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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesian presidential candidates pledge to crack down on terrorism |
| 2004-09-15 |
| Indonesia's presidential candidates pledged to get tough on terrorism as official campaigning began for the country's first direct leadership polls -- a contest overshadowed by a deadly embassy attack. In a televised discussion on the first of three days' official campaigning for the September 20 polls, incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri defended her government's record on tackling militants, promising to step up security. Speaking just days after her country was jolted by a fresh extremist attack, she tried to reassure voters that with her at the helm, Indonesia would remain a stable nation where a flourishing economy would alleviate widespread poverty. Megawati's uneasy television appearance, in which she answered questions from a selected panel, marked a departure for the president, who has made a policy of avoiding public events where she is required to stray from a script. Her camp earlier this month refused a challenge to a televised debate from her former security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was clearly more at ease in front of the cameras during the discussion, offering jokes and asides as he laid out his policies. The discussion is likely to be the most high profile event during the pre-poll campaigning which got off to a slow start on a day dominated by a series of bomb hoaxes at public buildings across the country. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 Thanks for the post, Dan. Not many understand island politics. As cingold has pointed out previously, Indonesian âIslamâ is greatly overshadowed (and I think eclipsed) by âisland traditionsâ having to do with their culture and the influence of animism and Hinduism. The Indonesian population doesnât like the Arab-oriented moslems--considering their superior attitudes, their personal arrogance, and their violent aims something to be avoided. "Indonesiaâs presidential candidates pledged to get tough on terrorism as official campaigning began for the countryâs first direct leadership polls . . ." Indonesia is a fledgling democracy, and despite the fact that they are populated by Moslems, the fact that ex-general and former security minister, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (who is campaigning on an antiterrorism platform) is leading the polls is quite significant. Also, the fact that âboth candidates also covered the key issues of economic growth and alleviating poverty and broached the thorny subject of corruption, a major disincentive to vital foreign investment in Indonesiaâ is also significant. The Indonesians want to be on our side, and we should want them on our side, if we're smart. Iâm pretty confident the Indonesians will give the terrorists the boot. It wonât be easy finding all of them, but they will. And it wonât be pretty. Itâs an island thing. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-09-15 4:24:25 PM |
| #1 They have the largest Muslim population inthe world. Routine attacks on Christian and Hindi minorities. Over 6000 islands, atolls and other less glamorous hunks of rocks (half of which are unpopulated). Obviously, they have a well entrenched group of Islamicfascists (JI) running around loose. Yeah sure, they'll be effective against the terrorists. They've done such a good job so far. |
| Posted by: Douglas De Bono 2004-09-15 9:19:20 AM |