Behind Australia's Espionage Against Indonesia

Australia and Indonesia's diplomatic relations were strained in 2013 due to Australia conducting espionage against Indonesia, especially through the cell phones of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and several Indonesian officials. Espionage, or in English, spionage, is defined in the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI) as a secret investigation into the military and economic data of other countries, everything related to the ins and outs of spies; spying is an accusation. Not only was President SBY's communication equipment broken into, but the equipment of nine other officials, including Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono's, was also broken into. Of course, Australia's wiretapping caused losses for Indonesia. Australia may know some important and highly classified information about Indonesia, including its defense plans, which is the reason why Indonesia may suffer setbacks. This certainly violates Indonesia's privacy laws. Australia will be able to influence any future policies that Indonesia makes if they are fully informed about the country. In comparison, if Australia and Indonesia are two interdependent things, and if Australia knows every card that Indonesia has, then Australia can predict and read every move that Indonesia will make.

At that time, Australia and Indonesia's diplomatic relations were at a low point and experiencing tension. With the withdrawal of the Indonesian Embassy from Australia, diplomatic relations improved. There is no doubt that Australia's wiretapping operation cost Indonesia a huge amount of money. Australia is accused of insulting the Indonesian people with this scandal, and there are several cases where Australian nationalism has violated the Republic of Indonesia's sovereignty over state secrets and information. Since state information is one aspect of national security and cybersecurity threats are national threats, according to Forest Hare's book, The Cyber Threat to National Security: Why Can't We Agree? Cyber espionage is the cyber threat discussed here. Therefore, cyber espionage is dangerous to the state.

The issue of wiretapping arises when relations between the two countries are good, but if the wiretapping case is not handled properly, the bilateral relationship may end abruptly. Considering that the key to Canberra's influence in Asia is Indonesia itself. So far, wiretapping operations carried out by one country against another in the framework of international relations have not been carried out. No definite steps have been taken to answer the question of whether wiretapping or espionage is right or wrong. Morally, eavesdropping behavior cannot be claimed to be a completely new problem. However, according to research on international relations, phone tapping has violated a number of internationally accepted principles. If Australia does not take an official stance on this issue, the impact of wiretapping on the diplomatic relations between the two countries will be catastrophic. But a break in diplomatic relations would have long-term negative repercussions for both countries. Secondly, these countries have developed a strong cooperative relationship in areas such as tourism, security, and the economy, which cannot be ignored.

In November 2013, the Indonesian people were shocked by the news of Australia's wiretapping of Indonesia, where they intercepted the conversations of President Susilo Bambang Yodhoyono and other high-ranking officials. Australia's technical approach to wiretapping is through a stealth call directed to the target phone, and once connected to the target phone, the stealth phone will tap into the network connection and retrieve all necessary data without anyone's permission. This is a serious event that violates Indonesia's sovereignty. It is possible that Australia will know Indonesia's foreign plans and policies, and Australia can easily control those Indonesian policies and predict Indonesia's future foreign activities. Yet Australia did not admit its mistake and apologize to the Indonesian government. If this is not managed properly, the relationship between the two countries established after World War II could collapse, and there is no way out for us. At the same time, the severance of bilateral relations could have a negative impact on Australia, as Indonesia is the key to Australia's entry into Asian countries and will lose its influence in Asia.

Although Indonesia expressed its disappointment over Australia's wiretapping and Indonesia as a country has severed some cooperation relations, Indonesia became the first country to contact Australia after the discovery of Australia's wiretapping. President SBY has sent an official letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, asking for clarification on Indonesia's concerns. Although Australia argues that clarification is not necessary, it has provided three elements to maintain bilateral relations between the two countries. First, the Australian government has expressed its desire to maintain and continue efforts to build a strong and growing bilateral relationship with Indonesia. Second, the Australian Prime Minister pledged not to take any action that could cause disruption or harm to Indonesia in the future. Third, the Australian Prime Minister agreed and supported Indonesia's proposal to restructure bilateral cooperation, including the exchange of information on clear, fair, and respected protocols and codes of conduct. Indonesia followed up on Abbott's letter with six responses. First, the President will direct Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Natalegawa or a special envoy to discuss in depth sensitive issues related to bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australia after the wiretapping incident. Second, after there is mutual understanding and agreement between the two sides, the president hopes to continue a comprehensive discussion on the process and ethical rules of cooperation between the two countries. Third, the president will personally review the draft protocol and code of conduct. Fourth, after ratifying the protocol and code of ethics, the president wants to ratify it with Prime Minister Tony Abbott as Prime Minister of Australia. Fifth, the next task for both countries is to demonstrate that ethical rules and regulations are respected and applied by conducting observations and assessments. In the end, after both countries, especially Indonesia, have restored trust and effectively applied the rules and ethics, SBY is confident that bilateral cooperation that is clear and carries mutual interests is likely to continue, including military and police cooperation between the two countries.

Australia's espionage of Indonesia some time ago is a violation of international law. Because Australia has weakened the sovereignty of the Indonesian nation. In the case of Australia, this wiretapping from a legal aspect clearly violates the laws and regulations of the Republic of Indonesia, especially the Constitution No. 36 of the year on telecommunications and the law of numbers. Government Regulation No. 11/2008 on Information and Electronic Transactions.

Australia's espionage case in Indonesia is related to international relations because Australia's espionage of high-ranking Indonesian officials, including the President and First Lady, is considered a violation of international relations and ethics in international relations. This espionage also violates international law and can harm UN countries. This incident has led to tense relations between Indonesia and Australia, as well as disputes between the two countries.

Perkenalkan nama saya Anisa Sartika Madaniyah, dari Universitas Teknologi Yogyakarta “B” Program Studi Ilmu Hubungan Internasional Angkatan 2022. Alasan saya memilih Program Studi Ilmu Hubungan Internasional karena saya ingin memperdalam skill Bahasa inggris saya dan saya tertarik dengan hal-hal yang berbau nasional, terlebih dalam organisasi-organisasi internasional yang berkaitan dengan masyarakat serta ekonomi atau kerja sama internasional. Dosen favorite saya adalah Ibu Lucitania Rizky dan Ibu Christine Dian Permata Sari. Rencana pemilihan konsentrasi jurusan HI, saya ingin mengambil konsentrasi bisnis yang mana saya lebih tertarik dengan bisnis-bisnis atau kerja sama ekonomi yang terjadi di dunia internasional serta menurut saya konsentrasi bisnis ini jangkauan pembelajarannya lebih fleksibel.