Leaders told to meet, pacify demonstrators

Leaders told to meet, pacify demonstrators

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the domestic situation worsens over the Afghan crisis,
government officials, legislators and Muslim leaders need to sit
together and reach a consensus in order to save Indonesia from
entering another crisis.

To start the talks, each of them need to drop their own
interests and adopt the national interests above all, according
to Mustofa Bisri, an influential ulema based in Rembang, Central
Java.

"All elements in the country, the executives, legislators,
political party leaders, religious leaders and other elements,
including those who are now desirous to go for jihad to
Afghanistan, need to return to our national interest," Mustofa
told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview on Thursday.

"There must be a way out. It's time for them to sit together,
use common sense and talk as brothers in a spirit of
togetherness."

Mustofa Bisri, popularly known as Gus Mus, called on all sides
in the country to repent for their inaction over the worsening
domestic situation following the U.S. retaliation against the
Taliban.

"Let's repent and commit ourselves to de-emphasizing the
interest of individuals or groups, equalize our vision and start
to rebuild the nation," he said.

The chairman of the country's second largest Muslim
organization Muhammadiyah, Syafi'i Maarif, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Akbar Tandjung and the chairman of the
National Awakening Party, Alwi Shihab, all agreed that they were
ready to participate at any given time in such talks.

Syafi'i supported the idea of convening such a meeting to
build mutual trust between Muslim groups, especially the hardline
ones, and the government.

"There must be an effort to encourage mutual trust between the
groups and the government. I think discussions of this sort would
be good," Syafi'i told the Post after speaking at a seminar on
terrorism.

He added that the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) could
possibly be called upon to facilitate such a meeting.

Alwi, meanwhile, noted that such a meeting was necessary to
help improve trust in the government and reduce anti-American
sentiment among some Muslim groups.

"With a dialog, it is probable that misunderstanding between
the government and the so-called radical groups can be resolved,
and therefore street rallies will be reduced," Alwi said.

Since the U.S. and British military launched strikes in
Afghanistan on Sunday, there have been anti-U.S. protests on a
daily basis in Jakarta in addition to a number of large cities
throughout the archipelago.

Analysts have expressed fear that such anti-U.S.
demonstrations would only drive more expatriates out of
Indonesia.

Alwi said the government should understand Muslims'
disappointment over the government's stance with regard to the
U.S. campaign against terrorism.

Nevertheless, Catholic figure Frans Magnis Suseno suggested
that all parties in the proposed discussions must, in good faith,
attempt to resolve problems.

"If certain groups begin with skepticism against the
government's explanation, such a meeting will be useless," Magnis
said.

But Magnis also said that such a meeting should be implemented
informally, all figures attending such a meeting should represent
themselves without claiming that they represent certain groups of
people.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung hailed the proposal,
saying that the dialog needed to be implemented without reducing
people's rights to express their condemnation against the U.S.
action.

The issues regarding the government's current stance will be
discussed at a meeting between President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
House leaders and faction leaders on Friday.

PKB faction chairman in the House Ali Masykur Moesa told the
Post that the consultation meeting will be focused both on the
resolution of the Aceh problem as well as the government's
official position as it regards the U.S.-led war on terrorism.