Homework awaits President Megawati

Homework awaits President Megawati

Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Sunday concluded her visit to New York, Tunisia and Libya with positive results.

At least, Megawati's address at the UN General Assembly and her visit to Libya will immensely benefit the country.

Before the UN General Assembly, Megawati raised the problem of terrorism, which has disturbed the lives of the world community.

Unlike other world leaders, the Indonesian president did not only speak of the impact of terrorism but she also touched on the root of terrorism itself.

In Megawati's judgment, unfair treatment by Western countries of the Palestinian nation is one of the reasons for the emergence of radicalism, which has finally led to terrorist acts.

Meanwhile, her visit to Libya has indicated how much we care for that country, which has been enduring a terrible destiny.

Through its leader, Moammar Qaddafy, Libya has also shown it wants to cultivate closer ties with Indonesia.

Megawati has homework to do to make her foreign trips even more essential.

So far, the first steps made by the President are not frequently followed by the actual programs.

Our weaknesses are sometimes seen as trivial because we concentrate too much on big matters without "a sense of detail".

The president's homework is to remind her cabinet members to follow up every policy she makes.

Another important homework the President has to do is to settle domestic problems, such as the preparations for next year's General Elections.

-- Kompas, Jakarta ;EPT; Anpak..r.. Airlines-USA-anti-missile Anti-missile system for airliners JP/6/

Anti-missile system for airliners

The move by the Bush administration to spend US$100 million to begin establishing an anti-missile system for commercial planes is good news.

That's $40 million more than the administration was expected to request. And it does reflect attention to the mounting concern that terrorists could try to use shoulder-fired rockets to shoot down a passenger plane. ...

It is no secret that hundreds of these types of missiles are for sale worldwide.

And it's no secret that this would be the kind of attack that appeals to those who sent airliners crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killing nearly 3,000 people.

Because the money would be spent over two years in two phases, critics such as Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., have said it's too little and the timetable is too slow. Schumer has proposed $10 billion to equip the nation's commercial planes with anti-missile systems.

But each undertaking in defense begins with a single step. This is the first move in securing this kind of protection for the thousands of people who fly daily across the United States and around the world.

We're glad we're taking it.

-- El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas