Stop demos, offer food, prayers to Afghans: VP
Stop demos, offer food, prayers to Afghans: VP
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Vice President Hamzah Haz asked Muslim groups to stop anti-
U.S. protests because President Megawati Soekarnoputri had
already accommodated their aspirations in her Oct. 14, 2001
statement.
"So I ask you to stop the anti-Western demonstrations,"
Hamzah, who is also chairman of the Muslim-based United
Development Party (PPP), said while inaugurating Baitul Rahman
Mosque in East Jakarta.
Hamzah was referring to the strong statements made by Megawati
while speaking at an Ascension Day ceremony last Sunday.
She said that attacking a sovereign state on the pretext of
tracking down terrorists was unacceptable. The statement was
widely interpreted as an implicit denouncement of the U.S.-led
strike on Afghanistan.
Megawati's statement apparently caused concern in the U.S. and
among its allies, however Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan
Wirayuda confirmed in Shanghai on Friday that Indonesia stood by
its commitment to ally with the majority of the world to combat
terrorism.
Hamzah said he would no longer tolerate anti-U.S. protests
because the street actions had led to violence and seriously
damaged the image of Indonesian Muslims, heretofore well-known
for moderation and tolerance.
"We have all heard President Megawati's excellent speech which
accommodated our aspirations," he said as quoted by Antara.
He added that Indonesia is becoming a poorer country and anti-
Western sentiments would only aggravate the country's sufferings.
"There is no need to demand a cut in diplomatic ties or call
for a boycott of American products. See what's happening, all the
bule (Westerners) leave when you call for boycotts or threaten
them. This will be terrible for the economy."
Hamzah said that because Megawati is President of the
Republic, her statements represent Indonesia's official stance.
Before Megawati made the Oct. 14 speech, Hamzah said, the
government tolerated anti-U.S. demonstrations but not now.
"If you want to help your Afghan Muslim brothers, you should
send them medicines, food and prayers," he said.
Hamzah added that he was worried that if the demonstrations do
not stop and violence persisted, the image of Indonesian Muslims
will be tarnished and Indonesian Muslims would no longer be a
role model for tolerance.
"We (Muslims) should uphold the principle of promoting good
deeds and rejecting evil," he added.
Hamzah's call for an end to street demonstrations came less
than a week after he, in his other role as PPP chairman, demanded
that the U.S. stop the Afghan bombardment.
When addressing the PPP national conference on Oct. 13, Hamzah
said he would not forbid anyone from staging an anti-U.S.
protest. It was seen as tacit encouragement of a planned massive
demonstration, reportedly to involve a million Muslims, to
pressure America to stop the attacks. The mass protest did not
materialize, however.