No red carpet treatment for Howard

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Prime Minister John Howard arrived here on Wednesday to a barrage of political insults from top Indonesian politicians who maintained their aversion to the Australian leader's visit to Indonesia.

Underneath the cordial formalities which accompany the arrival of a foreign dignitary, it was obvious that the underlying mood was somewhat anxious.

Any positive outcome that may have resulted from his three-day visit was clearly being undermined by the climate of disaffection.

Though Howard, who was accompanied by President Megawati Soekarnoputri in their post summit press conference, tried to cast the issue aside and stress on Canberra's growing ties with Jakarta, the political reality was clearly not rosy.

Indonesia's two highest political representatives -- People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung -- formally snubbed Howard by refusing to meet him officially on a one-to-one basis.

Amien said he had rejected a request by the Indonesian foreign ministry to host a meeting with the Australian prime minister.

Legislators at the House also sent a letter to the State Secretariat urging that scheduled meetings be scrapped.

It was clear that the politicians had not forgotten what they perceive as Howard's verbal tirades against Indonesia.

They have charged that Howard, despite repeated claims of support for Indonesia's territorial integrity, remains somewhat supportive of separatist elements in Aceh and Papua.

Many are still chagrined by Australia's remarks in blaming Indonesia for inaction in curbing the number of boat people trying to enter Australia.

Not one to be restrained, Howard on his way here fired a salvo back at Amien saying these allegations were untrue.

"I recognize some of the past difficulties, but you don't dwell on the past. You move on," he said as quoted by the Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Howard added that he was disappointed, noting that the original reason given to him for the canceled meetings with Amien was "his preoccupation with the current flood situation."

Howard's denial of Australian interference on the surface is warranted. Canberra has never expressed any support for the separatist movements and frequently expresses support for Indonesia's territorial integrity.

But it also difficult to forget that despite being one of the first to recognize East Timor's integration with Indonesia, Australia, in particular Howard, after two decades made a sudden about face and became the first to officially suggest and support a referendum in the former province.

Under normal conditions, it would have been almost customary for a visiting dignitary to pay a courtesy call on speakers of the House and the Assembly, as evident in recent visits by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Chairman of House Commission I on foreign affairs, Ibrahim Ambong, said there was no way legislators would be willing to meet Howard on Thursday morning.

"The government must change the protocol agenda," Ambong told The Jakarta Post at his office here on Wednesday afternoon.

The House reaffirmed its rejection in a leadership meeting on Tuesday.

On Wednesday Akbar said "as House Speaker, I will comply with the decision. We ask the government to take our stance into consideration."

Akbar, moreover, said he would seek an explanation from Megawati as to the grounds for accepting the visit.

An Australian Embassy spokesman described the boycott as disappointing but added: "It will not make substantial changes to the visit since the main agenda is a meeting with the government."

While Amien has been quick to jump on the legislators' anti- Howard bandwagon, he seems to have forgotten that he had no qualms about visiting Australia himself in September.

During his visit Amien in fact spoke about the need for closer cooperation between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia and New Zealand in combating terrorism.

In essence the flag-waving penchant of the politicians maybe nothing more than retribution for what they claim was the personal hurt felt by many Indonesians.

As Amien himself remarked on Wednesday, Australia, and in particular Howard, should learn from this episode.

"Hopefully, on his return from this visit, Mr. Howard will be able to reflect on the policies of his government (and) on how it should act with Indonesia."