RI-Singapore bilateral ties

RI-Singapore bilateral ties

A two-day closed-door conference will be organized over the
weekend in Jakarta to discuss the bilateral relations between
Indonesia and Singapore. The event is being jointly organized by
the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and the Jakarta-
based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The
importance of holding this weekend's event at the present time is
aptly summarized by the theme of the public seminar that takes
place today: "Singapore, Indonesia, and the New Global and
Regional Environment."

It is a truism to state that Indonesia, since the downfall of
President Soeharto's regime in mid-1998 is going through vast
changes that are still on. Although politically conscious
Indonesians are aware that the ultimate goal of these changes
under the heading of "Reformasi" is to establish a democratic,
just, prosperous and united Indonesia, most are not so sure about
how to get there. As a matter of fact, there is serious concern
that Indonesia could plunge into pitfalls that in the end could
constitute not only a setback for the Indonesian nation, but
could well affect the stability and the future of the whole
Southeast Asian region.

What makes this weekend's encounter all the more interesting
is that Singapore, which for years has been considered the
region's hub of modernity and anchor of stability, is apparently
also going through a process of transformation. Singapore, with a
total population of roughly 3.2 million, has the most vibrant
economy in the region with its services sector contributing to a
total of 64.1 percent of GDP, which last year totaled US$84.9
billion, or US$26,360 per capita. A truly astonishing amount,
considering that Indonesia, with a population of more than 200
million, has a per capita income of less than US$1,000.

However, whereas we in Indonesia are accustomed to living with
change and are forever mindful of the axiom "always expect the
unexpected", apparently for Singaporeans, the current economic
crisis constitutes a psychologically traumatic experience. It is
indeed a shocking experience to find, after a 10 percent economic
growth in the year 2000, that the economy had shrunk by 2.2
percent last year, a phenomenon described by the Hong Kong-based
Far Eastern Economic Review magazine as "the biggest decline in
the city's post-independence history." But while most probably
believe it will be relatively easy for Singapore to implement the
necessary measures for economic recovery due to the manageable
format of its society, in the case of Indonesia, for President
Megawati's government the exercise could be like walking through
an uncharted minefield. Even so, looking at the past four years,
Indonesia has shown its resilience. Despite the vagaries of
Presidents B.J. Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid, there is still a
united Indonesia, albeit with an economy that is at best muddling
through.

The most interesting question that we suggest the participants
in this weekend's bilateral conference should provide upon is how
the two countries, both of which are currently going through a
process of reform, can consciously, and in a planned manner help
each other. This question, seemingly, is a logically implied
statement. To be honest, however, decades after the historic
official visit of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to Jakarta in early
1973 (with a side-trip to North Sumatra), there is still that
lingering attitude among Indonesians that tends to view Singapore
hardly as an independent and respectable state and nation.

Many middle-class Indonesians are enjoying Singapore's modern
facilities, especially its convenient shopping centers, its
efficient banking system and its modern medical facilities.
However, those who still remember Presidents Habibie and
Abdurrahman Wahid's derogatory remarks about Singapore should, in
all honesty, admit that there are still many among us who share
those views. A stable and sturdy bilateral relationship requires
first and foremost that we, Indonesians, learn to respect
Singapore for all its achievements. On the other hand, Singapore,
in its effort to recover from its economic crisis, should perhaps
consider thoroughly changing the mind-set of Singaporeans and
acknowledge that they are truly part of the Southeast Asian
region with Indonesia as its large neighbor. It strikes us, for
instance, that in the community centers in Singapore there is
hardly any map depicting the region showing the populations of
the 10 ASEAN member countries in proportion.

We suggest this simple fact, not in order to instill an
inferiority complex among Singaporeans. On the contrary, perhaps
a sense of solidarity with its neighbors could be developed with
a sense of mission to share Singapore's modernity and capability
to organize, especially with Indonesia, which is struggling to
overcome its myriad problems. This mind-set would eventually have
an impact in restructuring Singapore's economy so that it will be
less affected by the economic fluctuations that occur in the West
or in Japan.

All in all, the Singapore-Indonesia bilateral conference over
the weekend should be able to come up with ideas in order that we
in this Southeast Asian region can together find ways to overcome
the uncertainties of the fluid global environment.