments in the nation's foreign policy.
Indonesia Defense University lecturer Bantarto Bandoro applauded Alatas (foreign minister from 1988-1999) for successfully strengthening Indonesia's international relations following the bloody event, which claimed the lives of about 200 people, mostly East Timorese pro-independence demonstrators.
"He led at a time when the country was dealing with a string of crises, including the Santa Cruz killings. Alatas managed to stave off the mounting criticisms toward Indonesia in the wake of the incident," he told The Jakarta Post recently.
Indonesian military personnel shot demonstrators, who were at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili following a peaceful street march on Nov. 12, 1991. Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and occupied it for 24 years.
Sabam Siagian, who served as Indonesia's ambassador to Australia at the time, witnessed Alatas' ability in coordinating ambassadors and diplomats in the aftermath of the bloody incident. "At that time, I perceived Pak Ali Alatas as a wise and resilient patriot and leader," he said during the Tribute to Ali Alatas event recently.
Veteran journalist Parni Hadi said that Alatas embraced the mass media in improving the nation's ailing reputation. "He was aware of the importance of 'press diplomacy' as a 'second track of diplomacy', said Parni, a former head of Antara news agency. Alatas used to be a journalist for the Aneta news service, which later merged to become Antara in 1962, Parni added.
While acknowledging the minister's astonishing diplomatic efforts, political researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, said the Santa Cruz tragedy tarnished Alatas' astonishing diplomatic career.
"The massacre eliminated his chances of advancing his diplomatic career to become a candidate for UN secretary-general. Moreover, only one-and-a-half years after serving as foreign minister in [former president] BJ Habibie's administration, he had to accept the president's decision to offer a referendum to the East Timorese in August 1999," Ikrar said.
One senior diplomat and Foreign Ministry's Director General for American and European Affairs, Dian Triansyah Djani, however, noted that the diplomatic measures adopted by Alatas provided a strong foundation for the bilateral relations that currently existed between Indonesia and Timor Leste.
In spite of all the bitterness during the turmoil, the international community still remembers Alatas as an important player in regional and global diplomacy.
Alatas, Indonesia's longest-serving foreign minister, played a pivotal role in drafting the ASEAN Charter, which was adopted by the organization's members in 2007.
Dian pointed out that Alatas, affectionately known as Alex, also brokered peace negotiations in the region, including the 1991 peace settlement that ended the war with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
"Pak Alex also initiated the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front [MNLF] in 1996. His achievements in Cambodia and the Philippines prove his ability as a peacemaker and peace-builder," he said. (yps)