'Bush, Saddam should be mobbed to death'

'Bush, Saddam should be mobbed to death'

The U.S.-led war, which coincidentally started on the third week
of the third month of the third year of the third millennium, has
met with mounting protests from all over the world.
Unfortunately, unconfirmed reports out of Iraq have said innocent
civilians have been killed or injured as a result of the war. The
Jakarta Post talked to some city residents for their comments on
the war.

Fajar, 26, is unemployed and resides in Ciledug, Tangerang,
with his family:

I am watching the war unfold on television. I can see how war
destroys human civilization.

There are a lot of innocent civilians who are becoming war
casualties.

I think Bush and Saddam should have a duel to the death. They
should formally fight it out the old-fashioned way by choosing
their guns, standing back to back and then walking several steps
away from each other before turning and firing.

They are really stubborn, but they should not involve their
citizens in their personal war. I'm sure that Bush is only taking
over where his father left off, and exercising his father's
revenge as he could not beat Saddam during his term in office.

I think gaining control of Iraq's energy resources has also
motivated Bush to attack Iraq. That's his ultimate mission in
this war.

In this respect, I don't think religion is the reason. It is
rather a show of power to oust the Saddam regime.

Personally, I think the citizens of those countries should mob
their presidents to death, because the leaders' pride and
misdeeds have led them to suffer.

This would be the best alternative as the United Nations has
failed to stop these powerful leaders. If their citizens banded
together to punish or mob their presidents, then the war would
stop and people could live peacefully.

Staging rallies all over the world is also to no avail. The
United Nations, let alone the disputed countries, are not
listening to the public outcry.

Of course, we will have to bear the consequences of this war,
too. Sooner or later there will be a gradual increase in the
price of commodities, including oil, which will worsen the
economy.

Amin, 27, is a worker at a ceramics manufacturer in Tangerang,
Banten. He resides in Pasar Kemis, Tangerang, with his
colleagues:

The war is a silly idea because it is not the way to solve
international problems. It's just crazy.

I don't think political reasons are the ultimate consideration
here, but rather the personal hatred that exists between the U.S.
and Iraq presidents.

There are, however, other reasons behind it. Bush probably
wants to finish the work of a former U.S. president, who just
happens to be his father. So it's a very personal reason. Perhaps
George Bush, Sr. instilled his ambition in his son to defeat
Saddam.

I also see that Saddam is wrong in many ways, too. I think
Saddam is producing weapons of mass destruction as suspected by
the U.S.

He has never complied with the United Nations to destroy his
country's weaponry.

Personally, I agree that Saddam should be toppled to rid the
world of his ambition to bring all Arabic countries under his
control. In the future, that unity might threaten world peace as
Saddam is a real tyrant.

However, the world would be far better off without these two
ambitious leaders, Saddam and Bush. They are just the same:
ambitious and arrogant.

Their citizens should have been more aware about them and
gotten rid of them in an attempt to create peace, I guess.

I don't agree with the street rallies here voicing narrow-
minded concern, especially in the name of religion, to protest
the coalition's aggression. It's not appropriate at all.

Chandra, 25, is a pharmacist in Joglo, West Jakarta. He lives
in Petukangan, South Jakarta with his family:

I disagree completely with the war because there will be many
casualties from it. Most of them will be innocent civilians in
Iraq.

The U.S. and its allied forces will have killed those innocent
people in their war, although they might claim that their targets
were the military forces.

But in fact the Iraqi troops are well-trained to avoid the
attacks or missiles targeted at their defenses. The military can
anticipate the war by hiding in the safest places, but civilians
cannot do the same.

I think Bush is only after the oil in Iraq and this is why he
wants to defeat Saddam's government.

Besides, I also think that there is reason, based on religion,
for the U.S. and its allies to attack Iraq, which is deemed a
Muslim-dominant country.

In the end, I regret that we are also going to feel the impact
of the war as oil prices will surely increase. Consequently, it
will affect other prices too, which will worsen the economy.

-- Leo Wahyudi S