Better late than never

Better late than never

Better late than never? Certainly, this is one maxim that is much overused -- and one that does not always hold true. Fortunately, though, in the context of the current Indonesian situation there is reason to believe that the long delay in the government's readiness to consult leaders of the country's political, religious and social communities has not at this stage done irreparable harm to the country's stability.

Responding to growing public clamor for the government to initiate open and candid discussions concerning the national situation in the wake of the combined American-British assault in Afghanistan and mounting public condemnation of it here at home, the government invited leaders of the House of Representatives last Friday to the State Palace for talks.

At long last at least some form of communication has been established between the government and the public, although certainly not everyone may be satisfied with the results. After all, loudest among the demands pushed by street protesters has been that the government take a firmer stance against the United States and its Western allies in relation to its actions in Afghanistan. Some have even demanded that Indonesia sever diplomatic relations with the U.S. -- something the government is obviously not prepared to do.

As has already been widely reported, in her talks in Washington with U.S. President George W. Bush a few weeks ago, President Megawati Soekarnoputri pledged Indonesia's support for the fight against terrorism in the context of regional and worldwide efforts to stop this global scourge or prevent it from spreading. This is not surprising, since Indonesia itself has in the past few years been victim to several bombings and other terrorist acts for whatever motive they were committed.

The government has also officially condemned the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and the Pentagon, without, however, making any references to Afghanistan or, to be more specific, to the Taliban and Osama bin Laden, whom the U.S. sees as being the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks. Groups within the Islamic community in Indonesia have since demanded that Indonesia take a tougher stance vis-a-vis the United States. Leaders in the House of Representatives, for their part, have asked the government to "pay attention to the public's demands" -- which could mean, if one were to take the demands of the street protesters as representative of "the public's aspirations", anything from publicly condemning the American-British attacks in Afghanistan to severing diplomatic relations with the U.S.

It is interesting in this context to note that the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in its recent meeting in Doha did not condemn the American-British assault in Afghanistan, neither did they recommend the severing of diplomatic relations with the U.S. Surely, the OIC can be considered to be the legitimate, recognized representative of the Islamic countries of the world.

In all this, one fact remains indisputable. Throughout the crisis here at home resulting from the September 11 attacks in the U.S. and the ensuing British-American air and missile assault in Afghanistan, the government has been extremely slow to react. It is also obviously lacking in good public relations. The easiest thing for the authorities to do in such as situation is, as always, to blame the media for creating all the fuss. To some extent, admittedly, that may be true.

It is also difficult to deny, however, that President Megawati's silence on the matter is creating an impression of indecisiveness, or vacillating on her part in taking necessary decisions. This, of course, is unfortunate. One thing all Indonesians should heed at this moment of crisis is to put the nation's broader interests above everything else. Also, some serious soul-searching may be in order so Indonesians can see things in their proper perspective and act with insight and wisdom.