U.S. encourages pluralism in Indonesia<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (Reuter): The United States will encourage a
\ntransition of power in Indonesia that reflects the country's
\ngrowing interest in greater pluralism, Secretary of State Warren
\nChristopher said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"At the present time, I think there's a strong interest (in
\nIndonesia) in seeing an orderly transition of power there that
\nwill recognize the pluralism that should exist in a country of
\nthat magnitude and importance,\" he told the Senate Foreign
\nRelations Committee.<\/p>\n
\"So we will be encouraging a transition there that expresses
\nthe popular will,\" said Christopher, without offering details
\nabout how the administration would pursue this goal.<\/p>\n
Indonesian President Soeharto still holds power after 30 years
\nin office, but he is 75 years old and there is increasing
\nspeculation about what will happen after he is gone.<\/p>\n
Analysts say a major riot last weekend underscored a rising
\ndiscontent in the country and shaken confidence in Indonesia's
\ntightly controlled political order.<\/p>\n
The riot broke out on Saturday after the violent take over of
\nthe headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in
\nJakarta and evicted activists who had occupied it for the past
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
The crackdown on the PDI headquarters came just days after a
\nvisit to Indonesia by Christopher, which touched on human rights.<\/p>\n
During the visit, a senior Christopher lieutenant --
\nUndersecretary of State Joan Spero -- met several opposition
\nfigures, including Megawati Soekarnoputri, who had been ousted as
\nPDI leader by a government-backed faction last month.<\/p>\n
In his Senate testimony, Christopher treaded carefully on
\nIndonesia, which his department's annual human rights report says
\nhas a political system that \"despite a surface adherence to
\ndemocratic forms, remains strongly authoritarian.\"<\/p>\n
He did not refer to the riots.<\/p>\n
Instead, he hailed the country's remarkable economic progress
\nand said Soeharto and his administration \"has to be given great
\ncredit for that.\"<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is one of the economic powers of the world. They
\nare definitely a force to be reckoned with,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Christopher noted that \"we've long had problems over human
\nrights practices, particularly in East Timor,\" but reiterated his
\nbelief that a government-created human rights commission -- whom
\nhe met in Jakarta last week -- is a \"positive development.\"<\/p>\n
\"There are complexities about the country but it's an
\nextremely important country and the United States needs to
\nmaintain good relations with Indonesia,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Despite Christopher's silence on this subject on Thursday, his
\nspokesman on Monday declared the United States seriously
\ndisturbed by the weekend crackdown on opposition demonstrators
\nand urged Jakarta to respect rights to free speech and assembly.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-encourages-pluralism-in-indonesia-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}