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Indonesia: president pressed from two sides over the war
Workers Power Global, London
The US attacks on Afghanistan had a dramatic impact on Indonesia. Since the night of the attacks, almost daily demonstrations have taken place outside the US embassy in Jakarta, the largest involving 10,000 marchers, and in towns and cities throughout the country. Many of these demonstrations, which involved burning effigies of Bush and the US flag, were called by Islamic organisations and the Islamic universities.
President Megawati Sukarnoputri, was the first foreign leader to arrive in Washington after the attack on the World Trade Centre on a pre-arranged visit. She immediately condemned the attack and declared her countryâs unequivocal support for Bushâs "war on terrorism". Things began to change as it became clear that this war meant sustained bombing attacks on Afghanistan and growing protests in Indonesia.
The daily demonstrations quickly had an effect. One Islamist organisation, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) threatened all US and British expatriates with retaliation and demanded a breaking of ties with the US. The US withdrew all non-essential diplomatic staff and advised its nationals to leave.
In one city, Islamic militants went into hotels to "find out" the nationality of the guests. The Islamic extremists, normally used to benign help from the military and police in their attacks on the socialist and democratic left, found themselves for once on the wrong end of police baton charges in Jakarta.
In Yogyakarta more moderate rallies of students marched in the city centre with banners saying "Bring Bush before an international court" and "Freeze US assets in Indonesia". They symbolically sealed the doors of Pizza Hut and McDonaldâs with posters protesting against the attacks. The Islamic Scholarsâ Council, the leading Muslim authority in the country, called for a "jihad" against the US.
Megawati came under growing pressure to distance herself from the bombing and killing of civilians. The leaders of other major parties including Hamzah Haz, the Vice President from the Muslim PPP, distanced themselves from Megawati. Even the Presidentâs sister, Rachmawati, publicly criticised her for "giving in to neo-colonialism".
In the middle of October, Megawati made a u-turn and delivered a national TV address distancing herself from the US campaign, declaring that "blood cannot be cleansed with blood". At the APEC summit in Shanghai, her Foreign Minister called on the US to stop air strikes before Ramadan.
None of this has stopped the US government expressing its desire to resume regular military contacts and lift the arms embargo on Indonesia. Bush has promised Megawati $700 million in immediate aid - including money for the police and civilian defence programme E-IMET that is exempt from the Congress imposed embargo.
Both the US Vice- President Cheney and Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, are old friends of Suharto, the overthrown military dictator of Indonesia who remains untried for his crimes. Indeed, in 1997, Wolfowitz in testimony to Congress, credited Suhartoâs "strong and remarkable leadership" for Indonesiaâs "significant progress" as a country!
Meanwhile, the military in Indonesia continues its merciless campaign to crush the self-determination movement in Aceh, a province that has fought for independence for decades but is a crucial source of oil wealth for the Indonesian government and US oil companies like Exxon Mobil. Already this year, the military has killed over 1200 Acehnese in the dirty war they are conducting in the province. Any lifting of the arms embargo will strengthen the military and add another twist to the repression of national and democratic rights in the country.
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