Among the 190 people killed in the twin bomb blasts on the island, almost half were citizens of Australia--a fact that politicians of both governing and opposition parties have tried to capitalize on. "Terrorism is a worldwide menace, and that’s been brought home to us," said John Howard, the prime minister of the conservative Liberal-National Party government. "The war against terrorism must go on with unrelenting vigor and with an unconditional commitment."

Australia’s ambassador to the United Nations, John Dauth, referred to the Bali attacks in an October 17 debate on Iraq in the United Nations Security Council. Australia must "step up to the mark to address the threat posed to the world by Iraq’s pursuit of weapons of mass destruction," he said.

Two days after the bombing, Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer and Justice Minister Christopher Ellison flew to Bali and to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia--a country of more than 200 million people. In meetings there they put pressure on the Indonesian authorities to arrest suspected leaders of alleged terrorist groups, particularly Jemaah Islamiah (JI), a radical Islamic organization. Downer called on the United Nations to blacklist the group.

"We have a right, and I have a duty to push upon and press upon the Indonesian government the need for a cooperative effort in the region," said Downer. The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Australian Federal Police commissioner accompanied the two politicians. They reportedly offered to send reinforcements for the eight ASIO officers and 44 federal police already dispatched to Indonesia.  
 
Imperialist cops intervene
Following meetings October 16 with Indonesian leaders, including President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Downer announced that an Australian official would co-chair a newly established police and intelligence task force that incorporates cops from France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States, as well as Indonesia and Australia. Four "terrorism specialists" have been sent by the British government. As of October 20 there were some 81 Australian police involved.

Australian defense minister Robert Hill proposed October 22 that Australian forces be sent to Indonesia to help "root out terrorist organizations."

A spokesman for Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Department, Marty Natalegawa, however, said that Indonesia "would not accept the presence of foreign military on our soil."

Hill also suggested that the Australian military resume training officers for Kopassus, the special forces unit that earned the hatred of working people in Indonesia under the Suharto dictatorship. The training was suspended just before the Australia-led 1999 imperialist intervention in East Timor. Kopassus is "Indonesia’s most effective response to terrorism," said Hill.

On October 19 Indonesia’s cabinet enacted anti-terrorism regulations giving police broad new powers to detain terrorism suspects without charges. The following day Indonesian police arrested Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir--JI’s alleged "spiritual leader"--on accusations of terrorist activities. Without presenting evidence, the Australian government has said it believes JI is probably responsible for the Bali bombings.  
 
‘Homeland security’ department
Robert Carr, the Labor Party state premier of New South Wales, has called for a new federal "Department of Homeland Security." The new department would combine the armed forces, federal and state police, intelligence agencies, and emergency services under a single command structure.

"After September 11 and now Bali, it cannot be business as usual," Carr said. "We also need to lift our expertise to deal with the threat of car bombs, and that means drawing on the experience of Northern Ireland and the FBI."

Carr is also reportedly considering proposals to give NSW police special powers to stop and search vehicles, drivers, and pedestrians in designated areas, and for the state’s crime commission to extend its broad powers to the police in "terrorism" probes. These include the power to compel people to answer questions and to release documents. The commission can also obtain warrants to tap phones and conduct other surveillance activities.

Howard met with state and territory leaders on October 24 to push through a new intergovernmental "counter-terrorism" agreement. His government is introducing new legislation to allow prosecutions for murder of Australian citizens overseas, retrospectively from October 1. At the same time the federal government announced it will spend an extra A$59 million over five years to tighten security at Australian embassies, and combat alleged document fraud at border control points (A$1 = US 56 cents).

Capitalist politicians here have sought to use the toll of the Bali bombing to whip up support for this course toward war and deepening attacks on workers’ rights. The limitations of this approach, however, could be seen during a "national day of mourning" on October 20. A Sydney Morning Herald columnist noted that in ceremonies across Australia, "Jingoism was nowhere to be seen. Flags were few."

The more powerful of the two bombs blew up the Sari club. Until a recent court case, explained an Australian resident of Bali to the New York Times, "the club had posted a sign saying that only ‘foreign nationals’ would be admitted. Later, the admission standard was changed to ‘invitation only,’ code for a policy that tried to exclude Balinese."

Linda Harris is a member of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees’ Union.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home