By Mulyanda

    JAKARTA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia and the United States can get much benefit from their relationships, but what the United States has done has spurred strong resistance in the biggest Muslim country, opinions here said, referring to U.S. president George Bush's visit to Indonesia.

    These remarks were made by a government official, a religious leader and a political analyst in separate interviews with Xinhua before Bush's visit to Indonesia.

    They said it seems both sides should make some reviews to smooth the way to improve the ties in the future, otherwise they face the threat of being retarded.

    The government official predicted good prospects for the ties with the only superpower, but the religious group held that the relations have brought much disadvantage on the Indonesian side.

    The hatred by Muslims and nationalists against the U.S. double-standard policies in Palestine and Iraq could also hamper the attempt to pave the way for strengthening the bilateral ties in the future, the political analyst said.

    The director-general of the North and Central American Affairs Department of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Harry Purwanto, said, "The United States sees Indonesia as an important country and so does Indonesia."

    Purwanto said that Indonesia could gain much benefit from its close ties with the United States, making the relations a breakthrough point in achieving goals in international political and business affairs.

    Indonesia, the biggest economy in South East Asia with its economic growing nearly 6 percent annually, has sought over 22 billion U.S. dollars investment in infrastructure to prop up the growth, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said.

    "With our close ties with America, we will get much advantages, we must acquire benefit from this relationship," said Purwanto.

    In addition, the United States is the second biggest export destination country of Indonesian products, he said.

    On the U.S. side, the country has an interest to make Indonesia a success and on progress as a democratic country with the biggest Muslim population, in order to make it an example for other Islamic countries that Islam is not contradictory with democracy, said Purwanto.

    Besides, Indonesia is a key country for the stability and peace in the region, he added.

    However, the chairman of the Indonesian second biggest Muslim organization of Muhammadiyah, Din Syamsudin, disagreed with Purwanto's opinions, saying that the United States has often pressured Indonesia on many issues, such as the human rights issue, while the U.S. troops have been involved in the violation of such rights in the Middle East.

    Cooperation with the United States in economy so far has brought advantages only to the United States rather than to Indonesia, said Syamsudin.

    The chairman of Muhammadiyah said that the close ties with Indonesia have given the United States "international legitimacy" that it is hailed by the biggest moderate Muslim country.

    "We think our relationships with the United States are not at an equal footing, because as a developed country with its superpower, America has often pressured us, dictated us, and we couldn't do anything," said Syamsudin.

    For the future, Syamsudin asked both sides to conduct a review and a correction of their relationships, otherwise Indonesia should readjust the ties, he said.

    The disappointment of the majority of people in the country has been reflected in the strong objection to the scheduled visit of U.S. President Bush on Nov. 20.

    Bush is to hold talks with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the scenic Bogor city in foothill Jakarta, discussing investment, bird flu, the issue of Palestine and others.

    Frequent big and small protests have been held nationwide, even two biggest Muslim organizations of the Nahdlatul Ulama and the Muhammaddiyah, representing the majority of moderate Muslims in the country, have also oppose the visit.

    About 87 percent of Indonesia's 240 million population is Muslim, with most of them being moderate.

    Political analyst T.J. Kristiadi said that the future of the relationships between Indonesia and the United States must be built on the basis of mutual understanding, and that Indonesia must ask the United States to jointly review this condition, in a bid to clear up the way for creating more beneficial ties.

    The relations "can not be continued in the present condition," he said.

    Indonesia must understand the U.S. policies on combating terrorism, and the United States must realize that the terrorism is not identical with any religion, said Kristiadi.

    Moreover, Islam is so heterogeneous now, which is not dominated by a single ideology only, said the analyst.

    On the Indonesian side, the government should explain to public that opposing the United States could not be done significantly only with protests on the streets, but should be realized by gathering regional strength, such as Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and improving economy and human resources, he said.

    "The world will not be healthy and fair should it be dominated by the United States, which is very unilateral," he said.