Howard should have delayed his visit: Ambong<\/p>\n
Viva Goldner, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Australian Prime Minister John Howard's visit to Jakarta this
\nweek signals a desire to mend damaged ties, despite recent
\nobjections by some members of the House of Representatives to
\nwhat they term as Australian interference in Indonesia's internal
\naffairs.<\/p>\n
Chairman of House Commission I, which is in charge of foreign
\npolicy and defense, Ibrahim Ambong said on Tuesday that Howard,
\nwho is scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on Wednesday, should delay
\nhis three-day visit for at least three to five months as many
\nIndonesians were not impressed with his conservative government's
\nengagement with the region.<\/p>\n
\"The people of Indonesia still remember the problems we have
\nfaced with Australia's approach to illegal immigration, as well
\nas the actions Australia took in East Timor,\" Ibrahim said.<\/p>\n
Bilateral relations plunged to their lowest levels in 1999,
\nwhen Australia urged Indonesia to allow East Timor to decide its
\nown future through a United Nations-administered popular
\nconsultation, and later when Australia demonstrated unprecedented
\neagerness to send troops to East Timor, as part of INTERFET,
\nafter the former Portuguese colony voted to break away from
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
More recently, relations between the two countries have
\nsuffered since September 2001, when Howard denied 433 mostly
\nAfghan asylum-seekers, rescued from a sinking Indonesian boat by
\na Norwegian freighter, the MV Tampa, access to Australian
\nterritorial waters.<\/p>\n
As Australia scrambled to enlist small Pacific states such as
\nNauru to act as outposts for processing refugee claims, Howard
\nused the Australian media to criticize Indonesia's \"lack of
\ncooperation\" in stemming the tide of thousands of immigrants
\narriving on Australian shores each year via boat from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Ibrahim said Howard's handling of the crisis had implied
\nIndonesia was to blame for Australia's problem.<\/p>\n
\"The illegal immigrants use Indonesia only as a transit point
\non their way to Australia - they do not want to stay here,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Foreign affairs expert Dewi Fortuna Anwar said Indonesian
\nPresident Megawati's much-publicized refusal to take Howard's
\nphone calls on the issue demonstrated the rift in bilateral
\nrelations.<\/p>\n
\"I think it was unrealistic for Australia to think Indonesia
\nwould act as a security guard -- it angered a lot of Indonesians,
\nincluding the government, that there was that perception in
\nAustralia,\" Dewi said.<\/p>\n
\"Instead of resolving the problem, there is a tendency (for
\nthe Australian government) to talk to the media -- inform their
\nown press gallery in order to gain political capital.\"<\/p>\n
Ibrahim said Howard's public approach to foreign affairs,
\ntermed \"megaphone diplomacy\" by Indonesian Foreign Affairs
\nMinister Hassan Wirayuda, promoted misunderstanding, and must be
\nreplaced by considered dialogue between leaders of the two
\nnations.<\/p>\n
\"Many Indonesians think John Howard does not understand that
\nthe culture and feelings of Indonesians are not so different from
\nthose of Australians,\" Ibrahim said.<\/p>\n
Dewi said there was a perception that Australian Liberal
\nGovernments since 1996 had become more aligned with North America
\nat the expense of their relationship with Asia.<\/p>\n
However, she said this week's visit was a timely opportunity
\nto shore up ties before this month's regional conference in Bali
\non people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related
\ninternational crime.<\/p>\n
\"That the governments of Indonesia and Australia have agreed
\nto hold a regional conference is very important, because it is
\nrecognition that illegal immigration is not just a bilateral
\nAustralian\/Indonesian problem -- after all, the asylum-seekers
\nare from other countries, such as Afghanistan,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Despite current difficulties, both Dewi and Ibrahim said a
\nfunctional bilateral relationship was essential for regional
\nstability.<\/p>\n
As a developed, western democracy, Australia has much to offer
\nIndonesia, a country still striving to emerge from a
\nmultidimensional crisis.<\/p>\n
In turn, a modern, stable Indonesia would reward Australia
\nwith thriving regional markets and investment opportunities.<\/p>\n
According to Australia's Ambassador to Indonesia, Richard
\nSmith, Indonesia is the second largest recipient of Australian
\ndevelopment assistance, with $A121.5 million allocated for this
\nfinancial year.<\/p>\n
Besides a continued focus on poverty alleviation, education
\nand health, Smith said the Australian development program now
\ntargeted governance issues in support of Indonesia's reform
\nagenda.<\/p>\n
\"Our two countries are also important trading partners - trade
\nlast year returned to pre-1997 levels. Bilateral trade in goods
\nand services is some $A7.6 billion annually,\" Smith said.<\/p>\n
He said frequent ministerial contact on trade, maritime and
\nenvironmental issues was bolstered by \"people-to-people contact\"
\nthrough travel, culture, education and business.<\/p>\n
Howard will meet with Megawati and key Cabinet members while
\nin Jakarta, as well as addressing the Indonesia-Australia
\nBusiness Council and traveling to Yogyakarta to see Borobudur.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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