Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto`s statement on the Australian Embassy being moved to Jerusalem might have been misinterpreted by certain members of community and has brought him into the spotlight of the mainstream media in Indonesia and Australia.
Prabowo, whose presidential candidacy is backed by the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), National Mandate Party (PAN), and Berkarya Party, made his recent statement at the Indonesia Economic Forum in Jakarta.
Prabowo`s national campaigning body to help him win the 2019 Presidential Elections observed that Prabowo`s statement on the moving of the Australian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem had been misinterpreted by several parties.
Regarding this issue, Irawan Ronodipuro, the director of international relations in the camp of the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno pair, deplored certain parties` comments on and responses to Prabowo`s statement on the moving of the Australian embassy.
Ronodipuro noted that Prabowo formed his opinion after speaking at the Indonesia Economic Forum on Nov 21 in response to a foreign journalist`s question on his stance on Australia`s plan to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
"I was present at the Indonesia Economic Forum. Prabowo`s statement on the moving of the Australian Embassy was misunderstood. Moreover, some media intentionally framed the statement in their news," he stated.
What made him more deplorable was the move of a figure, who had supported the Prabowo-Sandiaga pair in the past, in which he attempted to drag Prabowo`s statement into a polemic and also made an offensive opinion.
Ronodipuro said Prabowo`s struggle for the Palestinian cause need not be questioned, as the Palestinians have also held him in high regard for his sincere help to Palestine since a long time.
Prabowo`s statement was quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald`s (SMH`s) correspondents in Jakarta -- James Massola and Karuni Rompies -- for their story titled "Presidential candidate says Indonesia should respect Australian sovereignty on embassy move."
"Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto says Indonesia should respect Australia`s sovereign right to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem - while expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and indicating disagreement with the potential shift," The SMH wrote on Nov 22.
"Regarding the moving of the embassy, I have not read about Australia`s (final) decision on moving its embassy to Jerusalem. As Palestine`s supporter, we, of course, have our own opinion. However, Australia is also an independent and sovereign state, so we must respect their sovereignty," Prabowo was quoted by The SMH as saying.
Prabowo`s statement on the Australian Government`s plan to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem did not trigger disbelief in Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Fahri Hamzah regarding his sincere commitment towards Palestine.
Instead, Hamzah said he believes that presidential candidate Prabowo fully understands Indonesia`s political stance on Israel, arguing that Jakarta impossibly recognizes Israel as a state.
"I believe that Prabowo does understand this because he is a figure, who holds the Saptamarga (soldiers` oath) and does have a comprehensive understanding of Indonesia`s position," he informed local journalists here on Monday.
In response to a question on Prabowo`s statement on the Australian Embassy being moved to Jerusalem while speaking at the Indonesia Economic Forum in Jakarta on Nov 21, Hamzah stated that someone in the government impossibly recognizes Israel as a country.
The recognition is impossibly given to Israel, which has been colonizing the motherland of Palestinians for decades, as Indonesia clearly opposes any form of colonialism in the preamble of its 1945 Constitution, he remarked.
According to Hamzah, in the era of President Soekarno, Indonesia had demonstrated its obvious political stance on the Israeli colonialization of Palestine by holding the Games of the New Emerging Forces and Conference of the New Emerging Forces.
Indonesia`s founding father and first president, Soekarno, had even uttered a statement in 1962, which then served as a guiding beacon in the Indonesian foreign policy on Palestinian issues.
"As long as the freedom of Palestine has yet to be returned to the Palestinians, it will forever be for Indonesia to stand in defiance against the occupation by Israel," President Soekarno stated.
Due to Indonesia`s consistent and staunch support for the government and people of Palestine`s unfinished struggles for their independence, a discourse on Australia`s plan to move of its embassy to Jerusalem is perceived as a highly sensitive issue.
This sensitivity has obviously been shown by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who summoned Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan on Oct 16 in response to Prime Minister Scott Morrison`s statement on the possible moving of the Australian embassy.
For Indonesia, the issue of Jerusalem is one of the six issues that should be negotiated and decided as the final part of achieving comprehensive peace.
The peace process between Palestine and Israel must be achieved through a two-state solution, which is also in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution and the UN General Assembly, Retno stated.
Hence, Indonesia has urged Australia and other countries to continue supporting the peace process in accordance with what had been agreed upon and not take steps that could threaten the peace process and world security and stability, Retno remarked.
Indonesia has never ended its support for the Palestinian struggle for independence and will continue to do so in future.
Indonesia will also reject all moves and steps that may threaten the Palestinian and Israeli peace process, including the ones taken by the Governments of the United States and Australia.
Under the leadership of incumbent President Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Indonesia`s consistency in fighting for Palestinian independence remains unchanged.
Whoever wins next year`s presidential race, all people of Indonesia also hope that Indonesia will never weaken its support for Palestine`s unfinished struggle for its independence, as it has been mandated by Indonesia`s Constitution.
Reporter: Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
