Govt told to prevent violent protests

Govt told to prevent violent protests

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the antiwar protests become rowdier, scholars urged the
government on Sunday to swiftly move to prevent them turning
violent.

Haedar Nashir, the secretary-general of Muhammadiyah, the
second largest Muslim organization in the country, called on the
government to invite the representatives of the protesters for
talks to calm them down.

"Having conducted more talks, it could create a sense that the
government has accommodated the protesters' wishes and
aspirations," Haedar told The Jakarta Post.

A political analyst from the Surabaya-based Airlangga
University, Daniel Sparingga, shared Haedar's view and said
dialogue could also be used by the government to convince them
that the Iraq war had nothing to do with religion.

"The government must convince people that the U.S. attack on
Iraq has nothing to do with religion," Daniel told the Post.

"And the government must tell them that any violent protests
will not be tolerated."

Thousands of people held antiwar protests across the country
over the weekend. However, a protest by militant groups such as
the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) forced the closure of a
McDonald's restaurant in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday.

On Sunday, FPI protesters burned flags of the U.S., Britain,
Israel and Australia during an antiwar demonstration outside the
U.S. Embassy in Central Jakarta.

Many worry that the provocative protests by minority militant
groups could turn violent.

Once the protests turn violent, Daniel warned, it would
further damage Indonesia's image, and foreigners would
immediately start to flee Indonesia.

"If that happens, the impact will be severer on Indonesia.
Indonesia's image will be ruined in the eyes of the international
community. Indonesia's economy will then be hit hard because
investors will shy away," he added.

Haedar acknowledged that, and therefore urged people to remain
rational whey staging protests.

"Antiwar protests are shows of humanitarian solidarity that we
should support. But, they should not turn violent. Especially if
this were to lead to attacks on foreigners."

"We must avoid violence as this goes against both humanitarian
and religious value, the values that people must continue to
adhere to while protesting the U.S. attack on Iraq," Haedar said.