We are of the view that Prime Minister Howard’s statement that [Australia] will carry out pre-emptive strikes against terrorist threats in South-East Asia is clearly an arrogant statement from an imperialist country which wishes to show its fangs to the poor people of South-East Asia.

After, and with out any clear grounds [the Australian Intelligence and Security Organisation] carried out raids on the homes of Indonesian citizens in Australia, as if the Australian government is intentionally provoking militant, reactionary groups in Indonesia. This is clearly intended to create a political atmosphere of war which supports the militarist ambitions of the Howard government, which cannot be separated from the war plans to attack the poor people of the world which is being inflamed by [US President George] Bush and disguised as the War on Terrorism.

Since the [Bali bombing] incident on October 12, not a week has passed without actions by the Australian government which continue to drum-up the war against the poor people of South-East Asia who are being robbed by the neoliberal agenda. Labels of terrorist and Islamic fundamentalism are not just stuck on the militant reactionary groups who are in reality just the refuse of history. Just look at what has been done by Howard, not just to Ngruki, Laskar Jihad, the Islamic Defenders Front, the Mujahidin Council, which have been shown to be incompetent in fighting the wage of neoliberal imperialism. But Howard intends to stick this label on [all of the] poor people of South-East Asia who are pictured as if the majority are Muslims, as grounds for intervention as was carried out by the US military in Afghanistan and politically against Iraq.

Roysepta Abimanyu Chairperson
Central Leadership Committee of the People’s Democratic Party.

[Translation by James Balowski, ASAP]