President to visit Australia
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