OK to slam U.S. attack but rallies must be contained: Observers
OK to slam U.S. attack but rallies must be contained: Observers
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia should strongly condemn the United States if it
unilaterally attacks Iraq but also firmly deal with any domestic
violence triggered by such an attack, experts said on Saturday.
Noted analyst Dewi Fortuna Anwar, legislator Yasril Ananta
Baharuddin of Golkar and Firiani Sophiaan Yudoyoko of the
University of Indonesia said the government should oppose the
U.S. plan as it violated international law and the tenets of
democratization.
But they also said the government should not hesitate to take
firm legal action against anyone who threatened or damaged
foreign assets out of anti-U.S. sentiment so as to help maintain
foreign investor confidence in the country.
"The government must take such action even though it will face
difficulties in handling increasing anti-American sentiment and
street rallies if the U.S. goes ahead and attacks Iraq," Dewi
told The Jakarta Post.
She said the government should also deploy more security
personnel to guard foreign assets like embassies and other
facilities.
"It's the police's duty to guarantee the security of everyone
here, whether locals or foreigners," she said.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, is
heavily dependent on the U.S for investment and exports.
Dewi went on to say that the government should increase its
lobbying of the U.S to abandon its planned attack on Iraq as this
would not only create worldwide opposition against America but
also produce various local conflicts in many countries.
The government should also actively encourage the United
Nations (UN) to take immediate action to prevent the U.S. from
attacking Iraq, Dewi said.
Meanwhile, Yasril said the government should intensify its
lobbying of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OCI),
developing countries, the UN, and other countries so that the
U.S. attack could be thwarted.
"We must play a significant role in stopping the war. It will
not only affect Iraq but also our own country," he said.
However, Firiani said the government might only be able to
protest against the U.S. government plan as Indonesia's options
were limited.
"If the government lobbies the U.S, the latter most probably
will not listen to us. If we boycott them, this would only
backfire on us as we badly need their investment," she explained.
Therefore, she said, the government should optimize its
efforts in handling anticipated street rallies against the U.S.
"The government will need some fancy footwork so that it can
accommodate the Muslim desire to protest against the U.S. plan
but at the same time minimize the impact of the expected rallies
against America," she said.
The U.S. Congress's green light for the use of force against
Iraq boosted President George W. Bush's hand on Friday in the UN
Security Council, with Iraq replying that it was ready to respond
to any U.S. attack "within the hour."
The U.S. Congress gave Bush authority early on Friday to go to
war against Iraq, citing the "continuing threat" posed by
Baghdad's alleged weapons buildup.
Meanwhile, a UN weapons' inspection team will go to Iraq next
week to carry out another probe.