New opportunities

New opportunities

With a new reformist President in place, Indonesia is suddenly
back on the diplomatic "A" list. And Australian Prime Minister
John Howard, is very keen to come to the party. What a difference
a decade makes.

The election of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this month promises
the revival of Indonesia's leadership role in the region and
possibly beyond. Canberra's renewed enthusiasm for cooperation
should come with far less baggage attached than the previous
courtship of Jakarta under the former prime minister Paul
Keating.

The overwhelmingly positive international response to Susilo's
election is partly due to his pro-Western, market-oriented
platform and his pledge to swap policy paralysis for sweeping
reforms. It is also a result of the unexpectedly smooth
democratic process which brought him to office. Hundreds of
millions of ballots were successfully cast this year in national
and presidential elections - one of the world's most complex
electoral exercises.

But it is more than that. Indonesia boasts a moderate Muslim
majority and a historic commitment to religious pluralism. This
makes Jakarta a very desirable ally for the West, not just in a
strategic war on terrorism - including the fight against
Indonesian-based extremist cells - but in the broader ideological
battle to demonstrate that Islam and democracy can co-exist.

For Australia, closer ties with Indonesia could help open
doors across Asia, and the new Cabinet includes at least one
senior economist with a close affinity for Australia. But
Canberra needs to be wary of unrealistically high expectations.
Indonesian Muslims are moderates, but many perceive Western
attitudes towards Islam as uniformly negative. This means the
president will need to steer a somewhat independent course. And
that will make him a somewhat unpredictable new friend.

-- The Sydney Morning Herald