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INDONESIA COALITION PRESS CONFERENCE
Remarks by Ann J. Buwalda, Esq.
USA Director
Jubilee Campaign
First and foremost, Jubilee Campaign and this Coalition believe that an end to violence and restoration of peace in Indonesia should be the Bush administration's top priority as it relates to Indonesia. The United States must take a lead in promoting this process and not seek to delegate that responsibility to others.
Jubilee Campaign sponsored a Congressional visit to Indonesia in June 2000 lead by Congressman Joseph Pitts. We learned after meeting with many different religious, ethnic, political, and business groups that Indonesians in general are peace-loving people. All the Muslim representatives, Christian representatives, and leaders of other religions in Indonesia with whom we met-both the ethnic Chinese and the native Indonesians-they all indicated that they were living in a very corrupt culture, a culture filled with suspicion, very feudalistic, and, as I said, cripplingly corrupt.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that the current leadership of Indonesia is far from capable of directing the country into a progression toward peace and prosperity. There is no doubt that President Wahid is one of the most decent persons in the world with a very gentle and humane heart; we could sense that when we had a meeting with him in his palace. However, it appears that President Wahid is increasingly becoming incapable of controlling the provocateurs who seek to unseat him and who seek to destabilize Indonesia.
The security of ordinary citizens is not improving in any sense. The domination of the military appears to remain a significant factor in the geopolitics of Indonesia. Terrorist acts, such as those by the Laskar Jihad, bombing in Jakarta and within other cities throughout the country, the burning of places of worships (with churches as the main targets) have never been brought to justice. Although in many of these cases it would be difficult to prove lawfully the involvement of the military, yet it is not a secret that the factions within the military have sponsored militia groups in the country, including training them and providing them with very lethal and sophisticated weapons. President Wahid is having a difficult time controlling the military.
For decades Indonesia has been a strategic ally to United States and our economic interests. Over 40% of the world's commerce flows through the straights around Indonesia. The economy keeps contracting at a very concerning rate. During our visit in June of last year, we met with a group of Indonesian businessmen. In a separate appointment we also met with Mr. Luhut Panjaitan, the minister of Trade and Industry. From those two meetings, the message became clear: the Indonesian economy continues to decline and contract. The United States must not lose Indonesia, a valuable trading partner. We must remain engaged in promoting and encouraging the development of industry and economic growth and well-being.
The recent motion to impeach President Wahid by the majority of the Indonesian parliament was a clear indication that political stability is not anywhere near. Following the pattern of the Indonesian political culture, it would not be surprising if in the very near future demonstrations and chaos will again occupy the streets of Indonesia.
The formation of the Indonesian Muslim Intellectual Association (ICMI) in the early 1990s-led by B.J. Habibieâ€"began the assent of the fundamentalist movement in Indonesia. By now, all of us are aware of the network of these fundamentalists, both domestically and internationally, that have pushed the country to the edge of anarchy. Yes, the fruit of the Soeharto era is being reaped now with rampant violence.
Indonesia is becoming badly divided along religious lines, ethnic lines, tribal lines, and social class lines. The Fundamentalist and their networks are taking advantage of this reality to destabilize the country and create conditions to take power in the country.
In light of these developments, Jubilee Campaign and this Coalition urge America and the international community to take on the Indonesian dilemma. Recent statements from the Bush administration have been counter-productive or worse.
During his confirmation hearing in the US Congress, Secretary of State Colin Powell said that Australia should "take the lead" in dealing with the Indonesia's problems. The Sydney Morning Herald responded in an editorial that Australia has enough on its plate "without the new U.S. administration's inevitable policy fumblings being dumped on it."
Media reports, including one earlier this week in the Washington Post, have even reported that the Bush administration may help the Indonesian military bring stability back to the country. If either of these approaches are taken, then it will be a clear indication that the Bush administration is conceding Indonesia to the fundamentalist leaders. It will be a clear "green light" to the militants to keep up their campaign of destabilization. Need we remind this Bush administration that the prior Bush administration made this fatale mistake with similar misinterpreted comments concerning Sadam Hussein's plans to invade Kuwait.
We encourage the Bush Administration to take enough time to understand the underlying issues in Indonesia. The Bush administration has to move beyond a simplistic pragmatic approach to Indonesian issues. We encourage the Bush administration to remain engaged in assisting a strategic ally stay on the road to a functioning democracy and prosperous economy. The Bush administration and the International community have to encourage those leaders in Indonesia who are committed to democracy, human rights; those who are sincere, capable, honest, and love the country. Our policies must leave no room for any corrupt leaders. Any leader of any militant faction must not be accepted as part of the international community. America and the international community must promote accountability for past acts of violence and accountability to root-out corruption. We must enable Indonesia to bring to justice those responsible for past acts of terrorism and violence against its own citizens, i.e. the bu
rning of the places of worships, the mass rapes against the ethnic Chinese in May 1998, the mass killing in East Timor, Aceh, Maluku, Borneo, and Irian. President Wahid should be encouraged to surround himself with honest and capable cabinet members.
Finally, America should continue to take the lead in the international community and help Indonesia bring to justice those who have been behind the acts of terrorism.
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