Goh Chok Tong's visit
Goh Chok Tong's visit
By various accounts, the two-day visit of Singapore's Prime
Minister Goh Chok Tong to Indonesia was a productive one. He
managed to meet not only with President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
various senior government officials and People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais, but also had a lively
discussion with a group of Indonesians of various backgrounds who
did not hesitate to convey to the prime minister their candid
views on a variety of domestic and regional issues.
As Prime Minister Goh stated, the main purpose of this visit
was to discuss two main issues, namely coordinating the steps
that are to be taken in order to eradicate the threat of
terrorism in this region and, second, Indonesia's economic
problems and the assistance that Singapore could render to help
its large neighbor.
On the first issue it could be said that after Oct.12 a
heightened awareness has been noticeable in Indonesia of the
threat of terrorism. Singapore's prime minister restrained
himself from adopting an I-told-you-so attitude since his
government, at various times, had warned Indonesia on the danger
of terrorism that was affecting the entire region and offered its
intelligence resources. Obviously, after Bali there is even more
reason to coordinate cooperation between the two countries in
their antiterrorist efforts.
For Singapore, of course, this is a matter of survival since
the island-state with its four million population is highly
dependent on its service industry, which generates the greater
part of its gross domestic product (GDP). It is of course of the
utmost importance for a modern economy, basically consisting of
sophisticated service companies, to be able to operate in a safe
and peaceful working environment. Singapore's willingness to
assist Indonesia in overcoming its economic problems is not only
prompted by philanthropic considerations. It is in Singapore's
own interest to see to it that Indonesian can maintain a
sustainable high level of economic growth -- high enough to
absorb the net job seekers in the labor market.
Obviously, the current projection of a 3.5 percent to 4
percent growth, mainly propelled by consumer demand, is not good
enough. Increasingly, Singapore is becoming an important player
in the Indonesian economy, as can be seen from the fact that
Singapore Technologies Telemedia (STT) was the winning bidder for
the government's 41.9 percent stake in state-owned
telecommunications firm PT Indosat. A politically stable
Indonesia with a sustainable high-level economic growth would of
course be beneficial for the Indonesian people. However, it would
also be good for Singapore, which requires a conducive
geopolitical environment to maintain its global-oriented modern
economy.
Some Cabinet ministers in Jakarta have complained that
adequate time was not allocated to discuss a number of problems
affecting bilateral relations. As we understand it, the
Indonesian foreign ministry, in a meeting of senior officials
with their Singaporean counterparts in Bali a few weeks ago,
submitted a list of 12 ongoing problems that need to be discussed
in the pursuit of solutions that are satisfactory to both
parties. Singapore's prime minister would most probably say that
his visit this time was not meant to discuss bilateral problems,
although it can be said that on the issue of extradition some
progress is being made. As for the issue of what Jakarta refers
to as sand smuggling for the purpose of expanding Singapore land
territory, it could be said that this is mainly an internal
Indonesian problem as it involves competition among a number of
Indonesian companies.
In the meantime, even though the purpose of Prime Minister Goh
this time was not to discuss bilateral relations but to tackle
the two main issues aforementioned, it would be most helpful if
he, as head of government, could state that Singapore is willing
to discuss any problems that might burden bilateral relations
between the two neighbors. Such a statement would eradicate the
perception held by quite a number of Indonesian, sometimes with
important public responsibilities, that Singapore is a hard
bargainer who cares only about its own interests.
In the current regional situation in Southeast Asia of closely
interconnected relationships, it is indeed an essential
requirement that the countries of the region strengthen their
bond of mutual help and cooperation in their efforts to solve
common problems. Viewed in this context, Prime Minister Goh's
visit to Jakarta has been most useful in advancing the climate of
mutual understanding, all the more so given his pleasant
personality, his open attitude and his willingness to listen,
further enhanced by his healthy sense of humor.