Realism and idealism in diplomacy with Malaysia, S'pore

Meidyatama Suryodiningrat Jakarta

Like any good neighbor, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Indonesia's closest neighbors, Malaysia and Singapore. It is part of a time honored tradition amongst senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries to make introductory visits upon assuming office.

That the two countries should be the first to be visited by the President is logical given their proximity and strategic significance as ASEAN founding members (along with the Philippines and Thailand).

In a bid to add significance to the state visit, emphasis has, unfortunately, been placed on pragmatic issues such as the problem of migrant workers in Malaysia, and the conclusion of a much sought extradition treaty with Singapore.

While these issues are of importance to Indonesia's national interests, its emphasis over the past week threatened to gravely jeopardize the overall standing of Jakarta's relationship with its two neighbors. The visage of these two issues suddenly seemed bigger then the sum of the overall bilateral relationships.

Indonesia's relationship with these two countries comprises a network of complicated themes. The issue of migrant workers and the extradition treaty is just one subordinate aspect of what is historically a strong relationship.

Once again Indonesians have showed their inherent knack of blaming others for a problem rooted in its own incompetence.

The problem of migrant workers in Malaysia, for example, stems from Indonesia's own inability to properly manage the export of workers. The number of illegals in Malaysia results from the poor control of Indonesian borders. The fact that this issue comes up more often in the year than the durian season is a sign that Jakarta has not taken comprehensive measures to resolve it.

Yes, there are errant Malaysian employers who exploit migrant workers, but are they the norm or just isolated cases?

It is not surprising that an Malaysian daily in an editorial expressed its shock at Jakarta's "erratic and illogical" behavior in seemingly blaming Malaysian employers in the latest migrant worker "crisis".

The same goes for the extradition treaty with Singapore, as if the lack of one was the cause of rampant upscale corruption in Indonesia. Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo was absolutely correct when he remarked that it was an "unrealistic misimpression" that an extradition treaty would solve the problem of corruption.

Susilo and his Malaysian and Singapore counterparts might have been all smiles during official photo-ops the last few days, but the decorum belies the increasingly niggling uneasiness among domestic constituents in the three countries.

Having been democratically elected, Susilo is under immense pressure to deliver. For politicians, the operative word for deliver is not necessarily to make good on promises but garner public sympathy.

Domestic politics measures itself in shorter time frames and popularity ratings. Applying the same gauge in bilateral ties can have tragic consequences.

In most cases, there needs to be a balance between realism and idealism. Too much of the former leads to inertia in the relationship, while a glut of the latter produces chauvinism.

It is said that foreign policy is a reflection of domestic policy, but sometimes it is important for leaders to defy their own domestic constituents to ameliorate unnecessary friction.

Bilateral issues will continue to emerge. That is the nature of being neighbors. And it is good that all sides are able to openly express their differing views.

However, given the openness increasingly pervading in the region, it is important to buffer diplomacy from falling prey to the whims of xenophobic agendas. It is hoped that Indonesia's chief diplomats will continue to preserve the bilateral relationship through a series of incremental steps that maintain a fine balance between realism and interests.