'Int'l community could help make RI strong'<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Sectarian violence, the potential danger of insurgencies in
\nthe regions and rampant corruption in Indonesia are indications
\nthat Indonesia is in a weak state, says a prominent world peace
\nactivist says that Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In order to prevent the country from sliding further toward
\ncollapse, visionary leaders and international support are badly
\nneeded, said Robert Rotberg, president of U.S.-based World Peace
\nFoundation, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Rotberg said Indonesia's weak state started in 1998, after the
\ndownfall of a strong regime under president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Since that year, Indonesia has been economically weak and
\ntroubled by a series of insurgencies and sectarian violence,
\nwhich might further lead Indonesia into a fractious state, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He cited as examples the insurgencies in Aceh and Papua, which
\nhad not been resolved, and sectarian violence in Poso in Central
\nSulawesi and Maluku.<\/p>\n
Rotberg painted a dismal picture, saying that Indonesia had
\ndifficulty in containing and overcoming the problems, mainly
\nbecause it was a large country with a large population and there
\nwere long-standing grievances in the regions.<\/p>\n
\"Problems continue in the short run. The government should
\ntake the initiative in assuring that the trouble does not flare
\nup again in the near future, to prevent the country from sliding
\nfurther into a dangerous zone,\" Rotberg told participants of a
\ndiscussion held by the Center for Strategic and International
\nStudies (CSIS).<\/p>\n
According to Rotberg, a visionary and strong leader was needed
\nto guide the nation out of the crisis.<\/p>\n
\"The leader must have a clear concept for the future of the
\ncountry and know how to identify the issues being faced by the
\ncountry,\" said Rotberg, who is also on staff at Harvard
\nUniversity.<\/p>\n
Rotberg underlined the importance of international support to
\nhelp the country out of the crisis.<\/p>\n
He said international parties could help the beleaguered
\ncountry by providing support for the establishment of a civil
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
He said democracy could help prevent a dictatorship, or what
\nhe called \"a destructive human agency\", which was prone to create
\ndestructive decisions in the country, causing the collapse of the
\nstate.<\/p>\n
\"The international community could also help the country's
\neffort to enforce the law, by creating training for police
\nofficers, for example,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Rotberg, international support could help lift
\nIndonesia out of its weak state to a strong state, characterized
\nby a higher gross domestic product, no corruption, law and order,
\nbetter security and freedom of expression.<\/p>",
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