The relationship between the countries remain strong through website hacking, warships brushing each other in contested waters and a dispute over the Ambalat offshore oil block in the Sulawesi Sea, writes Mokhzani Zubir
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 By Mokhzani Zubir AsiaMedia Contributing Writer For the past two months, the bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia has been quite tense due to the Ambalat dispute. The Indonesian press gave especially wide publicity to the issue, much of it with negative overtones concerning Malaysia. The negative publicity was cited by some factions in Malaysia as evidence that the Indonesian press was trying to discredit and humiliate Malaysia and thus force Malaysia into relinquishing its claim in the Sulawesi Sea. Indeed, the Indonesian media appeared to be functioning as a 'force multiplier' during the diplomatic spat and became the front line in Indonesia's psychological warfare against Malaysia. Meanwhile the Malaysian press was relatively muted regarding the incident. Since Petronas, the Malaysian oil giant, publicly announced the award of a Sulawesi Sea exploration contract to Shell, the Indonesian media has been very active in reporting developments -- from the official Indonesian government protest to the mobilization of warships and fighter jets in the contested area. The wide coverage made the Ambalat dispute a national issue for Indonesia and prompted public outrage. This was evidenced by demonstrations, protests and a mob in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta and its Consulate in Pekanbaru. Incidents of hacking of government websites occurred in both Indonesia and Malaysia in early March 2005, indicating that the maritime dispute had breached the cyberspace boundaries of both countries. Many high profile websites in both countries were hacked and defaced with rude messages by Indonesian and Malaysian hacktivists. However, it is difficult to determine who started the hacking rampage; the general Malaysian and Indonesian public knew of the incidents only when the media reported it and the reports came only after the hacktivist war had lost momentum. Realizing that negative and aggressive reporting by the Indonesian press could result in uneasy bilateral relations, both Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhuyono expressed their determination to solve the dispute peacefully and tried their best to calm tensions. A joint statement issued by Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda and his Malaysian counterpart Syed Hamid Albar said the two sides would "take necessary steps" to ease the tension. According to Hassan, the Susilo and Badawi had decided to use peaceful means to resolve the maritime border issue in the Sulawesi Sea. Tension in the area receded. But it suddenly rose again on April 8 when the Indonesian warship KRI Tedong Naga and the Malaysian warship KD Rencong brushed each other while patrolling the disputed maritime area, leaving both vessels with minor damage. Both countries lodged diplomatic protests over the incident. The Indonesian media gave the incident wide coverage while the Malaysian media was once again muted. One Indonesian newspaper, Kompas, was accused of false reporting by the Malaysian government. Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was reported to be considering taking legal action against Kompas for publishing what he said was a false report that said he had apologized to Jakarta over the incident. If the March cyber war was linked to negative media coverage of the dispute, then the hacking should have resumed after this latest incident. But there have been no reports of websites in Malaysia and Indonesia being hacked or defaced. The cyber frontier was not re-breached despite the seriousness of the warship brush. Furthermore, there were no demonstrations in Jakarta or anywhere in Indonesia. The calm situation in both the real and cyber world is an indication that the situation has been well-handled by both governments. Animosity is down due to repeated pledges by both countries' highest leaders to settle the dispute amicably through diplomatic engagement. This feeling is not only shared by Indonesian and Malaysian politicians and military leaders but also the general population of both countries. Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar reiterated on April 21 that Malaysia and Indonesia have a good relationship despite the negative publicity given to Malaysia by the Indonesian press over the Ambalat issue. The minister hoped "that the Indonesian Press would realize that the relationship is deep and well entrenched and could not be undermined by such negative publicity." He stressed that the dispute will be resolved peacefully through dialogue. An indication that the relationship has surmounted the Ambalat quarrel was the official visit earlier this month by Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla to Malaysia at the invitation of Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak. In a joint press statement, both leaders reiterated that confrontation over maritime boundaries must be avoided and the dispute will be resolved through negotiations. They observed that the Malaysia-Indonesia relationship is special and intimate and surpasses that of either countries' bilateral relationships with other countries. Thus it must be preserved. On May 4, two days before the visit, Kompas made an official apology to Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister for its inaccurate report. For the ordinary Indonesian, Malaysia is a little brother and a place to find a good job that pays better than those back home. The relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia during the height of the dispute was as strong as ever, despite the diplomatic protests of both countries. Nonetheless, there is a lesson in this incident for Malaysia. Not all such incidents may end so happily. In a future similar situation, Malaysia should be more organized and predetermined to neutralize or counter any negative publicity with positive statements that are filled with the hope of resolving the issue through diplomacy and play down any possibility of conflict. To do so will require patience, will and coordination, understanding, and even synchronization between Malaysian politicians and the Malaysian media. It will be better if only one view is released and consistently repeated by politicians, military leaders and senior government officers. This will also show that the entire machinery of the Malaysian government is united, strong and ready to resolve the issue. This will give Malaysia a psychological edge during the negotiation process and also build confidence and a winning feeling in the general public. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mokhzani bin Zubir is a researcher at the Centre for Maritime Security and Diplomacy, at the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA). He has a Masters in Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Malaya and joined the MIMA in 2004. His specific research interests are cyberware and bilateral relationships between Malaysia and its neighbors. Many of his articles have been published in local magazines. The views expressed above are those of the author and are not necessarily those of AsiaMedia or the UCLA Asia Institute. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=24566 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? 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