PM Howard's visit
The offer from the Australian side to postpone the scheduled visit by Prime Minister John Howard in the event the Indonesian government is too preoccupied with handling the consequences of the recent flooding in Jakarta should be appreciated.
On the other hand, the Indonesian government's response that it should go ahead as scheduled reflects Jakarta's keenness to manage the bilateral relations between the two countries on a rational basis.
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda visited Australia in December to acquaint himself with John Howard and the prominent members of his cabinet, in particular his counterpart Alexander Downer.
The visit displayed Jakarta's realistic approach toward the fact that, although the Coalition parties' political platform promulgated during the November election was unpalatable for many Asians, including Indonesians, they won the election and the outside world should deal with the Coalition government under Howard's leadership.
It is obvious that in his election campaign John Howard used the impact of the 9/11 events in the United States to maximum effect. The same can be said for his handling of the controversy surrounding the Tampa, which was carrying South Asian and Middle Eastern refugees hoping to settle in the promised land, Australia.
As Hilman Adil wrote in his perceptive article on Indonesian- Australian relations, quoting the historian Werner Levi (The Jakarta Post, Jan. 22), "Fear is the leitmotif of Australian thinking on foreign policy." The events of 9/11 and the Tampa affair naturally reinforced this fear of foreign intrusion threatening the idyllic Australian way of life.
This concern for Australia's uniqueness as a wholesome piece of Western civilization "down under" that has motivated Canberra to pressure Indonesia to act as a first line of defense to stem the flow of "illegal immigrants", is objectionable to Jakarta.
The collapse of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the elimination of the al-Qaeda network in that country have diminished the urgency of this problem. Besides, the Australian government has offered free passage home for those Afghans now in refugee camps throughout the Pacific region. However, what has been happening at the Woomera refugee detention center has of course not helped Australia's image in the international community.
All in all, the Bali conference at the end of this month, which was originally slated to discuss the entire problem of the refugee flows from South Asia and the Middle East, has lost its urgency. Indonesia as a co-host should be aware that Australia, as the other co-host, should not be allowed to use the Bali conference purely for its own self-interest and to improve its standing in the world.
Judging from the critical voices in the House of Representatives regarding Howard's visit, the nationalist streak is apparently still strong in the Indonesian political culture. It expresses itself by displaying a strong sense of nationhood that seeks to preserve the territorial integrity and national unity of Indonesia.
The parliamentarians are of course wrong in objecting to Howard's visit. If they are concerned that Australia has some hidden agenda regarding the future status of Irian/Papua, they should have all the more reason for welcoming this visit and see it as an opportunity to convey their concerns directly.
All in all, we regard Howard's visit to Indonesia as most useful in strengthening our bilateral relationship. If the prime minister is willing to learn, he will understand that the best defense for Australia's future is the creation of a secure geopolitical environment. That means, first and foremost, assisting Indonesia in a significant manner in order that it may become a prosperous and united nation conducting a responsible foreign policy.