Twenty years ago this month I arrived in Indonesia as the American Ambassador. Little did I know at the time that I would become so attached to this wonderful country, and so deeply moved by the kindness, passion, and courage of your people. I am privileged to have enjoyed warm and deep friendships with many of you, friendships which have left a profound mark on my professional and my personal life.
It is great to see many of those old friends in the audience tonight, and perhaps it is not surprising that the words that best capture my feelings today are in Bahasa: "pulang kampung." I am thrilled to be back home in Indonesia once again.
I would also like to express my heart-felt thanks to the two sponsors who have worked so hard to make this event possible. Tempo needs no introduction to this group, led by brilliant and brave people, including my old friends Bambang Harymurti, Gunawan Muhammad, and Fikri Jufri, it has stood at the forefront of Indonesia's struggle for freedom of expression for a generation. Bambang's recent victory in the Supreme Court safeguards values that are so important to the people of this country, and it is an honor to be here to help celebrate 35 years of remarkable perseverance and achievements. CSIS has played an active in Indonesia's intellectual journey over the past three decades. It has maintained the very highest standards of intellectual integrity, even when this was costly.
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