Text your say: 'Obama visit'

(News Terupdate) - President Barack Obama’s visit to Jakarta in March means that we are all brothers.

E Nurdin
Jakarta


Barrack Obama’s visit will mean nothing to our country. It is no more than just US President’s tour.

Cepot
Jakarta


For Obama, the visit means that he wants to look back at his childhood in Jakarta and show his children and family the place where he lived for four years as a child.

And the visit is an appreciation from Obama to Indonesia and Indonesians. This is a sign that there is a deepening friendship between Indonesia and the United States.

Irma
Jakarta


Obama must have his own sentimental reasons for coming back to Indonesia. This would be good for Indonesia, at least for our tourism industry. It will also boost Indonesian relations with the United States. Let’s remember that this is a country he used to call home for years as a child.

Pandu
Jakarta

The American-Indonesian relationship is defined by mutual geopolitical and geostrategic considerations and calculations. The meaning of this visit should be seen in this context. In its essence, this is no personal trip.

President Obama should not look with the eyes of the little boy who grew up in Indonesia. He should look with the eyes of an adult and foremost with the eyes of a president of the world’s mightiest superpower. Indonesia he grew up in is not the same Indonesia anymore.

From an American point of view, the stability of Indonesia is crucial to the security of the US, Japan and the Pacific. But the basic question is: will Indonesia hold?

Too many diverging powers are gradually gaining strength and will influence its internal stability in the long term. The most important issue is: Western countries like to think that Indonesia is in a transformation period from dictatorship to democracy, and they like to forget that most peoples within present-day Indonesia did not join Indonesia voluntarily, and most important of all, not democratically, to begin with.

In US foreign policy democracy is a key word. But there is still too much oppression from Jakarta.

People can be chained physically, but their spirit can never be chained. Papua, Aceh, the RMS (Maluku), Bali, Riau, Manado, East Nusa Tenggara: all are struggling for, or are thinking of (regaining) self-determination.

All are looking for a chance to free themselves from Javanese domination and oppression. What will remain of the geostrategic balance in the Pacific region?

The United States, and therefore President Obama, but also the government in Jakarta should anticipate wisely. Also toward these small and still oppressed “provinces” (in fact: nations).

This would be in Indonesia’s and America’s best interests.

“To govern is to look ahead”, President Obama should rethink the relationship with present-day Indonesia thoroughly, as we have entered the “era of the Pacific Basin”.

Emerging China and Russia claim their role as being “Pacific powers”. Just as no country could prevent the implosion of the former USSR, so can no one prevent the implosion, or worse, Balkanization of Indonesia; this giant with clay feet.

And then what? Let us hope it will never come to that. And if it does, let us hope it will be a peaceful implosion and transformation just as happened in the former USSR.

For all concerned: to prevent is far better than to cure. Just think of the possibility of Russian or Chinese, or combined Sino-Russian domination of the Asia-Pacific region in this century.

Malesi Iralo
Amsterdam


Indonesia does not need Obama until he can prove that he can take care of the problems in America.

First prove that you are worthy of becoming an American president, then tell other countries what good things you have learned as president.

Tedjo Ardyandaru Imardjoko
Port Huron, Michigan

Posted in: Update News