President Bush’s visit makes Indonesians think about US relationship

Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With the explosion Saturday afternoon at an American fast food franchise in East Jakarta, Indonesians shouldn’t get offended if the twin daughters of U.S. President George W. Bush protest their father’s planned visit to Indonesia next Monday.

Jenna and Barbara are probably reluctant to let their beloved father visit a country where a bomb can explode anytime, anywhere. Of course other people are objecting to the visit to Bogor, West Java, for different reasons.

Bush is among the most hated persons in many parts of the globe, including in the predominantly Muslim nations. Much of this is caused by his own policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his “right or wrong” support for Israel.

While several Indonesian politicians and public leaders described the security preparations for Bush’s visit here as excessive, his daughters might not think they are tough enough.

Street demonstrations will definitely greet Bush’s visit. The protests, especially if they are peaceful, will send a strong and effective message to the leader of the world’s most powerful nation that even the most moderate Muslims are angry with the impact of his war on terrorism.

Because of his own track record, millions of Muslims across the globe perceive the president as anti-Islam, whether he likes it or not, whether it’s true or not. Millions of others want him out of the White House, including American voters, as we’ve seen.

Questions have been raised about the value of his visit, given that he’s now a “lame duck” president until 2008.

But don’t forget, Bush’s brief stay here is reciprocal. It is a courtesy visit, because President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited the White House last year, months after the latter won the presidential election in 2004.

This is Bush’s second visit to Indonesia. In 2003 he met with then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri in Bali. At least in that sense, he is very attentive to our leaders.

Out of six Indonesian presidents, only BJ Habibie had no chance to go to the White House while in office; his term was too short. All were graciously treated well there by their American hosts. Naturally, Americans also expect us to treat their leaders well.

Bush comes to Jakarta as the legitimate leader of the world’s sole superpower, whose currency, the greenback, is the most trusted bank note on the globe (certainly preferred even by Osama bin Laden, compared to our rupiah).

The U.S. is one of our most important trading and economic partners. American companies are among the biggest investors here. America’s soil is a dreamland for many Indonesians, including those who spend a lot of time expressing hatred of Bush.

As long as we are still poor and fail to establish our own dignity, we cannot do much against the U.S.. As long as our officials still steal much of America’s loan money it would be ludicrous to say, as we used to, “To hell with your aid.” Americans might just as well say, “To hell with your corruption.”

Visits of U.S. presidents easily upset people because of arrogant American security officers who act like they’re the host.

We might not be happy but that’s the privilege of a superpower and it’s the price we must pay; we’ve failed to prove that the international perception of Indonesia as one of the world’s most corrupt nations is wrong.

Protests have been mounted against the construction of the temporary helipad for Bush’s visit to the Bogor Botanical Garden, on the basis of environmental harm. But have critics forgotten that we let Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso cut as many trees as he likes? Senayan is designed to be a public area, but most of the land there has turned into shopping centers and hotels.

Demonstrations and protests again President Bush’s visit are legitimate. They express the perception among many that Bush has become a security threat to the world.

But before attacking the American leader, perhaps we should ask ourselves,”Do our presidents serve our citizens better than American presidents serve theirs?”