Indonesian parliament speaker urges end to Middle East hostilities
“I, Ahmad Muzani, Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly, call on all countries involved in the war to cease all hostilities in the Middle East,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The lawmaker described the US-Israel war on Iran as “a major disaster for humanity,” warning of severe repercussions for the global economy and energy stability.
“This is a huge disaster for our civilizations and the environment,” he added, cautioning that Indonesia could also face spillover impacts despite its geographic distance.
Muzani went on to say that growing security concerns in the Middle East had led to soaring prices of essential commodities globally, even in countries geographically removed from the region, such as Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
“We are witnessing increasing prices of essential goods in many countries, including Australia. This trend is the result of none other than the war in the Middle East,” the legislator affirmed.
Citing humanitarian concerns, the MPR chair quoted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto as saying that wars are evil, dangerous, and merciless, causing destruction of vital infrastructure and placing the heaviest burden on civilians.
With that in view, Muzani pushed the Indonesian government to proactively support peace efforts through diplomacy and international talks.
“We need to return to negotiations, to diplomacy,” he said, stressing that armed conflicts often stem from a breakdown of trust in dialogue.
He then voiced confidence in Indonesia’s global standing, highlighting the country’s long list of personnel deployments to United Nations peacekeeping missions, including in Lebanon.
On that note, he stressed that Indonesian peacekeepers serving in southern Lebanon are fulfilling the constitutional mandate of contributing to world peace, noting that three personnel had recently lost their lives in the line of duty.
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Translator: Bagus Ahmad, Tegar Nurfitra