'Int'l community could help make RI strong'

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Sectarian violence, the potential danger of insurgencies in the regions and rampant corruption in Indonesia are indications that Indonesia is in a weak state, says a prominent world peace activist says that Indonesia.

In order to prevent the country from sliding further toward collapse, visionary leaders and international support are badly needed, said Robert Rotberg, president of U.S.-based World Peace Foundation, on Wednesday.

Rotberg said Indonesia's weak state started in 1998, after the downfall of a strong regime under president Soeharto.

Since that year, Indonesia has been economically weak and troubled by a series of insurgencies and sectarian violence, which might further lead Indonesia into a fractious state, he said.

He cited as examples the insurgencies in Aceh and Papua, which had not been resolved, and sectarian violence in Poso in Central Sulawesi and Maluku.

Rotberg painted a dismal picture, saying that Indonesia had difficulty in containing and overcoming the problems, mainly because it was a large country with a large population and there were long-standing grievances in the regions.

"Problems continue in the short run. The government should take the initiative in assuring that the trouble does not flare up again in the near future, to prevent the country from sliding further into a dangerous zone," Rotberg told participants of a discussion held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

According to Rotberg, a visionary and strong leader was needed to guide the nation out of the crisis.

"The leader must have a clear concept for the future of the country and know how to identify the issues being faced by the country," said Rotberg, who is also on staff at Harvard University.

Rotberg underlined the importance of international support to help the country out of the crisis.

He said international parties could help the beleaguered country by providing support for the establishment of a civil society.

He said democracy could help prevent a dictatorship, or what he called "a destructive human agency", which was prone to create destructive decisions in the country, causing the collapse of the state.

"The international community could also help the country's effort to enforce the law, by creating training for police officers, for example," he said.

According to Rotberg, international support could help lift Indonesia out of its weak state to a strong state, characterized by a higher gross domestic product, no corruption, law and order, better security and freedom of expression.