Testing times

Testing times

Relations between Australia and Indonesia did not improve with Prime Minister John Howard's visit to Jakarta this week. Mr Howard deserves plaudits for making the effort to reach out to the Indonesians, even though he did not succeed. It is going to take a while for emotions in Jakarta to cool down ...

What is crucial is that the bilateral problems are kept manageable. Which means Australians had better be mindful of the sensitivities when dealing with their ASEAN neighbours. The Indonesians tend to believe that Australians are "arrogant and unfriendly". Mr Howard had gone the extra mile to be helpful, and this is something the Indonesians ought to acknowledge. Jakarta should accept in good faith Canberra's declaration that it supports Indonesia's territorial integrity ...

So what exactly did Mr Howard accomplish by going to Jakarta? Significantly, he did not raise the touchy issue of illegal immigrants with President Megawati Soekarnoputri. He felt that the issue was better left to an international conference on people-smuggling which the two countries will co-chair in Bali later this month. But they agreed on a memorandum of understanding to share intelligence and cooperate against international terrorism, even though there is no commitment from Jakarta to do more than what it is now doing, which actually amounts to very little. That is why the memorandum has been dismissed by critics as nothing more than a public-relations exercise that will fool no one.

Mr Howard told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio that his visit to Jakarta was about building bilateral ties. His message was: "If you get hung up about differences, you'll never have a good relationship." Well said. For two next-door neighbors, it is important that the leaders make extra efforts to narrow their differences. Mr Howard pledged that Australia would be a "good regional mate". It does nothing to enhance regional stability if relations between Canberra and Jakarta are derailed. This is the last thing ASEAN countries want.

-- The Straits Times, Singapore