Neighborly visit<\/p>\n
Australian Prime Minister John Howard will certainly have
\nplenty of things to talk about, including bilateral problems, in
\nhis meetings with President Soeharto and other Indonesian leaders
\nduring his current visit to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
But whatever issues he discusses here, the most significant
\naspect of the visit is the visit itself, for it is a reflection
\nof the importance he puts on bilateral relations between the two
\ncountries. Although six months have passed since he was elected
\nto office as leader of the liberal coalition government,
\nIndonesia is still the first foreign country Howard is visiting
\nin his capacity as prime minister.<\/p>\n
Howard is continuing a tradition that was started by his
\npredecessor, Paul Keating of the Labor government. We may recall
\nit was Keating who said Australia's relationship with Indonesia
\nwas its most important one. Not only did Keating choose Indonesia
\nfor his first foreign visit, he also quickly established a close
\nrapport with President Soeharto, visiting Indonesia five times in
\nthe four years he was in office. One analyst described the two
\nleader's relationship as like that between a \"father and son\".<\/p>\n
Comparison with Keating is unfair, and no one expects Howard
\nto make a similar statement. But his decision to make Indonesia
\nhis first foreign visit bespeaks the same message.<\/p>\n
There have been fears that the new guard in Canberra would
\nundo the good neighborly ties that were painfully built between
\nIndonesia and the previous Labor government. A lot of efforts --
\nincluding the personal roles played by Soeharto, Keating,
\nMinister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and Keating's foreign
\nminister Gareth Evans -- went into creating the state of
\nrelations we have now.<\/p>\n
Two events originating in Canberra since March sent the wrong
\nsignals and heightened concerns in Jakarta about Howard's level
\nof commitment towards Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The first was Australia's decision to nominate senior diplomat
\nMiles Kupa as its ambassador to Indonesia, in spite of the fact
\nthat he had written a confidential report, leaked in 1992, which
\nwas critical of President Soeharto. Canberra later withdrew his
\nnomination and extended the term of its present ambassador to the
\nend of the year.<\/p>\n
The second was the Australian government's decision to slash
\nits overseas aid program, which affected a number of on-going
\ndevelopment projects here. Canberra later said that some other
\nforms of financing would be found to continue those projects.<\/p>\n
As it turned out, these two events stood the test of time,
\njust like several other recent issues that have surfaced between
\nthe two countries. Yet it was not long ago that such incidents
\ncould have completely upset relations. Gone are the days when
\nIndonesia and Australia were hardly role models for neighbors.<\/p>\n
It is good to see that ties between the two countries have now
\nreached a maturity level and that problems and differences can be
\ndiscussed in their proper perspectives, without affecting
\nrelations.<\/p>\n
Indonesia and Australia are two neighbors that are so unlike
\n-- in culture, tradition and historical background -- that
\nfriction and problems are bound to occur. But there is also a
\ngrowing convergence of interests between the two, especially in
\ntrade and regional security, which will overcome the smaller
\ndifferences.<\/p>\n
Howard's visit may be an important symbolic gesture and a time
\nfor him to get to know Indonesia's leaders better. But it is also
\na time for him and his hosts to discuss their concerns, as well
\nas their differences, in a neighborly manner.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/neighborly-visit-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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