JP/6/E00

JP/6/E00

Laborers all over the world commemorated Labor Day, also
called May Day, on Thursday, May 1. In Indonesia, the observance
of the May Day was filled with street demonstrations in several
big cities.

For Indonesian workers, Labor Day is still far from a grateful
ceremony.

Since the reform movement in 1998 Indonesia has had three
presidents, B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati
Soekarnoputri, who have had their own Cabinets and ministers with
their own policies.

Unfortunately, the fate of laborers has remained the same
despite the power of the reform movement, in which the workers
got involved.

Worker-related problems are in fact very simple: Prosperity
and welfare. But the simple thing is not always easy to deal
with, because the welfare of workers very much depends on the
national economy and the health of the companies they work for.

Since the Asian economic crisis hit five years ago, the
Indonesian economy has not yet recovered. Many private companies
have gone bankrupt or declined their production activities. The
result is that many workers have been dismissed or laid off. This
contributes to the increase in national unemployment from 38
million at the beginning of the economic crisis to the current
figure of over 40 million.

Strangely, several neighboring countries have emerged from
their economic downfall. Thailand and South Korea could be cited
as the countries which revived their economies the soonest after
the crisis.

In this context, corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) have
become the main constraint to our economic recovery. KKN has
apparently caused the high-cost economy. If the high-cost economy
could be dealt with, the companies' operational cost would be
smaller. The companies' financial health will bring welfare and
prosperity to the workers.

-- Republika, Jakarta

Unite, Iraqi people!

Unite, all Iraqi people! Without strong union you will live a
life similar to what you had under Saddam Hussein's regime.

It's time for you to unite and join hands so as to increase
your bargaining power. Be confident that with adequate strength
any parties would find it difficult to oppress you.

For Islamic countries, including Indonesia, union is a
luxurious and expensive thing. It is probably because they have
already lived with the experience of being divided.

It is clear that the invaders don't want an Islamic government
in Iraq, and somebody like Jay Garner is prepared to become the
ruler of (a new) Iraq. In the long run, Iraq could become a pilot
project to rock the Middle East with U.S.-style democracy.

Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction has yet to
be proved. However, the fact is not important for U.S. President
George W. Bush. Iraq's abundant wealth is the intended target for
exploitation. This is the mission of Jay Garner.

Things now depend on the Iraqi people. It is unnecessary to
seek and attack the Kurds, as Saddam's regime did, for they have
been oppressed since the end of World War I. The West -- victor
in the war -- had divided up the Kurds' land in such a way that
they have become nomads.

So, please accept the Kurds as brother Muslims. Subsequently,
the Sunnis and Shias should also unite against the U.S.

Muslims will achieve success in their fight if they believe
that Allah will protect them.

-- Republika, Jakarta

Iraq's future

Of course there will be problems and they will be big.

No one dares to believe that it will be easy to turn Iraq from
35 years of brutal dictatorship and several wars and put it on
the road to a blooming and well-functioning democracy.

It is important to keep in mind that past and that very few of
the many expected nightmares during the war may actually come to
pass in the many months and years of work that lie ahead for the
country.

-- Berlingske Tidende, Copenhagen, Denmark

SARS prevention

The World Health Organization and many countries in the world
are making a major effort to prevent the spread of SARS as a
condition for controlling the epidemic, while at the same time
trying to develop vaccines and medicines, a process that will
take years. WHO announced on Monday that there are signs the
spread of the disease has been halted in Toronto, Hong Kong and
Singapore, three of four parts of the world where there is the
danger of contracting SARS. Hong Kong and Singapore have taken
drastic measures to control the epidemic. Thousands of people who
came into contact with SARS patients were put in quarantine,
patients were hospitalized in isolation and hospitals devoted
their infrastructure to treating SARS patients.

The Israeli health system's reaction to the threat of severe
acute respiratory syndrome has been slow and gradual, as
indicated by WHO's instructions.

With a reasonable effort, the epidemic's spread to Israel can
be prevented and it is critical to do so. Beyond the suffering
and damage experienced by patients and their families, and the
public anxiety if the disease spreads to here, the economic
burden that has been caused to the affected countries is
certainly not needed by the Israeli economy. Israel must aspire
to be SARS-free.

-- Ha'aretz, Tel Aviv

North Korea's nuclear programs

The problem is how to stop North Korea from continuing to
develop its nuclear capabilities beyond simply claiming
possession of a few nukes as a negotiating tactic. The United
States needs to loosen its stance of refusing to sit down at the
negotiating table unless North Korea abandons all nuclear
development. Pushing the country into a corner will have adverse
effects. The United States needs to exhibit flexibility to
establish an environment that would smooth the way toward North
Korea accepting a compromise.

