Ambassador certain of growth

Ambassador certain of growth

By William Furney

In an interview at the French Embassy on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, French Ambassador to Indonesia Gerard Cros spoke of the relations between Indonesia and France, how his country is helping Indonesia in this time of continuing crisis and whether "unionizing" Europe is something which could work in this part of the world.

Please trace the history of relations between France and Indonesia.

It's a long story. Java is in the subconscious of France. There are many many references to Java, and also Bali: in literature, music and art. For instance, there was a delegation in 1889 in Paris where a Javanese dancer appeared for the first time. So, psychologically, it's a long story. Our relations started in the 1950s and we quickly became involved in the economic field. The first main development project, the dam at Jatiluhur, was financed by France. It was the beginning of a long period of heavy involvement in development projects. There are upward of 120 enterprises here now.

We are now investing in the service sector; you can see many French companies here now. These companies are doing well here because they are dealing with the domestic market.

Much has changed in Indonesia in the past year. In what ways has this affected France's relationship with the Indonesian government and people?

There are different levels: the macroeconomic level where we are involved to a certain extent in the decision-making process in Washington, with the boards of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Then there is the level of bilateral relations. We've been obliged to adapt ourselves to the new situation. The problem now is that there are no big projects.

In the last few years we've only been able to help the Indonesian authorities by taking upon ourselves their share in the projects that are still alive. So we pay what is called the local share.

There is a third level of adjustment: that of enterprise. I have observed that certain enterprises are in a very bad situation. Lots of companies have left Indonesia while others have had to scale down. Those that have stayed want to be here because they think that within five years Indonesia will be a big market for them.

What are your views on the state of the economy, and the embattled rupiah?

I think it's realistic to say that the ongoing economic crisis will last for another three to five years. Once again, we're on a certain wave of new vitality in the Indonesian economy. So far, so good, consumption and exports are up. In our analysis, we think that the rebound is here now. We're not worried by the problems of the rupiah that much, as basically they are due to political factors. The level of the currency does not reflect the condition of the economy right now. We are currently organizing a visit of a large delegation of French businesspeople to Indonesia to have a look at the market.

How would you characterize the bilateral ties of the two countries in the areas of cultural exchange, trade and education?

To be frank, I have discovered that the key element that unites France and Indonesia is football. During the Euro 2000 matches, I was surprised to see all the people in the kampongs watching the matches in the early hours. It was incredible. As a diplomat, I have to be very humble and I think it's not superficial to say this. There were a lot of editorials in Indonesian newspapers saying that the unity of the French expressed in the tournament, based on multiethnicity and so on, could be a good example for moral commitment and unity in Indonesia.

Apart from football, we try to have a cultural policy with Indonesia, and are one of the few counties to do so. Part of our program is based on the exchange of artists. In parallel, we organize workshops with the movie-making industry in Indonesia. We also have a program with certain universities and invite about 52 students to study in French universities.

In terms of trade with Indonesia, we are not at the top in relation to other European countries. But I can say that we are importing more from Indonesia now than before the crisis, mainly due to the value of the rupiah. Fruit, textiles and electronic components are some of the products we import. We are a pretty big importer.

What aspects of these ties can be improved upon for the mutual benefit of both countries?

I think we should make efforts with the young people of Indonesia, especially through universities. One of the big tasks of this embassy in the coming year will be to foster university- to-university relations.

How many French nationals live in Indonesia and what kind of services are they offered?

We have 1,923 French citizens registered with us. That's a drop on the previous year's figure of 2,169. We add about 300 to those figures for those who are not registered. Basically, the decrease comes from people who have children and then leave. There were about 70,000 French tourists in 1998 and this number has dropped because of insecurity in Indonesia or in the Asian region.

We consider that French citizens here deserve, by and large, the same services they enjoy at home, and for this reason we have a rather large consular section. What we call "sanitary repatriation" takes up the most of our time. It's when tourists get into trouble and we have to get them home. We also have an allowance for those who get into financial trouble. It's a help system -- a kind of social security. We have a French school here and we give financial assistance to parents who can't afford the fees for their children.

As France is a member of the European Union (EU) and is about to fully use the euro, do you think the "unionizing" of European countries is something that could work in Southeast Asia?

Not yet. You know, the European construction is a sort of adventure that has now 50 years of existence and there have been many crises and difficulties along the way. There were many unexpected events, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, and this has changed the initial vision.

There are three basic elements of the European construction: the first is the necessity and maintenance of peace. Second, there is democracy -- the real participation of every citizen in the decision-making process. I'm not sure that Asia is ripe enough to go that far. Third, there is economic development, and I think this applies to Asia now. As far as the EU is concerned, we agreed that the settlement of border problems was a prerequisite for the adhesion of newcomers inside the Union (such as the Eastern European Countries).

I don't see in Asia the possibility of having such a system as yet. In Asia or Southeast Asia, I see stronger coordination or harmonization of policies. There is a strong need for evolution, stabilization of the countries and the disappearance of local crises. And, maybe, the consciousness that there is something more important than Indonesia, the Philippines or Singapore; that there is something called Southeast Asia.