Re: AUT: WSW article on East Timor/Indonesia

[billbartlett@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Bill Bartlett)]

Gerald Levy wrote:

>Who is the "we" above? Are you suggesting that the US government help
>supply arms and supplies or *we* do that?

The idea of me using "we" to mean the US government is is concept that I am
having trouble even getting my head around Gerald. I mean we in the sense
of "we, the people".

> If "doing nothing is evil" and
>the US government doesn't do this, aren't you suggesting that *we* must?

Not really. If you can, sure, but we can only be responsible for your
inaction to the extent of what you are able to do. I just heard on the news
that there might be a ship docking on the NW coast of Tassie on the weekend
to load/unload cargo for or from Indonesia. If I can I'll join those trying
to stop any truck with the regime. I don't have any way of sending weapons
to Fretlin, maybe I'll donate a couple of bucks to aid. It isn't much, but
opportunities are limited.

But as a purely political tactic, advocating that the Australian government
send arms to Fretlin is more useful that calling for it to declare war on
Indonesia. Which is effectively what many people here are saying, including
a lot of the mainstream media commentators, when they demand that troops be
sent to East Timor irrespective of what the Indonesian government thinks.

>I think you are seriously  underestimating the extent to which Indonesia
>is part of the world capitalist economy and the extent to which
>capitalist relations have become the norm.

I can't rule out ignorance on my part. Some people call it "crony
capitalism", I call it semi-feudal. At the very least the political
institutions lag way behind the economic situation. It seems to me that
many features of economies like Indonesia, China, Singapore, Korea, even
Japan, have striking similarities to feudal systems. Lack of freedom of
movement. Economically, dependance on patronage in order to be able to do
business, stuff like that. Politically and socially, the obsession with
obedience and conformity are also feudal hold-overs. I haven't really
sorted it all out in my head, but that's how I'm thinking.

Bill Bartlett
Bracknell tas.




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