Support pours in for canceled F-16 jet deal

Support pours in for canceled F-16 jet deal

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's decision to cancel the purchase of
United States F-16s and forgo the expanded International Military
Education Training (IMET) program, has received resounding
support from observers and politicians who see it as a snub
against superpower encroachment.

In the wake of Friday's shock announcement by the Minister of
Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, disquietness was far from the minds
of observers. Instead, a sense of national pride enveloped many
commentators.

Military analyst Hasnan Habib said the U.S. has as much to
lose, if not more, as Indonesia.

He said the cancellation of the F-16s could signal a shift
from U.S. based suppliers to other arms producers.

"If it becomes difficult to get it in America because we're
continuously getting slammed by Congress, then we won't buy from
them," said Hasnan, who is a former ambassador to Washington.

He said Indonesia and other countries in the region are
experiencing a period of high economic growth which is spurring a
modernization of their armed forces.

Continued links to extraneous issues could prompt buyers in
the region to look elsewhere than the U.S., while at the same
time the domestic situation in the U.S. is not favorable as the
military establishment continues to shrink, he said.

Alatas said Friday the cancellation was caused by links
between "unjustified criticism" by Congress and the F-16s along
with participation in IMET.

Congress members have been pressuring the Clinton
administration to cancel the F-16 sale and IMET to Indonesia due
to Jakarta's allegedly poor human rights record.

Alatas said the decision was aimed at removing stumbling
blocks which may hinder further bilateral ties being developed by
the Clinton administration.

Despite this assertion, many saw the move as an assertion of
national sovereignty over superpower arrogance.

Legislator Aisyah Amini, chairperson of the House of
Representatives Commission I on Foreign Affairs and Defense, said
the move reflected Indonesia's long held stance of refusing to be
dictated by another country.

"This shows to the outside world that we are a sovereign
nation. We decide what's good for us," she said.

"Don't let those people in Congress think we are dependent on
them that we would collapse (without the U.S.)," she said. "Human
rights is often used as an instrument by developed countries to
pressure developing states."

She said both sides have a lot to gain from each other and
should ensure a mutually beneficial relationship without one
prostrating to the other.

"They actually have a lot of interest here too, it's just that
they want to play up and make everybody think they are so, so
important," Aisyah added.

While the House was not consulted, she said the move was still
in line with the country's foreign policy stance. She cited
similarities to the 1992 rejection of Dutch aid when The Hague
was perceived to be intruding in Indonesia's domestic affairs.

In Semarang, Central Java, Muladi from the Diponegoro
University said the decision was a direct criticism of the United
States and showed Indonesia was unwilling to be dictated by any
country.

Muladi, who is a member of the National Commission on Human
Rights, said human rights issues should not be approached in ways
which signify confrontation.

"If human rights issues are approached in that manner, what
comes out are judgments and indictments," he said Saturday.

"I believe that every layer of society supports and praises
President Soeharto's decision to cancel the purchase," said
Muladi.

"The U.S. should not have dictated Indonesia, it should have
been more understanding of the social and cultural traditions of
Indonesia and its state ideology of Pancasila," he said.

Congressional pressure linking human rights to arms sale in
1993 also blocked the sale of U.S.-made Jordanian F-5s to
Indonesia. It also suspended the IMET in 1992 before resuming
again last year.

Despite the nationalistic wave of support here, most people
agreed the move should not disrupt overall good ties between
Jakarta and Washington.

Hasnan Habib said that despite pulling out of IMET, military
training to the U.S. would likely continue.

"We'll pay for it ourselves, and we have been doing this,
according to our needs," he said.

A State Department spokesman in Washington said Friday the
U.S. regrets the decision but "we intend to continue working with
Indonesia and we'll just have to move on". (mds/har)