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.