Hamzah warns of public fury over terrorist allegations

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Vice President Hamzah Haz urged foreign countries on Saturday to stop branding Indonesia as a hotbed of terrorism, saying the campaign would incite people's fury against the countries.

"The baseless accusations should stop or the Indonesian people may get angry," Hamzah said here as quoted by Antara after opening the congress of the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI).

Hamzah was apparently referring to the United States, which has implied that a terrorist network exists in Indonesia, although it fell short of linking the network with hard-line Muslim groups.

The Vice President, who chairs the United Development Party, the country's largest Muslim political party, warned that the government might have difficulty reigning in public anger once it escalated.

"We are currently struggling to restore our economy, so we will not tolerate any action that could destabilize the country," the Vice President stressed.

Previously, moderate Muslim leaders Hasyim Muzadi of the 40- million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama and Sjafii Ma'arif of the Muhammdiyah criticized the way the U.S. had put pressure on Indonesia in regard to terrorism, cautioning the Americans of a backlash.

A wave of anti-U.S. rallies followed the country's decision to attack the Taliban regime in Afghanistan last year. Muslim hard- liners also called for a jihad against U.S. troops.

In a display of support, Hamzah said he would be the first person to defend leaders of hard-line Muslim groups if they had to serve jail terms.

Hamzah was absent from a Cabinet meeting on terrorism hosted by President Megawati Soekarnoputri last week, which concluded with the government's call for support from ulemas for its plan to crack down on alleged terrorists in the country.

There was no official explanation regarding his absence.

On Saturday, Hamzah reiterated that foreign countries should provide clear evidence of their allegations so the government could follow up on solid reports.

"It would be impossible for the government to answer those allegations if the information is not officially provided to the government," he remarked.

Hamzah asserted that the government would do its best to conduct a thorough investigation based on the data. "But if it is not true, do not create rumors," he warned.

Indonesia has been called a safe haven for terrorists, although two foreigners accused of being operatives of a terrorist network in Southeast Asia were arrested in Medan on Thursday.

A former chief of the State Intelligence Coordinating Board (Bakin), Z.A. Maulani, joined the demand for the U.S. to stop tarnishing Indonesia and Islam.

"Once we (Islamic countries) decide to launch an oil embargo on the U.S., then there will be nothing left for the U.S." Maulani said at a conference sponsored by the Hizbut Tahrir Muslim organization,

Several Muslim groups, including the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), attended the conference, which was aimed at discussing an alleged conspiracy behind the U.S. campaign against terrorism.

Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a Muslim cleric of Surakarta-based Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) who has been accused of links to a terrorist network in Southeast Asia, failed to show up because he had to attend another event in the South Sumatra capital of Palembang, according to his lawyer Mahendradatta.

Ba'asyir has been in the spotlight again after the revelation of a controversial CIA document connecting him to arrested al- Qaeda operative Omar al-Faruq, who claims to have plotted the assassination of President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Participants of the conference were united in rejecting the government's plan to enact an antiterrorism law, claiming that no terrorist activities had been found to occur here.

The government is considering the imposition of the stalled State Security Law No. 23/1999, or even the 1959 State Emergency Law, which is much more repressive than the former in handling terrorism.