Religious leaders say RI cannot do without the U.S.<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto and Juniartha I., Jakarta\/Denpasar<\/p>\n
Leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the
\ncountry's two biggest Muslim organizations, said on Sunday that
\nIndonesia had to maintain good relations with the United States
\nand its allies to help resuscitate its economy.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, they also urged that the government explain its
\nstance on the U.S. military operations in Afghanistan to both
\nmilitant groups in Indonesia and the United States and its allies
\nto avoid misunderstanding.<\/p>\n
\"If we cut our relations with the U.S., our country's economy
\nwould collapse in less than two weeks. Then who will be
\nresponsible?\" said NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi after a meeting with
\nthe organization's executives in Denpasar, Bali, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Hasyim said that without the U.S. and other Western countries
\nIndonesia could not implement its economic recovery programs.<\/p>\n
But the government should also take into account the interests
\nof domestic groups, especially those of Muslims.<\/p>\n
\"The government should explain to radical groups what it can
\ndo and cannot do in responding to the U.S. attacks based on the
\nnational interest,\" Hasyim said.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah chairman Syafi'i Maarif concurred and urged the
\ngovernment to explain the difficult position it found itself in
\nto the United States and other western countries.<\/p>\n
\"I think we have now many career diplomats, we hope that they
\nwill do their best to explain our position,\" he told The Jakarta
\nPost on Sunday.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that the government was facing a dilemma in
\ndeciding how to respond to the U.S. attacks.<\/p>\n
\"On the one hand Indonesia needs aid from the International
\nMonetary Fund, the World Bank and donor countries, but on the
\nother hand, Indonesia cannot come to terms with the U.S. military
\noperations in Afghanistan,\" he said.<\/p>\n
NU is the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia with about
\n40 million members across the country while Muhammadiyah is the
\nsecond largest with some 30 million members.<\/p>\n
Hasyim said the government should balance maintaining good
\nrelations with the U.S. and its allies and the interests of
\nMuslims.<\/p>\n
\"The government must tolerate demonstrations condemning the
\nU.S. attacks as long as they do not create violence. It is all
\nright to hold rallies, but clashes between protesters and police
\nofficers should be avoided,\" Hasyim said .<\/p>\n
He admitted that the calls for jihad had affected NU grassroot
\nmembers, but stressed that for the NU a jihad did not only mean
\nholy war or joining in the combat.<\/p>\n
\"Sending used clothes to help refugees in Afghanistan is also
\na jihad,\" Hasyim said.<\/p>\n
Separately, former foreign minister Alwi Shihab said Indonesia
\nneeded an intensive diplomatic campaign to explain its stance on
\nthe Afghanistan crisis not only to the U.S., but also to other
\ncountries that had special ties with the U.S., such as Canada,
\nBritain, and Australia.<\/p>\n
Alwi said Indonesia could not afford worsening relations with
\nthe U.S. and its close allies.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think we are ready to live any poorer than we are
\nnow. [Without their help] how many more people will lose their
\njobs?\" said Alwi, chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB).<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, both Alwi and Syafi'i expressed their optimism
\nthat the U.S. would not easily resort to imposing economic
\nsanctions against Indonesia as the U.S. also did not want to see
\nthe Indonesian economy collapse.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religious-leaders-say-ri-cannot-do-without-the-us-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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