Terrorism bolsters Australia's ties with RI<\/p>\n
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia and Australia, long known for their love-hate
\nrelationship, are now again seeing a period of unity -- at least
\nfor the time being -- by a common concern: terrorism.<\/p>\n
Following the last few years of apparently wavering support on
\nthis issue from former president Megawati Soekarnoputri,
\nAustralia seems to have set its faith in President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono.<\/p>\n
The two countries have worked closely to fight terror since
\nthe Oct. 12, 2002 bombing in Bali that killed 202 people,
\nincluding 88 Australians.<\/p>\n
Another suicide bombing outside the Australian Embassy in
\nJakarta on Sept. 9 this year -- just 11 days before the election
\nrunoff here and about a month until the Australian election --
\nstressed that country's vulnerability as the closest, non-Asian
\nneighbor to the world's largest Muslim nation. The bombing killed
\n11 Indonesians, including the bomber, and injured more than 180.<\/p>\n
Susilo's victory and Prime Minister John Howard's reelection
\nhas prompted Australia to initiate a new strategy in bilateral
\nrelations.<\/p>\n
After he was reelected, Howard's first overseas trip was to
\nJakarta to attend Susilo's inauguration in mid-October, when he
\ntold the press that he believed Susilo was someone with whom he
\ncould do business.<\/p>\n
The two heads of state met again in November, during the Asia
\nPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Chile and then the
\nAssociation of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in
\nLaos.<\/p>\n
Susilo has had much exposure among the Australian public, as
\nhe visited that country in his capacity as Megawati's top
\nsecurity minister as part of the Bali bombing investigation.<\/p>\n
Perhaps Susilo owes some of his credibility among Australians
\nin the war on terror to another perception: that Megawati had not
\ndone enough to bring to justice the masterminds of the Bali
\nbombing. He has also prioritized the arrest of \"terror twins\" Dr.
\nAzahari and Noordin M. Top in his first 100 days in office.<\/p>\n
Meeting on the sidelines of the recent APEC summit, the two
\nleaders agreed to address concerns about defense and security to
\nprevent possible misunderstandings in the future. They also
\nunderscored the need for their police, attorney general's offices
\nand intelligence bodies to sustain the bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n
Only two weeks after this Chile meeting, Australia increased
\nits antiterrorism assistance to Indonesia from A$10 million to
\nA$20 million (US$15.4 million) over the next five years, mostly
\nallotted to Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation, an
\nantiterrorist training center in Semarang. Australia sponsored
\nthe establishment of the Center which was inaugurated by Megawati
\nin July.<\/p>\n
Canberra, which is often regarded as the deputy sheriff to the
\nUnited States, also plans to strengthen the capabilities of
\nairports, customs and immigration offices in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Australia and Indonesia have had a rocky history, particularly
\non security and political issues, hitting a record in 1999, when
\nAustralia led a multinational peacekeeping force to East Timor
\nfollowing the former Indonesian province's independence
\nreferendum.<\/p>\n
This year, Canberra drew up aggressive ideas on boosting its
\ndefense capabilities in the war on terror. However, this was seen
\nas an offensive stance, with the strongest criticism coming from
\nMalaysia and Indonesia -- that it was a violation of sovereignty.<\/p>\n
Australia's plans include creating what it believes would be
\nthe most lethal fleet of fighter jets in Southeast Asia by
\nequipping its aircraft with long-range cruise missiles. The
\nplanned missiles would be able to destroy air and sea targets up
\nto 400 kilometers away.<\/p>\n
Canberra also warned it would take preemptive strikes against
\noverseas terrorists by deploying two police teams to the source
\nto stop them (terrorists) from reaching Australian soil.<\/p>\n
The announcement of the plans came only a day after the
\nAustralian Strategic Policy Institute, an independent think-tank
\nset up the government, said in a report that Australians believed
\nIndonesia posed the greatest threat to their national security.<\/p>\n
Howard quickly clarified to his neighbors that the plan was a
\npart of its defense policy.<\/p>\n
Aside from security issues, however, the two neighbors have a
\nrelatively good relationship.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, who has retained
\nthe post under Susilo's government, confirmed that the two
\ncountries had signed documents on bilateral cooperation to
\novercome people smuggling and trafficking, and had cohosting an
\ninterreligious dialog.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in education, a large number of Indonesian students
\npursue advanced studies in Australia; while many Australian
\nInstitutions have provided financial aid to Indonesian students
\npursuing a postgraduate degree.<\/p>\n
Australia is one of Indonesia's largest foreign investors with
\nan approved total investment of about US$798.3 million since
\n2000, mostly in the mining, financial services and beverages
\nsectors. Dozens of Australian companies operate in Indonesia, and
\ntheir existence has contributed to the growth and recovery of the
\nnational economy.<\/p>\n
Last year, Indonesian exports to Australia reached $6.1
\nbillion, and Australian imports $3.25 billion.<\/p>\n
Australia and Indonesia organized recently an interfaith
\ndialog bringing together 124 religious leaders from 13 Asia-
\nPacific countries.<\/p>\n
These events may serve as a beginning of a new chapter of the
\nbilateral cooperation. One of the pressing issue these days, as
\nboth countries have suggested, is to find the best approach to
\nfight terrorism.<\/p>\n
In co-hosting an interfaith dialog with Indonesia, Australia
\nhas also shown that it appreciated tolerance and encouraged
\ndialog, preferably in the war against terror. By providing fund
\nfor the antiterrorist training center, Australia has indicated
\nthat it preferred a legal over a military approach for justice.<\/p>\n
Australia is also considering a new security pact with
\nIndonesia to replace a treaty between the two countries that was
\nscrapped when Canberra sent troops into Dili.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, however, only time will tell whether
\nthis approach might stave off suspicions and correct the
\nmisperceptions of the two countries.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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