'Free and active' foreign policy no longer relevant<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's \"free-and-active\" foreign policy is
\nno longer relevant because it was originally designed during the
\nCold War, an expert in international relations said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Now that the Cold War has ended and the New Order government
\nunder President Soeharto has other foreign policy priorities,
\nIndonesia needs to reshape its foreign policy, Dewi Fortuna Anwar
\nsaid in a seminar on politics.<\/p>\n
During the Cold War, Indonesia was concerned with containing
\nthe spread of communism and maintained closer relations with the
\nWest, said Dewi, who is a researcher at the Indonesian Institute
\nof Sciences (LIPI) and the Center for Information and Development
\nStudies.<\/p>\n
\"This means that the 'free-and-active' stance of the past,
\nwhich Indonesia used to its benefit during the rivalry between
\nthe West and the East blocks, is no longer relevant,\" Dewi noted.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia's options and initiatives in the international
\ncontext have become fewer nowadays than before,\" she said in the
\nseminar organized by LIPI.<\/p>\n
The New Order administration has more opportunities to make
\neconomic development its main priority and paramount
\nconsideration in the international arena, she pointed out.<\/p>\n
Dewi was discussing a paper presented by political scientist
\nMochtar Mas'oed of Gadjah Mada University on the interaction of
\nglobal politics and the \"ideals of the nation\".<\/p>\n
Mas'oed suggested that Indonesia develop a kind of nationalism
\nand a sense of belonging which people can feel for their country.<\/p>\n
Now, Mas'oed said, the people are being treated as clients who
\nneed to be served by various public services and policies in
\nreturn for their loyalty to the government.<\/p>\n
Mas'oed also scrutinized Indonesia's weaknesses in the face of
\nglobal capital and its dependence on the industrialized
\ncountries' capital, technology and market access.<\/p>\n
Dewi added that global interaction has affected the Indonesian
\npeople's struggle for democratization. During the Cold War era,
\nshe said, the economic and political relations that the
\ngovernment established with various foreign forces \"hindered
\ndemocracy\".<\/p>\n
Using their campaign against communism here as justification,
\nWestern countries and donor agencies chose to support the
\ngovernment regardless of whether it was democratic or not, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"There was even a tendency for the foreign capital to support
\nnon-democratic governments as long as they were against
\ncommunism,\" she said.<\/p>\n
After the Cold War, the situation changed drastically.
\n\"Democracy and protection of human rights became a major agenda
\nin the international economic and political relationship, and in
\nthe donor agencies' means to apply pressure,\" she said, adding
\nthat this was reflected in social clauses of their financial
\nassistance.<\/p>\n
Noted economic observer Christianto Wibisono and businessman
\nIman Taufik discussed economic democracy and conglomerates. They
\ndebated whether conglomerates are an asset or a liability to
\nsocial, economic and political development.<\/p>\n
Iman asserted that conglomerates are an asset, that they are
\nbasically \"good\" and that it is only \"their behavior that should
\nbe checked\". Problems such as collusion and corruption, he said,
\ncannot be blamed on the part of the giant businesses alone.<\/p>\n
Indonesia probably needs to establish a code of ethics for
\ngovernment officials to prevent them from colluding with big
\nbusinesses, he said. (swe)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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