President Megawati needn't mess around with foreign policy<\/p>\n
By J. Soedjati Djiwandono<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Megawati Soekarnoputri's choice to
\nvisit the ASEAN capitals was right as a reaffirmation of her
\npledge to make ASEAN once again the cornerstone of Indonesia's
\nforeign policy. It was a necessary first step to rectify her
\npredecessor's virtual neglect and even, in some cases, snub of
\nIndonesia's neighbors.<\/p>\n
She was also right in saying before the Indonesian community
\nin Bangkok during her visit there that Indonesia must put its own
\nhouse in order before it can resume its role in ASEAN.
\nIndonesia's role in the region as well as in the wider
\ninternational arena needs to be sustained by its domestic
\nstability and credibility.<\/p>\n
It seems doubtful, however, if there has been \"a consensus
\nwithin ASEAN that Indonesia takes most of the initiatives and
\nleadership within the organization simply because it is the
\nlargest member\". She said, \"Indonesia must live up to its title
\nas the 'big brother' of the region.\" And she wished people would
\nstop putting quotation marks around the words \"big brother\"
\nwhenever referring to the role that Indonesia should play in
\nASEAN.<\/p>\n
Well, I, for one, will continue to put quotation marks around
\nthose words, unless I feel assured that the title \"big brother\"
\nis willingly conferred upon Indonesia by the rest of ASEAN rather
\nthan self-proclaimed by Indonesian leaders. And only then will I
\nstop using the term in a positive sense.<\/p>\n
Indeed, I may be out of date and out of touch with current
\nforeign affairs, but my understanding is that the term \"big
\nbrother\" -- in reference to \"big-brother attitude\" or \"big-
\nbrother policy\" in international affairs -- normally indicates a
\nfeeling of resentment on the part of target countries against the
\nbullying tactics of bigger and more powerful neighbors.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Indonesians referred to the Japanese as a \"big
\nbrother\", a term imposed as a propaganda tool by the Japanese
\nduring the three and a half years of occupation. Many Indonesians
\nmight have done it out of fear or ignorance, or both, and a few
\nleaders were perhaps innocently convinced of the Japanese
\ngoodwill and intention.<\/p>\n
Would, however, Indonesians today accept or tolerate a
\nbullying behavior toward them by China, Japan, India or the USA
\nand still regard any of them as a \"big brother\"? I very much
\ndoubt it.<\/p>\n
Terms and concepts die hard in international politics. The
\nmost that our neighbors in ASEAN could tolerate, if not
\nnecessarily publicly and explicitly expressed, is probably
\nIndonesia's status within ASEAN as primus inter pares (first
\namong equals). Indonesia should strive for no higher status than
\nthat. The power of a state is not simply measured by the number
\nof its population, the size of its territory, and the wealth of
\nits natural resources and its cultural richness, but also its
\nhuman resources, its advancement in technology, its economic
\npower, its military strength, its democracy and stability, and
\nthus its political influence.<\/p>\n
However, Indonesia does occupy a special place in Southeast
\nAsia. That is to say, in the past, it was perceived by its
\nneighbors as a potential threat to their security, and thus to
\nthe security of the region in military or expansionist terms.
\nIndonesia's success in recovering West Irian in the 1960s, its
\npolicy of confrontation against Malaysia, and its annexation of
\nEast Timor were seen as historical evidence of Indonesia's
\nexpansionist ambition.<\/p>\n
Even today, Indonesia remains a potential threat to the
\nsecurity of its neighbors. Now, however, that threat is not to be
\nunderstood in military or expansionist terms, but rather in
\nsocial, political and economic terms because of the
\nmultidimensional crisis that has beset the country for the past
\nfew years.<\/p>\n
The flow of \"boat people\" from Indonesia seeking a better life
\nin the neighboring countries is not to be underestimated. This
\nwould be a \"spillover\" of Indonesia's domestic troubles into its
\nneighbors.<\/p>\n
ASEAN would tend to render Indonesia \"less menacing\".
\nIndonesia would, as it were, tend to be \"domesticated\" rather
\nthan outside the association.<\/p>\n
I recall cases when there were complaints by Singaporeans,
\nFilipinos (in reference to their dispute with Malaysia over
\nSabah, for instance), and Malaysians about \"big brother\" behavior
\non the part of Indonesians (particularly diplomats and other
\nhigh-ranking officials) for some signs of what they perceived,
\nrightly or wrongly, as interference in their domestic affairs.
\nOne Indonesian diplomat was even declared persona non grata by
\nthe Philippine government.<\/p>\n
In her speech, the President also called on her compatriots
\neverywhere to build up their self-confidence, For Indonesia to be
\nable to take a leadership position, she said, \"the recipe is to
\nbuild a strong national identity, self-respect and self-
\nconfidence\". That's fine. But with what, Ma'am, just slogans?<\/p>\n
Indonesians abroad, she said, \"must never shy away from
\npublicly identifying their nationality no matter how appalling
\nconditions in their home country are and no matter what other
\npeople think of Indonesia. I have met many people who said they
\nwere ashamed to be Indonesians.\" Who has made them ashamed? Is it
\ntheir fault?<\/p>\n
People can only be proud, at least not ashamed, of their
\nnational identity only if their state delivers the goods it has
\npromised. After all, most Indonesians are citizens of this
\nrepublic not out of choice. The state must give them good reasons
\nto be proud of their membership. Or else, they have the right
\n(one of the human rights) to leave their country -- provided, of
\ncourse, there is some country that would accept them!<\/p>\n
Former president Abdurrahman Wahid acted as his own foreign
\nminister and bungled. President Megawati need not do that.
\nThough most probably not well-versed in foreign affairs, she now
\nhas an experienced diplomat as her foreign minister. Foreign
\naffairs do not seem to be where she needs to prove herself, if
\nshe really feels the need to prove herself, that is. For the
\noutcome may be precisely the opposite.<\/p>\n
Conducting foreign policy the way president Sukarno did in his
\nera almost four decades ago is no longer relevant to the rapidly
\nchanging world of today. In fact, it is questionable if it was
\never effective at all in the last few years of his presidency
\nfrom the point of view of Indonesia's national interest.<\/p>\n
We must move forward with the fast progress of the world, not
\nback to the past. Or else we may end up the laughing stock in the
\ninternational community for being so outrageously out of tune and
\nwide of the mark.<\/p>\n
The writer is a political analyst in Jakarta.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/president-megawati-neednt-mess-around-with-foreign-policy-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }