Neighborly visit

Australian Prime Minister John Howard will certainly have plenty of things to talk about, including bilateral problems, in his meetings with President Soeharto and other Indonesian leaders during his current visit to Indonesia.

But whatever issues he discusses here, the most significant aspect of the visit is the visit itself, for it is a reflection of the importance he puts on bilateral relations between the two countries. Although six months have passed since he was elected to office as leader of the liberal coalition government, Indonesia is still the first foreign country Howard is visiting in his capacity as prime minister.

Howard is continuing a tradition that was started by his predecessor, Paul Keating of the Labor government. We may recall it was Keating who said Australia's relationship with Indonesia was its most important one. Not only did Keating choose Indonesia for his first foreign visit, he also quickly established a close rapport with President Soeharto, visiting Indonesia five times in the four years he was in office. One analyst described the two leader's relationship as like that between a "father and son".

Comparison with Keating is unfair, and no one expects Howard to make a similar statement. But his decision to make Indonesia his first foreign visit bespeaks the same message.

There have been fears that the new guard in Canberra would undo the good neighborly ties that were painfully built between Indonesia and the previous Labor government. A lot of efforts -- including the personal roles played by Soeharto, Keating, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and Keating's foreign minister Gareth Evans -- went into creating the state of relations we have now.

Two events originating in Canberra since March sent the wrong signals and heightened concerns in Jakarta about Howard's level of commitment towards Indonesia.

The first was Australia's decision to nominate senior diplomat Miles Kupa as its ambassador to Indonesia, in spite of the fact that he had written a confidential report, leaked in 1992, which was critical of President Soeharto. Canberra later withdrew his nomination and extended the term of its present ambassador to the end of the year.

The second was the Australian government's decision to slash its overseas aid program, which affected a number of on-going development projects here. Canberra later said that some other forms of financing would be found to continue those projects.

As it turned out, these two events stood the test of time, just like several other recent issues that have surfaced between the two countries. Yet it was not long ago that such incidents could have completely upset relations. Gone are the days when Indonesia and Australia were hardly role models for neighbors.

It is good to see that ties between the two countries have now reached a maturity level and that problems and differences can be discussed in their proper perspectives, without affecting relations.

Indonesia and Australia are two neighbors that are so unlike -- in culture, tradition and historical background -- that friction and problems are bound to occur. But there is also a growing convergence of interests between the two, especially in trade and regional security, which will overcome the smaller differences.

Howard's visit may be an important symbolic gesture and a time for him to get to know Indonesia's leaders better. But it is also a time for him and his hosts to discuss their concerns, as well as their differences, in a neighborly manner.