Australians want peace, not war
The assumptions and speculation that Australians might become an easy target of terrorist attacks due to Australian involvement in the Afghanistan war and planned war against Iraq, had been in the public domain long before the tragic events at Sari Club and Paddy's. The ASIO Report released in April contained the same warning.
The Bali bombing has not changed this public attitude. Despite a media blackout on Oct. 13, one day after the blast, approximately 45,000 people rallied through the streets of Melbourne, protesting that politicians refrain from using the lives lost in the Bali bombing as a means of pushing ahead their war agenda.
One day before the national day of mourning for the Bali victims, Anglican Archbishop of Perth Dr. Peter Carnley also expressed his grave concern over the safety of Australians and said, "Given the bombing of Afghanistan and the dispersal in disarray of al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, and Australia's high- profile support for President George Bush's stance in relation to a possible war on Iraq, it was surely only a matter of time before Australian lives were sacrificed in some form of retaliatory action".
Of course, this is debatable and needs to be proven. However, these concerns are shared by the Australian public and not limited to my own opinion. Furthermore, I believe it is in Canberra's interests to respond to such a strong public sentiment.
This sentiment does not show any sign of declining in the near future. On the contrary, a number of antiwar groups in Sydney have recently joined forces and established a new coalition in order to organize a bigger "walk against the war" on Nov. 30 based on the slogan "No war with Iraq! No Australian involvement!"
Ambassador, my heart lies with those Australians who want peace and oppose war. I feel deeply for those whose protests have fallen on deaf ears and yet, they are the vulnerable ones. For this reason, I have no intention of withdrawing my concerns over politicians who are busy promoting "fear and insecurity" in order to shape public opinion to suit their own designs, as appeared in The Jakarta Post. I firmly believe that we should end this spiral of violence and avoid an unnecessary war.
As mentioned in your letter, I write here as a person who has known Australia and Australians very closely for many years. As one of the promoters and founding fathers of the center, it is my wish to see Australia develop mature and comfortable relations with its immediate region. In this regard, "spreading fear and insecurity" following the bombing, would only poison our two communities. This should be discontinued if we want members of our plural communities to rebuild mutual trust and tolerance.
DR. RENI WINATA, Director, Australian Studies Centre, University of Indonesia