"If North Korea really already possesses nuclear weapons, we
cannot let it produce more, and any existing ones must be
destroyed. Needless to say, we have to make sure it will never
use weapons of mass destruction. Any attempt at a military
solution would devastate South Korea and also have an enormous
impact on Japan. It is not an option. The only realistic course
is to maintain the present defensive military deterrent and
extract a compromise from North Korea through negotiations.

"North Korea's stance will fuel discussions at the United
Nations about possible sanctions. Nuclear development leads to
national self-destruction rather than revitalization.

"Initially it was a shock to hear North Korea has nuclear
weapons. However, we should not let that cloud our judgment.
Japan possesses the diplomatic carrot of economic aid. Japan
should continue to attempt to convince North Korea that the only
route toward normalization of relations is through abandoning
nuclear programs.

-- Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo

North Korea's nuclear

When two partners engage in argument with the potential to
bring mutual destruction, it helps if one keeps his sanity. In
the battle that erupted Wednesday with a threat from North Korea
to use nuclear weapons, the partner who must remain sane is the
United States. We can't be sure about the North Koreans. ...

The U.S. is in a difficult position when bargaining with the
North because submitting to nuclear blackmail sends the wrong
message worldwide. But neither does it want to see nuclear
weapons get into more irresponsible hands than those that already
hold them. Furthermore, a nuclear attack of any kind would be
devastating, not just to its victims but to hopes that the world
will have the sense not to destroy itself.

That's why the United States has to be careful to stay sane
and to avoid turning to bluster and retaliation when diplomacy
still may lead to resolution. ...

Fortunately, there was another party present for cocktails and
chitchat on Wednesday: China, the hosts. While China is the
North's best friend (a term used loosely), its interests are much
more closely aligned to our own. And the Chinese message has been
the same as ours: the Korean peninsula must be nuclear-free.

-- Journal Star, Peoria, Illinois

The latest diplomatic move by France

The latest diplomatic move by France, presented as a supposed
olive branch to the United States, in reality is a mere fig leaf
for more cynicism of the kind for which France has become
infamous.

Now that the tyrant Saddam Hussein, whom the French government
and business interests effectively propped up for years, has been
ousted from power, French President Jacques Chirac has finally
agreed in part with a U.S. position. But only in part.

... On Tuesday, Mr. Chirac's ambassador to the United Nations,
Jean Marc de la Sabliere called for relieving Iraq of the
sanctions. But -- with the French, there's always a "but" -- the
proposal by Mr. de la Sabliere allow not an actual end to
sanctions, but merely the "suspension" of them. In conjunction
with the "suspension," the French say, the United Nations should
control all Iraqi oil revenues. And the permanent elimination of
sanctions would be contingent on approval by the same gaggle of
U.N. weapons inspectors who failed so spectacularly for a dozen
years. ...

The transparent French aim, of course, is to keep control of
the oil deals it made with Mr. Hussein, at the expense of the
Iraqi people.

-- Mobile Register, Mobile, Alabama

The Republican Party's
foreign policy split

Newt Gingrich's controversial speech last week, a scathing
attack on Secretary of State Colin Powell and his subordinates,
was more than just an example of the former House speaker using
his mouth as a flame-thrower, or a noisy attempt by a Washington
has-been to push his way back into the limelight. It also served
to illuminate a basic split between Republicans on how to use
America's military might in the world arena.

... The real difference is between conservatives who think
that aggressively employing military power is the most reliable
way to win friends and influence nations and those who think it's
a formula for overextension and rampant anti-Americanism.

... Both sides have influence with the president, who will
have to decide in each particular circumstance whether to rely on
force or diplomacy or some mix of each. In Iraq, it was the
former, and in North Korea, it has been the latter. Neither
faction is likely to get its way every time. ...

-- Chicago Tribune, Chicago

, on the
looting of Iraqi artifacts:

Military personnel and journalists were subjected to personal
danger during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and many paid with their
lives. It is disturbing to learn that others were caught trying
to bring Iraqi art objects back to the United States.

To be sure, collection of "souvenirs" has long been a part of
the chaos of war and its aftermath. Many World War II veterans
have Japanese or Nazi flags and other items tucked away in their
attics.

However, it appears that the Iraqi artworks, including
paintings and historical objects, were pilfered specifically in
hopes of selling them for a profit.

