Australian Espionage Against Indonesia : Solutions and Completion

POLITIK LUAR NEGERI INDONESIA

Bryan Lodewyk Pardede

Hubungan Internasional

Universitas Teknologi Yogyakarta

Australian Espionage Against Indonesia : Solutions and Completion

Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Australia had heated up in 2014 due to espionage incidents committed by Australia against several Indonesian officials. One of them, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's cellphone, became a victim of wiretapping. Australia's main motive for wiretapping was to get a security council seat at the UN. This wiretapping by Australia was to spy on conversations conducted by Indonesian officials with the aim of obtaining important information that is useful for Australia's political interests. An anonymous source revealed that Australia's interest in tapping Indonesia was to win a seat on the UN Security Council, Australian PM Kevin Rudd was also said to be very eager to obtain intelligence information from Asia Pacific leaders including President SBY, Indian PM Manmoham Singh and former Chinese President Hu Jintao. In response to the news of the wiretapping of Indonesia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott held a press conference in Australia but instead of answering questions from the Indonesian government about whether or not the wiretapping had taken place and the demand for an apology, he stated that Australia did not need to apologize for what had happened because wiretapping cases are common in the international world and it is about the need to protect Australia's national interests.

           President SBY was not satisfied with PM Tony Abbott's statement which according to him did not answer the questions and demands of the Indonesian people but only responded to the Australian domestic community itself. The President then took firm steps with the issuance of three policies towards Australia, the first was the withdrawal of the Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat in Canberra and summoned the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty to provide information about this wiretapping case, the second reviewed the Indonesia-Australia cooperation and even some important cooperation was temporarily stopped, one of which was cooperation in the field of defense and security, the last was the President sent an official letter to Australia containing a protest over the wiretapping case that occurred.

            Moving on from President SBY's three policies towards Australia, PM Tony Abbott responded by replying to an official letter from President SBY regarding protests against Australia's espionage actions, Abott expressed his desire to normalize relations between the two countries and promised that in the future Australia would not take actions that could harm Indonesia. The reply letter given by Abbott then formed five Indonesian foreign policies towards Australia taken by President SBY after a meeting with the Vice President and a number of Ministers, as follows :

1. Assign Marty Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to conduct in-depth negotiations on this matter, covering sensitive matters relating to Australia and Indonesia's diplomatic relations. Based on the mutual understanding and agreement, the President tried to follow up with the parties after they discussed the protocol and code of conduct, also known as the Code of Conduct Protocol.

2. To ensure the settlement meets Indonesia's needs, the President personally reviewed the code of conduct after the incident.

3. Furthermore, the heads of state of both countries will be present during the ratification of the protocol and code of conduct.

4. The next step is for both countries to demonstrate that they must abide by and implement these rules and codes of conduct. Observations and assessments are therefore very important.

5. Once both countries have restored mutual trust and customary and ethical standards, bilateral cooperation including police and military cooperation can resume.

           Both Indonesia and Australia set the agenda for meetings in 2014 in an effort to reach consensus on the wiretapping case. The final step in resolving the case was the signing of the Security Framework Code of Conduct developed by Australia and Indonesia. The two countries that signed the code of conduct promised unequivocally not to use their resources intelligence, wiretapping or otherwise in any way that could jeopardize each other's interests.

           In this code of conduct, it has been agreed that no party should engage in any activity, including wiretapping, that may jeopardize the interests of the other party. Another step forward with a maximum remedy procedure is to sign this code of conduct. Furthermore, the parties to this agreement will enhance their intelligence cooperation with relevant national regulations, legal entities, and institutions. In order to address security threats on the territory of their respective countries, both parties also agreed to enhance intelligence cooperation. This means that the agreement may contain provisions intended to correct both countries from taking actions that could endanger the other.

           On August 28, 2014, Indonesia and Australia finally signed the Protocol Code of Conduct which is a code of ethics and cooperation. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop signed this protocol and code of conduct. This will be a clear and binding protocol that needs to be adhered to or implemented. The signed agreement is a practical way to resolve any issues that might harm both countries. Of course, Indonesia needs to be extra careful in implementing the Product Code agreement. Given that phone tapping and other forms of espionage are considered Australian interference with Indonesia, it is difficult to assume that signing the Code of Conduct will prevent Australia from interfering with Indonesia's internal affairs under these circumstances.

           The above policy shows a major change in Australia's image in the view of President SBY to become an Ally image, to take steps to normalize relations after what happened requires a strong reason and trust in Australia, this is inseparable from the goodwill of the Australian government through PM Tony Abbott in his reply letter who wants to immediately normalize relations between the two countries and promises not to repeat the same incident. The President himself expressed his belief that Australia will not repeat the same incident and believes that the cooperation between the two countries in the future can run well, but President SBY also wants Australia to follow all existing processes for normalization.

           Following the signing of the Code in Bali on August 8, 2014, both Indonesia and Australia concentrated on complying with the Code and restoring trust. In fact, trust between the two countries has been successfully restored through this agreement, and things are starting to look up again. This is demonstrated by the many collaborations that have taken place and the improving relationship between the two countries. Frozen cooperation has thawed and returned to normal over time. Examples include acts of terrorism, joint military exercises, and cooperation in military instruction between Australian and Indonesian forces, the Air Force and Navy respectively. In addition, intelligence exchanges, cooperation, and information sharing that were delayed are now resuming.

            In the world of international relations, there are many such cases of espionage. The background of an incident like this, namely wiretapping, is to obtain the desired information for certain interests. National interest is one of the things that becomes a concept in the state taking action. In order to fulfill these national interests, many countries use various methods such as wiretapping. It can be a natural thing but it can also be a risky thing because it can damage good relations between countries and groups and individuals. From the above, it can be seen that the confidentiality of information is very important for a country.

Halo nama saya Bryan Lodewyk Pardede bisa dipanggil Bryan. Saya berkuliah di Universitas Teknologi Yogyakarta "B" Angkatan 2022 dari Program Studi Ilmu Hubungan Internasional. Saya memilih Program Studi Ilmu Hubungan Internasional karena rasa keinginan tahu dan ketertarikan terhadap dunia internasional yang lebih tepatnya dalam hal kerjasama, adanya konflik, dan sejarah. Langkah serta tindakan khususnya negara Indonesia dalam menghadapi dinamika di internasional menjadi salah satu alasan saya juga berkuliah di program studi ini. Dosen favorit saya selama berkuliah ini adalah Bapak Adi Wibawa pengampu Sistem Politik Indonesia, Diplomasi, dan Dasar-Dasar Ilmu Sosial dan Politik serta Ibu Lucitania Rizky yang mengampu Hukum Internasional. Kedepannya rencana konsentrasi saya adalah Bisnis karena saya tertarik untuk menumbuhkan skill bisnis saya demi kepentingan masa depan. Saya juga sudah melakukan bisnis walaupun hanya kecil sejak saya di bangku SMP, walaupun hanya menjual dan membeli barang. Maka dari itu saya berminat mengambil Bisnis sebagai rencana konsentrasi agar saya lebih memahami tentang bisnis yang lebih mendalam serta saya berharap bisa membantu proses berkuliah saya di Prodi Ilmu Hubungan Internasional.