The challenge of the new Indonesia

The challenge of the new Indonesia

The alarm bells went off again this week. However, the shrill
response to the terrorism scare at the Indonesian embassy in
Canberra was not just more of the same old sniping across the
bilateral divide. Since the fall of Indonesia's authoritarian
leader Soeharto in 1998, Australia and Indonesia have been
feeling around for a new footing.

Australia spent decades exhorting Indonesia to democratize;
that inherently difficult process is now under way.However,
democracy in Indonesia also means it can be more difficult to
douse anti-Australian sentiment once ignited.

The Prime Minister, John Howard, says Australians are at risk
of retaliation following the letter scare at the Indonesian
embassy. On the importance of perceptions, Howard is right.
Indonesia now has a free media which, unsurprisingly, jumped on
the terrorism story. It also has a jumble of rival political
parties which play to domestic audiences. Now the attack has been
revealed as a hoax, it may seem irresponsible that several
politicians sought to enhance their own standing by, for example,
calling for warnings about travel to Australia. But Indonesians'
freedom to express ill-informed views on Australia is no less
than that of Australians to express racist views about the Corby
case. This new force in the Australian-Indonesian relationship is
inherently difficult to manage, because public opinion is so
vulnerable to misunderstanding and prejudice.

Indonesia's President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has a strong,
co-operative relationship with Howard. However, he cannot ignore
his electorate's mood any more than Howard can the overwhelming
Australian sympathy for Schapelle Corby. The hysteria of
Australians calling for the withdrawal of tsunami aid and a
boycott of Indonesia will only make more difficult Susilo's
efforts to push through parliament a prisoner exchange deal. This
does not mean the bilateral relationship is too fragile to
withstand criticism. But threats based on race or nationality --
from either side -- are not part of any legitimate debate.
-- The Sydney Morning Herald