T

he ongoing friction between Indonesia and Australia over wiretapping allegations can be seen as a blessing in disguise as it is uniting groups with different ideologies to voice their concerns over what they deem is tantamount to a violation of Indonesia'€™s sovereignty.

Paramilitary groups like Laskar Merah Putih, the Forum of Indonesian Veterans and Police and Military Retirees (FKPPI) and the Merah Putih Fighters Command shared the same ground outside the Australian Embassy with religious-based organizations like the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the Indonesian Hizbut Tahrir (HTI) to demand Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott apologize for the wiretapping incident.

Under tight police guard, the organizations deployed thousands of members as a sign that they meant business. Many FPI members threw rotten tomatoes and eggs at the embassy'€™s fence during Friday'€™s rally.

Earlier, protesters burned Australian flags and a picture of Abbott to express their displeasure.

They threatened that things would get ugly if the Australian government was not forthcoming with an apology. The organizations demanded that diplomatic ties be severed between the two countries and that the Australian ambassador be expelled.

Public outrage has been widespread, with similar demands being made in other regions, such as Palembang, Yogyakarta and Surakarta. Others have expressed concern that the issue would eventually affect tourism as Australian tourists top the list of foreigners visiting Indonesian shores.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono previously stated that he would wait for the Australian government'€™s official response. In the meantime, the President has halted information and intelligence exchange activities.

Military cooperation has also been put on hold, as has intercepting boat people headed for Australia.

'€œThe damage is done and things will never be the same again,'€ said Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University political scientist Burhanuddin Muhtadi.

He said the wiretapping incident was a prime example of issues that frequently upset diplomatic relations between the neighboring countries.

'€œThis would definitely turn diplomatic relations sour, at least until the President'€™s term ends in October next year.'€

Regarding the fact that the incident has united mass organizations with different ideologies to express the same concerns, Burhanuddin said it happened every time a perceived enemy seemingly attempted to breach Indonesia'€™s sovereignty.

However, he noticed that the organizations would maintain their own perspectives when dealing with the issue. He added that unlike their paramilitary counterparts that viewed this from a national security perspective, the HTI would view Australia as part of the West infidel that was trying to mess with Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country.

He, however, said that once the two governments had settled the problem, the unity between the organizations would dissolve.