Circumstances demand foreign minister stay close to Gus Dur<\/p>\n
Foreign minister Alwi Shihab has been under fire from critics,
\nwho have charged he has spent too much time with President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) and too little on foreign affairs.
\nPolitical analyst Jusuf Wanandi thinks rare political
\ncircumstances in Indonesia's transitional period have forced the
\nminister to be always in close touch with the President.<\/p>\n
Question: Critics of the minister, including legislators, have
\nsaid Alwi Shihab spends too much time at the palace and not
\nenough at his own ministry. Others have said most of the
\nminister's comments are on domestic issues and that it is not
\nclear whether the former Harvard scholar has a good grasp of
\nforeign policy issues.<\/p>\n
Answer: One has to remember that this is a transitional period
\nin Indonesia and one in which the country is plagued with many
\nproblems. As a close confidant of Gus Dur, minister Alwi Shihab
\nhas often been asked to give feedback. So it is a natural thing
\nto do for Gus Dur. This explains why the minister spends such a
\nlot of his time at the presidential palace rather than at his own
\nministry.<\/p>\n
Q: On what issues is Gus Dur seeking advice from Alwi?<\/p>\n
A: Numerous issues, including domestic and foreign ones. Also in
\nmatters pertaining to the management of the government.<\/p>\n
Of course, in this era of globalization the line between
\ndomestic and foreign issues is becoming blurred. It has become
\nmixed. Our domestic politics are influenced by foreign affairs
\nand vice versa.<\/p>\n
Therefore, we should learn to accept Alwi Shihab's mastering
\nof domestic issues in addition to foreign ones.<\/p>\n
Also, in this early period of the Gus Dur regime, one of the
\nmost important things for him to do is to restore Indonesia's
\nstanding and place among the international community.<\/p>\n
Why? Because too many things happened during the previous
\nregimes that tarnished Indonesia's previously good name abroad,
\nincluding human rights violations in East Timor during the
\nHabibie government. Gus Dur is trying to mend the image of
\nIndonesia, which has gone down the drain.<\/p>\n
Q: And that's why Gus Dur makes a lot of trips abroad ...<\/p>\n
A: Yes, he is aiming to win over the trust of the international
\ncommunity, and, by so doing, hopefully investors will make their
\nway back to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
So we should never trivialize Gus Dur's efforts. He is
\nactually laying a new groundwork in international relations and
\nis playing a pivotal role in this respect. As the foreign
\nminister, Alwi Shihab would obviously support this role because
\nthe key figure in all these efforts is the President himself.<\/p>\n
Q: It seems that the peculiar circumstances we are experiencing
\nnow are among the reasons why Alwi is always in rapport with Gus
\nDur...<\/p>\n
A: Yes, if the minister is often seen with the President it is
\nfor reasons of credibility, as the President is the one trusted
\nby the international community.<\/p>\n
But, of course, Alwi is trying to implement Gus Dur's ideas.
\nThe recent agreements and cooperation pacts with China, South
\nKorea and the Middle East, for example, I think are Gus Dur's
\nideas.<\/p>\n
Once the transitional period is over, there is no reason
\nwhatsoever why Alwi should not start consolidating the foreign
\naffairs ministry. In that sense, the criticism tabled by the
\nlegislators holds some truth.<\/p>\n
The ministry is the main instrument in diplomacy, so we can
\nnot just ignore it. Although in a comprehensive diplomacy the
\nforeign affairs ministry is only one of the elements. The
\nministry, which has yet to be consolidated, has been somewhat
\nneglected because the minister is so preoccupied. So
\nAlwi's next step, say toward the end of this year, should be --
\nand I know he has thought this over -- to set up an education
\nprogram for our young diplomats.<\/p>\n
Q: How does foreign affairs policy under Gus Dur differ from that
\nof previous regimes?<\/p>\n
A: Firstly, Gus Dur's attention to South Asia. India and the
\nsubcontinent is an area which we practically paid no attention to
\nin the past.<\/p>\n
Secondly, Middle Eastern countries with whom we have emotional
\nties because of our similar religions, because of our struggle
\nfor independence from colonialism, things related to nationalism
\nand also for economic reasons.<\/p>\n
I think our attention paid to these countries has never been
\nso great.<\/p>\n
Q: What about South-South cooperation?<\/p>\n
A: Gus Dur pays a great deal of attention to this issue because
\nhe is very concerned about the poor, both locally and globally.
\nHis recent visit to Cuba, for example, attested to this. The
\nSouth countries are going to meet in Cairo and I think Gus Dur
\nwill attend too.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur's conception in respect to developing countries is to
\nprevent rich countries from becoming the sole institutional
\narbiter in deciding the rules of the game in this global economy.
\nThis is what Gus Dur supports.<\/p>\n
Q: And what about his initiative for an Indonesia-India-China
\naxis?<\/p>\n
A: Many misunderstood this as an antiwestern alliance. There is
\nno antiwestern motive at all in this initiative. What Gus Dur is
\naiming for was to amend an oversight. In the past, our diplomatic
\nrelations with India and China should have been closer since both
\nof them are big countries. The same goes with Japan, and in the
\nASEAN plus three arrangement which includes Japan, South Korea
\nand China. Gus Dur's view is correct.<\/p>\n
So it is not an alliance, first of all. This term tends to a
\nnarrow meaning, in the sense of a military pact or politics like
\nthe United States and Japan's alliance, for example. This is not
\nthe case (with Gus Dur's idea). He simply meant closer
\ncooperation in the fields of economy and politics. The mechanism
\nfor it is in place, which is the ASEAN 10 plus three.
\nThey are going to have their third summit in November. (hbk)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/circumstances-demand-foreign-minister-stay-close-to-gus-dur-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}