RI-U.S. military ties not out<\/p>\n
Bantarto Bandoro, Editor, The Indonesian Quarterly, Centre For Strategic
\nand International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta, bandoro@csis.or.id<\/p>\n
Recent weeks have seen a profusion of developments that have
\nsubstantially affected the state of bilateral ties between
\nIndonesia and the U.S. Irritants may have originated both from
\nIndonesia as well as the U.S., but if one were to quantify the
\nsources of irritants, one would have to conclude that those
\noriginating from Indonesia seem to have been responsible for the
\ndownturn in bilateral ties.<\/p>\n
However, it is rather unfair to view Indonesia-U.S. bilateral
\nrelations purely by quantifying the origin of the irritants. It
\nis a political reality, however, that the two countries have so
\nfar been unable to avoid such irritants in their bilateral ties.
\nPerhaps they do not understand each other well enough.<\/p>\n
The recent decision by the U.S. Congress to withhold military
\naid, as well as the International Military and Education Training
\n(IMET) program to Indonesia, reportedly because of a failure to
\nbring to justice the perpetrators of last year's killing in
\nTimika, Papua, of two U.S. citizens, has again put our bilateral
\nties to the test. Earlier this month, five American F-18
\njet fighters were detected maneuvering over Bawean island in East
\nJava, thus forcing the Office of the Coordinating Minister for
\nPolitical and Security Affairs to summon U.S. envoy Ralph L.
\nBoyce. Indonesia expressed regret over the incident but refrained
\nfrom asking for an apology from Washington after it emerged that
\nthe U.S. had reportedly submitted prior notification that the jet
\nfighters would be engaged in maneuvers over the island.<\/p>\n
Indonesia-U.S. military ties had been one of the most affected
\naspects of the bilateral framework due to the turbulence in our
\nbilateral relations. The U.S. Congress first voted to restrict
\nIMET for Indonesia in response to the Nov. 12, 1991, Santa Cruz
\ntragedy, which claimed the lives of about 270 civilians. All
\nmilitary ties were again severed in September 1999, after the
\nIndonesian Military and its militia proxies allegedly razed East
\nTimor after the referendum. All this has tarnished the once
\nextremely close military ties that existed for over three decades
\nperhaps, between the two countries. Attempts at mending military
\nties have been initiated, but have so far achieved little.<\/p>\n
In April last year the two countries held high-level security
\ntalks in an effort to restore their military ties, including
\nmilitary training and arms sales. Such a meeting reflected the
\ngood intentions of both sides to move into a more normal military
\nrelationship. As time has passed, nothing of great significance
\nhas appeared in our bilateral military relations.<\/p>\n
The Bali bombing, however, helped the two sides feel the need
\nto work hand in hand more closely in combating terrorism. US$50
\nmillion in aid to Indonesian security forces was provided by
\nWashington. But the seeming improvement in bilateral relations
\nhas only slightly touched the essence of military-to-military
\nties. Both must realize that there is still a long way to go
\nbefore resumption of full military ties. Until then, can one
\ntruly believe the strategic importance of bilateral military
\nrelations, which deserve special respect both from Jakarta and
\nWashington?<\/p>\n
We believe in the importance of the relationship for both
\nsides and particularly for Indonesia. We also believe that the
\nbilateral relationship cannot be taken for granted. Massive
\ninvestment, and a high degree of awareness on both sides of the
\nstrategic importance of their security relationship are perhaps
\nimperative if Indonesia and the U.S. are to be perceived as
\n\"normal\" partners.<\/p>\n
Perhaps it is against such a background that the George Bush
\nadministration recently proposed to disburse a sum of US$400,000
\nin military aid for the IMET program. This is the first attempt
\nmade by President Bush to restore military ties, but the proposal
\nwas met with full resistance from the U.S. House of
\nRepresentatives, which argued that the IMET funds be withheld
\nuntil the murder of two American citizens in Papua last year had
\nbeen investigated thoroughly. Jakarta must understand that
\nCongress takes an attack on U.S. citizens very seriously.<\/p>\n
The message it sent out was for Jakarta to be more transparent
\nin the investigation of the murder. The problem is not about the
\nhastiness of the decision, as claimed by Indonesia's foreign
\nministry spokesman, but perhaps more about the Indonesian side,
\nwhich Congress demanded to be more honest, committed and
\nprofessional in handling the Timika case.<\/p>\n
TNI commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto was reported as saying
\nthat the TNI was proven innocent after its own investigation and
\nblamed the incident instead on the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
\nInitial investigations by the Indonesian Police have strongly
\nimplicated TNI personnel in the killing of two U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n
With the blockade of aid, many here are probably asking
\nthemselves what the Bush administration will do now to mend
\nmilitary relations. But equally important, perhaps, is how the
\nIndonesian side will deal with the probability of unpredictable
\nand emotional reactions from its own society. The task will
\nbecome even more difficult if the signals coming from the U.S.
\ncannot be understood properly and are, instead, perceived here as
\noverblown.<\/p>\n
Communications and dialog play a crucial role in returning
\nmilitary ties to the right track. If the prestigious military aid
\nand training were to be restored, it would undoubtedly be seen as
\nU.S. support for an improvement in the professionalism of TNI.
\nAnger over the intrusion of U.S. F-18 jet fighters into
\nIndonesian airspace indicated how even a small incident could
\ncause bilateral military ties to plummet. The current Indonesian
\nmilitary relationship with the U.S. is indeed down, but not
\ncompletely out.<\/p>\n
It is in the interests of both Jakarta and Washington to see
\nmilitary ties restored, just as it is also in the interests of
\nIndonesia's neighbors.<\/p>",
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