Making Friends With The Neighbors
The Age
Thursday January 27, 2000
THIS week's acceptance by Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid of an invitation to visit Australia is very welcome. It is a sign that relations between this country and its populous neighbor, severely strained over Australia's intervention in East Timor, are beginning to return to normality. The invitation was extended by the Foreign Minister, Mr Alexander Downer, during a series of meetings in Indonesia this week, and the acceptance was announced by President Wahid during an interview with The Age.
The importance of a good relationship between our two countries can scarcely be overstated. It is as important to Indonesia as it is to Australia, despite Mr Wahid's recent jibe that Australia needs the relationship with Indonesia more than vice versa. It is true that Australia needs Indonesia's markets, but Australia, with the region's largest economy, is also able to offer Indonesia much in terms of technical expertise and economic clout, as Mr Wahid acknowledged in this week's interview.
Mr Wahid had been, he said, angry that the Australian Government and the Australian media ``took sides" before the plebiscite on independence for East Timor. He was also angry at the comments of the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, about Indonesia being a transit point for illegal migrants to Australia. However, he said these concerns were now ``forgotten". It is as well that they are. While good relations between neighbors are built on mutual respect and understanding of differences, this should not mean there is no room for disagreement on significant issues. Mr Howard's accusations about Indonesia's alleged lack of cooperation in stemming the flood of boat people into Australia, voiced on talkback radio, were unwise. Yet the reaction by Indonesia's leaders and many of its people to Australia's involvement in East Timor also demonstrates a lack of understanding. What we see as a peacekeeping intervention driven by a concern for human rights, they view as neo-colonial arrogance.
The moderate and liberal President Wahid needs all the support he can get to help maintain Indonesia's new and very fragile democracy. The two countries have a mutual interest in getting East Timor on its feet, and a mutual interest in preventing Indonesia falling into disorder and anarchy. The return to a more civil discourse is a heartening sign that the leaders of both countries are prepared to nurture their important relationship. If a visit to the Great Barrier Reef or the Swan River, expressly desired by Mr Wahid, can further the process, all the better.
© 2000 The Age