Violence must not beget violence: Mega

Violence must not beget violence: Mega

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri reiterated on Sunday that
Indonesia did not wish to see any country commit violence against
another, even if they were responding to acts of violence
committed against them.

"Violence should not be answered with violence," Megawati said
in her speech at the commemoration of the Ascension Day of
Prophet Muhammad at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Jakarta.

"Whoever commits terror must be punished," Megawati said. "But
it is unacceptable that someone, a group or even a government --
arguing that they are hunting down perpetrators of the terror --
attack people or another country for whatever reason," she said.

Even though she did not mention any specific countries in her
speech, the message was clearly directed toward America, which
launched military strikes against Afghanistan last week for
harboring Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden, who is accused of
masterminding attacks on the United States last month.

The terrorist attacks killed at least 5,400 people. Bin Laden
is being sheltered by the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan.

Megawati backed the U.S. war on terrorism at a meeting with
U.S. President George W. Bush not long after the attacks on the
United States.

She has been criticized for remaining silent while daily
protest have erupted in several Indonesian cities and radical
groups have made threats against Americans, Britons and Japanese
in Indonesia.

After meeting with leaders of the House of Representatives at
the State Palace on Friday, however, Megawati broke her silence,
promising that the government would review its "soft" stance on
the attacks.

Megawati's remarks on Sunday were warmly welcomed by various
parties in the country, urging that the government follow up with
concrete action.

Syafi'i Ma'arif, chairman of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-
largest Muslim organization, said on Monday that the government
had taken a step ahead in responding to the crucial issue.

"There is a new development in the President's latest
statement, but there will be consequences because of such a
statement," Ma'arif told The Jakarta Post from Yogyakarta.

If the U.S. government is not happy with the statement it will
hurt the Indonesian economy, which still depends heavily on that
country, Ma'arif said.

National Awakening Party (PKB) acting chairman Alwi Shihab
also hailed the statement.

"It was delivered in such an elegant manner and I believe that
the message is conveyed to the U.S. government," Alwi told the
Post.

The former foreign minister said it has to be followed with
diplomatic efforts to explain to the international community
that, even though Indonesia supports the fight against
international terrorism, it must be understood that Indonesia
will not tolerate the loss of innocent civilians' lives, as is
currently occurring in Afghanistan.

Earlier on Saturday, Vice President Hamzah Haz had called on
the U.S. to stop the bombing over Afghanistan. The statement was
made at the national meeting of the United Development Party
(PPP), which is chaired by Hamzah.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) co-chairman Amidhan
also applauded Megawati's statement, saying that it showed her
intention to accommodate the aspirations of the Muslim community.

"The statement is an expression of her statesmanship. She has
taken the aspirations of the people into serious consideration,"
Amidhan told the Post here on Monday.

Amidhan, however, suggested that the statement should be
followed up with diplomatic action through the United Nations.

"Through the UN, the government should pressure the United
States to terminate the military strikes on Afghanistan," he
said.

Amidhan added that President Megawati should also open
discourse with various Muslim groups in the country.

"Although the President has made a clear statement, that will
not instantly calm down the anti-U.S. rallies," he said.

A National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) analyst specializing
in Middle Eastern affairs, Riza Sihbudi, said that Megawati's
statement is yet to be regarded as the government's new stance as
it had not been delivered through an official government
mechanism.

He said that an official statement should be delivered after
being deliberated by other Cabinet members.

Riza said it had also not accommodated the radical groups'
demand, namely severing ties with the U.S..

"Megawati is facing a dilemmatic moment. She opted to maintain
national stability by issuing the statement," he said, adding
that her decision had shown greater attention to the voice of
Muslims, who make up the majority of Indonesia's population.