Amien denies links to the U.S.
Amien denies links to the U.S.
JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN)
Amien Rais denied on Saturday he was selling out politically by
seeking support in the U.S., long a frequent target of his
criticism.
Amien defended a recent weeklong trip to the U.S. as an
opportunity to "anticipate and prepare myself as a leader of a
fast growing new party which aims to guide the country to a
better future". He returned last Saturday.
He briefed the media after the launching of his latest book
Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism in Indonesia at the office of
the Muhammadiyah Muslim organization in Central Jakarta
During the trip, the staunch critic of U.S. policy in the
Middle East met with several congressmen, four former U.S.
ambassadors to Indonesia, including Paul Wolfowitz,
representatives of John Hopkins University and USAID and the
Indonesian community in Washington, D.C.
He said the U.S. was only one of several countries on his
travel itinerary.
"I visited Libya with Syafii Maarif (chairman of Muhammadiyah)
and met the country's leader Moamar Qaddafi. The press never knew
that.
"I met Qaddafi twice in a day and his assistant told me that
never before had a guest met him twice, it was so special."
Amien also visited Iran, Iraq, Singapore, China, Hong Kong,
Germany and Australia.
"It was a normal thing to do. What is not normal is the
spinning, misleading media reports which followed my visit to the
U.S."
He said his party funded his American tour and insisted his
hosts did not pay for any of his activities.
"It's better to have lots of friends than enemies," said
Amien, who has a doctorate from the University of Chicago. "When
you get a lot of friends all over the world, you will have
greater room to develop your insights. No need to build tension
with other countries.
"It is all as simple as that. In this global and liberal era,
it will be good for us to set open communication with all foreign
parties for the sake of our national interests."
Intervention
Amien said the criticism of his trip and allegations he was
compromising the country smacked of ploys to discredit him during
the New Order regime.
"If people accuse me of selling the country... well, that's
what (former president) Soeharto said."
The former chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country's second
largest Muslim organization, cited news reports declaring his
purported wish for U.S. intervention in troubled regions of the
country.
"That's untrue. I've never asked for any form of foreign
intervention in this country. Not in Ambon or Aceh," he said.
"I think I'm still healthy and sane enough (not to do that). I
do not want any single millimeter of this country to be invaded
by foreigners' feet."
He said he suggested the U.S use its clout to give "a moral
choice to the Indonesian government", such as sanctions if the
government failed to stop the clashes in parts of the country.
Amien understood the controversy surrounding his
recommendations. "My political steps might be too fast to be
accepted and comprehended by the people here."
Asked whether he feared the controversy would ruin his
political image, he replied: "Let me tell you this, actually
foreign intervention has been going on in this country all along.
"When Soeharto signed an agreement with the IMF before Michel
Camdessus with his arms folded... he (Soeharto) sold the
economic sovereignty of this country. But nobody spoke up. I did
that, and look what happened to me.
"Now I have tried to make a moral force through the U.S. Why?
Because it is the only superpower that is being heard and
respected here in Jakarta. I wouldn't ask support from a small
country because I would only become the laughing stock," Amien
added, eliciting laughter from the audience. (edt)