Indonesia-Aussie relations

This letter is in regards to the recent events between Indonesia and Australia. I am an Englishman now living in Sydney, Australia, as an Australian citizen. I have traveled to many places in the world and lived and worked in other countries. I have also lived and worked for a short while in Indonesia, primarily in Jakarta, but have also traveled to other parts of Indonesia.

I greatly enjoyed my time in Indonesia and have friends I keep in touch with. I think Indonesia is a very beautiful country. It is a very stable and well organized country and the people are friendly and happy and hardworking. The many things I have learned about Indonesian history and diversity confirms my feelings.

Indonesia is rapidly emerging as a major commercial and social force in Asia. This is widely recognized by other Asian and non- Asian nations. I enjoyed it so much that I would greatly like to work further in Indonesia, with Indonesian people, and help to progress this development.

However, I am concerned about recent news events which may disturb the friendly relations between our two countries and peoples. I am not involved in politics and hope the politicians can sort out their own issues. What I would like to express is my strong support for a continued and growing friendly relationship between the people of Indonesia and the people of Australia.

We have much in common and we are very close neighbors. While we may have some minor differences and, like all other countries, have problems of one sort or another, we must try and build on common things and understand our differences. Let us work together to help each other resolve our problems and differences in a low key and friendly way, not with any confrontation.

It is easy to break something but difficult to make something of value. We need to calmly handle the minor problems and get on with the task of continuing to establish a sound friendship between our two nations. There are bigger issues of a constructive nature we need to concentrate our energies on.

C.J. PARKES

Sydney, Australia