Foreign policy must be beneficial<\/p>\n
I would like to comment on Meidyatama Suryodiningrat's article
\non Feb. 16, titled Realism, idealism in diplomacy with Malaysia
\nand Singapore. Basically I agree with his view that we must
\ntackle first (domestically) all issues related to Singapore and
\nMalaysia, such as corruption and illegal migrant workers.
\nHowever, I do not fully agree if we perceive Malaysia and
\nSingapore as \"innocent bystanders\" in this matter.<\/p>\n
In relation to illegal migrant worker issues in Malaysia, we
\nmust keep in mind that in every economic or market-related
\nactivity there is always the law of demand and supply. In this
\ncase, if there was no demand from Malaysian employers, would all
\nthose workers will be willing to go abroad, leaving their
\nfamilies behind for the mere possibility of a job?<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that the roots of the problem are domestic,
\nbut it would be fairer if the Malaysian government could also
\nregulate Malaysian employers to be stricter in accepting
\nIndonesian workers and to pay their wages properly. Keeping this
\nin mind, I don't think the government is naive enough to assume
\nthat by tackling the problem abroad, it will automatically
\nresolve the problem domestically.<\/p>\n
The same perspective could also apply to the extradition issue
\nwith Singapore. Although the corruption problem is a domestic
\nissue for Indonesia, we all know that Singapore is notoriously a
\ncomfortable place for fugitives of corruption to hide.<\/p>\n
In today's international relations, with globalization and
\ninterdependence among nations, it becomes more difficult to
\ndefine whether an issue is a domestic or an international one.
\nSo-called domestic issues, such as illegal migrant workers,
\ncorruption or illegal logging could have a linkage or have an
\nimpact on the international community and vice versa.<\/p>\n
Facing this situation, then it is logic if the government also
\ntries to tackle those issues internationally.<\/p>\n
Finally, I am confused by Meidyatama's view that \"sometimes it
\nis important for leaders to defy their own domestic constituent
\nto ameliorate unnecessary friction\". Does this mean that we
\nshould sacrifice our nation's interest just for the sake of good
\nrelations with our neighbors? Foreign policy, first and foremost,
\nis always about serving the interests of one's own nation.
\nIndeed, this is the nature of the foreign policy of any country.
\nIn the case of Indonesia, it is important to maintain good
\nrelations with our neighbors, but of course not at the expense of
\nnational interests.<\/p>\n
VITTO RAFAEL TAHAR, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/foreign-policy-must-be-beneficial-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }