Views, action in Australia-RI ties

Views, action in Australia-RI ties

Mark Otter, School of Political Science and International Studies,
The University of Queensland, Brisbane

Much has been written in the two weeks since the Oct. 12
tragedy in Bali about the impact of the incident on the
contemporary histories of Indonesia and Australia -- how each
country responds to international terrorism, what it means for
domestic politics in each country and whether it will be the
breakthrough needed to improve bilateral relations.

What has been missing so far is consideration of the role that
public opinion plays in the relationship between the two
countries and an underlining of the fact that, in the end, the
most important relationship is a people-to-people relationship.

There is no doubt that government-to-government relations
between Australia and Indonesia have had their difficulties over
the years. They have also their strengths. The Australian
government was very supportive of Indonesia's declaration of
independence in 1945 and acted on Indonesia's behalf in the
negotiations in the United Nations which led to international
recognition of independence in 1949. Australian public opinion
was strongly supportive of Indonesian independence.

The Australian government was largely critical of Sukarno's
non-aligned approach of the 1950s, interpreting it as anti-West.
Public opinion was somewhat divided but largely supportive of the
government's position -- it was, after all, during the Cold War
and Australia was firmly in the Western camp.

Official Australian support for the stability and economic
growth provided by Soeharto's New Order regime was strong.
Australia sought Indonesia's endorsement for its new-found
regional identity and support for its political and trade
engagement with Asia. Australian public opinion, however, was
critical of the human rights abuses committed in the name of
political stability.

In 1976, the Australian government provided de-facto
recognition of Indonesia's incorporation of East Timor -- in
stark contrast to fierce public opposition in Australia. Public
criticism continued for almost 23 years until the government
eventually responded -- to the detriment of official relations.

There are similar comparisons between government policy and
public opinion in Australia on global issues. In the aftermath of
the terrorist attacks on the U.S. in September 2001, there was
some public debate in Australia about whether the government
should respond to a US request to join its coalition in the so-
called "war against terror". In the end, opinion was largely
supportive.

But there is a much more heated public debate currently about
whether Australia should join the U.S. in a war against Iraq. In
recent weeks, an open letter to the Australian Prime Minister has
been written by three former prime ministers, a number of former
Chiefs of the Australian Defense Force and other prominent
figures calling for no Australian involvement in a war against
Iraq in the absence of UN Security Council endorsement. There are
limits to the U.S. alliance, they argued.

In Melbourne recently (pointedly, on the morning after the
Bali bombing), there was a mass demonstration by 30,000 people
(large by Australian standards) opposing an Iraqi war.

Bali, which has a special place of peace and tranquility in
the hearts of Indonesians, has also been adopted as a second home
to many Australians. It is as familiar and comfortable to
Australians as it is exotic. For thousands of young Australians
-- those most affected by the tragedy -- it has provided their
first overseas experience and their first contact with a culture
other than their own.

Ordinary Australians are hurting over what happened in Bali as
are ordinary Indonesians. This shared grief underscores what is
really important in relations between our two countries -- the
human dimension.

Geography and history have conspired to place Indonesia and
Australia as neighbors. Only human contact and a sense of shared
destiny will break down barriers and dispel apathy, ignorance and
distrust. We don't have to agree with each other, but we do have
to learn and understand about each other. The more human contact
the better -- whether it be tourists, business people, students,
academics and, yes, even government officials.

The writer is also a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta.