Megawati U.S. visit, a message to Muslims

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, SEPT. 17. The Indonesian President, Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri, is one of the few world leaders who will be meeting the American President, Mr. George Bush, later this month.

As leaders cancelled their U.S. trips in the wake of Tuesday's horrific attacks in New York and Washington, the U.S. was keen that Ms. Megawati keep her date with Mr. Bush. And, with good reason. Ms. Megawati is the President of a country where the largest number of Muslims live. According to reports, Mr. Bush personally informed Ms. Megawati that she should go ahead and visit the United States despite the attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

At a time when the United States is preparing to go to war against Osama bin Laden and his associates, a visit by Ms. Megawati will be politically correct. It will signal that Washington is targeting only ``jehadi'' Muslims who are out to attack the United States while engaging those who are for a democratic way of life.

The expected meeting between Ms. Megawati and Mr. Bush at the White House in Washington on September 18 also comes at a time when there have been attacks on minorities in the United States. The killing of an Indian Sikh and a Pakistani Muslim only go to highlight the dangers that people who look like Osama and have Muslim names are facing in the U.S. these days. With Ms. Megawati's visit the U.S. wants to send out the message that engagement with moderate Muslim States is an ongoing process.

Within Indonesia itself, the President's visit to the U.S. could well anger some extreme Islamic elements. ``If the bombing of Afghanistan takes place when Ms. Megawati is in the United States, there will be some response from these elements,'' a Jakarta-based analyst told this correspondent. However, the response from the Islamic elements hasn't been very voluble in Indonesia and there hasn't been any significant opposition to Ms. Megawati's visit.

``There have been some suggestions that Ms. Megawati should not go to the U.S., but that has been more on account of her safety,'' the analyst maintained. As far as Ms. Megawati is concerned, a meeting with the American President will be timely given the recent political troubles in Indonesia. Indonesia, which has had military contacts with the U.S. suspended following the events in East Timor, is interested in a full restoration of the military relationship.

Ms. Megawati will surely take this opportunity to restore military-to-military ties as well as develop a personal rapport with Mr. Bush.

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Section  : International
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