President to visit Australia

It seems unnatural if relations between neighboring countries, like Indonesia and Australia, both with a different, if not contrasting background of civilizations, remain even. It seems also unnatural if their friendship continued to be undisturbed for a long period of time, due to whatever developments or misunderstanding that suddenly appear on the political horizon.

One needs only to look at Indonesia's independence struggle against the Dutch colonial administration at the end of World War II. Australian dockyard workers boycotted Dutch goods to be shipped to Indonesia to assist their military operations to gain back their colony. Those workers were known to belong to the Australian Labor Party. Indonesians were and are still grateful to the Australians and they were ready to reciprocate.

However, Australians and Indonesians, when faced with the East Timor issue, regarded each other hardly as friends anymore, especially when, as we remember, five Australian newsmen covering the hostilities in the former Portuguese colony were accidentally killed. There could be no bitterer enemies, with Australia accusing Indonesian military personnel of committing atrocities aided by the local militia and Indonesia calling Australians, including their government, neocolonialists helping Indonesia's enemies.

The tension and suspicion between the neighboring countries is still tangible in many respects. The first relations to be brought to normalcy by both sides should be in business or trade sectors. Bilateral accords should be honored and new ventures should be started to pave the way for the implementation of free trade principles within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and under the era of trade globalization.

President Abdurrahman Wahid's planned visit to Australia is certainly welcomed by the business communities of both countries, who have always been eager to maintain excellent contacts with their partners.

Whatever Abdurrahman has in mind when he visits Australia, yes even whatever he says and not says in the presence of his host, does not matter much. Also, whatever political row the visit will bring is of little significance. What is essential is that on the surface they can now and again shake hands and smile to each others as good friendly neighbors. It must be borne in mind that they need each other economically and perhaps militarily as well.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta