Australians want peace, not war<\/p>\n
The assumptions and speculation that Australians might become
\nan easy target of terrorist attacks due to Australian involvement
\nin the Afghanistan war and planned war against Iraq, had been in
\nthe public domain long before the tragic events at Sari Club and
\nPaddy's. The ASIO Report released in April contained the same
\nwarning.<\/p>\n
The Bali bombing has not changed this public attitude. Despite
\na media blackout on Oct. 13, one day after the blast,
\napproximately 45,000 people rallied through the streets of
\nMelbourne, protesting that politicians refrain from using the
\nlives lost in the Bali bombing as a means of pushing ahead their
\nwar agenda.<\/p>\n
One day before the national day of mourning for the Bali
\nvictims, Anglican Archbishop of Perth Dr. Peter Carnley also
\nexpressed his grave concern over the safety of Australians and
\nsaid, \"Given the bombing of Afghanistan and the dispersal in
\ndisarray of al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, and Australia's high-
\nprofile support for President George Bush's stance in relation to
\na possible war on Iraq, it was surely only a matter of time
\nbefore Australian lives were sacrificed in some form of
\nretaliatory action\".<\/p>\n
Of course, this is debatable and needs to be proven. However,
\nthese concerns are shared by the Australian public and not
\nlimited to my own opinion. Furthermore, I believe it is in
\nCanberra's interests to respond to such a strong public
\nsentiment.<\/p>\n
This sentiment does not show any sign of declining in the near
\nfuture. On the contrary, a number of antiwar groups in Sydney
\nhave recently joined forces and established a new coalition in
\norder to organize a bigger \"walk against the war\" on Nov. 30
\nbased on the slogan \"No war with Iraq! No Australian
\ninvolvement!\"<\/p>\n
Ambassador, my heart lies with those Australians who want
\npeace and oppose war. I feel deeply for those whose protests have
\nfallen on deaf ears and yet, they are the vulnerable ones. For
\nthis reason, I have no intention of withdrawing my concerns over
\npoliticians who are busy promoting \"fear and insecurity\" in order
\nto shape public opinion to suit their own designs, as appeared in
\nThe Jakarta Post. I firmly believe that we should end this spiral
\nof violence and avoid an unnecessary war.<\/p>\n
As mentioned in your letter, I write here as a person who has
\nknown Australia and Australians very closely for many years. As
\none of the promoters and founding fathers of the center, it is my
\nwish to see Australia develop mature and comfortable relations
\nwith its immediate region. In this regard, \"spreading fear and
\ninsecurity\" following the bombing, would only poison our two
\ncommunities. This should be discontinued if we want members of
\nour plural communities to rebuild mutual trust and tolerance.<\/p>\n
DR. RENI WINATA, Director, Australian Studies Centre,
\nUniversity of Indonesia<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/australians-want-peace-not-war-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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