The WPF: An idea worth pursuing<\/p>\n
By Irawan Abidin<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The administration of President Abdurrahman
\nWahid is often criticized for its directions in foreign policy.
\nIts first diplomatic initiative gave the impression that it was
\ntrying to form an anti-Western grouping composed of Indonesia,
\nIndia, China and the Russian Federation. Then it gave the
\nimpression that it was being soft on Israel, which did not sit
\nwell with many Indonesians.<\/p>\n
Late last year, the President announced another initiative --
\nthis time toward the establishment of a West Pacific Forum that
\nwould include Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New
\nGuinea, the Philippines and East Timor. This idea was immediately
\nclassed along with the notion of an Indonesia-India-China-Russia
\naxis, a concept that would not be able to fly.<\/p>\n
This is unfortunate because the proposal for a West Pacific
\nForum is one of the few good ideas that ever came out of the
\nAbdurrahman administration. There are several good reasons why
\nthe idea should be taken more seriously.<\/p>\n
The West Pacific is an important geographical unit within the
\nAsia Pacific region and if the countries within it cooperate with
\none another, there is a great deal to be gained by each of them.
\nA subregional organization in the West Pacific, if well tended,
\ncan make a unique contribution to the growth of stability and
\ncooperation in the larger region.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, of course, would gain a great deal if the forum
\nwere realized. In fact, it is now trying to get into the South
\nPacific Forum as an observer precisely because it feels the need
\nto interact more intensively with the other Pacific countries on
\na subregional basis. The formation of the forum would certainly
\nhasten its long delayed reconciliation with Australia. The Forum
\nwould also make it easier for Indonesia to manage some of its
\ndiplomatic problems resulting from the separatist movement in
\nWest Papua (Irian Jaya).<\/p>\n
Logically, the forum could be of great help to East Timor in
\ntaking its first steps as a new state. Indonesia would be more
\ncomfortable with a multilateral minding of East Timor than with a
\nsituation where East Timor is to a large extent an exclusive ward
\nof Australia. For its part, Australia should be happy sharing the
\nfinancial and other burdens attendant to helping East Timor.<\/p>\n
East Timor is correct in making membership in ASEAN its first
\npriority: ASEAN, after all, is already a successful organization
\nthat can extend a great deal of technical and other forms of help
\nto East Timor in the same way that the earlier members of the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations are now helping their new
\nmembers on the Indochinese mainland.<\/p>\n
But East Timor's membership in ASEAN is not incompatible with
\nits membership of the projected West Pacific Forum. In fact,
\nmembership in both organizations could even generate a kind of
\nsynergy that would multiply the benefits for East Timor.<\/p>\n
Australia has supported the idea quite vigorously and that is
\nnot only because Australia, too, wants to mend its fences with
\nIndonesia; it is also because Australia is keen on getting more
\ndeeply engaged with its neighbors, particularly its neighbors to
\nthe north, and the forum would be one more opportunity for doing
\njust that. After failing to join the Asia-Europe Meeting and
\nASEAN + 3, Australia should find it a kind of compensation being
\nin the West Pacific Forum.<\/p>\n
Early reports were that New Zealand went along with Australia
\nin welcoming the idea of a West Pacific Forum. The latest word
\ngoing around, however, is that New Zealand has decided to reject
\nit. It is possible that the issue of West Papua may have
\nsomething to do with New Zealand's apparent change of mind,
\ncompounded by a wish to emphasize the fact that it has its own
\nforeign policy, which is not just an echo of Australia's.<\/p>\n
Neither the Philippines nor Papua New Guinea, two prospective
\nmembers, have indicated their responses to the idea. But when the
\ntime comes when the idea is in some way directly proposed to
\nthem, there is no logical reason why either country should reject
\nthe idea.<\/p>\n
There is the observation that the projected regional
\norganization would not work well because of the presence of two
\ndeveloped countries, Australia and New Zealand, which could
\ndominate the developing country members of the forum. This
\nargument does not hold water. If that kind of thinking were
\ncorrect, then the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum
\nshould not have been formed at all, and Australia and New Zealand
\nshould not have been invited into the Indian Ocean Rim-Area for
\nRegional Cooperation (IOR-ARC). In fact, these two organizations
\nare all the more relevant because of their mixed membership of
\ndeveloped and developing countries.<\/p>\n
The basic idea of the forum sorely needs to be fleshed out.
\nOfficially it has been merely described as \"not solely economic
\nand political\". It is also social and cultural cooperation, which
\nwill enhance the existing good relations between the
\nparticipating countries.<\/p>\n
The seminar on the need for a West Pacific Forum which will be
\nheld by the University of Indonesia's Center for Australian
\nStudies and the Department of Foreign Affairs, and which is
\nscheduled to start on Tuesday, is therefore most welcome.<\/p>\n
One international body that would be very glad to participate
\nin the consultation process is the UN Economic and Social
\nCommission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which has the
\nexperience to be able to help in the planning. It is also within
\nits geographical and functional mandate to assist in the process.
\nIt would not hurt to also consult the UNDP.<\/p>\n
There might have been more initial support for the idea of the
\nWest Pacific Forum had it been made public under more auspicious
\ncircumstances. Many circles now simply associate the idea with
\nthe fit of irritation that President Abdurrahman went into when
\nhe had the mistaken impression that Singapore was against the
\nentry of East Timor into ASEAN. This was on top of the fact that
\nat that time he was smarting from various other frustrations with
\nSingapore and perhaps some of the other ASEAN members. It was the
\nworst possible timing for such a revelation. But considerable
\ntime has passed since then and it is now possible to see the
\nissue in a more serene light.<\/p>\n
And in a more serene light, it is evident that this is
\nbasically a good idea. How good an idea it really is will finally
\nbe seen when the detailed concept, the framework for the forum,
\nis released, perhaps a few months from now. A lot will depend on
\nthe skill of the diplomats who will flesh it out and the quality
\nof consultations on the projected forum during the months ahead.<\/p>\n
This will be quite a big task: the devil, they say, is in the
\ndetails.<\/p>\n
If they produce a reasonably good framework, the West Pacific
\nForum will have a chance to be perceived as a good idea whose
\ntime has come, and nothing is more powerful than that. It will
\nthen be a major achievement of Abdurrahman's administration.<\/p>\n
The writer served as Indonesian ambassador to Athens and to
\nthe Holy See before his retirement last year.<\/p>",
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