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.