House approves Australia's new ambassador

House approves Australia's new ambassador

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives (DPR) has finally approved the
appointment of senior Australian diplomat David Ritchie to serve
as the new Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, replacing Richard
Smith.

The ambassador-designate, who is expected to present
his credentials to President Megawati Soekarnoputri next month,
is due to preside over a ceremony marking Australia Day at the
neighboring country's embassy next Monday.

House foreign affairs committee chairman Ibrahim Ambong said
Friday that the House had sent a letter of approval to the
President during its recess in December.

"There is no problem (with his appointment as Australian
ambassador to Jakarta). The most important thing is for him to
improve Australia's relations with Jakarta," Ambong told The
Jakarta Post.

Previously, there was anxiety in certain circles that Ritchie,
who was born in Papua New Guinea, might try to promote the
separatist cause in Papua.

The House appeared to deliberately delay its approval of
Richie, who has been in the Jakarta for about two months.

Ambong added that the House gave its approval for Ritchie
after the Indonesian government convinced legislators that he
would not promote separatism in Papua, but rather would strive to
improve relations between Canberra and Jakarta.

Ritchie joined the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs in
1975. He served as third secretary in the Australian embassy in
Bonn (1975-1978), first secretary in Berlin (1981-1983), first
secretary in Nairobi (1986-1988), and acting high commissioner in
Lusaka (August-September 1988).

From December 1999 to February 2001, Ritchie served as a
senior adviser on international relations at the office of the
Australian prime minister.

He was educated at the University of Queensland and is married
with two children.

Relations between Indonesia and Australia have been on a
roller-coaster ride for years. Many people consider that
relations between the two countries reached their zenith when
Paul Keating was Australian prime minister and Soeharto was still
president.

Relations between the two hit rock bottom when Australia moved
into East Timor to put a halt to pro-Jakarta militia violence in
the former Indonesian province.

Since then, relations have been gradually improving, although
they slumped again when Prime Minister John Howard said that
Australia might be forced to take preemptive action to combat
terrorists based in other countries.