The government of Indonesian must be extra careful in dealing
The government of Indonesian must be extra careful in dealing
with the incident in Papua this week, in which one person was
killed after a group of "separatists" tried to hoist the New
Melanesian flag in front of the regental legislative building in
Jayawijaya.
Recklessness and an unprofessional approach by the government
will only favor the separatists.
The incident started when a group of Mobile Brigade (Brimob)
personnel failed to negotiate with five people who were insistent
about raising the flag. A detailed chronology of the fracas is
not available, but reports said that the five locals were Wamena
farmers equipped with bows and arrows and that some unidentified
people had asked them to hoist the flag of New Melanesia, which
proclaimed its independence on July 7, 2003.
Initial information reported that the five farmers had only
acted in response to others' instructions, meaning that they were
not the initiators of the flag raising.
Separatist movements are not new to Papua. The Free Papua
Movement (OPM) has been fighting against the government, which
they say have exploited their prosperous and rich motherland.
A thorough study must be made to find out whether the New
Melanesian Movement is connected to the OPM. The police have a
significant role in controlling the situation, and therefore
police personnel must also be armed with adequate knowledge to
deal with such situations, which have both social and political
impacts.
An appropriate and controlled response to such situations is
recommended. -- Koran Tempo, Jakarta
Territorial sovereignty
Civilian, as well as military, authorities have made a
cacophony of sounds over Indonesia's obligation to issue a
diplomatic statement on the illegal entry of five F-18 Hornet jet
fighters of the United States Navy into the country's airspace.
The diplomatic statement, which is being discussed, would
serve as a protest to Washington because the U.S. jet fighters'
maneuver over Bawean island in East Java province was a violation
of Indonesia's territorial sovereignty.
Indonesia's territorial sovereignty is a sacred constitutional
decree, which cannot be measured by how often a foreign fleet
violates it, but by how strong the country can defend it.
At sea, our national sovereignty is torn apart by foreign
fishermen who steal our marine resources.
Separatist groups are also beginning to tear up our
territorial land. The separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has
claimed the land of Aceh as theirs, while the Free Papua
Organization (OPM) is doing the same thing by claiming the land
of West Irian (Papua).
Still fresh in our mind is how two tiny islands of ours,
Sipadan and Ligitan, had fallen into Malaysian hands.
The gradual violation of our territorial sovereignty is
brought about by two major issues -- the country's failure to
regard sovereignty as national dignity, and the country's
negligence of its navy and air force.
Thus, it is humiliating for Indonesia, as a marine country,
to have a weak navy fleet.
-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta
Egypt's Mideast peace role
It is of great significance for Egypt that Israel should show
real commitment to the Middle East peace process, rather than
praise Egypt's key role in brokering a truce between Palestinian
resistance groups to pave the way to implementing the U.S.-
sponsored 'roadmap' peace plan.
Having voluntarily assumed its historic responsibilities for
the Palestinian cause for 55 years, Egypt wants only mutual
commitment by the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Egypt expects the U.S. to continue promoting the peace
process. Meanwhile, Israel should release all Palestinian
detainees, freeze settlement building, lift the siege on the
Palestinian territories in accordance with Oslo Accords, and
withdraw from the occupied territories.
Consequently, the Palestinians will regain trust in the
Israelis and realize that their neighbors truly want peace.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon should remember that all
his savage tactics have failed to crush the Palestinian
resistance. He should also understand that the Palestinians'
truce is a temporary suspension of attacks against the Israeli
occupiers and will be honored only if Israel stops its
assassination campaign.
-- Egyptian Gazette, Cairo
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U.S. policy in Iraq
If the pace of Anglo-American losses continues, the postwar
period could cost more in human lives than the war itself. Yet it
is useless to draw parallels with Vietnam, which often gets
inappropriately cited in comparison. That conflict should be
remembered only insofar as it proved military superiority is not
enough to impose a durable political model.
In Iraq, the Americans have not begun to build the promised
democracy. To a large extent, the country the Americans have
freed has proven itself hostile.
What's amazing is that beyond the military invasion, a
technical success, a plan intended to deal with the most urgent
problems has not been prepared. What amazes us is the gap between
military efficiency and political intelligence. What do we make
of the decision to print banknotes still portraying the former
dictator's face? Can one imagine the Italian lira or the German
mark with Mussolini's and Hitler's faces printed on them? How
should we read the inability of the freeing superpower to deliver
water and light to inhabitants of the capital?
Marines can defeat a dictator, but it's more difficult to
install a pax Americana.
-- La Repubblica, Rome