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Issue of the day: Minister: Probe Usman-Harun stunt
Old wound: Two Navy members dressed as late marines Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Harun bin Said attend a defense exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center on March 19
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span class="inline inline-center">Old wound: Two Navy members dressed as late marines Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Harun bin Said attend a defense exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center on March 19. Antara/Andika Wahyu
March 22, p1
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has said he regrets a diplomatic incident on Wednesday in which two Indonesian marines wore the names of the two perpetrators of a 1965 Singapore bombing, while on duty at an international defense event in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The minister said the incident at the Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD), which prompted the Singaporean delegation to walk out of the talks, was inappropriate and he had ordered the Navy to fully investigate the embarrassing behavior of the two marines involved.
'We have asked the Navy to investigate who they are and who sent them,' Purnomo said at the State Palace on Friday.
Your comments:
Ever wonder why Singapore pours billions of US dollars into investing in and developing the Iskandar Development Region in Johor and yet, over the last three decades, has not helped develop Batam much except to come and play golf and have a massage after that?
Malam
The Usman-Harun episode as played up at the latest defense exhibition has served to educate the present generation of Singaporeans. Since the defense minister has ordered a probe, the issue awaits an outcome.
As a stunt, the purpose may have been to attract more visitors to the show. There may be no malice in it.
Tant KT
The defense exhibition was deliberately used by Indonesia to arrogantly affirm its right to irritate other ASEAN countries.
First, there was the replica of the Usman-Harun corvette in the main exhibition hall, with the top brass of TNI gathering to admire it in front of journalists.
Second, those two marines posing as Usman and Harun, to remind the Singaporean delegation that the two 'heroes' are still paid tribute to by the TNI.
Last, the defense ministry pretending in a pathetic excuse that the two marines are rogue agents who spontaneously decided on this provocation.
F. Frog Man
Just some mischievous (and successful) taunts from RI to remind Singaporeans whose side they've really been on all this time.
Then of course there's the issue of massive Indonesian money laundering and the fugitives sheltering in Singapore very comfortably.
Interesting that the entire Usman-Harun issue has probably done the most to educate Singaporeans on their history in the 40+ years since the events occurred.
Lis
What can the minister do? Those two marines were just executing orders as instructed by their superior I suppose.
Just like Usman and Harun when they were instructed by Sukarno to bomb Singapore during Konfrontasi (Confrontation).
TD Van Man
The whole incident can only be explained by electioneering, drawing on deep-seated antagonism of Indonesians toward Singapore.
Jagera
There was no need for this but I don't know if it is the lack of sensitivity or if it was arrogance, but in any case it was not a noble gesture.
Ian Thomson
Next time could the Singaporean government move or at least cover the Thomas Stamford Raffles statue when inviting Indonesian leaders? Just so insulting to see a robber and a murderer of our nation glorified as such.
Jakabarak
If Singaporean feels hurt over Usman and Harun, then let me ask you this. What would you think if Indonesia asked Singapore's government to remove the statue of Raffles, and the streets or buildings named after him and his status as the founding father of Singapore?
No matter that he was one of Indonesia's colonizers and most Indonesians hate the country's colonizers for what they did to their ancestors.
If your answer is no, then let me tell you one thing 'One country's heroes can be another's worst enemy'. This is a non-issue; move on and don't be ignorant.
Indonesia's government and Indonesians never asked Singapore's government to do this or have even mentioned Raffles, as it is your right as a country to give a hero status to a person and the same applies to
Indonesia.
Zan Zibar
Singapore keeps many of our corrupt criminals. They never want to sign any extradition treaties with us without a huge ransom for them.
They rejected our plea to freeze their bank accounts, while Malaysia and other neighboring countries agreed to help Indonesia in fighting corruption and rebuilding its economy.
Singapore indeed prospers by harboring Indonesian tycoon criminals who often hoard large amounts of money there.
It hurts many young Indonesians. The latest corruption in our oil and gas sector was also due to a Singaporean company. One argument about why we never build additional oil refineries surrounds the bribery from their companies toward our corrupt elite, so we keep importing oil from them, which hurts our
currency.
The thing that they should consider is the possibility of revenge from young generations of leaders in the future, which is likely to happen within 6-10 years from now. They should change their behavior now before too late.
Indonesia's priority is its own dignity; as a big country we have so many friends, and at the end of this year we will have the new Tanjung Priok Port, which will be able to handle very large container ships.
It will mean that Singapore's port will not really be important anymore.
Cadeer
