On Australia's foreign policy

I refer to the Australian ambassador's letter Australia belongs to Asia published in The Jakarta Post on Nov. 17 regarding Jusuf Wanandi's article published on Nov. 15. As an expatriate Australian for nearly 40 years, I saw nothing amiss with Wanandi's article. Personally, I felt a sympathetic resonance with what Wanandi claimed about Australia's current surge of racism. This is not the Australia I grew up in and I am saddened by this.

Over the past three years under the Howard government, it would be fair to say many expatriate Australians in Indonesia have felt that Australia has no diplomatic finesse whatsoever in managing our most important bilateral relationship. For example, the gross and cumbersome approach of our desire to head the Timor peacekeeping forces.

More recently in mid-October Howard made some statement on Indonesia that made me cringe. As expected from a deputy sheriff, it was "right in your face" rather than responsibly acknowledging Indonesia's role as an important and active member of the international community, implying Australia expects Indonesia to act along these precepts. It really begs the question who writes Australian foreign policy these days.

To me the image of our SAS boarding a Norwegian vessel, which had rescued endangered refugees, was utterly repugnant. Then, the lack of truth in the recent election campaign about refugee babies being thrown overboard.

The Australian immigration minister's response in the last few days to UNHCR criticism of Australia's refugee policy is typical of Howard's approach: Stunted, myopic and unworldly. In short -- heartless. We are a better country than that, despite apparent signals from election results. Those election results and attitudes are a Howard construct.

It is salutary to recall the Australian national anthem, Advance Australian Fair where the second verse states:

"For those who've come across the seas,

We've boundless plains to share,

With courage let us all combine." Could you sing it louder Prime Minister Howard?

TIM SCOTT

Bogor, West Indonesia