Abdurrahman's Australian trip

It is not often that one hears of President Abdurrahman Wahid altering his overseas travel itinerary in the face of criticism. His decision, therefore, to cut short his upcoming visit to Australia, even if only by a few days, is something that Indonesians would do well to appreciate. An official visit by an Indonesian head of state and head of government to Australia is easier to justify than some of the trips the President has in the past 17 months made to more than 50 countries around the globe.

Whatever some Indonesians may think or say about Australia and its -- to Indonesians -- often antagonistic policies, Australia is one of Indonesia's closest neighbors. It is wealthy and advanced and it is endowed with industrial, economic and cultural resources that Indonesians could use to their advantage and to the advantage of their country. In short, Australia provides a close and convenient portal to the West for Indonesia.

Still, as may be expected, the President's latest travel plan has been met with considerable criticism at home. To be sure, there are ample grounds for the criticism. The country is in a mess. The economic outlook is bleak, with business slack and the national currency sinking further. Violence and civil strife continue to disrupt entire communities in Maluku and Kalimantan. In Irian Jaya secessionists remain active and in Aceh they even show signs of growing military power. Abdurrahman Wahid himself is facing further censure and even possible impeachment by the national legislature.

However, as presidential spokesman Wimar Witoelar explained it to the press, it was unlikely that the Australian trip would be canceled this time as it had already been postponed several times before due to political differences. "It is essential that we stick to the schedule, otherwise we will have postponed the trip to Australia three times. So, maybe by way of compromise, this trip could be shortened," he explained. "First, we don't want the President to spend too much time away for obvious reasons; second, we want to save money and cut costs. But it cannot be too short, because besides meeting officials, the Australian public also wants to hear Gus Dur (President Abdurrahman Wahid)."

For the purpose of saving money, Abdurrahman will use a commercial flight instead of his special presidential plane. And instead of taking the usual 50 to 60 people with him on his Australian trip, the President will be traveling with an entourage of only 20. The presidential secretariat has hopefully learned its lesson from Abdurrahman's most recent overseas trip to Saudi Arabia, when the already beleaguered President came under fire following the disclosure that US$300,000 had been delivered to officials traveling with him. Presidential aides had to explain that the money came from the presidential secretariat's own coffers and that it was needed to cover the "additional expenses" of the presidential entourage.

So, once again the President will leave the running of this troubled country to Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri and the Cabinet for the six days or so that Abdurrahman will be away on yet another overseas trip. Not that it is likely to make much of a difference. But, important as Australia may be to Indonesia and much as this country needs Australia's support, most Indonesians seem to feel that, in times of serious trouble, a President should stay at home to look after the country and cope with any unanticipated emergencies.

To the majority of Indonesians, the President's propensity to leave the country even while it is being swamped by adversity of every sort, makes it look as though the President has failed to comprehend the seriousness of the situation here. Ignoring this reality will certainly not help strengthen the President's hand in dealing with his adversaries at home.