Jakarta trip replete with symbolism
John Howard made the right decision in attending the inauguration of new Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The symbolism of Howard's being the first Australian prime minister to set foot in the parliament of the world's most populous Muslim nation, as it swore in the country's first popularly elected president, was potent.
In the first place it symbolized the mistake of those who argued Howard could only alienate our Asian neighbors by standing shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. in the war against terror and the campaign in Iraq. The warm applause Howard garnered at Wednesday's swearing-in, and the fact he was chosen to reply on behalf of foreign dignitaries to the welcome of Susilo, told a very different story.
The Bali bombers, who clearly hoped to drive a wedge between Australia and Indonesia, have achieved something like the opposite. In the aftermath of the outstanding police co-operation that brought the bombers to swift justice, the relationship is on an excellent, practical footing.
Whether that new footing will be recognized in a treaty, and whether or not that treaty will be more than a bundling up of the security agreements already in force, is almost beside the point.
What ultimately underwrites good relations between the countries is a complementarity of interests. To develop further, Indonesia needs an infusion of modernity -- technology, science, education, infrastructure, governance. Australia is poised to deliver in these and other areas, and is already doing so -- as demonstrated by the thousands of Indonesian students, including Susilo's son, in our universities.
Indonesia, meanwhile, has cheap labor and resources to offer us, and will lift itself out of poverty by trading on those comparative advantages. By building on trade, which reached $8.3 billion last year, the two countries will deepen their dialogue on culture and values, and the entire region will enjoy the benefits of a stable, secure and developing Indonesia.
-- The Australian, Sydney