http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/we-are-so-close-but-so-far-apart-20100310-pz74.html
We are so close, but so far apart YULI ISMARTONO March 11, 2010 Comments 2 The Australian and Indonesian leaders are friendly, but the people need to get better acquainted, writes Yuli Ismartono. In Indonesia and Australia, the media have predicted the visit of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will enhance bilateral relations. Government-to-government relations have been quite stable since Yudhoyono came to power in 2004, despite the change in Australian administrations. We have co-operation between police forces in countering terrorism, a comfortable agreement between armed forces on regional security issues and mutual respect for our roles and positions in the global arena. As Yudhoyono begins his second and last presidential term, he will seek to cement this positive relationship. He and Kevin Rudd have to address immediate issues such as people smuggling, illegal fishing and the balance of trade. But polling by the Lowy Institute suggests people-to-people relations still fall short of the positive state of affairs the leaders enjoy. Australians, it seems, remain suspicious of Indonesians. In the words of one of my Australian colleagues, "public opinion still sees Indonesia as a dark and dangerous place". Perhaps Indonesia may no longer be seen as a threat, which we find rather laughable given a realistic assessment of our limited military capabilities. The negative perception Australians still hold of Indonesians can upset goodwill achieved at the leadership level, although it does not help that Indonesians tend to be reactive, defensive and overly nationalistic when their country is criticised in the Australian media. As much as many journalists and other informed Australians understand Indonesia and its problems, when it comes to reporting and writing, many journalists admit they are hostage to the news of the day. The tendency is to report what is negative about Indonesia, rather than what it is doing right. Conversely, reactionary reports in Indonesia can trigger protests that can have a cyclical effect. Yet the media can and should play a vital role in changing public opinion. We know human issues like the Schapelle Corby case and the possible execution of some of the Bali nine can turn Australian public opinion. While Indonesians sympathise with the situation these people find themselves in, they ask why Australians cannot accept that the rule of law applies in Indonesia just as it does in Australia. A more emotive issue, of course, is Balibo, which has forever coloured the way the Australian media regard Indonesia. While Indonesians do not condone the tragic incident, they feel there must come a time to move on. After all, no one has been held accountable for what happened in 1965 when half a million people were killed in what started out as a purge of the Indonesian Communist Party. It is this divide between the two countries, which are so close geographically but so far apart in culture and street-level thinking, that must be understood and reconciled. In East Timor, the Jakarta and Dili governments have concluded a friendship and reconciliation agreement, although it may take a lot longer for the people themselves to come to terms with the events of the past. Australians need to know the reforms introduced in Indonesia more than a decade ago make it unlikely such tragic incidents will recur. Indonesia is a democracy, run by a legitimately elected civilian government. The once all-powerful security apparatus can no longer act as a law unto itself and the police are being trained in community policing by no less than their New Zealand and Australian counterparts. There have been encouraging developments since last year's conference on the future of bilateral relations organised by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and others, while exchange teachers are working in each other's countries and a media internship program involves 19 Australian universities. Perhaps we need more popular and less serious exchanges, too. An Australian-Indonesian film festival would be most welcome, as would screening Australian soap operas on Indonesian television, with appropriate subtitles. As the Jakarta Jazz Festival has shown, a good Australian jazz band can fill concert halls in Jakarta, Surabaya and even Makassar. Everything is worth trying. Yuli Ismartono is executive editor of the English edition of TEMPO, an Indonesian weekly news magazine
