Afghanistan crisis a test for government solidity<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Complications arising from the U.S.-Afghanistan conflict will
\nbe a test of solidity for the nationalist and religious-based
\ncoalition government led by President Megawati Soekarnoputri and
\nVice President Hamzah Haz, experts said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Political experts from the Center for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies (CSIS) said that contemporary developments
\nfollowing the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon on
\nSept. 11 had made a crack in relations between Megawati and
\nHamzah.<\/p>\n
Rizal Mallarangeng said that the honeymoon in the government
\nhad ended two months after their election.<\/p>\n
\"A new government's honeymoon usually lasts for three months,
\nbut Megawati and Hamzah's government honeymoon finished after
\nonly two months because of various political differences,\" Rizal
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Other experts speaking at the conference included J.
\nKristiadi, Kusnanto Anggoro, Tubagus Feridyanustyawan and Tommi
\nA. Legowo. CSIS economist Hadi Soesastro was also present.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto urged Megawati and Hamzah not to voice different
\nresponses to certain issues, and to put aside their short-term
\npolitical interests.<\/p>\n
\"The sound of trumpets should be clear, if they come from
\nleaders,\" Kusnanto said.<\/p>\n
Differences between the two had become especially obvious
\nafter the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n
While Megawati expressed her condolences for the deaths of
\nabout 5,600 people during the attacks, Hamzah said the attacks
\nwould atone the sins of the U.S. for what it had done to other
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Hamzah also made a statement that contradicted the
\ngovernment's stance on whether it would allow Jihad troops to be
\nsent to Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
But the Vice President urged Indonesian Muslims on Tuesday not
\nto become emotional in response to the U.S. attacks in
\nAfghanistan.<\/p>\n
Rizal said the \"sudden coalition\" between Megawati's
\nnationalist Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) and Hamzah's Muslim-based United Development Party
\nwould not go smoothly.<\/p>\n
Such coalitions between nationalists and religious parties
\nwere never successful in Indonesian history, he contended.<\/p>\n
\"I think this coalition is still an experiment as our history
\nshows that coalitions like these were never successful,\" Rizal
\ntold the news conference here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Rizal said differences between the two leaders would not be
\neasy to resolve, particularly since each leader had their own
\npolitical agenda in anticipation of the 2004 general election.<\/p>\n
\"But we still hope that Megawati and Hamzah will be able to
\nmake a coherent government so that the process of economic
\nrecovery can take place successfully,\" said Rizal.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in his evaluation of the government's performance
\nover the past two months, Kristiadi said that no significant
\nprogress had been made in the way the government resolved
\npolitical and security problems, including how the government
\nhandled the separatist movement.<\/p>\n
Kristiadi said the government had not been able to deliver on
\nits promises, including fighting corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/afghanistan-crisis-a-test-for-government-solidity-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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