Meeting of minds in Tokyo<\/p>\n
While in Tokyo to attend the funeral of the late Japanese
\nPrime Minister Keizo Obuchi, one of President Abdurrahman Wahid's
\nmain agenda items will be to patch up Indonesia's relations with
\nAustralia -- again, because patching up strained relations with
\nAustralia has become something of a routine job that every
\nIndonesian president since the 1950s has had to perform.<\/p>\n
The importance of maintaining good relations -- or at least a
\nworkable relationship -- between Indonesia and Australia has been
\ncommented on every so often in this column. Indonesia is the
\nbiggest and the most populous country in the region -- apart from
\nbeing the fourth most populous in the world -- and, despite its
\npresent condition, has every potential of playing a key role in
\nthe region.<\/p>\n
Australia, on the other hand, is an advanced industrial
\ncountry with scientific and technological advantages that could
\ngreatly benefit other countries in the Asian and Pacific regions
\n-- a representative of the modern Western world on the region's
\ndoorstep, as it were. Good relations between the two countries
\nwould therefore be greatly beneficial to the entire region.<\/p>\n
Hence, there is nothing strange or unusual in President
\nAbdurrahman meeting with Australia's Prime Minister John Howard
\nto discuss Jakarta's ties with Canberra, which suffered yet
\nanother setback during the East Timor crisis last year. And since
\nthere are no fundamental differences whatsoever between the two
\ngovernments with regard to East Timor, there is no reason to
\nexpect that hitches will occur.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, however, a shadow of renewed discord between
\nthe two nations is already looming, which, unless tackled with
\nwisdom and good sense, could lead to another crisis in
\nAustralian-Indonesian relations. This concerns reports that
\nAustralians were attending the recently concluded Papua People's
\nCongress in Jayapura. President Abdurrahman has made it clear
\nthat he would ask his Australian counterpart to "handle" whatever
\nproblems might arise from the presence of Australian non-
\ngovernmental organizations at the Papua conference -- if indeed
\nthere were.<\/p>\n
Whatever his shortcomings, we believe President Abdurrahman is
\nwell enough equipped to handle this particular problem. In the
\nshort period that he has been in power, President Abdurrahman has
\nshown an unfailing commitment to the establishment of justice,
\nhuman rights and democracy, which, after all is what the Papua
\nproblem is all about.<\/p>\n
In all this it is heartening, meanwhile, to observe that, for
\nonce, most Indonesians seem to be reacting with a rather
\nsurprising degree of rationality to the Papua People's Congress,
\nincluding the reported presence of Australians at the congress.
\nThe congress itself, including its demand for independence, has
\nhardly caused a stir in Jakarta. The president has not only kept
\nthe military from over-reacting, he has allowed the Papuans to
\nraise their Morning Star flag, albeit on certain conditions.<\/p>\n
Indonesians, it seems, are confident that they have little to
\nfear from the Papuans as long as they keep their promise of
\ngiving the people the justice they have long been clamoring for
\nby granting them regional autonomy. Irian Jaya, or Papua, differs
\nfrom East Timor in that it is recognized by the United Nations as
\nhaving become a part of Indonesia through a UN-approved "act of
\nself-determination" in 1963. For now, at least, Indonesians seem
\nto be confident enough that they will be able to maintain their
\nunitary state.<\/p>\n
It is also well to keep in mind that it is in the interest not
\nonly of Indonesia, but for the stability of the entire Asia-
\nPacific region to keep this country from becoming Balkanized. For
\nIndonesians, this means that it is their responsibility, and
\ntheirs alone, to administer their country with justice, wisdom
\nand skill so that peace and contentment can prevail. This,
\nunfortunately, is easier said than done, but there is no other
\nway the country can be kept intact and the people contented.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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