Megawati visits Bali amid sharp criticism<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Denpasar\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Praised abroad but chastised at home, President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri on Tuesday flew from the APEC conference in Mexico
\nto Bali to visit for the second time the site of the deadly Bali
\nblasts in a move aimed at mending the image of her much-
\ncriticized leadership in the fight against terrorism.<\/p>\n
At the press conference during the surprise visit, Megawati
\nexpressed gratitude for the assistance given by the international
\ncommunity to Indonesia in its time of grief.<\/p>\n
\"I would like to say thank you to everybody, both locals and
\nforeigners, for their voluntarily help so that we could cope with
\nthe situation,\" Megawati said.<\/p>\n
The Bali tragedy has put Megawati's leadership to the test at
\nhome.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that she managed to secure much-needed
\nforeign aid and assistance during the Asia Pacific Economic
\nCooperation (APEC) summit, she failed to secure much domestic
\nsupport for her campaign.<\/p>\n
U.S. President George W. Bush and Australian Prime Minister
\nJohn Howard lent their support to Megawati during their bilateral
\nmeetings on the sidelines of the summit in Los Cabos, Mexico,
\nover the weekend.<\/p>\n
However, arriving at home, Megawati was met with sharp
\ncriticism from various quarters, including from People's
\nConsultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais.<\/p>\n
Megawati has been especially chastised for her lack of firm
\nleadership in the war on terrorism.<\/p>\n
Instead of leading the war on terrorism herself, she mandated
\nCoordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono to take the lead in the campaign.<\/p>\n
Besides, suspicions continue to be rife in the country that
\nMegawati's administration was targeting Muslim groups to please
\nthe international community, especially the U.S., which has
\nrepeatedly accused Indonesia of being too weak when dealing with
\nextremist groups.<\/p>\n
The government's move in issuing government regulations in
\nlieu of laws on antiterrorism also raised suspicions among some
\nMuslims that the government was moving against Muslims.<\/p>\n
Worse still, Megawati has maintained her silence.<\/p>\n
Her aids, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan
\nWirayuda, have to repeat the government's denial that the various
\nmoves the government have taken are purely local initiatives to
\nsecure the country, and are not from foreign pressure.<\/p>\n
Hassan said upon his arrival at the Halim Perdanakusuma
\nAirport on Tuesday that the financial aid promised by some
\nforeign countries, including Australia, was not tied with any
\nmove the government had taken or would take.<\/p>\n
\"The aid is mostly to improve our capabilities in dealing with
\nterror, not some kind of compensation,\" Hassan told reporters at
\nthe airport.<\/p>\n
Analysts, nevertheless, warn Megawati to be more articulate,
\nnot to depend too much on her aides and to take the lead in the
\ncampaign because the suspicion would lead to more domestic
\nconflicts in the world's most populous Muslim country.<\/p>\n
Following the criticism, Megawati held a rare press conference
\nat Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, giving the joint
\ninvestigation team until the end of November to complete the
\nprobe to find the perpetrators of the bombing and also the
\nidentification process of the victims.<\/p>\n
More than two weeks after the carnage in Kuta, the police have
\nnot named any suspects, although some quarters have linked the
\nbombings to Jamaah Islamiyah, a shadowy terrorist group allegedly
\nlinked to al-Qaeda terrorist network.<\/p>\n
The police, nevertheless, have said that they had identified
\none possible suspect, and were currently hunting him down.<\/p>\n
The President also ordered an immediate opening of the bomb
\nsite so the Balinese can get on with their lives.<\/p>\n
\"Local people plan to hold a purification ceremony, a
\ntraditional Hindu ceremony, on Nov. 15,\" Megawati said.<\/p>\n
The President is scheduled to attend the purification ceremony
\nof Pemarisuddha Karipubhaya, along with the families of the
\nvictims.<\/p>\n
This Hindu ceremony has rarely been conducted in Bali as it is
\nmeant to release the souls of the victims who died in a violent
\ndeath.<\/p>\n
State-owned airline company Garuda Indonesia agreed to provide
\ntwo free tickets to each family who lost a loved one. The Bali
\nhotel association had also agreed to provide free rooms.<\/p>",
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