Susilo must explain his overseas trips

Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post

Traveling overseas on presidential flights is always very pleasant for the accompanying entourage. And this, of course, is not just because they are all entitled to receive a daily allowance in U.S. dollars from the state coffers, or that they can order instant Pop Mie noodles from the very helpful Garuda attendants.

More than anything else, they are on a mission to boost both foreign investment into Indonesia and Indonesian exports. And to hear the reassurances of foreign leaders that they respect highly the territorial integrity of Indonesia.

Who would not be proud to see our president appearing on CNN, being hugged by the U.S. president during a bilateral meeting at the White House, or during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit? Before attending the APEC summit, our presidents, from Soeharto to newly elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, instructed their foreign minister to ensure that they got a meeting with the U.S. president. But even better if the foreign minister can announce that "the meeting is on the initiative of the White House".

The Indonesian media, especially TVRI and radio station RRI, often like to emphasize how foreign leaders admire our leaders, as reflected in the very busy schedule of the Indonesian leader receiving courtesy calls from his or her guests.

During the APEC summit in Vancouver, Canada, in 1997, just several months before his downfall, Soeharto was particularly eager to meet with U.S. president Bill Clinton. It was certain that Clinton would not come to his hotel, and Soeharto also would not be willing to meet Clinton at his hotel. So a neutral place had to be found.

President Susilo left for Santiago, Chile, on Thursday, to attend the APEC summit. Among others, this summit will be attended by nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand, Mexico and the United States. Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda has announced that Susilo will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush on the sidelines of the summit.

As a courtesy Bush will almost certainly say to Susilo, "Congratulations on your election as president!" And Susilo will reply, "Congratulations to you too on your re-election!" At least one official state photographer and one official state cameraman will take their pictures, though the public will probably never see them.

The President and his entourage is scheduled to arrive home on Tuesday. Less than a week later, the President will then have to fly to Vientiane, Laos, to attend the annual ASEAN summit. Leaders of China, Japan, South Korea and India are expected to be guests at this regional summit.

The visit to Chile will be Susilo's first official overseas tour, although the President last week went to Cairo, Egypt, to attend the funeral service of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The Cairo visit was laudable because as the leader of the world's most populous nation he demonstrated Indonesia's strong support for the independence struggle of the Palestinians. However, the Cairo visit was criticized by a prominent Muslim scholar because the President was accompanied only by Muslim leaders, sending an erroneous message that Palestine is just a religious issue.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with the President going on these overseas trips. During the multilateral summits in particular he will have the opportunity to introduce himself to other world leaders.

It would be hoped, however, that the reason for such travel be explained properly to the nation before his departure. During the presidential election campaign, Susilo himself repeatedly promised that he would not travel abroad during his first 100 days of his government. The public applauded the promise, because they were fed up with Megawati Soekarnoputri and Abdurrahman Wahid for their all-too-frequent overseas jaunts.

Many people perceived the visits of the previous two president as nothing more than pleasure trips. What were the tangible results of these trips? Did the enormous cost justify the results? Abdurrahman and Megawati in fact received long lists of promises from their hosts and from businesspeople that they would invest more in Indonesia and that they would not support separatist movements. Of course they also said that we should not expect too much in the short term. However, when Indonesia is in such difficulty, investment is required now, not later.

Many people would reasonably conclude that the President has perhaps forgotten his own promise. So can the people still believe his other promises, like an improved economy? Broken promises have the potential to erode the President's credibility, which at the moment is still high. Foreign minister Hassan should talk to the public to convince them of the necessity of the President's tour.

In many countries, leaders are often tempted to use foreign affairs as a diversion from intractable and complex domestic issues. Susilo has a high level of legitimacy in the international community because he was directly elected by the people. Just as importantly, Indonesia has given the world an example that Islam can be compatible with democracy.

But these good feelings toward Indonesia will not last forever, especially if Indonesia does not move ahead. President Bush may well laud Indonesia for its toughness in combating terrorism. But if the current killing of Muslims and Christians in Poso, Central Sulawesi, continues as it is, how can Indonesia honestly claim to be intolerant of terror? Foreign direct investment will come of its own accord when Indonesia succeeds in eliminating rampant corruption at all levels of government. As long as our judges, prosecutors and police remain addicted to bribes, who would dare invest their money here?

Without a doubt, the visits to Santiago and Vientiane are important. It is regrettable, however, that the public has not been properly informed on the reason that the President needed to "break" his promise not to travel during his government's first 100 days. Indonesian diplomats and officials should not just be busy preparing meeting lists and piles of summit documents; they should also be facing the public and explaining to them the tangible benefits Indonesia will obtain by its participation in such multilateral meetings.