Transcript
INDONESIA - AUSTRALIAN RELATIONSHIP: LIKELY FUTURE DIRECTIONS
by His Excellency Imron Cotan
The Indonesia Ambassador to Australia
May 2005
This is an exciting moment to talk about the relationship between the two neighbouring countries for now are, I believe, witnessing the highest ever peak in the relationship adorned lately by the State visit by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Australia. The visit was historical for at least two reasons, firstly, it was the first visit to Australia by a directly and democratically elected President of Indonesia and, secondly, the visit witnessed the signing of a Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership covering, inter alia, Australia's commitment to honour the territorial integrity of Indonesia whilst expressing its determination to jointly work with us on issues of common concern which I intend to touch upon at a later stage. One thing is sure: the visit has uplifted our relationship to a new level and put the East Timor debacle in 1999 well and truly out of sight. I don't think there are many people, Australians in particular, who would argue against this.
It is interesting to note that the recent improvements in Indonesia- Australia bilateral ties have basically been achieved by default or dictated by divine intervention through natural disasters or man-made tragedies.
We still remember the Tampa incident in 2001 that had rapidly developed into an intricate issue that had the potential to seriously damage the already volatile relationship at that time. Fortunately, the governments of both countries tried their best to transform what was a potentially damaging issue into a unifying one which brought together not only Australia and Indonesia, but also all countries in the region to combat human trafficking in the region. The joint initiative by Indonesia and Australia to organise ministerial conferences to combat human trafficking involving other countries and international organisations in 2002 and 2003 in Bali led to close co-operation among the countries of origin, transit, and the final destination, to stamp out people smuggling that, in turn, has, it would appear, stopped the flow of illegal migrants to Australia.
The Bali bombings in October 2002 that claimed 202 innocent lives - 88 of them Australian - have further paved the way for Indonesia and Australia to enhance their relations. The police forces of the two countries worked very closely and co-operatively in hunting down the perpetrators of this heinous crime, leading to their arrest and prosecution. Some received capital punishments.
This tragic incident presented Indonesia and Australia, once again, with an opportunity to beef up regional co-operation to combat terrorism by organising a series of regional conferences and meetings that led, inter alia, to the establishment of the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Co-operation (JCLEC), a centre designed to improve the skills of the region's law enforcement officers in combating terrorism.
The Boxing Day Tsunami that claimed 200,000 Indonesian lives and inflicted horrendous damage in Aceh and North Sumatra has presented yet another opportunity for Indonesia and Australia to become closer. Indonesia grieved with Australia when it lost nine Service people in the Sea King helicopter crash on Nias last month. We bow our heads in their honour, and are deeply humbled by the sacrifice they made while helping Indonesians. We must ensure that their sacrifice will not be in vain.
Close Relationships
As close neighbours, the future relations between our two countries should be guided by acceptable roadmaps to minimise conflicts and misunderstandings emanating from differences, and to capitalise on shared objectives of providing security and prosperity for the region. As I have previously said, the visit of President Yudhoyono to Australia has significantly solidified the relationship between Indonesia and Australia. Having been present at all the President's formal engagements, I must testify to being overwhelmed by the strong determination of our leaders to lift up the already closer relationship to the highest level. For the short to medium term, we can be confident of stable and productive relations due to the excellent rapport between our Heads of Government and of members of their cabinets. This very positive period is an opportunity to set what we want to do together for our long term benefit. Strategically, we know in Indonesia of no productive option other than co-operating and building closer relations for our common security and prosperity.
The Comprehensive Partnership signed by President Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Howard was aimed at strengthening relations between governments, peoples and businesses, and covering co-operation in the fields of economics, technical matters, security, and enhanced people-to-people interaction. In the security field, transnational crime, including money laundering, drug trafficking and terrorism, continued to receive priority. Indonesia and Australia will continue to forge close partnerships between the police forces, immigration and custom officials as well as the security and intelligence agencies.
