Australia goes through a withdrawal symptom

Australia goes through a withdrawal symptom

By Sabam Siagian

JAKARTA (JP): When friends asked me recently what my prediction would be for the March 2 Australian federal elections, my standard answer was that either contestant could win albeit with a small margin.

Perhaps reflecting my personal bias, I would then add that I hoped the Labor Party and Paul Keating would have another chance. My reasoning was that Paul Keating's leadership for another three years was a historical necessity to complete Australia's transformation process.

During my years as Indonesia's representative in Australia I always argued that an outward-looking Australia, knowledgeable and maintaining a level of empathy with its Asian neighbors, particularly Indonesia, and willingly sharing its modern qualities as a Western nation, would be a strategic asset for Indonesia and the rest of Asia.

I then explained that Indonesia, the biggest archipelagic state in the world with almost 200 million inhabitants, is facing a formidable challenge upon entering the 21st century. We have to tackle at least four gigantic tasks almost at the same time: preserving the territorial integrity of a large archipelagic state, maintaining national cohesion for the fourth most populous country in the world, sustaining economic growth and enhancing the ethical qualities of the Indonesian political culture.

I kept hammering home on this theme of Indonesia's challenging tasks during my four-year assignment in Australia in order to convey the message that Australians should not take for granted the secure and relatively stable geopolitical environment their country has been enjoying so far. At the same time it was also my purpose to convey to Australians that their country has a significant contribution to offer in completing Indonesia's modernization process. After all, Australia, as a modern Western country, is attractive precisely because it is a repository of modern science and technology, information data and management skills, which a rapidly developing country, such as Indonesia, is in dire need of.

Furthermore, Australia with its heritage of Western humanistic values could be a dialog partner for a progressing Indonesia in its determination to strengthen the ethical foundations of its political culture as stipulated by the Indonesian Constitution. In short, clearly there is a symmetry of geopolitical interests between Indonesia as a large and dynamic non-Western country and Australia as a modern western nation, if it constantly maintains an outward-looking posture.

A modern, stable Indonesia with a strong economy and a political culture that upholds democratic principles and respects the human rights of its citizens as stipulated by the Constitution will no doubt offer a favorable geopolitical environment for Australia, including a lucrative market for its goods and services.

The massive victory achieved by the coalition parties which put the Howard-Fisher government in place has made it doubtful whether Australia will maintain that outward-looking stance so necessary for assuring its favorable strategic future. As a matter of fact, I have asked myself many times after analyzing the outcome of the March 2 federal elections whether Australia now is actually going through a symptom of withdrawal.

I have read the morning-after analyses which supposedly explain the reasons for the coalition's massive victory. Somehow I think it is an inadequate explanation to ascribe that victory to Paul Keating's arrogant style, or the pedantic style of the ALP's ministers, or the need for change after 13 years of Labor Party rule, the high level of unemployment especially among Australia's youths, or the problems that are faced by small businesses. I have asked myself whether a much deeper factor in the social psyche of Australians is not the reason for the serious swing expressed in the recent federal elections.

When Paul Keating became prime minister in mid-December 1991, and, with the help of his personal advisors, reviewed the post- Cold War Asia-Pacific strategic scene and Australia's future with the diminished weight of its alliance with the United States, he arrived at some conclusions and decisions. In due time he developed a vision for leading Australia towards a secure strategic future.

His decision to visit Indonesia in April 1992 was not the result of a whim, but of serious discussions with his advisors, having in mind the common interests which both Australia and Indonesia would share in the years that were to come.

Could it be that the four years of Paul Keating's assertive leadership that pushed Australia onto the Asia-Pacific scene as an active player with innovative initiatives has set in motion a psychological pendulum among Australians hankering, unconsciously perhaps, for a more serene and pastoral political environment?

Traveling throughout Australia during my four years as Indonesia's ambassador, I found the changes that were taking place in the daily lives of Australians, even in the most remote corners of the country, most notable. For one thing Asian restaurants were usually well attended starting Thursday nights and lasting until the following Sundays.

Most probably we can expect a more inward-looking Australia under the Howard-Fisher government, at least for the coming three years. Perhaps that kind of temporary withdrawal is necessary to digest and ponder the far-reaching changes that have occurred during recent years. That also means, however, that the Australian media, universities, cultural organizations and corporations should work harder to expand Australia's linkages with the world outside, particularly its Asian neighbors, lest this temporary withdrawal symptom lead to a permanent winter sleep.

Clearly, an Australia with strong inward-looking tendencies, a stagnating economy unfit to compete with the dynamic Asian economies, sulking because of its awkwardness in sharing its modern assets and western humanistic traditions with non-Western Asia, does not offer a bright tomorrow for Indonesia. Such an Australia could well become in irritant to Indonesia's strategic flank if it adopts the psychological habit of harping on my country's imperfections.

However, we in Indonesia should not be overly concerned regarding Australia's social political posture during the coming years. A short period of consolidation and reflection is perhaps necessary for a nation that for so long has been protected and isolated from the intense dynamics of Asia's social political developments, and which has suddenly been pushed forward by the visionary leadership of prime minister Paul Keating.

In the near future, hopefully, we will see the re-emergence of an outward looking Australia, at peace with itself, comfortable in the proximity of its non-western neighbors, and enthusiastically sharing its modern assets with the rapidly developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

A slightly edited version of this article will appear in The Asia Pacific Magazine published in Canberra, Australia. Sabam Siagian was Indonesia's ambassador to Australia from July 1991 to July 1995, and is currently a board member of The Jakarta Post's publishing company. He was the Post's first chief editor, holding the position for eight years before being assigned to Australia.