By Made Bimantara
The
Odd Couple was a 1968 classic comedy film starring Jack Lemmon and Walter
Matthau who played Felix and Oscar: two men with clashing personalities living
together in a Manhattan apartment. Felix has an obsession with cleanliness
while Oscar is a sloppy fun-loving individual.
In the past, the Australia-Indonesia relations have been characterized as the “odd couple”. Australia is a western country with an advanced economy and a prosperous population of 23 million. By contrast, Indonesia is a country with ancient civilization roots, an emerging economy with 240 million people, with a middle class of about 45 million.
But are we that different? If we are, does it damage the relationship more than benefit it?
Browsing through the headlines in the Australian and the Indonesian media over the past few weeks, the news coverage in the former has been much more intense than in the latter and it seems the bilateral relationship is abysmal. But on the contrary, Australia and Indonesia are enjoying a level of cooperation that is deeper and closer than ever before.
Imagine the progression of the relationship on a chart, with the horizontal x-axis as years, and the vertical y-axis denoting elements such as cooperation on trade, investment, security, borders and development.
From the 1940s until today, the graph will show an upward trend, with ever growing two-way trade and investment, more Indonesians studying in Australia, many more Australian tourists coming to Indonesia, and a much closer and more intense military and police cooperation. Indonesia and Australia have built strong people, business, education, community and government links.
The graph will also show sharp spikes that explain the many ups and downs of a normal relationship. But, over the years, the governments of both countries from all political persuasions have done a great deal to build the bilateral architecture up brick by brick.
Australia was among the first countries to back Indonesia’s independence movement, at a time when colonial powers were conspiring to hold on to their colonies. And in the present era, Australia’s response to assist Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami touched the hearts of ordinary Indonesians and was nothing less than exceptional.
Tim Lindsey from the University of Melbourne also pointed out that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s strong support was crucial for Australia in gaining a place at the ASEAN table. Then there was the significant joint role of the governments of former prime minister Keating and former president Soeharto in Bogor 19 years ago to open the Asia Pacific region for trade and investment.
This is the APEC legacy that is again proving its worth by providing the framework to sustain economic growth in the region despite a weakened global economy. In the security field, a solid police collaboration between the two countries helped Indonesia prosecute hundreds of terrorists.
In light of the most recent boat disaster that left 36 asylum seekers dead, including women and children, and more than 20 people missing presumed drowned off the coast of Java, both countries are aware of the need to quickly resolve the issue. During Prime Minister Tony Abbot’s first overseas visit and first state visit to Indonesia, he agreed with Yudhoyono that both countries were victims of people smuggling.
At the heart of it is the humanitarian tragedy that is forcing men, women and children to take desperate measures to escape dire circumstances. The Australian and Indonesian government agencies are working hard both bilaterally and regionally, through the Bali Process initiative, to end this.
For Australians, people smuggling consistently remains high on the news agenda. For Indonesians human trafficking often dominates the media.
The International Organization of Migration (IOM) estimates that 43 to 50 percent (3 - 4.5 million) of Indonesia’s expatriate workforce are victims of trafficking, living in conditions of forced labor and debt bondage. To a lesser degree, Indonesia is also a destination country for trafficking.
How Australia, Indonesia and other countries in the region and the countries of origin deal with these challenges will be remembered much longer than the hype surrounding an election cycle or a 24-hour news round.
Although Australia and Indonesia enjoy good relations across a wide spectrum of sectors, recently Bali, boats and beef (“three Bs”) are dominating the news in Australia.
Ross Taylor, the chairman of the Indonesia Institute based in Western Australia, commented that those three issues, coined on ABC’s recent program in Jakarta, “suck the oxygen out of larger and more significant issues facing our two countries”.
Despite the “three Bs” getting all the attention and the differences between the two neighbors being overblown by the media, mutual interests will keep supplying the bricks and mortar for the bilateral structure.
According to Michael Wesley, professor of international relations at the Australian National University, Australia’s and Indonesia’s core interests are mostly aligned. Both seek stability and sovereignty in the Indo-Pacific Peninsula, as well as economic development with an open trade and investment regime.
Though some still see the two countries as the “odd couple”, Australia’s and Indonesia’s common interests, vibrant democracies and free press are bringing us closer together. At the end of the movie, Oscar and Felix make amends, and recognize that positive traits of each have rubbed off on the other. They realize that each is a better person now and their relationship has evolved into a true friendship.
