Military legislator hails agreement with Australia
Military legislator hails agreement with Australia
JAKARTA (JP): A leading military legislator said yesterday
that the new security agreement between Indonesia and Australia,
to be signed in Jakarta on Monday, will improve the image of the
Armed Forces (ABRI) among the Australian public.
Aminullah Ibrahim, the chairman of the ABRI faction in the
House of Representatives, told The Jakarta Post that the armed
forces of the two countries have managed to forge cordial
relations, although ABRI has often come under criticism from the
Australian public.
Differences occurred chiefly between the government and the
public, including non-governmental organizations, rather than
their military, Aminullah said.
He noted that some members of the Australian public still have
not accepted East Timor's integration with Indonesia.
Australia's criticism of Indonesia's policy on East Timor are
often targeted at ABRI because of the strong presence of troops
in the former Portuguese territory. The Australian government,
while accepting Indonesia's rule in East Timor, has also
criticized the strong military presence.
ABRI has significantly scaled down the number of troops in
East Timor, keeping just enough to oversee military and to help
with civic works in the underdeveloped province.
Aminullah said the Agreement on Maintaining Security, as the
document is to be called, will create greater understanding
between the two countries, and not restricted only to their armed
forces.
The agreement, the result of 18 months of negotiations, will
be signed on Monday by the foreign ministers of the two countries
in the presence of President Soeharto and Prime Minister Paul
Keating. The agreement commits the two countries to holding
regular mutual consultations on security issues, particularly
when one of the two countries face a threat from a third party.
Meanwhile, Aisyah Amini, a legislator specializing in foreign
relations, hailed the agreement as a measure further enhancing
stability in the region.
"With the mutual responsibility of watching over one another,
the treaty will bolster stability," Aisyah told The Post.
"Stability has always been an important factor here to enable
development," said the legislator who is also on the central
executive board of the United Development Party.
The treaty would bring greater mutual trust within the region,
she said.
"A lack of sense of security requires a country to devote much
energy and resources in beefing up its defense." she said, adding
that the two governments could instead concentrate on improving
the welfare of their peoples.
Aisyah also underlined that the agreement need not lead to a
military or defense pact, she said.
The agreement could also add to a greater sense of community-
spirit for Australia as it is integrating more and more with
Asia. (01/anr)