Juwono Sudarsono is the Minister of Defense of Indonesia and he blogs. I found his site, which is updated monthly, a few weeks ago. As the first civilian to become Minister of Defense, he seems to be very cultured and progressive.

The Indonesian official’s latest entry, “Clash of Civilizations,” tells me that he is not “utak pulbura” unlike some Filipino generals and civilian defense officials. Or at least he tries to look like it. And that can make a big difference for a country that is just as tumultuous as ours.

While present-day Indonesia is not free from human rights violations, these cannot compare to the scope and systematic viciousness that accompanies the Arroyo administration’s campaign against legal parties and organizations in the guise of wiping out the armed struggle waged by the Communist Party of the Philippines since the late 60s.

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