Islamic parties not interested in Iraq crisis, says analyst

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It is a year from the 2004 general election, but Islamic political parties have been watching the Iraq crisis unfolding without protest, which one analyst attributed to their attempts to keep a low profile amid terrorism scares.

Antiwar protests in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, have been relatively small compared to those in major cities around the world last week.

Unlike the Afghanistan war, Islamic parties have voiced little criticism over the possibility of war in Iraq.

And yet never since the 1991 Gulf war, have the stakes been higher than now. The U.S. walks on thin support into the Iraq fray, and the upcoming general election is just a year away.

"Islamic parties don't see how they can capitalize on the Iraq crisis," explained political analyst Fachry Ali on Wednesday.

When the U.S. attacked Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist strike, the reaction from Muslim groups here was prompt and sharp.

No less than Vice President Hamzah Haz, who leads the United Development Party (PPP), voiced criticism even though it undermined President Megawati Soekarnoputri's position.

During her visit to Washington shortly after the attack, the President had promised Indonesia's help in the fight against terrorism.

While Hamzah leads an Islamic party, her's, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), is a nationalistic one.

The Afghanistan war also prompted widespread anti-American protests. Calls surfaced to boycott U.S. products as well as to sever diplomatic ties with the country.

The possibility of war in Iraq has drawn bigger demonstrations but without the same pressure on the government.

Earlier this month, the Justice Party led tens of thousands of Muslims in what has been the biggest antiwar demonstration so far.

The protest might pass as a veiled campaign effort, Fachry agreed, but he doubted it was aimed at dealing a blow to the government.

Other Muslims groups staged similar protests, bringing forth religious issues without centering criticism on the government.

Such demonstrations would likely intensify if war does break out, still Fachry said Islamic parties would continue to refrain from politicizing the Iraq crisis. "Protesters would draw more on the religious issue."

Charges that Iraq is hoarding weapons of mass destruction and concerns over its alleged links to terrorist groups, may have given Islamic parties second thoughts about supporting Baghdad.

"The international perception (over the Iraq issue) affects the behavior of political parties here," Fachry said.

He said that since the Bali bombing last year, politicians were more careful about their statements, as otherwise they might appear as though they tolerated terrorism.

Islamic parties, he added, knew that they had a "captive market" of voters that was rather stagnant.

"So what they're doing now is trying to maintain their share," he said.