Aussie, Indonesia advised to abandon suspicion<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Gareth
\nEvans says Indonesia and Australia should abandon the long-held
\nsuspicion that they pose a threat to each other.<\/p>\n
There is no need to give even a moment's reflection to the
\npossibility of either of the two neighboring countries being a
\nthreat to each other, he said during a conference on Saturday.<\/p>\n
"There has never been any logic in that possibility and, if
\nthis be arithmetically possible, there is even less now," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The conference entitled Australia and the New World Order was
\njointly organized by the Research Institute for Asia and the
\nPacific (RIAP) and Indonesian Centre for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies (CSIS).<\/p>\n
Evans said that in the past security would have been the most
\nimportant element in determining the perception of the two
\nneighbors' relationship, at least on the Australian side.<\/p>\n
Evans told the conference, held as part of the huge Australia
\nToday Indonesia '94 promotion, that even with the current peace
\nin the Asia-Pacific region, both nations should guard against
\ncertain possible contingencies that could disrupt the situation.<\/p>\n
Evans said that now Jakarta and Canberra, unlike several years
\nago, can discuss "all these difficult issues" like human rights
\nin a frank and open manner.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that differences of opinion and sensitive
\nissues were bound to arise from time to time between Australia
\nand Indonesia, which he considered "most unusual neighbors".<\/p>\n
"But it is much better to talk about them ... than to take any
\nother more strident approaches. That's the attitude which we very
\nmuch have in Australia these days," he said.<\/p>\n
He said both governments were currently exerting such a great
\ndeal of effort in economic and political cooperation, "that the
\nship of state couldn't in the future be blown off course by minor
\nscores of disagreements on particular issues ... which is where
\nwe are now".<\/p>\n
He added that if Australia wanted itself to be heard in a
\nproductive way, it should not exercise a "strident and
\naggressive" attitude and apply "Western values and doing so in a
\npatronizing way" because this would be counter-productive.<\/p>\n
"We are cautious these days about the way we say things -- not
\nabout what we say," Evans said.<\/p>\n
"It is understanding that how you say things and how you
\nexpress them can be very important and very negative if you can't
\nget it right," he added.<\/p>\n
Juwono Sudarsono, former dean of the School of Social and
\nPolitical Science of the University of Indonesia, told the press
\non a separate occasion that he shared Evans' opinions.<\/p>\n
He said that what other countries said to the Indonesian
\ngovernment did have an impact which was often fruitful.<\/p>\n
"What's as important is the way it is said ... it would be
\nmore effective if a concern about an issue was made quietly
\nrather than on the stage or in front of the media," he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Sabam Siagian, suggested
\nthat there should be more people on both sides that feel
\ncommitted to reducing the "misunderstanding" and "ignorance"
\nabout each other.<\/p>\n
"The reason is simple ... we are destined to be partners on
\nthe basis of a symmetry of geopolitical interests," he said.<\/p>\n
Sabam pointed out the need for the two, as neighbors, to learn
\nto be patient with each other and to spend time listening to each
\nother.<\/p>\n
Recalling his experiences in Australia, when he received
\ncritical statements on human rights violations in Indonesia,
\nSabam acknowledged that the improvement of the situation depended
\nmainly on committed Indonesians who believe in humanitarian
\nvalues.<\/p>\n
"Despite the difficulties faced by any developing country, I
\nam optimistic that gradually a just and humane society will be
\nestablished in Indonesia," he said.<\/p>\n
Desmond Ball of the Strategic and Defense Studies Centre of
\nthe Australian National University in Canberra, who reviewed the
\nIndonesian-Australian regional security relationship, pointed
\nout, however, that considerable mutual suspicion still remains
\nbetween the two countries.<\/p>\n
Although Evans, during his speech, expressed confidence that
\nIndonesia was now no longer viewed as a threat by Australians,
\nBall showed that starting from 1975, when East Timor integrated
\nwith Indonesia, up to the end of the 1980's, many Australians
\nconsidered Indonesia a possible threat to Australia.<\/p>\n
He said that as recently as 1993, a national survey revealed
\nthat some 57 percent of Australian voters believed that Indonesia
\nwould pose a security threat to Australia within 10 to 15 years.
\n(pwn)<\/p>",
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