Indonesian military Chief Gatot Nurmantyo talks to reporters in the Indonesian capitals Jakarta on January 5.
Beawiharta/Reuters
The Indonesian government has confirmed that it will not suspend military cooperation
with Australia after a top general said earlier in the week that ties
between the two nations would be cut. The incident is just the latest
episode in a rocky relationship between the neighbours.
On January 4, Indonesian Military Chief Gatot Nurmantyo declared the
suspension of Indonesia-Australia military cooperation, apparently
because an Indonesian special forces commander trainer found materials at an Australian teaching facility that were insulting to both the Indonesian military and the state’s ideology of Pancasila.
Pancasila, from the Sanskrit word for for “five”, panca, and the Javanese for “principles”, sila, is the name given to the official founding principles of the Indonesian state. The principles are: “The one God system (monotheism), just and civilised humanity, the unity of Indonesia, democracy and social justice for all.”
The incident is part of the ups and downs of the Indonesia-Australia diplomatic and military relationship that dates back to 1945 when Indonesia first declared independence from both Japan, which had occupied the country in 1942 and the Dutch, who had colonised it in the 18th century.
Neighbourhood blues
In September 1945,
Australian waterside workers imposed “a black ban” on all Dutch ships
destined for Indonesia in Australian ports. Later, Australian government
showed sympathy for its northern neighbour in the Dutch-Indonesia conflict, even while officially maintaining impartiality.
Since then, however, the relationship between Australia and Indonesia
has been rocky at times, depending on what Australia has perceived to
be in its national interest. Australian public opinion opposed
Indonesia’s desire to incorporate West Papua into the nation in the 1950s, for instance, and a low-level separatist conflict continues in the province.
Australia initially supported Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor, but after the fall of president Suharto in 1998, then-Australian prime minister John Howard proposed a referendum on the issue of independence for East Timor.
Defence cooperation between Australia and Indonesia has improved
drastically since then: both countries need each other. For Australia,
Indonesia is an important nation for its security and economic objectives as the country is its gateway to Asia.
President Joko Widodo and the rest of the cabinet could have simply reaffirmed what General Nuryantyo had proclaimed.Darren Whiteside/Reuters
Indonesia, on the other hand, needs Australia as a strategic partner
to modernise and further professionalise its military forces. Every
year, Indonesia sends more than a hundred officers to Australia for training and education.
Yet the distrust engendered by Australia’s intervention in East Timor
lingers, and remains the root of current problems in the nations’
relationship. It still hovers in the background despite improvements in
economic, military, and diplomatic relationship.
Hidden agendas?
General Gatot Nurmantyo is the perfect embodiment of this lack of
trust. In March 2015, for instance, he suggested that Australia’s
meddling in East Timor’s secession from Indonesia was part of a proxy war to secure oil.
In December 2016, he ominously warned of Australia’s desire to take over the Masela Oil Block,
which is close to Timor-Leste (as East Timor has been called since
gaining independence) and Darwin. He also noted that Indonesia is
currently surrounded by Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia,
which all of which used to have problems with Indonesia.
Many Indonesians share similar discomfort, though it might not as extreme as General Nurmantyo’s. Despite assurances from both US President Obama and Australia’s then-prime minister Julia Gillard that the goal of stationing 2,500 US troops in Darwin from 2017
was to counter China – and not to threaten Indonesia or the Southeast
Asian region generally – many Indonesians still believe there’s a hidden
agenda concerning both US and Australian interest in Indonesia’s abundant natural resources and Papua.
At the same time, General Nurmantyo’s reaction caught other
Indonesians completely off guard. Indonesian military’s spokesman, Major
General Wuryanto, for instance, stated that the reason for the
temporary freeze was technical matters (masalah teknis) and not due to insulting Pancasila.
Even the normally nationalistic Indonesian Defence Minister, Ryamizard Ryacudu, played down the incident,
saying that it was an isolated personal act that the Australian
government had regretted. And he noted that Australia had apologised for
the incident, which actually happened in mid-December 2016.
To add to the confusion, a tweet from the presidential staff office
suggested that the temporary halting of the military cooperation between
Australia and Indonesia was only on joint training, education, officer
exchange, and official visits.
Letter from the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, and Security.
Work to do
It seems from the different responses of several government ministers
that General Nurmantyo’s decision to halt the military cooperation was
abrupt, and that it came without any warning or coordination with other
ministers – or even the military’s own spokesman.
The relationship between Australia and Indonesia is clearly very
important for the Indonesian government, given the response to General
Nurmantyo’s announcement. It would have been simple for President Joko
“Jokowi” Widodo and the rest of the cabinet to simply reaffirm what
General Nuryantyo had proclaimed. But they value Indonesian-Australian
military ties, and so Jokowi and the rest of the cabinet went into
damage control mode to limit the fallout.
Finally, the incident shows that trust between Australia and
Indonesia remains fragile, since a language class writing assignment
could cause such an outrage. Indonesia’s wounds from East Timor’s
secession are clearly still very raw.
Coupled with the uproar over revelations in 2013 that Australia wiretapped
then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2009, which led to
suspension of cooperation between the two countries, it shouldn’t be
surprising that Indonesia remains wary of Australia’s intentions.
Clearly, both the Australian and Indonesian governments still have a lot of homework to do to build trust between their nations.
Yohanes Sulaiman is a visting lecturer in International Relations and Political Science
at Indonesian Defense University & Lecturer, Universitas Jendral
Achmad Yani
Disclosure statement
Yohanes Sulaiman does not work for, consult, own shares
in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would
benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations
beyond the academic appointment above.
This article first appeared in The Conversation in January 2017
The decision by Indonesian (4-Star) General Gatot
Nurmantyo - who is a very senior and powerful military officer in Indonesia - to suspend
military ties with Australia over 'offensive' material issues is a gross
overreaction; but not surprising. Nurmantyo has never liked or respected
Australia and his anti-Australia views go back as far as Australia’s support
for the independence of East Timor.
In fairness to the General though, there is still some confusion as to whether he suspended all military ties with Australia or simply the language training segment; but it then running out-of-control in the 'vibrant' Indonesian media.
The 'offensive' material behind the suspension of
military ties mainly related to issues concerning 'West Papua' and also the
creation of a 'word' Pancagila from the philosophical important
Indonesian word Pancasila; the former meaning something like Indonesia
is five times crazy or mad. Pancasila is very important to Indonesians -
particularly given Indonesia was occupied by foreigners for over 300 years - as
it represents the foundation of their society: One God; A just and civil
society; Unity; Democracy; and Social Justice.
We in Australia would, for example, be very upset
if a military person in Indonesia created a new word from ANZAC'S that was
derogatory. It was stupid thing to do.
Having said that, for Nurmantyo to suspend military
ties - without reference to his political masters - shows how much he dislikes
Australia and just how sensitive things are right now in Indonesia as the
nation deals with a challenge to its principals by Islamic hardliners and the
future of its Jakarta Governor over blasphemy charges.
Privately, Indonesian diplomats are disappointed
with the General's actions. Australia and Indonesia are facing
significant issues with terrorism in our region and the rise of China in the
south-China sea.
Never has it been so important for Indonesia and Australia to
be working closely together - as we do - with both policing and military
co-operation to maintain the stability and security of our region.
Actions such as this, by the most senior military
officer in Indonesia, does not help this process. It also does not help his
president who currently should have more important issues to deal with.
Ross Taylor: @indorosstaylor
7th January 2017
This article first appeared in The West Australian Newspaper on Friday 6th January 2017
