September 18, 2006
Diaz Hendropriyono
Washington DC
In mid-July, Hizbollah ground forces ranged across the Lebanese border into Israel, capturing two Israeli soldiers, killing three and sparking a destructive month-long war. The clash included at least 15,500 Israeli Air Force sorties into Lebanon and the firing of 4,000 Hizbollah Russian-made Katyusha rockets into Israel. The casualties stand at more than 1,500 Lebanese and 40 Israeli civilians.
On Aug. 11, the United Nations Security Council passed UN Resolution 1701. It calls for the cessation of hostilities, the disarmament of the guerrillas, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. Hizbollah expressed reservations at the outset, but eventually both sides agreed. The mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was extended until Aug. 31, 2007 to ensure the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon and to restore peace.
World democracies responded favorably to this plan to end the conflict. The resolution authorized a 15,000-member peacekeeping force, and the European Union provided the backbone by pledging a deployment of 6,900 troops. At least three countries with Muslim majorities (Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia) also promised to send soldiers to fill the remaining slots. Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda recently announced the government's plan to send 1,000 troops.
While sending Indonesian troops may quell domestic anger over the Middle East conflict and dissuade militants from going to Lebanon to conduct jihad, this foreign policy move may prove damaging. First, although it eventually agreed to Indonesia's participation, Israel initially resisted the involvement of countries that did not recognize the Jewish state, including Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. Consequently, Indonesia's troop participation may stave off any form of relationship between these two countries, or perhaps between Indonesia and the U.S. -- Israel's largest foreign aid donor since 1976, bestowing $357 million in Economic Support Funds and $2.2 billion in Foreign Military Financing in fiscal year 2005 alone.
Furthermore, French President Jacques Chirac said the 15,000-member force, alongside another 15,000 troops from the Lebanese army, is simply excessive. If he is correct, then an additional 1,000 Indonesian soldiers may be superfluous, and may have no significant impact on the peace process.
Third, Indonesia's financial constraints may hamper the plan's implementation and distract from other, more pressing needs. The House has approved a budget of Rp 355 billion (about US$39 million) for the peacekeeping operation, which is a burden on the state budget. Whether the UN will fully reimburse the spending, as Indonesia claims the international body has promised to do, remains to be seen. In fact, House budget committee leader Emir Moeis has said the UN will only reimburse logistical and operational costs, which unfortunately account for a mere 20 percent of the total budget. That leaves Indonesia to pay the remaining Rp 287 billion.
The money allotted for the purchase of 32 armored cars from France could be used for other purposes. It could rebuild about 20,000 houses destroyed by the recent natural disasters in Central Java and Yogyakarta, at a cost of approximately Rp 15 million each. The funds could also be used to increase the promised oil subsidies in 2007 and to sustain the affordability of gasoline in anticipation of future gas price volatility. Additionally, the amount spent on troop deployment could help offset the upcoming payment of the 13th month salary and pensions of civil servants and retirees.
Even if these monetary outlays are partially or fully reimbursed, the potential for Indonesian casualties is real, and those losses would be truly irreplaceable. During last month's conflict, four UN Truce Supervision Organization members from Austria, Finland, Canada and China were killed in Israeli air attacks.
The current administration does not have to turn a deaf ear to the public outcry over the Middle East crisis. However, there are other ways to help. Sending tents, sleeping beds, pillows, medicine, food, water and other essentials is a more practical approach, especially since more than 900,000 Lebanese and tens of thousands of Israelis were displaced by the conflict. Furthermore, Indonesian citizens could participate in the relief efforts by contributing to reliable humanitarian organizations such as Islamic Relief, LIFE, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and many others. The administration must assume a central role to encourage Indonesians to participate.
The writer is PhD student at the Center for Public Administration and Policy, Virginia Tech University.
Taken From: http://old.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20060918.E02
