RI-Singapore bilateral ties<\/p>\n
A two-day closed-door conference will be organized over the
\nweekend in Jakarta to discuss the bilateral relations between
\nIndonesia and Singapore. The event is being jointly organized by
\nthe Singapore Institute of International Affairs and the Jakarta-
\nbased Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The
\nimportance of holding this weekend's event at the present time is
\naptly summarized by the theme of the public seminar that takes
\nplace today: \"Singapore, Indonesia, and the New Global and
\nRegional Environment.\"<\/p>\n
It is a truism to state that Indonesia, since the downfall of
\nPresident Soeharto's regime in mid-1998 is going through vast
\nchanges that are still on. Although politically conscious
\nIndonesians are aware that the ultimate goal of these changes
\nunder the heading of \"Reformasi\" is to establish a democratic,
\njust, prosperous and united Indonesia, most are not so sure about
\nhow to get there. As a matter of fact, there is serious concern
\nthat Indonesia could plunge into pitfalls that in the end could
\nconstitute not only a setback for the Indonesian nation, but
\ncould well affect the stability and the future of the whole
\nSoutheast Asian region.<\/p>\n
What makes this weekend's encounter all the more interesting
\nis that Singapore, which for years has been considered the
\nregion's hub of modernity and anchor of stability, is apparently
\nalso going through a process of transformation. Singapore, with a
\ntotal population of roughly 3.2 million, has the most vibrant
\neconomy in the region with its services sector contributing to a
\ntotal of 64.1 percent of GDP, which last year totaled US$84.9
\nbillion, or US$26,360 per capita. A truly astonishing amount,
\nconsidering that Indonesia, with a population of more than 200
\nmillion, has a per capita income of less than US$1,000.<\/p>\n
However, whereas we in Indonesia are accustomed to living with
\nchange and are forever mindful of the axiom \"always expect the
\nunexpected\", apparently for Singaporeans, the current economic
\ncrisis constitutes a psychologically traumatic experience. It is
\nindeed a shocking experience to find, after a 10 percent economic
\ngrowth in the year 2000, that the economy had shrunk by 2.2
\npercent last year, a phenomenon described by the Hong Kong-based
\nFar Eastern Economic Review magazine as \"the biggest decline in
\nthe city's post-independence history.\" But while most probably
\nbelieve it will be relatively easy for Singapore to implement the
\nnecessary measures for economic recovery due to the manageable
\nformat of its society, in the case of Indonesia, for President
\nMegawati's government the exercise could be like walking through
\nan uncharted minefield. Even so, looking at the past four years,
\nIndonesia has shown its resilience. Despite the vagaries of
\nPresidents B.J. Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid, there is still a
\nunited Indonesia, albeit with an economy that is at best muddling
\nthrough.<\/p>\n
The most interesting question that we suggest the participants
\nin this weekend's bilateral conference should provide upon is how
\nthe two countries, both of which are currently going through a
\nprocess of reform, can consciously, and in a planned manner help
\neach other. This question, seemingly, is a logically implied
\nstatement. To be honest, however, decades after the historic
\nofficial visit of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to Jakarta in early
\n1973 (with a side-trip to North Sumatra), there is still that
\nlingering attitude among Indonesians that tends to view Singapore
\nhardly as an independent and respectable state and nation.<\/p>\n
Many middle-class Indonesians are enjoying Singapore's modern
\nfacilities, especially its convenient shopping centers, its
\nefficient banking system and its modern medical facilities.
\nHowever, those who still remember Presidents Habibie and
\nAbdurrahman Wahid's derogatory remarks about Singapore should, in
\nall honesty, admit that there are still many among us who share
\nthose views. A stable and sturdy bilateral relationship requires
\nfirst and foremost that we, Indonesians, learn to respect
\nSingapore for all its achievements. On the other hand, Singapore,
\nin its effort to recover from its economic crisis, should perhaps
\nconsider thoroughly changing the mind-set of Singaporeans and
\nacknowledge that they are truly part of the Southeast Asian
\nregion with Indonesia as its large neighbor. It strikes us, for
\ninstance, that in the community centers in Singapore there is
\nhardly any map depicting the region showing the populations of
\nthe 10 ASEAN member countries in proportion.<\/p>\n
We suggest this simple fact, not in order to instill an
\ninferiority complex among Singaporeans. On the contrary, perhaps
\na sense of solidarity with its neighbors could be developed with
\na sense of mission to share Singapore's modernity and capability
\nto organize, especially with Indonesia, which is struggling to
\novercome its myriad problems. This mind-set would eventually have
\nan impact in restructuring Singapore's economy so that it will be
\nless affected by the economic fluctuations that occur in the West
\nor in Japan.<\/p>\n
All in all, the Singapore-Indonesia bilateral conference over
\nthe weekend should be able to come up with ideas in order that we
\nin this Southeast Asian region can together find ways to overcome
\nthe uncertainties of the fluid global environment.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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