PM Goh's visit to Indonesia<\/p>\n
The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong put in solid business in his
\nshort visit to Jakarta and Bogor this week. Showing solidarity
\nwith the Indonesian people and government after the dreadful blow
\ninflicted on Bali was not a matter of symbolism.<\/p>\n
There is self-interest riding on both sides. Nothing is to be
\ngained fudging the fact that an implosion in Indonesia, whether
\nof secessionist or terrorist origins, would be devastating for
\nall of South-east Asia's core nations. Singapore will be worst
\nhit for being totally dependent on trade and investment.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's neighbors thus have a stake in how Jakarta seeks
\nto overcome the 'bad press' (Goh's words) and the terrorism
\njitters accentuated by the Bali attack. If Jakarta needs help to
\ncounter bad vibes, it should be offered readily. A Jakarta Post
\naccount of Goh's meeting with Islamic leaders said Ahmad Syafii
\nMaarif, chairman of the influential Muhammadiyah, asked the Prime
\nMinister what would happen if Indonesia collapsed. \"He said
\nSingapore would also collapse,\" Syafii said Goh replied. Against
\nthat backdrop of stark realism, Goh's call achieved two useful
\nthings.<\/p>\n
Foremost was that his talks with President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri on the terrorism issue brought an undertaking for
\nmore cooperation to root out terrorist cells. Details would be
\nwelcome, as there remains skepticism as to how far Indonesia can
\ngo in ordering preventive security operations and keeping watch
\non radical Islam.<\/p>\n
In this regard, there was great value in Goh meeting the heads
\nof the two largest Islamic civic groups, Nahdlatul Ulama and
\nMuhammadiyah, to take opinion on the spread of extremist values.
\nAt Goh's urging, the Muhammadiyah leader said they would hold a
\ndialogue with radical groups to discuss counter-terrorism. By
\nsuch incremental steps would, hopefully, the spread of harmful
\nideologies be slowed, if not halted altogether. Make no mistake -
\nsuccess is not at all assured.<\/p>\n
But the effort must be made. Goh also met Vice President
\nHamzah Haz, fairly or unfairly labeled an obstacle in counter-
\nradicalism, and the two parliamentary heads, Amien Rais and Akbar
\nTandjung. The Indonesian milieu is enormously complex, and these
\nindividuals represent a diverse range of constituencies and
\ninterests. Amien, for instance, took issue with Goh on an
\nextradition treaty (to catch Indonesian economic criminals said
\nto be sheltering in Singapore) and Singapore's purchase of sand
\nfrom Riau. Goh would have found these sessions edifying.<\/p>\n
Secondly, Indonesia received a timely hand-up in the
\ninvestment sphere. Goh's message was reassuring. Singapore
\nAirlines' overbooked Bali budget packages were intended to signal
\nto the faint-hearted that one bomb blast has not turned a gentle
\nisland into a hellhole. Singapore Technologies Telemedia buying
\ninto the state-owned PT Indosat telecom company showed measured
\nconfidence.<\/p>\n
But Singapore can only do so much. Indonesia has been losing
\nsome star investors. Sony pulled out last month, citing security
\nand labor problems. Avon, the American cosmetics fixture, may
\nclose its Jakarta factory. Johnson & Johnson and Gilette departed
\nrecently. Some 130 South Korean manufacturers have left and about
\n20 foreign firms have abandoned plans to invest in Jakarta's
\nfree-trade zone in Marunda.<\/p>\n
Security is not the only handicap cited, as corruption and an
\nincrease in the minimum wage are also factors. But it is self-
\nevident what the primary causative factor is, post-Bali. In the
\nend, it is still Indonesia's call to make.<\/p>",
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