On the people-to-people links - the lynchpin of our bilateral relationship - President Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Howard expressed their determination to encourage and strengthen the links in both directions. Education was acknowledged as central to people-to-people relations. They want to see more Indonesian students studying in Australia and vice versa - we warmly welcome Australia's offer of 600 post-graduate scholarships. To contribute to this noble endeavour, President Yudhoyono decided to increase Indonesia's scholarship intake from Australia from three to fifty per annum - a decision I had the honour of contributing to.
The Comprehensive Partnership also encourages the strongest possible links between the Indonesian and Australian Parliaments. Closer interactions between parliamentarians are fundamental to stable long-term relations - something particularly important during sharp shifts in public opinion. Presently, plans are under way for a visit by members of the Indonesian Parliament to the Australian Parliament. And, better still, Australia's Parliament has also invited a parliamentarian from Indonesia to take part soon in a meeting during which young and promising world leaders will gather to chart the global future.
Military Relationships
In the area of military relations, I am also optimistic that post President Yudhoyono's visit to Australia we will see more co-operation between the two institutions. The close co-operation between the two forces has in fact already taken place. We witnessed that when the tsunami struck Indonesia: Australian military personnel joined hands with their counterparts, the TNI, in providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Aceh and again in Nias after the earthquake struck that island with devastating results.
Just a month ago, the Indonesian Air Force conducted a combined maritime exercise with the RAAF in the Timor Sea. This joint exercise, "Albatross Ausindo" was the first combined defence military exercise conducted between our two countries since 1999.
The Indonesian Navy will also participate in a regional defence exercise, "Exercise Kakadu" in Northern Australian waters in August. The Indonesian and Australian navies will also conduct a joint naval exercise later this year involving patrol boats from both countries.
There are three underlying reasons why Indonesia has never been and will never be a threat to Australia. Firstly, Indonesia is now a democratic country where its Parliament needs to endorse any actions taken by the President on matters related to waging wars and signing peace agreements with other countries as crystal clearly stipulated in Article 11 of our constitution. Secondly, Indonesia does not harbour any territorial ambitions. Thirdly, even if it had, Indonesia absolutely has no military capability to send expeditions to fulfil such ambitions.
Trade and Investment
During the Indonesia/Australia Business Conference in Bali, 17-19 April 2005, the Ministers of Trade from our two countries agreed to develop a comprehensive economic framework that aims to boost significantly two-way trade in goods and services - a possible precursor to a bilateral free-trade agreement. The meeting was also a great opportunity for businessmen from both countries to meet and to explore further ways of co-operation. The total value of trade between our two countries last year hit the all time record high of US$5 billion - a 12% increase on 2003.
With Indonesia rapidly maturing as a democracy, and with a new leader bent on creating economic growth and reform and, particularly, in removing obstacles to trade and investment, we are confident that Australian companies will soon look north again.
The Regional Front
Concerning future Australia-Indonesia relations on the regional front, Indonesia has always supported the full integration of Australia into the region for obvious reasons. Geography dictates that Indonesia and Australia should work together to confront common threats and to develop a stable, peaceful and prosperous region. We firmly believe that there will be no political stability and economic prosperity in the region should Indonesia and Australia fail to work together. This firm conviction has led Indonesia to support the full integration of Australia into the regional networks.
Let me explain why. The ten countries of ASEAN have a combined population
of around 550 million and a total GDP at around US$682 billion that is growing
in real terms at roughly 6% per annum. ASEAN is a major market for Australian
exporters, accounting for 11% of Australia's total exports, as well as an important
destination for ASEAN tourists and students. In 2003-2004 the value of Australia's
total imports of good and services from ASEAN countries reached nearly A$26
billion, and Australia's exports of goods and services to ASEAN countries totalled
slightly over AS17 billion.
We believe that Australia should be part of the budding regional framework
for co-operation in East Asia. We have thrown Indonesia's full weight behind
Australia's participation in the inaugural East Asian Summit in Malaysia later
this year because we are confident that Australia has the capacity and will
to strengthen its contribution to regional security and prosperity.
In Conclusion
I wish to conclude by underlining the need for Indonesia and Australia to continuously maintain dialogue and close consultation to avoid misunderstandings and misconceptions. Harmonising policies affecting the national interests of our two neighbouring countries will just do that. For the future of our young generations we cannot afford to fail.