Ambassador certain of growth<\/p>\n
By William Furney<\/p>\n
In an interview at the French Embassy on Jl. Thamrin, Central
\nJakarta, French Ambassador to Indonesia Gerard Cros spoke of the
\nrelations between Indonesia and France, how his country is
\nhelping Indonesia in this time of continuing crisis and whether
\n\"unionizing\" Europe is something which could work in this part of
\nthe world.<\/p>\n
Please trace the history of relations between France and
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
It's a long story. Java is in the subconscious of France.
\nThere are many many references to Java, and also Bali: in
\nliterature, music and art. For instance, there was a delegation
\nin 1889 in Paris where a Javanese dancer appeared for the first
\ntime. So, psychologically, it's a long story. Our relations
\nstarted in the 1950s and we quickly became involved in the
\neconomic field. The first main development project, the dam at
\nJatiluhur, was financed by France. It was the beginning of a long
\nperiod of heavy involvement in development projects. There are
\nupward of 120 enterprises here now.<\/p>\n
We are now investing in the service sector; you can see many
\nFrench companies here now. These companies are doing well here
\nbecause they are dealing with the domestic market.<\/p>\n
Much has changed in Indonesia in the past year. In what ways
\nhas this affected France's relationship with the Indonesian
\ngovernment and people?<\/p>\n
There are different levels: the macroeconomic level where we
\nare involved to a certain extent in the decision-making process
\nin Washington, with the boards of the International Monetary
\nFund, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Then there is
\nthe level of bilateral relations. We've been obliged to adapt
\nourselves to the new situation. The problem now is that there are
\nno big projects.<\/p>\n
In the last few years we've only been able to help the
\nIndonesian authorities by taking upon ourselves their share in
\nthe projects that are still alive. So we pay what is called the
\nlocal share.<\/p>\n
There is a third level of adjustment: that of enterprise. I
\nhave observed that certain enterprises are in a very bad
\nsituation. Lots of companies have left Indonesia while others
\nhave had to scale down. Those that have stayed want to be here
\nbecause they think that within five years Indonesia will be a big
\nmarket for them.<\/p>\n
What are your views on the state of the economy, and the
\nembattled rupiah?<\/p>\n
I think it's realistic to say that the ongoing economic crisis
\nwill last for another three to five years. Once again, we're on a
\ncertain wave of new vitality in the Indonesian economy. So far,
\nso good, consumption and exports are up. In our analysis, we
\nthink that the rebound is here now. We're not worried by the
\nproblems of the rupiah that much, as basically they are due to
\npolitical factors. The level of the currency does not reflect the
\ncondition of the economy right now. We are currently organizing a
\nvisit of a large delegation of French businesspeople to Indonesia
\nto have a look at the market.<\/p>\n
How would you characterize the bilateral ties of the two
\ncountries in the areas of cultural exchange, trade and education?<\/p>\n
To be frank, I have discovered that the key element that
\nunites France and Indonesia is football. During the Euro 2000
\nmatches, I was surprised to see all the people in the kampongs
\nwatching the matches in the early hours. It was incredible. As a
\ndiplomat, I have to be very humble and I think it's not
\nsuperficial to say this. There were a lot of editorials in
\nIndonesian newspapers saying that the unity of the French
\nexpressed in the tournament, based on multiethnicity and so on,
\ncould be a good example for moral commitment and unity in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Apart from football, we try to have a cultural policy with
\nIndonesia, and are one of the few counties to do so. Part of our
\nprogram is based on the exchange of artists. In parallel, we
\norganize workshops with the movie-making industry in Indonesia.
\nWe also have a program with certain universities and invite about
\n52 students to study in French universities.<\/p>\n
In terms of trade with Indonesia, we are not at the top in
\nrelation to other European countries. But I can say that we are
\nimporting more from Indonesia now than before the crisis, mainly
\ndue to the value of the rupiah. Fruit, textiles and electronic
\ncomponents are some of the products we import. We are a pretty
\nbig importer.<\/p>\n
What aspects of these ties can be improved upon for the mutual
\nbenefit of both countries?<\/p>\n
I think we should make efforts with the young people of
\nIndonesia, especially through universities. One of the big tasks
\nof this embassy in the coming year will be to foster university-
\nto-university relations.<\/p>\n
How many French nationals live in Indonesia and what kind of
\nservices are they offered?<\/p>\n
We have 1,923 French citizens registered with us. That's a
\ndrop on the previous year's figure of 2,169. We add about 300 to
\nthose figures for those who are not registered. Basically, the
\ndecrease comes from people who have children and then leave.
\nThere were about 70,000 French tourists in 1998 and this number
\nhas dropped because of insecurity in Indonesia or in the Asian
\nregion.<\/p>\n
We consider that French citizens here deserve, by and large,
\nthe same services they enjoy at home, and for this reason we have
\na rather large consular section. What we call \"sanitary
\nrepatriation\" takes up the most of our time. It's when tourists
\nget into trouble and we have to get them home. We also have an
\nallowance for those who get into financial trouble. It's a help
\nsystem -- a kind of social security. We have a French school here
\nand we give financial assistance to parents who can't afford the
\nfees for their children.<\/p>\n
As France is a member of the European Union (EU) and is about
\nto fully use the euro, do you think the \"unionizing\" of European
\ncountries is something that could work in Southeast Asia?<\/p>\n
Not yet. You know, the European construction is a sort of
\nadventure that has now 50 years of existence and there have been
\nmany crises and difficulties along the way. There were many
\nunexpected events, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, and
\nthis has changed the initial vision.<\/p>\n
There are three basic elements of the European construction:
\nthe first is the necessity and maintenance of peace. Second,
\nthere is democracy -- the real participation of every citizen in
\nthe decision-making process. I'm not sure that Asia is ripe
\nenough to go that far. Third, there is economic development, and
\nI think this applies to Asia now. As far as the EU is concerned,
\nwe agreed that the settlement of border problems was a
\nprerequisite for the adhesion of newcomers inside the Union (such
\nas the Eastern European Countries).<\/p>\n
I don't see in Asia the possibility of having such a system as
\nyet. In Asia or Southeast Asia, I see stronger coordination or
\nharmonization of policies. There is a strong need for evolution,
\nstabilization of the countries and the disappearance of local
\ncrises. And, maybe, the consciousness that there is something
\nmore important than Indonesia, the Philippines or Singapore; that
\nthere is something called Southeast Asia.<\/p>",
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