Indonesia prays for peaceful, democratic Egypt

Given its close relationships with Egypt and the fact that thousands of Indonesians are in Egypt, Indonesia has prayed for peaceful and democratic political transition in the Arab world`s most populous nation.

"We pray so that political upheavals in Egypt could end immediately and political transition in that country could run peacefully, democratically based on the will of the Egyptians," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said when hosting a fast-breaking dinner in Islam`s holy month of Ramadan (Fasting) at the State Palace in Jakarta on July 11, 2013.

Recalling Indonesia`s experiences 15 years ago when the political reform began, Yudhoyono said a lot had happened to mark the big change.

A drastic change will usually be followed by various adjustments some of which are encouraging and others painful, he added.

"Many countries have experienced painful periods, ups and downs and that is how a big change has so far happened," he said, emphasizing the importance of consistency and reconciliation in order to achieve peace and democracy. 

President Yudhoyono earlier called on the Indonesian nationals in Egypt to stay away from dangerous places and avoid immersing themselves in Egyptian domestic affairs.

The head of state made the call on his Twitter account @SB Yudhoyono after Mursi was ousted by the military.

Egypt has been in turmoil since the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak as Arab Spring uprisings took hold in early 2011.

Following a week of deadly clashes and mass protests, Egypt`s army ousted and detained President Mohamed Mursi, who was in office for just a year, on July 3, 2013.

 After a day of drama in which tanks and troops deployed near the presidential palace as a military deadline for Mursi of Muslim Brotherhood to yield to mass protests passed, the top army commander announced on television that the president had "failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people".

But a statement published in Mursi`s name on his official Facebook page said the measures announced amounted to "a full military coup" and were "totally rejected", transnational media reported.

Following the political crisis, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa expressed concern and hoped the situation 

would return to normal soon and democratization process there would be in line with the Egyptian people`s interest.

"The Indonesian government expects the transition period in Egypt to run smoothly and peacefully with preference to people`s interest," Marty Natalegawa said in Jakarta on July 4, 2013. 

The Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt have become a concern for Indonesia as at least 5,000 Indonesians, mostly students and migrant workers, currently live in Egypt. 

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the government had no plan to evacuate the Indonesians from Egypt because they are safe despite the political upheavals. 

"I have instructed officials at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo to closely observe the situation there and brace themselves to give service to Indonesians living in Egypt," the minister stated.

He called on the Indonesian citizens to remain cautious. "Where the protection of Indonesian citizens is concerned it remains conducive. Our representatives have asked the Indonesian citizens to avoid large crowds of people," he said.

Marty said the foreign ministry kept monitoring the latest developments in Egypt and opened hotlines for Indonesian citizens who were in dire need of help.

The Indonesian embassy in Cairo has released warning towards its citizen but the embassy will be open as usual.

Spokesperson of the Indonesian embassy Dahlia Kusuma Dewi said the embassy has also formed a team to monitory the security of the Indonesian citizens. The team consists of embassy staffs as well as of other Indonesian citizens, including students.

Indonesian Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh recently stated the safety and security of the Indonesian students in Egypt must be a top priority.

Nuh said the Education and Culture Ministry has been cooperating with the Foreign Affairs Ministry in ensuring the safety and security of the Indonesian students in Egypt.

President of the Indonesian Students Association (PPMI) in Egypt Jamil Abdul Latif said the institution has conducted intense coordination with embassy and several branches of PPMI in several provinces in Egypt.

"We conduct the coordination to maintain the safety of students. 

The total number of our members reached 4,300 persons," said Latif.

"The Indonesian students who stay in various provinces among others Mansoura, Tanta, Tafahna, Zakazik and Iskandariyah are safe," he said.

Chief of the Indonesian Embassy`s Protocol and Consular Nugroho Yuwono Aribhimo, however, told ANTARA in Cairo recently that the condition of hundreds of Indonesian female migrant workers in Egypt 
was still unknown as they had never reported their presence to the Indonesian embassy.

"We do not know exactly the number of Indonesian female migrant workers here. However, the Egyptian government suspects that the number is higher than the workers who have reported their presence in the country," he said.

He said the official data showed that there were around 1,300 Indonesian female migrant workers in Egypt, mostly in Cairo City.

"At least 40 percent of them went to the Indonesian embassy when they have problems with their employers. The embassy has accommodated some of them and repatriated 100 workers at the average annually," 
Yuwono said.

Although the Indonesian government has reminded its citizens not to interfere in the Egyptian political affairs, a number of Indonesian NGOs reacted strongly to the recent violence when at least 51 supporters of the deposed president Mursi were killed by security forces in what the Muslim Brotherhood condemned as a massacre but the military insisted was the result of an armed attack on a Cairo barracks.

Denouncing the killings of Mursi`s supporters, Heru Susetyo, a founder of the Universal Justice Network (UJN), said he regretted that the Egyptian security forces used guns in response to the peaceful demonstration.

The Egyptian military has manipulated dissatisfaction of some of the Egyptian people against Mursi to grab the power in their own hand, he said in Jakarta recently. 

"It has been proven that the military is not taking a neutral position and committed a massacre which has violated the international human rights declaration and the international covenant on civil freedom and anti-violence," he said.

The Universal Justice Network (UJN) is a coalition of over 70 civil society organizations from 14 countries in South East Asia, South Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. The NGO is aimed at promoting the human rights protection and the freedom of the civil society.

Executive Director of the Center for Indonesian Reform (CIR) Sapto Waluyo also expressed a similar condemnation against the Egyptian military for the violence.

Because the Egyptian military has violated the civil freedom, the United Nations could suspend the membership of Egypt under the temporary administration, he said.

The military should stop the violence and free Mursi as well as other political prisoners because the military emergency period has ended, he stated.

He regretted the fact that the liberals supported the military coup that toppled president Mursi. "It is against the principles of liberal democracy," he said.

On July 8, 17 Islamic mass organizations and institutions in Indonesia appealed to conflicting parties in Egypt to refrain from violence. 

"Islamic mass organizations and institutions in Indonesia call for an end to any form of violence by the government and people (of Egypt) to avoid more victims," Secretary General of the Indonesian Muslim Brotherhood Imam Suhardjo said.

All conflicting parties in Egypt should embark on peace talks to find the best solution to the political crisis, he said. 

The Egyptian people should resolve the political crisis by democratic means and speed up the transition of power through open, fair and constitutional elections, he said.

"We are deeply concerned about the political condition and developments in Egypt and extend our condolences on the death of people in a riot between political groups there," he said.

The Islamic mass organizations and institutions saw the military  coup in Egypt as a threat to democracy. Not only would it weaken the civilian community but also give rise to instability in Egypt and other Arab states, he said.

"Mohamed Mursi was elected Egyptian president through very democratic elections. He has been recognized by the international community for his role in the transition of military government to civil one," he said.

The mass organizations asked the international community and certain countries not to intervene in the Egyptian political crisis in any form. They insisted that Egyptian government and people must peacefully and democratically resolve the crisis on their own.(*)

Source: ANTARA