Made Bimantara is assistant special staff to the President on international affairs. The views expressed are personal.
In the past, the Australia-Indonesia relations have been characterized as the “odd couple”. Australia is a western country with an advanced economy and a prosperous population of 23 million. By contrast, Indonesia is a country with ancient civilization roots, an emerging economy with 240 million people, with a middle class of about 45 million.
But are we that different? If we are, does it damage the relationship more than benefit it?
Browsing through the headlines in the Australian and the Indonesian media over the past few weeks, the news coverage in the former has been much more intense than in the latter and it seems the bilateral relationship is abysmal. But on the contrary, Australia and Indonesia are enjoying a level of cooperation that is deeper and closer than ever before.
Imagine the progression of the relationship on a chart, with the horizontal x-axis as years, and the vertical y-axis denoting elements such as cooperation on trade, investment, security, borders and development.
From the 1940s until today, the graph will show an upward trend, with ever growing two-way trade and investment, more Indonesians studying in Australia, many more Australian tourists coming to Indonesia, and a much closer and more intense military and police cooperation. Indonesia and Australia have built strong people, business, education, community and government links.
The graph will also show sharp spikes that explain the many ups and downs of a normal relationship. But, over the years, the governments of both countries from all political persuasions have done a great deal to build the bilateral architecture up brick by brick.
Australia was among the first countries to back Indonesia’s independence movement, at a time when colonial powers were conspiring to hold on to their colonies. And in the present era, Australia’s response to assist Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami touched the hearts of ordinary Indonesians and was nothing less than exceptional.
Tim Lindsey from the University of Melbourne also pointed out that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s strong support was crucial for Australia in gaining a place at the ASEAN table. Then there was the significant joint role of the governments of former prime minister Keating and former president Soeharto in Bogor 19 years ago to open the Asia Pacific region for trade and investment.
This is the APEC legacy that is again proving its worth by providing the framework to sustain economic growth in the region despite a weakened global economy. In the security field, a solid police collaboration between the two countries helped Indonesia prosecute hundreds of terrorists.
In light of the most recent boat disaster that left 36 asylum seekers dead, including women and children, and more than 20 people missing presumed drowned off the coast of Java, both countries are aware of the need to quickly resolve the issue. During Prime Minister Tony Abbot’s first overseas visit and first state visit to Indonesia, he agreed with Yudhoyono that both countries were victims of people smuggling.
At the heart of it is the humanitarian tragedy that is forcing men, women and children to take desperate measures to escape dire circumstances. The Australian and Indonesian government agencies are working hard both bilaterally and regionally, through the Bali Process initiative, to end this.
For Australians, people smuggling consistently remains high on the news agenda. For Indonesians human trafficking often dominates the media.
The International Organization of Migration (IOM) estimates that 43 to 50 percent (3 - 4.5 million) of Indonesia’s expatriate workforce are victims of trafficking, living in conditions of forced labor and debt bondage. To a lesser degree, Indonesia is also a destination country for trafficking.
How Australia, Indonesia and other countries in the region and the countries of origin deal with these challenges will be remembered much longer than the hype surrounding an election cycle or a 24-hour news round.
Although Australia and Indonesia enjoy good relations across a wide spectrum of sectors, recently Bali, boats and beef (“three Bs”) are dominating the news in Australia.
Ross Taylor, the chairman of the Indonesia Institute based in Western Australia, commented that those three issues, coined on ABC’s recent program in Jakarta, “suck the oxygen out of larger and more significant issues facing our two countries”.
Despite the “three Bs” getting all the attention and the differences between the two neighbors being overblown by the media, mutual interests will keep supplying the bricks and mortar for the bilateral structure.
According to Michael Wesley, professor of international relations at the Australian National University, Australia’s and Indonesia’s core interests are mostly aligned. Both seek stability and sovereignty in the Indo-Pacific Peninsula, as well as economic development with an open trade and investment regime.
Though some still see the two countries as the “odd couple”, Australia’s and Indonesia’s common interests, vibrant democracies and free press are bringing us closer together. At the end of the movie, Oscar and Felix make amends, and recognize that positive traits of each have rubbed off on the other. They realize that each is a better person now and their relationship has evolved into a true friendship.
Made Bimantara is assistant special staff to the President on international affairs. The views expressed are personal.
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