As usual, the United States gives its backing for figure to implant its influence."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A political observer accused US Ambassador Robert O Blake of seeking to implant US influence on Indonesian presidential hopeful Joko Widodo when they met here on Monday.

"As usual, the United States gives its backing for figure to implant its influence. It is their way of dictating policy on Indonesia to strengthen their strategic presence in Southeast Asia," Igor Dirgantara from the Jayabaya University said here on Tuesday.

Igor made the statement commenting on the meeting between the presidential candidate of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) together with the party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and a number of foreign ambassadors in Jakarta including those of the United States, Turkey, Peru, Mexico, Norway and Britain at the house of a business leader Jacob Soetojo at the Permata Hijau area in South Jakarta on Monday night.

Igor said the "discourse of a puppet presidential candidate" being labelled on Joko Widodo or Jokowi as he is popularly known is not entirely unlikely in seeking the backing from a big country to win the presidency.

"The fact that the US interest in seeking control over Indonesian economy and natural resources has been obvious from the US tapping (of telephone conversation between Indonesian leaders) as released by Edward Snowden," he said.

He said the US leaders often visit countries considered as allies to support its anti-Syria and Iran policy, whereas Indonesia officially adopts an active and free foreign policy.

The United States is currently intensively seeking to promote its Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) scheme and wants to include Indonesia among its members together with Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, he said.

He said all regional free trade pacts have hurt more than benefiting Indonesia.

Indonesia, therefore, needs to be wary of what is taking place in Ukraine that it is a result of US interference, he said.

"The big issue behind the down fall of President Yanukovich is a battle to take control of global energy," he said, adding, "it is a confrontation between the US backed TPP countries and BRICS group led by China and Russia."

The United States always has a deadly political maneuver against natural resource rich countries outside its allies, he said.

He cited the interest of big US corporations like Freeport McMoran, which has big copper and gold mines in Papua and Newmont Mining Corp. in West Nusatenggara - both accounting for 97 percent of Indonesias copper production.

The United States wants Southeast Asia more open to trade access to help in its effort to lift its economy from the global crisis, he said.

"All of those schemes could undermine the sovereignty of Indonesia. Other US interest in Indonesia include modernization of the US embassy in Jakarta to cost Rp4.2 trillion," he said.

The United States has kept monitoring developments in Indonesia and makes human rights, democracy and terrorism issues as instruments to interfere in the countrys internal affairs, he added.

"As a result there would always be distrust and suspicions toward the United States among the Indonesian people affecting bilateral relations. So it is now in the case of Jokowi," he said.
(Uu.H-ASG/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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