Neighborly visit

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.