Summit a major feat in RI's active diplomacy

Endy M. Bayuni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia scores a major diplomatic coup this week by hosting the Asian-African Summit. Bringing together leaders and representatives from more than 100 countries spanning two continents is no easy task. But Indonesia is pushing ahead with the plan even as it struggles to get back on its feet after a series of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis.

One has to rewind the clock 50 years to find a similar gathering. The 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung attended by leaders from 29 mostly newly independent countries also took place in the most difficult of times. Indonesia, the host nation, had only proclaimed its independence 10 years earlier and fought a bloody struggle against the Dutch colonial government before securing international recognition in 1949.

Many delegates, including India's prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, were surprised that the event proceeded at all. But even more amazing, and probably unbeknownst to leaders taking part then, was that the Bandung conference ended up inspiring millions of peoples across Asia and Africa to fight for their independence from European colonialism.

The Summit in Jakarta this week is timed to coincide with the commemoration of that historic gathering half a century ago that rewrote (for better or for worse) the history of Asia and Africa, and thus of the world.

While paying tribute to those visionary leaders is important as today's generation of Asian-African leaders gather in Indonesia, it is far more important that these leaders look ahead and forge new partnerships that would go further toward fulfilling many of the goals set out in 1955.

A plan to hold the second Asian-African conference in 1965 was aborted at the last minute when a coup took place in Algeria, the designated host. Indonesia's official accounts say president Sukarno was already on his way to Algiers when the summit was canceled; his plane turned back and he headed home.

So, we have had to wait a full 50 years before seeing another gathering of Asian and African leaders. This time, Indonesia is again taking the initiative, along with co-host South Africa.

Is this, as some critics say, an unnecessary and costly talk- fest at a time when the country is short of cash after being hit by a series of devastating disasters?

Perhaps.

However, it is important to bear in mind that part of the cost is being underwritten by others, including Japan and South Africa.

The summit, like the one in 1955, should be seen as part and parcel of Indonesia's active and independent foreign policy in the pursuit of global peace and prosperity, something that is mandated by the nation's Constitution.

And the golden jubilee commemoration of the Bandung conference provides the momentum to establish a new bridge linking the two continents divided by the Indian Ocean.

Asia has already built such bridges with other regions in the world: Across the Pacific through the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum; the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM); and the East Asia Latin American Forum (EALAF). There are smaller but well-traveled bridges within Asia: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the many expanded ASEAN fora. Later this year will see the inaugural East Asia Summit take place.

The Asia-Africa bridge, as Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said in a recent interview, has been the "missing link" in Asia's regional cooperation networks. Given the increasing complexity of global politics and international economies, this bridge is long overdue.

Only time and later historians will tell whether this second summit will have been really worth hosting it. Who was to know back in 1955 that the Bandung meeting would have had such a huge impact on the world?

In the intermittent years, Indonesia has had many other diplomatic achievements to brag about.

ASEAN, which Indonesia helped found in 1968 with four other Southeast Asian countries, is probably the highest of all its foreign policy achievements, because of the impact it has had, not only on the life of the people in this country, but also regionally and internationally.

Being the largest country in ASEAN, Indonesia is considered the natural leader of the regional grouping. ASEAN has spawned other fora, including the ASEAN Regional Forum, and signed many accords and free trade agreements within and with other countries and regions. And at Jakarta's initiative, the region is now moving towards an ASEAN community by 2020.

Other major diplomatic achievements in the recent past include the Cambodian peace agreement, which had its origins in the informal meetings hosted by Indonesia; the declaration of Asia- Pacific free trade at the APEC summit in Bogor, West Java, in 1994; and Indonesia's brief but effective leadership of the Non- Aligned Movement in the early 1990s.

Indonesia has had its share of disastrous foreign policies too. The worst among them was president Sukarno's confrontation with Malaysia in the 1960s, and president Soeharto's military adventures in East Timor. Both took their toll on domestic resources and on Jakarta's international image and reputation.

For what it's worth, the Asian-African Summit this week will be another defining moment for Indonesia's foreign policy, given the presence of so many delegates and international media.

Still, skeptics at home are right in asking "what is in it" for Indonesia?

Indonesian diplomats may have played a big part in the construction of many economic bridges linking Asia with the rest of the world, but the people of this nation rarely enjoy the fruits of their hard work.

In Cambodia, it is Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand that are aggressively investing in peacetime. Regarding APEC, Singapore and several other ASEAN countries are signing bilateral free trade agreements, while we have barely started negotiations.

Similarly, China, Japan, India and Malaysia are the countries most prepared to take advantage of this new Asia-Africa bridge because they have already laid down the groundwork for cooperation. The Indonesian business world is either incapable of tapping into the opportunities here, or is simply disinterested.

Indonesia can take credit for building the Indian Ocean bridge, but rarely do our own people get to cross it.

Our business world and bureaucrats seem to be lagging behind our diplomatic efforts. Either they are slow to catch up with the opportunities created, or our diplomats are simply moving too quickly for them.

Or, worse, the two worlds are simply unconnected.

The writer is chief editor of The Jakarta Post.