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