By Rebecca Meckelburg
The Maritime Union of Australia announced on September 18 that it has launched rolling bans on Indonesian cargo and shipping to protest against the arrests of independent labour leaders Muchtar Pakpahan and Dita Sari.
The bans are also in response to the failure by Prime Minister John Howard to emphasise human rights and democracy during his visit to Jakarta. "It is offensive for Mr Howard to describe President Suharto as a 'sensitive leader' when he is responsible for human rights abuses that make Iraqi President Saddam Hussein look like a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize", said MUA acting national secretary Vic Slater.
Howard's first international trip as prime minister has given a clear indication of the Coalition's preferred policy in Indonesia: support for the brutal Suharto dictatorship and continuation of the policy of the federal Labor government.
As the Australian reported on September 17, "[Howard] also paid a generous tribute to Mr Suharto, saying that the stability, unity and economic growth of Indonesia during the past thirty years were largely due to his personal leadership and had been 'of great benefit to Australia and the region'".
The Financial Review reported the enthusiasm of business for Howard's approach, saying that his "comments to an Indonesia Australia Business Council lunch were music to the ears of the business audience members who had been concerned that a new Australian government would upset the carefully nurtured business relationship of the last few years".
But many ordinary Australians have been showing their support for democracy in Indonesia. In response to Howard's visit and the arrest of more People's Democratic Party (PRD) members, ASIET (Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor) coordinated pickets in Sydney and Melbourne on September 12 and 13. The demands of the actions were "Free the political prisoners", "Cut Australian military ties with Indonesia" and "Free East Timor!".
The Free the Political Prisoners campaign, launched by ASIET, has drawn broad support. Almost $3000 to aid Indonesian pro-democracy activists has been collected at public meetings, rallies and pickets and through individual donations.
Two focuses in the coming weeks are the building of the international day of solidarity on October 28 and the national tour of PRD international representative Nico Warouw. Organisations which have agreed to participate in the October 28 events in Sydney include the Australian Irish Congress, the All Burma Student Democratic Organisation in Australia, Justice Action, the Deaths in Custody Watch Committee and the Vickery miners.
Warouw will be attending meetings with trade unions, including state TLCs and the ACTU, student organisations and NGOs, as well as addressing public meetings.
"My tour will be an opportunity to explain to Australian people the reality of the political situation in Indonesia and the need for urgent solidarity with our movement", Warouw told Green Left Weekly. "We also want to explain the particular problems faced by the PRD. The Suharto regime has ordered the arrest of every last member of the PRD. They are determined to wipe out our organisation.
"Out of 23 people officially detained, 22 are members of the PRD. All of them face the real possibility of the death penalty. We have been singled out by the dictatorship as the central threat to the government's 'stability' at this time and scapegoated for the anger the Indonesian people feel at the regime."
Nico Warouw has already toured Canberra, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Newcastle, Wollongong and Sydney, and has made a NSW-wide tour of university campuses. He will be visiting Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Hobart, and possibly Burnie.
The activists in the pro-democracy movement need our political solidarity. There are pickets and demonstrations to organise, petitions to circulate, information kits to sell, motions to put to unions and student and community organisations.
They also need financial support. Many activists have been forced to leave their jobs because the regime is hunting them. The political prisoners need medicines and food and assistance for their families while they are in prison.
Also needed is pressure on the Australian government — public shows of opposition as well as letters to make it clear that we oppose government policy and will campaign to embarrass the Australian government at every opportunity.