Australia-RI links must be enhanced: Taylor

By Gedsiri Suhartono

JAKARTA (JP): When Ambassador Allan Robert Taylor took his post here in April 1993, there were only four Australian media representatives in Indonesia. Now there are seven, including the Sydney Morning Herald.

Taylor said he believed journalist exchanges encourage the people to people contact intended by the Australia Indonesia Institute.

"The placing of seven Australian journalists as correspondents here has ensured constant flow of reporting on Indonesia," he said.

Taylor said he believed readers' knowledge of Indonesia has been enhanced by their ability to contrast reports on Indonesia when difficulties arise, an improvement to what many Indonesians considered one-sided and biased reporting by the Australian press.

The Ambassador emphasized the importance of increasing awareness between both countries to prevent prejudices.

Two Indonesian journalists are currently stationed in Australia,

Taylor, who heads home tomorrow, will carry with him images of Indonesia's beautiful scenery gathered while traveling throughout the archipelago. A sports enthusiast, Taylor tumbled down a number of Indonesian rivers on white water rafting outings.

Commenting on the stronger relationship between the two countries, Taylor said "the good things in the relationship of the two countries would have happened without me."

Indonesian-Australian relations have recently hit their own patches of white water.

The latest tension was Indonesia withdrawal of its Australian ambassadorial candidate, Lt. Gen. (ret) H.B.L. Mantiri. The retreat happened after the Australian public strongly objected to his remarks on the 1991 incident in Dili, East Timor.

Taylor said that cultural and governmental exchanges had been, and would continue to be, productive in learning to understand the framework and system in which each country operates.

"It has been a very intense period of contact between governments both at high as well as ministerial level," Taylor said, citing five prime ministerial visits and at least 40 ministerial visits conducted during his term.

Much work, however, remains to be done to bridge and create understanding between the people. Stereotypes, often outdated and incorrect, still exist from both ends, Taylor observed.

"There are still Australians who see Indonesia as a threat and, likewise, there are still Indonesians who think that Australia is all farms," Taylor quipped.

The Australian government definitely does not see Indonesia as a threat, Taylor assured. The signing of the Agreement on Maintaining Security last December illustrates the trust, mutual confidence and shared interests which constitute the bilateral relationship, he added.

According to Taylor, each country's distinct identity should be a source of strength in enhancing the relationship.

The emphasis should be put on building understanding between people, which comes naturally with increased contact. Taylor cited the various committees established following the 1992 Ministerial Forum, which focused on bureaucratic framework, as examples of this contact.

Australia Today Indonesia 1994, a large trade and cultural promotion, for example, presented Indonesian visitors with the Australian way of living.

Taylor hopes more Australian students choose to study in Indonesia. Currently 12,500 Indonesian students are enrolled in Australian schools.

"It should not be just a one-way affair, the future of the relationship depends very much on a recognition by both sides that the relationship is to the mutual benefit," Taylor contended.

The ambassador is being posted as head of the International Division of the Department of Prime Minister and the Cabinet. He will be stationed in Canberra.

After becoming a diplomat in 1966, Taylor was sent to Rawalpindi in 1967. He has held positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs' Executive Branch, Indonesia Section, the Personal Branch, the Nuclear Policy Branch, and the Australia Abroad Branch.

For the four years prior to becoming Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, Taylor was the Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea.

Regarding the government formed in March, Taylor said that generally the many policies that have fostered good ties will remain.

"The new government has prioritized building the ties in the Asia-Pacific region," Taylor said.

Earlier news report cited Miles Kupa, a former Australian deputy foreign minister known to be a critic of President Soeharto, as one of the three candidates proposed to replace Taylor.

Taylor refused to comment on his replacement. Murray Cobran, the embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission will serve as a charge d' affairs until the position is filled.

Snugly fitting the ambassadorial prototype, Taylor also successfully evaded comment on how proposed spending cuts will affect the embassy's operations. A reduction in staff is inevitable.

"We'll just have to wait and see," the ambassador told reporters at the Australian embassy on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said.

According to the ambassador, the details and implementation of the budget cuts won't be announced until August.

The Indonesian mission, the ambassador assured, will remain Australia's second largest embassy after Washington, D.C. The Australian embassy currently employs 75 Australian and 140 Indonesians.