Dewi Fortuna Anwar: Muslim’s Self-Denial on Terrorism

Dewi Fortuna Anwar: Muslim’s Self-Denial on Terrorism

Prof. Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar is one of Indonesian leading political analyst. I came to know her name the first time when she was a spokesperson of President BJ Habibie who stayed in office between 21 May 1998-20 October 1999. The first Indonesian President after the fall of 32-year authoritarian rule of President Suharto.

I think she’s the first spokesperson of any Indonesian president whose voices (literally) being heard on BBC or CNN interviews. The first interview by BBC was the one that impressed me a lot with her eloquent expression and her way of making argument.

So, when KBRI (Indonesia embassy) New Delhi told us, Indonesian student in India, that she’d like to deliver a sort of seminar to all of us in KBRI New Delhi and we were all invited, I was very excited. Apart from us, there are some Indian intellectuals and professors of Indian universities who were attending the meeting.

I also am very glad that my friend Ahmad Qisai who just finished his PHD degree got the honor to be a co-presenter along with her; a first and rare opportunity and experience for him which he’d remember for a long time for sure.

The paper she presented before us was previously conveyed in an international conference held by an Indian instititution. It discusses the brief history of Indonesia post-independent up till now with emphasis on some major changes of policies before and after reformasi (reform) movement led by Indonesian students across the country that led to the fall of Suharto’s regime.

Some interesting points are about the government policy on Islam and terrorism and why Indonesia’s voices, as the largest Muslims country in the world, were unheard of particularly during Suharto’s regime and post-Suharto; and why the current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems starting to talk a lot about Islam, which I’d post specifically later on another post.[]