No red carpet treatment for Howard

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."