PM John Howard's visit<\/p>\n
Australia's Prime Minister John Howard is currently in town
\nfor a two-day visit to Indonesia. It is noteworthy that as the
\nhead of government of a neighboring western country he is the
\nfirst to make the special effort of coming over and having a
\nmeeting with Indonesia's new President. It happens that last week
\nPresident Megawati installed her new Cabinet, which -- to judge
\nby the various press commentaries, national and international --
\nhas enjoyed high praise.<\/p>\n
Rajiv Chandrasekaran, the Washington Post's correspondent in
\nJakarta, for instance, reported on the surprise of many observers
\nthat \"the taciturn and largely untested Mrs. Megawati\" has
\nstacked her Cabinet with specialists instead of politicians.
\nPrime Minister Howard, during this visit, will easily find the
\nright wavelength in establishing a productive dialog with Mrs.
\nMegawati's stable of technocrats.<\/p>\n
He might perhaps detect differing accentuations as he listens
\nto the Berkeley-trained Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, the Rotterdam
\ngraduate Kwik Kian Gie, or former corporate executives such as
\nRini M.S. Soewandi and Laksamana Sukardi, but there should be no
\ndoubt about their common resolve to put this country's economy
\nback on its feet. Fortunately, he might find in Prof. Boediono,
\nthe new minister of finance, a person who is familiar with the
\nAustralian way of thinking, having enjoyed his education in
\nAustralian universities.<\/p>\n
President Megawati's speech last Friday as she officiated the
\nnew Cabinet ministers should make it crystal clear that her
\ngovernment is seized with a sense of urgency. Surely, any
\nassistance offered by Indonesia's friends in order to overcome
\nthe multidimensional crisis this country is facing will be most
\nwelcome.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister John Howard, in a brief statement to the press
\nin Canberra, used the interesting phrase \"positive realism\" in
\nviewing his country's relations with Indonesia. What he meant,
\nperhaps, was that although differences exist in views and
\ninterests between the two widely dissimilar countries and
\nnations, geographical proximity simply dictates that the two
\nsides should always work out their differences in a civilized
\nmanner.<\/p>\n
Actually, we would like to place the Indonesian-Australian
\nrelationship in a much wider geopolitical context. Indonesia's
\nchallenge as a large non-western country with the fourth largest
\npopulation in the world is how to cope with its modernization
\nprocess in as short a time as possible, without causing serious
\nupheavals. Australia as a western country that has the basic
\ningredients of a modern civilization -- e.g. science and
\ntechnology, sophisticated communications networks with database
\nconnections in Europe and North America and advanced management
\nskills -- is indeed in a position to help Indonesia.<\/p>\n
On the other hand it is in Australia's geopolitical interest
\nthat Indonesia develops into a modern, stable country with a
\ngrowing economy that would offer promising markets and ample
\nopportunities for investment. Such an Indonesia should of course
\nconduct a responsible foreign policy in order to ensure stability
\nin Southeast Asia and the West Pacific region. That is why a
\nvisit by an Australian prime minister such as Mr. John Howard has
\na special significance since this unique bilateral relationship
\nwould push Indonesia further along the treacherous path of its
\nmodernization efforts.<\/p>\n
Mr. Howard's firsthand impressions of President Megawati and
\nher new government will of course be scrutinized in the capitals
\nof the important countries in the world which are following with
\nkeen interest Indonesia's immediate future. Considering some
\nupcoming important international events -- such as the
\nInternational Monetary Fund\/World Bank meeting in Washington, the
\nmeeting of Indonesia's creditors in Paris and the APEC meeting in
\nShanghai -- Jakarta would surely appreciate Prime Minister John
\nHoward's sympathetic evaluation of the Indonesian situation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pm-john-howards-visit-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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