Malaysia-Indonesia Relations:
What’s Happening, Syed Hamid?
By Din Merican - Laman M@RHAEN
It is common knowledge among friends and aficionados of Indonesia here in Malaysia that our relations with the largest Muslim democracy in the world has turned sour since Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took office in 2003. We appear to have taken our Indonesian friends for granted and are constant source of irritation and angst.
It is true that during the premiership of Tun Dr. Mahathir, Malaysia-Indonesia relations have at times been rather strained because both former President Suharto and the Tun are strong personalities, both seeking to play a dominant role in ASEAN, OIC and NAM, but it was still manageable. Today, despite claims by Badawi that he and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono enjoy strong and close fraternal relations, tensions between the two ASEAN states have reached a point of crisis.
Outstanding issues remained unresolved and Malaysia is being perceived by Indonesians, in particular the free and independent media like magazine Tempo, as arrogant and “too big for its own shoes”. What is our hang-up(s)? Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is a popular political icon and frequent visitor to the reform-driven and proud Republic, informed me the other day that Malaysia must manage our relations with Indonesia with a high level of sophistication and deep understanding of Indonesia’s history, arts and culture, and the people. We cannot deal with Indonesia on the basis of arrogance and bloody-mindedness.
We must realise that Indonesia is a rich and emerging ASEAN regional power. Although ASEAN concept is based on the concept of equal partnership, we are not equal in all respects.
I think, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid and his team in Wisma Putra must explain to us why they have allowed our relations with Indonesia to deteriorate. At one stage, we nearly went to war with our serumpun over the Ambalat issue. There is no point of Badawi Government trying to cover-up when things are not progressing well in our relations with Indonesia. Instead, we show our determination to resolve our outstanding issues with them so that good relations with this regional giant can be restored and subsequently raised to a higher level.
We must launch a massive public relations campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Indonesian people. For starters, we should send one of our outstanding diplomats (only a few of them are left in Wisma Putra) to serve as our Ambassador in Jakarta, and beef up our mission in Jakarta. The time for change has come, and we must deal with Indonesia with a sense of realism. Together, Malaysia and Indonesia can do a lot together in ASEAN, trade and investment.
- Din Merican (The Reluctant Blogger)
UBAH SEBELUM PARAH
UBAH DEMI MARUAH28.12.2007 (M@RHAEN - Emel: marhaen@gmail.com / reformasi@gmail.com)
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