Lesson in reform: Poland's experience<\/p>\n
Oei Eng Goan, staff writer, The Jakarta Post, Warsaw<\/p>\n
Jointly sponsored by the Polish Embassy in Jakarta, the
\nIndonesian Embassy in Warsaw and Indonesia's national airline
\nGaruda Indonesia, three Indonesian journalists visited Poland to
\nobserve the parliamentarian elections held on Sept. 23 and to
\nmeet with officials of the two countries to promote bilateral
\nties.<\/p>\n
Having been governed in the recent past by military dictators,
\nIndonesia and Poland share several similarities that could help
\ntheir people learn from one another to help promote law and order
\nin the political life of both emerging democracies.<\/p>\n
Years of absolute power held by the countries' leadership had
\ngiven birth to corrupt officials and nepotistic practices in
\nstate-run companies and private enterprises, which led to
\neconomic collapse and the laying off of millions of workers.<\/p>\n
Freedom of expression now prevails in Poland as media
\ncensorship was abolished after the country abandoned communism,
\nthe state's former ideology. Reform measures were introduced and
\nimplemented to restore crippled civilian structures and to guide
\nthe country toward a market-oriented economy.<\/p>\n
Unlike Indonesia, Poland has responded quickly in building
\ndemocracy and fixing its economy, as proven by its acceptance
\ninto the Western-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in
\n1999, 10 years after the collapse of the communist regime in
\nPoland and most other eastern European countries following the
\ndemise of the former Soviet Union.<\/p>\n
\"Poland is moving rapidly to restore its democratic and legal
\nsystem so as to realize its expectations to become a member of
\nthe European Union,\" Indonesian Ambassador to Poland, Koko
\nWijanarko, told The Jakarta Post late last month.<\/p>\n
And quick it must be, since it is Poland's wish to be accepted
\nas a full member of the European Union (EU) by the end of 2004.
\nSo far, the Warsaw government has met just 17 of the 29 formal
\nrequirements set by the EU for Poland's membership in the Union.<\/p>\n
Indonesia considers Poland's future integration into the EU as
\nvery important to solidify the economic grouping among the
\nalready strong 15 member countries, hence bilateral relations
\nneed to be further enhanced, Ambassador Koko said.<\/p>\n
To achieve such goals, the Indonesian Embassy in Warsaw has
\nheld a number of trade and art exhibitions, film festivals and
\nseminars in several Polish cities, according to Yudi Fitriandi,
\nthe embassy's second secretary.<\/p>\n
Jacek Bylica, the director of Asia and Pacific Affairs at the
\nPolish foreign ministry, said that Poland had been watching
\nIndonesia's political and economic development closely under
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri and hoped that Jakarta could
\nresolve national problems, such as the recurring ethnic conflicts
\nin some provinces.<\/p>\n
Bylica said the dramatic changes in Europe following the
\nbreakup of the Soviet Union had compelled Poland to concentrate
\nits policy on these changes.<\/p>\n
\"We are preoccupied with European integration, making our
\nrelations with non-European countries, including those in Asia,
\nless intensive,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Bylica added, \"We're going to revitalize our relations with
\nnon-European nations. Having in mind the important relations the
\nEU has with Asian countries, we will rebuild our foreign economic
\nties with countries that are conducive to our (future) membership
\nin the Union.\"<\/p>\n
He pointed out that Poland, despite its limited financial
\nresources, had provided development aid to Vietnam and
\nhumanitarian assistance to Indonesia following the earthquake in
\nBengkulu last year.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the increasing number of Polish tourists to the
\nIndonesian resort island of Bali, Bylica said he had asked the
\nJakarta government for the non-visa status to thousands of Poles
\nvisiting the island. \"Just like Hungarian tourists who are able
\nto visit Indonesia without visas,\" he noted.<\/p>\n
Although both Indonesia and Poland are still gripped by
\neconomic woes and slow growth, bilateral trade has proceeded
\nrelatively well. Over the past few years, bilateral trade has
\nbeen in Indonesia's favor. Last year Indonesia's exports to
\nPoland stood at around US$140 million, which is 10 times as high
\nas Indonesian imports from the East European country.<\/p>\n
Koko said that trade with Poland could still be boosted as
\nthere were plenty of opportunities for Indonesians to conduct
\nbusiness with their Polish counterparts.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, now is the right time to promote Indonesian products
\nin Poland, which has adopted a free market policy,\" the
\nambassador said, adding that the Indonesian business community
\nshould be more aggressive in offering new commodities to the
\nPoles, other than just traditional goods such as coffee and
\nrubber.<\/p>\n
Janusz Duda, the general manager of a leading Polish
\nenterprise, Condea, said that he was considering importing herbal
\nmedicines from Indonesia and that negotiations for this were
\nunderway.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that Poland and Indonesia are separated by a
\ngreat distance, friendly ties between the two nations seem to be
\non the go as they move toward a more democratic future.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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