Indonesia being watched<\/p>\n
With reference to an article by Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo in
\nThe Jakata Post, Feb. 20, 1998. I agree with the author's
\nassertion that certain nations, particularly the U.S., do not
\nwant to see "an unacceptably stronger Indonesia among nations".<\/p>\n
It is natural for a strong nation to want to remain an
\nunrivaled power in this global era. It is also likely that the
\ninternational community are wary of Indonesia because of our
\ncountry's past threats to western hegemony when guided by the
\nlate president Sukarno. Believe me, the West do not want this
\nnation to rise as a world power.<\/p>\n
However, Sayidiman oversimplifies the issue of presidential
\nand vice presidential successions. In saying objections to a
\nSoeharto-Habibie ticket boils down to religion, with Moslem
\nsupportive and non-Moslem in opposition, is incorrect. While it
\nmight be true from a foreign perspective, I would like to remind
\nthe author that the strongest domestic opposition to reelecting
\nSoeharto has come from a prominent Moslem scholar and from
\npolitical analysts and students, most of whom practice Islam.<\/p>\n
I myself am a Moslem. I do not want to see Soeharto reelected,
\neven though he is useful to Islam. Friends of mine, also Moslem,
\nagree with this sentiment.<\/p>\n
Habibie, on the other hand, has caused concern among
\neconomists with his long-term mega-projects and once made a
\nblundering statement on the relationship between interest rates
\nand inflation. A further blunder of this nature will not be
\ntolerable in our present economic difficulty. So it is natural to
\nquestion Habibie's suitability for the position now.<\/p>\n
CASTANEA A. SYLVA<\/p>\n
Bandung, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-being-watched-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }