A chapter in Indonesia-Australia relationship has just ended by two stroke of pen in the paradise island of Bali. Another is in the making. For almost 7 decade, two great nations, has had their relationship going like roller coaster. The signing of a new code of conduct during period of "lame duck president" sends signal that no longer one nation is superior to the others. For both of our foreign minister, The Honorable Julie Bishop and Yang Terhormat Marty Natalegawa, this has been an outstanding feat. Â Â Finally, through the goodwill of Canberra and common sense of Jakarta, we may have a chance to sail through the treacherous seas of the future, together, as equal.
Foreign Minister of Australia and Indonesia. APP image
Foreign Minister of Australia to the left and Her Indonesian counterpart (Courtesy Of APP)
The exuberant mood of both nations' foreign ministry in successfully defusing tension would soon give turns to the feeling of "what next?". It is the purpose of this writing to give suggestions and highlighting potential flashpoints for the future.
With the US Marines started to build up bases in Darwin, a mere 386 miles from the nearest Indonesian island. A question crops up in the mind of average Indonesian people, why on earth they go there? Didn't they already have one in the Philippine? Another in Singapore? This is the question that Australia needs to answer fast. Since the majority of observer DO understand who the problem is, the real question would be answered best by explaining why, instead of directed against who the bases were built for. And it needs to be explained, fast, before another upsurge of nationalistic sentiments turns this problem into a ticking time bomb.
In terms of Ships violating territorial waters, most Indonesians understand that the Indonesian navy is woefully understrength. That they weren't able to effectively police the territorial sea. Therefore, if the Australian navy did accidentally cross the lines during policing activities, well, just make sure that no mass media found out. Because if they did, the Javanese (since up until now most of the top brass came from the said ethnic) code of honor demands retribution (the same thing did not applied if it was done clandestinely).
Indonesia is by far the best buffer state that any nation could ever dreamed up, inward looking, populous, fiercely independent and a maze of islands, mountains, jungles and savanna scattered all over the place. Anything that wants to move into Australia needs to pass through this archipelago. Therefore, keeping the populace happy and in good stead with Australia is of paramount importance.
The biggest threat right now facing both Australia and Indonesia would be the resurgence of religious radicalism. The current upsurge of support for ISIS must not be taken lightly. Although in heterogeneous Indonesia it is viewed with ridicule, the same thing that happened in Australia must be considered seriously, for it would cause a greater harm in Australia. The best way to counter this in Indonesia would be to equalize the wealth distribution. In this case, AusAid could play a leading role by targeting poor muslim pockets throughout the nation, and shifting the balance of the aid to western portion of Indonesia. While at the same time, maintaining good relationship with the eastern portion through education. Australia needs to projects a benign and helpful nation image to counter the effects of its military deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, one that most (if not all) muslim Indonesian despises. Leaflets and booklets needs to be shown across java and Sumatra primarily, to shows what Australia has been doing in terms of social empowerment.
In terms of education as a bulwark against religious radicalism, the Australian government needs to be more careful on whom they were channeling the funds to. Some of the major institutions that were being funded have openly flaunted their "independence" from traditionalist Islamic view. Although in a more liberal countries this is not an issue, in Indonesia it only serves to further stoke up the fiery brew of fundamentalist sentiment. It is perfectly making sense to pour resources for a more moderate society, but to flaunt and openly challenged the prevailing view only helps to further estranged and damages the credibility of the students that were studying in these institutions.
With the advent of more organized counter-terrorism units in Indonesia and a far better regional outlook, it could be said that the age of terrorism in Indonesia has slowly fading away. Several lone wolves might pull of an act, but overall, it is safe to say that the bulk of the funding should go to de-radicalization efforts instead of direct terrorism combating. Funds should be allocated to economic empowerment in the area with the highest inequality, mostly in the suburbs of large metropolitan areas.