RI-S'pore ties: Opportunity lost<\/p>\n
AM Hendropriyono, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It was not that long ago, so the story goes, that a former
\nIndonesian president pointed to a small star on a map of
\nSoutheast Asia. "That's Singapore," he sniffed with disdain. It's
\nsmaller than the island in the middle of Lake Toba".<\/p>\n
A decent interval has passed since those caustic comments, and
\nIndonesia-Singapore ties have rebounded strongly in many areas.
\nPerhaps nowhere is this more true than in the war on terrorism.
\nFrom my perspective as head of the State Intelligence Agency,
\nSingapore's cooperation on this front can only be described as
\nexcellent. As one of our close partners in what promises to be a
\nprolonged campaign, Singapore has responded positively to all
\nintelligence requests made by Indonesia. This is a two-way
\nstreet: Indonesia, in turn, has done its best to fulfill
\nSingapore's intelligence needs.<\/p>\n
On a more symbolic level, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was one
\nof the first foreign leaders to visit Indonesia after the October
\n2002 Bali bombings. While in Jakarta, he went out of his way to
\nemphasize the sense of security he felt -- welcome comments not
\nwithout influence among foreign businessmen and tourists.<\/p>\n
Just as important have been the gains in bilateral economic
\nties. Out of all proportion to its size, Singapore has been the
\nfourth-largest investor in Indonesia for five years running.
\nTourism in both directions is vibrant, with about a million
\nSingaporeans visiting Indonesia last year.<\/p>\n
On Batam and Bintan Islands, close cooperation extends back a
\ndecade; this stands to grow more deeply following implementation
\nof the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, with Indonesian
\nexports, as a result, able to enter the U.S. market without
\npaying duty through the Integrated Sourcing Initiative.<\/p>\n
But despite all this, there is a lingering impression among
\nmany Singaporean leaders that the current administration of
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri is often obstructive at best, and hostile
\nat worst. This impression is not without justification. In
\nparticular, recent examples of economic friction have been all
\ntoo common.<\/p>\n
Worse, one usually comes away with the feeling that much of
\nthis friction is due to a lack of willingness by some Indonesian
\nofficials to tackle hard reforms at home. Example: Rather than
\nreigning in administrative corruption around Riau to correct
\ncustoms shortfalls, one senior official recently pinned blame
\nsolely on alleged Singaporean smugglers.<\/p>\n
Another point of contention is maritime security along the
\nMalacca Strait. There is no understating the importance of this
\ncheckpoint. Some 800 kilometers long, it hosts about 5,000 ships
\na year. This includes some 72 percent of the supertankers and
\nheavy vessels moving between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.<\/p>\n
Obviously, were traffic to be seriously impeded along the
\nstrait, the negative impact rippling across the economies of East
\nAsia would be enormous. This is, unfortunately, an all too real
\npossibility. For one thing, piracy is on the increase. According
\nto the International Maritime Bureau, there were 16 piratical
\nattacks along the strait in 2002; that number rose to 28 during
\n2003.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, there is the threat of maritime terrorism. Senior
\nJamaah Islamiyah terrorists now in detention have admitted that
\nattacks on Malacca shipping traffic have been contemplated in the
\nrecent past. Should a supertanker along the strait be sabotaged,
\nespecially near territorial waters, the economic and ecological
\nfallout would be enormous.<\/p>\n
But despite such threats, security along the strait has been
\nsorely lacking. This is partly for jurisdictional reasons: Three
\ncountries have territorial waters extending into the strait,
\ncomplicating naval coordination. Part, too, is due to a lack of
\nresources: Attrition since the 1997 economic crisis has hit
\nregional navies rather hard, none more so than that of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Looking at the shortfall in maritime patrols along the length
\nof the strait, Singapore earlier this year raised the possibility
\nof inviting a third party to guarantee maritime security. This
\nwould have been done through the U.S. Regional Maritime Security
\nInitiative, part of the Proliferation Security Initiative meant
\nto combat global terrorism. To support the scheme, Singapore
\nofficially dedicated naval facilities at its Changi Naval Base in
\nMay; these were built to the specifications of U.S. warships.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the concerns raised by Singapore, Indonesia and
\nMalaysia have attempted to shore up security measures by the
\nthree littoral states. A meeting of the Indonesia-Malaysia Joint
\nCommission in May, for example, resulted in pledges to enhance
\nbilateral naval cooperation. Malaysia, in particular, announced
\nit would establish a coast guard over the coming year.<\/p>\n
Most recently, in July, the Indonesian, Malaysian and
\nSingaporean navies agreed to commence joint patrols along the
\nstrait. They also agreed to establish a naval hotline and to use
\ncommon radio frequencies to ease communications.<\/p>\n
While these are all positive developments, the attitude of
\nsome Indonesian diplomats toward Singapore was found wanting.
\nRather than discretely voicing questions over Singaporean
\ncooperation in the Regional Maritime Security Initiative,
\ncriticism of Singapore was very public and shrill. More suitable,
\nperhaps, would have been a measured response that welcomed
\ncooperation from any country wishing to help safeguard the
\nstrait, provided that there was agreement from the littoral
\nstates. This might include, for example, intelligence-sharing,
\nthe provision of weaponry and training exercises.<\/p>\n
The attitude taken by some Indonesian authorities toward the
\nMalacca initiative has only fueled the impression of hostility
\ntoward Singapore, despite the fact that, generally, the Megawati
\nadministration has been trying hard to foster bilateral goodwill.
\nWith the new administration having taken office in Singapore,
\nperhaps the time is right for a fresh, more mature start.<\/p>\n
Already, there have been calls for the establishment of a
\nhotline between leaders of both nations to quickly resolve issues
\nbefore they become a matter of public debate. Such a step, among
\nothers, could well result in the enhancement of cordial ties that
\nare so obviously in the mutual interests of both Singapore and
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The writer is director of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-spore-ties-opportunity-lost-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }