The correct response<\/p>\n
The government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri must be
\ncommended for coming out with a most timely response to the
\ncurrent situation emerging from the September 11 terrorist
\nattacks on the United States. These attacks have had deep
\nrepercussions not only on how international relations are
\ngoverned, but also on the life of this nation.<\/p>\n
The response, as announced by Coordinating Minister for
\nPolitical and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the
\nend of a six-hour Cabinet meeting on Thursday, addressed both the
\ncurrent international and the domestic situations.<\/p>\n
With regard the international situation, the response has been
\nguided by sound principles and common sense.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has condemned the terrorist attacks and has given
\nits support to the United States' call for a global campaign
\nagainst international terrorism. But Indonesia draws the line
\nwhen it comes to launching an attack on Afghanistan, a sovereign
\nstate, which Washington has accused of harboring the leaders and
\nsupporters of the groups responsible for the terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
No matter what evidence Washington may come up with against
\nthe Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Indonesia must insist that any
\naction against terrorism must be taken collectively and led by
\nthe United Nations. And Indonesia has rightly insisted that any
\naction taken must not lead to another human tragedy.<\/p>\n
This message is important for both the international and
\ndomestic audience. If and when the United States attacks
\nAfghanistan, as it now seems imminent, Indonesia will be able to
\ndistance itself from the action and condemn it when necessary.<\/p>\n
Equally crucial is the message for the local public. Rightly
\nor wrongly, any attack on Afghanistan by the United States would
\nbe construed by some people in this country as an attack on
\nIslam. This notion will be even harder to dispel if the attack
\ngoes ahead.<\/p>\n
An appropriate government response in addressing domestic
\nconcerns therefore is crucial.<\/p>\n
In Thursday's response, the government barred Indonesians from
\ngoing to Afghanistan to fight against the United States, invoking
\na 1958 law that says a person will forfeit his citizenship if he
\njoins a foreign military service without government approval.<\/p>\n
While respecting the rights of the people to freedom of
\nexpression in launching anti-American protests, the government
\nhas invoked another law which bans people from burning foreign
\nflags, symbols and effigies of foreign leaders.<\/p>\n
The government has also barred people from conducting
\n"sweeps", an action some radical groups are planning against
\nAmericans if the attack against Afghanistan goes ahead.<\/p>\n
While all these measures seem to have addressed the domestic
\nproblems, they fall short of assuring the safety of foreigners,
\nwhom President Megawati has rightly called "guests in the
\ncountry".<\/p>\n
The government has completely missed the point raised by the
\nU.S. government -- that serious threats to harm American lives
\nand property have been made in public. The police promise to act
\nonly if these groups carry out the threat is not very reassuring.
\nSurely, there must be a law that the government can invoke to
\narrest or restrain these people on the basis of their threats. In
\na show of no confidence, many foreigners have simply voted with
\ntheir feet and fled the country this past week.<\/p>\n
Ultimately it boils down to the question of law enforcement,
\nsomething which the government, including the police, has been
\nnotoriously weak in. This government's shortcoming in enforcing
\nand administering the law, and in protecting lives and property,
\nhas further blemished its credibility.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, it is not too late for the government to amend
\nits response. After all, the government says it will continuously
\nreview its position as the situation changes.<\/p>\n
The real test for the government is still to come. What if the
\nUnited States goes ahead with the attack on Afghanistan? How
\nwould the public here react? Judging by events these last few
\ndays, these are no longer academic questions. We sincerely hope
\nthe government will be ready to come out with the right response.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-correct-response-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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