Political will needed to solve Ambalat issue: Malaysian envoy
Political will needed to solve Ambalat issue: Malaysian envoy
Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The problems affecting Malaysian-Indonesian relations,
including the Ambalat issue and the deportation of illegal
Indonesian workers, can only be solved by the political will of
both countries' leaders, the former Malaysian Ambassador to
Indonesia has said.
Ambalat, a maritime area rich in oil and gas reserves, is
situated off Indonesia's East Kalimantan province and is claimed
by both countries.
The Ambalat issue recently whipped up anti-Malaysian sentiment
in Indonesia. Some people consider the outburst represented the
accumulated emotion of Indonesian people over Malaysia's forcible
deportation of thousands of illegal Indonesian workers, sometimes
in an inhuman manner, illegal logging and other issues.
"It's like two brothers (Malaysia and Indonesia) in a big
Malay family. We quarrel as well as cooperate in many aspects.
This is not the first time we have had problems in our relations.
But as close neighbors, we are trying to overcome the problems,"
Ambassador Hamidon Ali told The Jakarta Post in an interview just
before his departure from Jakarta.
Hamidon, one of Malaysia's top diplomats who worked as
ambassador to Indonesia from June 2003 to July 2005, was
referring to the hiccups in bilateral relations, like migrant
labor issues, haze from the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan,
illegal logging, human trafficking, border disputes -- including
the volatile Ambalat issue -- and terrorism
Malaysia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Syed Hamid Albar has
expressed a similar view in the past.
"Our bilateral relations are very good. We manage them very
well. We know that there are differences in approaches and some
sensitive issues. But we know how to overcome these differences
and handle those sensitive issues," Hamid Albar told the Post in
Putra Jaya two years ago.
Hamidon said these hiccups should not undermine the strong
multi-faceted relationship between the two countries.
"That's why Malaysia attaches greater importance to its
relations with Indonesia. Under President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono our dynamic relations are back on track again," said
Hamidon, who is going to take up a new post as Malaysia's
Permanent Representative/Ambassador to the United Nations in New
York this month.
Hamidon said Malaysia and Indonesia -- which have so many
similarities in culture, religion, language and race -- need each
other.
"Malaysia is a small country with just 25 million people. We
have very limited resources. Our growing economy badly needs
Indonesian workers as well as goods. What we want is that
Indonesian workers come to Malaysia in a legal manner and work in
our country. Now, we are even allowing people to come to Malaysia
on tourist visas and find jobs," said Hamidon, an alumni of
Harvard University.
He emphasized that Malaysia wants to see Indonesia, which has
the largest economy in Southeast Asia, grow and prosper.
"If Indonesia prospers, we also prosper. That's why we want to
see a strong, stable and prosperous Indonesia. It benefits us,"
Hamidon said.
While commenting on the sensitive Ambalat issue, Hamidon said
Malaysia is open in finding a solution to the problem.
"Luckily, both countries want to use the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea to find a solution to the
Ambalat issue. The negotiating teams from both countries are
engaged in finding a solution. Malaysia is ready for a political
solution or arbitration. We are open on this issue," Hamidon
said.
In his personal opinion, there is no point in debating
bilateral problems in parliament or the press.
"The best way is to sit down, engage with each other and find
solutions," the 55-year-old diplomat said.
Despite all these problems, surprisingly, bilateral trade has
been growing strongly since the 1997 economic crisis plunged
Indonesia into turmoil.
"Indonesia is our biggest trading partner in the ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region. And our trade
with Indonesia is increasing every year," Hamidon said.
The Malaysian Embassy's economics counselor M Radhi A. Razak
said bilateral trade between Malaysia and Indonesia increased to
US$4.69 billion in 2004 from $3.49 billion in 2003.
"Indonesian exports to Malaysia in 2004 rose to $3.01 billion
from $2.36 billion in 2003," Radhi said in a statement sent to
the Post.
Bilateral trade with Malaysia has always been in Indonesia's
favor. For example, Indonesia enjoyed a trade surplus of $1.33
billion in 2004 and $1.22 billion in 2003.
On the investment side, Malaysian investors -- whose total
investments in Indonesia cumulatively amount to $10 billion since
1967 -- want to invest more in crisis-hit Indonesia given the
availability of land for oil palm plantations, cheap assets and
labor.
According to Radhi, most Malaysian investments were made
between 1997 and March 2005, during which period Malaysia
invested $6.99 billion.
Hamidon said the Malaysian government not only encouraged its
firms to do business with Indonesia but also encouraged Malaysian
people to visit Indonesia to strengthen people-to-people
contacts.