Resume military ties with U.S.: Expert

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The reelection of President George W. Bush is expected to offer a greater opportunity for the resumption of Indonesian military ties with the United States and to clear the way for more aid to help in the domestic fight against terrorism.

Bara Hasibuan, a former congressional fellow and the National Mandate Party (PAN)'s director of international relations, said that for the sake of his global campaign against terror, President Bush would persuade the U.S. Congress to lift its embargo on the Indonesian Military.

"The Bush administration considers Southeast Asia as a breeding ground for terrorism and Indonesia will continue to be its partner in fighting terrorism," Bara told a discussion here on Friday.

According to Bara, Bush had in fact sought to end the military embargo on Indonesia after he took power for his first four-year term.

Bara said that the new Bush administration would also keep disbursing aid to the Indonesian government to help it with the antiterror drive. "But the Indonesian government must be proactive in reaching out for it and leave its passive approach behind," he added.

The United States imposed the embargo on the Indonesian Military (TNI) following widespread allegations that gross human rights abuses took place when East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999.

The arms embargo was exacerbated by the killing of two American teachers in Timika, Papua province, in August 2002. The U.S. had alleged that there were rogue elements in the powerful TNI that played a role in the ambush.

New Indonesian Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono plans to visit the U.S. to step up the lobbying of the U.S. government so as to have the arms embargo lifted and military ties between the two countries improved.

Analysts have expressed skepticism that the visit would bear fruit as the TNI has steadfastly refused to acknowledge its poor human rights record.

Speaking during the same discussion, which was hosted by the Indonesian Survey Institute, political communications expert Effendi Gazali of the University of Indonesia, who is familiar with U.S. politics, said the overwhelming vote for Bush in Tuesday's polls showed that he had won unprecedented support for his war against terrorism.

He said that the U.S. would pursue a more aggressive approach in international politics.

"The U.S. government will constantly tell the world that President Bush has never done wrong, although his administration has failed to discover weapons of mass destruction," Effendi said, referring to one of the principal arguments used by Bush to justify the military campaign in Iraq.

Effendi also said that Bush would no longer care so much about his image as he would be barred from contesting another term in 2008.

"The U.S. will portray a fiercer look to the outside world," he claimed.