Asia Times: Megawati the real target of protests


	October 13, 2001	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Megawati the real target of protests
By Ken Ntalarana

JAKARTA - Daily anti-United States rallies in Indonesia have raised concerns that opponents of President Megawati Sukarnoputri are using the excuse of her supportive approach over the US attacks on Afghanistan to oust her.

Calls by the protesters for Megawati to condemn the US-led attacks and sever diplomatic ties with the US are seen by many observers as moves to undermine her leadership, as without US support it is not believed that Indonesia will recover from its many crises, thus leading to the fall of Megawati.

Vice President Hamzah Haz has given much-needed support to the protesters in their demands by contradicting the government's official stance of supporting limited military operations.

Hamzah, who was elected vice president in July after Megawati took over the national leadership, also endorsed the wishes of the protesters to send jihadi volunteers to Afghanistan to fight against the US and its allies, despite a widely publicized government ban on such action.

Without the good graces of the US, Indonesia will likely lose financial assistance badly needed to jump-start economic recovery programs, and international confidence in the country would be reduced. "The protesters know very well that Indonesia's economic recovery depends on the United States," says a legislator from Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), suggesting that the anti-US rallies are aimed at discrediting her administration.

Anti-US rallies have been staged daily since the US attacks began on Sunday, and many foreign businesspeople have fled the country as Muslim militants have threatened to harass them. The currency is depreciated and the stock market plummeting. The number of foreign tourists has also decreased significantly.

Broadly, there are two groups of protesters. First, the Muslim militants - including the much-feared Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the Muslim Youth Movement (GPI). These groups see the attacks on Afghanistan as aggression against Islam, and thus Muslims deserve the right to defend themselves. The FPI has threatened to force the expulsion of American citizens and American interests in the country. The GPI, meanwhile, has started recruiting jihad volunteers to be sent to Afghanistan.

The second group of protesters comprises mostly students associated with people who were part of the New Order regime of former dictator Suharto, and are now known to be very critical of the Megawati administration. These include the Indonesian Muslim Student Action Group (KAMMI), which is associated with the Justice Party (PK), a member of the so-called Axis Group that thwarted Megawati's bid to become president in 1999. This group is financed by New Order elements.

While the number of demonstrators is insignificant, they are making a lot of noise. "All that they want to show is that Megawati is not capable of running the country, and thus must be removed immediately," said Nikolas Simandjutak, a lecturer at the Catholic Atma Jaya University.

If Megawati were removed, Vice President Hamzah would take over, which would suit the militant groups as they have long wanted to change Indonesia into an Islamic country.

Megawati knows very well what lies behind the protests, and as usual she chooses to be largely silent - although through her ministers she has urged people at large to put national interest above everything else, arguing that it is in Indonesia's national interests to maintain its ties with the US.

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