Editorial:
Will the lessons be learnt?

The tragedy that has overtaken the people of East Timor, which is only 
mitigated by the hope that independence will bring a better future, is the 
consequence of many years of wrong policies pursued by the Australian as 
well as many other governments, plus the invasion and oppression of the 
Suharto military dictatorship.

The seeds of this policy were sewn when in 1965, General Suharto at the 
head of a gang of military leaders, overthrew President Soekarno, the 
popular first President of independent Indonesia. Soekarno was strongly 
anti-imperialist and was attempting to implement progressive social and 
economic policies. There was a strong communist party. Indonesia was a 
leader of the Non-Aligned Movement.

None of this as acceptable to the Western powers, including the then 
Menzies Government of Australia. Suharto and his generals did not act 
alone. They were supported by the American CIA and Australian 
conservatives. No-one talked about democracy in Indonesia when the Suharto 
dictatorship murdered hundreds of thousands of communists and other 
progressives.

Suharto was good for business. Capital flowed in. Trade began to boom. 
Successive Australian politicians did not hesitate to shake the bloodied 
hand of Suharto. Prime Minister Paul Keating was the most ostentatious in 
embracing his fascist "mate".

Friendly relations with Indonesia became something of a mantra. However, 
friendly relations meant, in fact, supporting the repressive policies of 
the Indonesian Government.

So, when Indonesian military forces invaded East Timor, Australia's 
acceptance of this invasion was a natural flow-on from the earlier attitude 
to the Suharto Government. Although the invasion was condemned by the 
United Nations, Australia recognised the annexation of East Timor as a 
province of Indonesia and became the only government in the world to do so.

It was good for business. The agreement over oil in the Timor Gap was 
signed. More capital was invested. Trade was good.

But the people of East Timor groaned under the savage repression. 
Australian Governments did not listen or recognise their independence 
struggle.

There was always the hope in the minds of Australian Governments and their 
American patrons that Indonesia under Suharto, could be turned into an 
anti-communist bastion in the south Pacific and perhaps even used against 
socialist China and Vietnam and other Asian countries which had achieved 
their independence and were becoming economically stronger and politically 
more independent. Hence the "security treaty" between Australia and 
Indonesia secretly negotiated by Paul Keating in 1995.

Even after Suharto was overthrown by the actions of Indonesian students and 
workers and as the people of East Timor demonstrated in many ways their 
determination and courage, the Australian Government (with Howard as Prime 
Minister) hoped that something could be salvaged.

It is this policy of support for the policies of the Suharto Government 
that has now collapsed. It was a policy of appeasement and support of the 
oppressive policies of the Indonesian Government and the exploitation of 
the people of Indonesia. This policy collapsed because of the actions of 
the Indonesian people in other-throwing Suharto and the long years of 
struggle for independence by the people of East Timor, crowned by their 
vote for independence. The atrocities that followed also roused the people 
of Australia and other countries as never before on this issue.

It was these factors that finally forced the Australian Government to 
abandon its former policy and also forced Suharto's successor, B J Habibie, 
to accept the vote of the East Timorese people for independence.

The real lesson is that it is wrong to support the actions and governments 
imposed by reactionary political forces or those implemented by military 
dictatorships. It was wrong to oppose the progressive and revolutionary 
political forces in Indonesia. They were defeated in Indonesia in 1965 and 
held down for more than 30 years — but they are now breaking free. This is 
the new situation that Australian governments will have to face.

A policy wake-up call has been sounded. Whether these more far-reaching 
policy lessons have been learnt is doubtful.