Bringing stability to this embattled country will not be easy,
and Iraqis who have engaged in looting are not helping the
process - but neither are those liberators who purloin that which
is not theirs to take.

-- The Times-Reporter, Dover-New Philadelphia, Ohio

The Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina, on war strategy:

... This war in Iraq will lack the finality of some major U.S.
victories, in large part because the end of the war has become
blurred with the enormous task of rebuilding a nation where the
challenges of restoring power and supplying food pale compared to
those of nurturing a sense of democracy.

... But as more thoughtful review of this war begins, it
becomes undeniably clear that this was a stunning victory for the
U.S. military.

... Among the factors, which also include exceptionally well-
trained and dedicated American soldiers, are these:

The four branches of the armed services worked together with
more effectiveness than ever demonstrated. ...

Air power was overwhelming and precise. ...

Unparalleled intelligence helped the military select potential
targets and avoid civilian populations.

Special forces played an enormous role in this war (as in
Afghanistan, too). ...

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has broken a good bit of
china in the Pentagon, and the success of this war gives him the
credibility to break even more in helping reshape the military
and equip it for future threats that will involve the use of
force.

GetAP 1.00 -- MAY 2, 2003 00:10:35
;AP;
ANPA ..r..
NA-GEN--Editorial Roundup
By The Associated Press=
JP/

By The Associated Press=

Here are excerpts from editorials in newspapers in the United

[
The Guardian, London, on the U.S. military presence in Iraq:

Convincing Iraqis that U.S. soldiers are there to help them
will be all the more difficult after the shocking events in
Falluja, west of Baghdad. Preventing already widespread popular
opposition to the American military presence turning into
concerted armed resistance will also be increasingly problematic
unless the U.S. army can explain why it was justified in opening
fire on a crowd comprising a large number of children and
teenagers, killing at least 13 and wounding 75. ...

Even though the war is over, U.S. soldiers continue to kill
Iraqi civilians almost every day, for a variety of reasons. But
Falluja's tragedy is of a different order of magnitude. To
prevent more such disastrous incidents and stop the security
situation deteriorating further, an inquiry must be urgently
held, preferably with U.N. oversight and with reference to the
Geneva conventions governing the conduct of occupying forces. For
reasons of law, morality and self-interest, our relentlessly
self-righteous government has a clear obligation to demand that
its ally comply. Meanwhile, 82nd Airborne units should be
withdrawn from Falluja. If necessary, they could be replaced by
better-disciplined British troops.
[
Business Day, Johannesburg, South Africa, on Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's political future:

The political life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has often
resembled that of the proverbial cat - with all its famed nine
lives. But even she ... will know that she has plumbed to new
depths of infamy with her recent troubles.

Madikizela-Mandela was convicted and sentenced last Friday to
five years in prison for fraud and theft after she ... submitted
fraudulent loan applications to Saambou Bank on behalf of
supposed African National Congress Women's League employees. She
is out on bail pending the outcome of her appeal against both her
conviction and sentence. But is the "mother of the nation"
finally out for the count?

... Even assuming that her appeal succeeds and she escapes
serving jail time, she would still face financial ruin as she has
now quit her 300,000 rand a year (US$ 42,000) parliamentary seat
and all her other positions in the ANC.

Notwithstanding her contribution to SA's liberation ... to
afford her a presidential pardon ... as some people are
suggesting, would negate South Africa's claims to the moral high
ground on a continent battling to overcome its image of being
fatally riddled with corruption and poor governance.
[
La Stampa, Turin, Italy, on the SARS virus:

Italy must not underestimate the importance of containing and
preventing the spread of SARS. Airports must be rigorously
checked and people should be encouraged to take a number of
precautionary measures. But doesn't the image of our Health
Minister on the scene at Milan's Malpensa airport give rise to
the siege syndrome, spreading a sense of threat and panic?

One can understand the careful calculations of authorities to
prevent the eventual accusations of complacency. Italy, unlike
China, isn't an authoritarian country that hides impending
dangers from its people. Quite the contrary, the first epidemic
we face is social above all: terror in general, the fear of
anything "Chinese," the nervousness of the siege.

It is essential to adopt intelligent and persuasive measures
that take into account the actual statistics of the epidemic,
which has seen only a few cases in this country. The same
effective precautions as those taken by European governments
against "mad cow disease" are a good example Past experience has
shown that reasonable precautionary measures, which encourage a
sense of perspective, are essential in confronting the worst of
epidemics.
[ MORE[

GetAP 1.00 -- MAY 2, 2003 00:10:27