2) Jokowi’s visit shows the Australia-Indonesia relationship is strong, but faultlines remain
3) Veronica Koman Hands Data on Papuan Victims to Jokowi
4) What future holds for Indonesia-Australia relations
5) Indonesia-Australia partnership
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1) Australia and Indonesia must be partners in Pacific development: Jokowi
Colin Packham Reuters
Sydney, Australia / Mon, February 10, 2020 / 11:19 am
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (C) and his wife Lucy (L) speak with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (R) as they attend an official luncheon at the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra on February 10, 2020. (AFP/LUKAS COCH / POOL)
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo told Australia's parliament on Monday that he wanted to work with the traditional Pacific power to expand influence in the region in the face of China's stepped-up efforts to do the same.
Aligning with Australia and not its giant Asian neighbor is a major step for Indonesia, which is the second-most populous country in the region and has been trying to provide aid and build alliances with smaller Pacific countries.
Indonesia last year said it would establish diplomatic relations with several Pacific island nations, pursue trade deals with Fiji and Papua New Guinea and create a Rp 3 trillion (US$219.06 million) fund to provide development aid or disaster relief to smaller countries.
The country wants a larger role, Jokowi said, as the Pacific increasingly becomes the focus of diplomacy, aid and military investment by Western powers trying to counter China.
"Indonesia and Australia must become the anchors for developing partners in the Pacific region. Indonesia understands the development challenges," the Indonesian president said in his speech.
Jokowi said Indonesia and Australia are both grappling with climate change and natural disasters, giving them common ground with small Pacific nations.
The low-lying Pacific islands are on the front lines of global climate change, threatened by rising sea levels that have forced some residents to move to higher ground.
Many Pacific countries have turned to China for financing, a relationship that Western officials fear Beijing can exploit.
Australia, which historically has carried considerable influence in the Pacific, has in the last couple of years rapidly expanded its diplomatic presence and aid to the region in response.
China says it is simply trying to help smaller Pacific countries with economic development.
Several Pacific nations have backed calls for investigations into allegations of violence by security forces in Indonesia's easternmost region, Papua. Vanuatu has openly voiced support for the independence of the former Dutch colony Papua.
A separatist movement has simmered in Papua since it was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 in a widely criticized United Nations-backed referendum. There has been a spike in violence since August, with demands for a new independence vote.
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2) Jokowi’s visit shows the Australia-Indonesia relationship is strong, but faultlines remain
The Conversation February 10, 2020 9.59pm AEDT
Indonesian President Joko Widodo - Jokowi – has shown himself to be generally less interested in international affairs than his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). He has also been less committed to the Indonesia-Australia relationship.
Nonetheless, Australia’s invitation to Jokowi to address the parliament, and his acceptance of that invitation, suggests the bilateral relationship is strong, at least at the governmental level.
Both Morrison and Jokowi referred in their parliamentary addresses to the fact this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and Indonesia. Morrison reflected backwards, noting Australia had been an early supporter of Indonesian independence, and had been chosen by Indonesia to represent its interests on a UN committee involved with the Indonesia-Dutch dispute then underway.
Jokowi chose to look forward, to 2050 and the 100th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations. He identified four major steps he suggested the two countries should take together to strengthen their bilateral relationship, and to contribute to regional peace and security.
Two of these steps were fairly predictable recitations of established policy.
The first was cooperation in furthering democracy, respect for human rights, counter-terrorism and anti-radicalisation strategies. He spoke against identity politics, disputing the idea it was cultural clashes that divided the world. Implementation of these principles remains fraught with difficulties, but the parameters of the problems are well-known in Jakarta and Canberra.
Second, Jokowi argued for free and fair trade, both bilaterally and regionally, in the face of increasing protectionism. Here he welcomed the conclusion of the Indonesia
Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which he described as opening opportunities for economic growth in both countries.
Read more: It's
more than a free trade agreement. But what exactly have Australia and Indonesia signed?
But there were two other steps Jokowi wanted the two countries to take, which were perhaps different from what might have been expected.
First, he called for collaboration on protection of the environment. Some of his remarks were predictable, such as protection of forests and rivers. But he also argued for collaboration on lowering carbon emissions and handling climate change.
Jokowi did not explain what he had in mind with joint action to lower carbon emissions, or managing climate change. Indonesia is a major exporter of coal, and annual forest fires have substantially reduced forest cover. Its political and business leaders are even more divided than those in Australia on climate-related issues and how to deal with them.
What Australia and Indonesia seem to share, it might cynically be suggested, is internal disagreement over the nature of the problem being faced, and steps that might be taken to address it.
Second, Jokowi called for Australia and Indonesia to be “anchors for development programs” in the Pacific region.
Like Australia, Indonesia has recently been paying increased attention to the nations of the South Pacific. Last October, it established the Indonesian
Agency for International Development, with a focus on the South Pacific. Speaking at the launch of the agency, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi noted assistance had already been provided to Tuvalu, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Fiji, as well as Myanmar and the Philippines.
Australia’s renewed interest in the South Pacific is linked to the increased Chinese presence in the region. But Indonesia’s concern is less with China than with the status of its easternmost provinces of West
Papua and Papua. The movement seeking the independence of this region from Indonesia has its greatest
support in the south Pacific, particularly in Vanuatu, though support has also come from Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands.
Read more: Can
Scott Morrison deliver on climate change in Tuvalu – or is his Pacific 'step up' doomed?
Indonesia has formally denied the establishment
of the agencywas aimed at countering international criticism of Indonesia’s position in Papua. But the suspicion there is a link will be hard to shake off.
Australia’s formal position on the Papuan provinces is made clear in the 2006 Lombok Treaty, which committed each party to supporting the territorial integrity of the other, and not providing support to separatist movements. There is, though, considerable support for Papuan separatism in the Australian community, reflected in the parliament particularly by the Greens. The Greens’ new leader, Adam Bandt, is
reported to have told Jokowi, after his address:
Thank you for your speech, thanks for your comments on climate change, now please get something done on West Papua.
There is nothing new in the dilemma facing the Australian government on Papua, but the increased Indonesian focus on the Pacific region could well provide more opportunities for the two countries to differ than to work together effectively.
Finally, Jokowi’s speech was notable for what he did not say.
There was no mention of China’s increasingly activist foreign and defence policy position, especially in the South China Sea. However, given the issue was explicitly considered in the joint
statement of the two leaders, the president may have deemed that sufficient.
The other significant omission was any mention of easing conditions for the issuing of visas to Indonesians to visit Australia. This had been widely
discussed in Indonesia before the president left for Australia. Scott Morrison did
commit to reviewing the visa situation, but Jokowi would be well advised not to hold his breath.
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3) Veronica Koman Hands Data on Papuan Victims to Jokowi
10 February 2020 21:45 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of human rights activists claimed to have handed data on political prisoners and the death toll in Papua to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday morning, February 10, during the latter's state visit to Canberra, Australia.
One of the activists, Veronica Koman, said her side urged the President to halt the political and humanitarian crisis in the country’s easternmost province and demanded the Australian parliament discuss the human rights violations in Papua during the two countries’ bilateral meeting held this week.
“Our team in Canberra has succeeded to hand the documents to President Jokowi directly. The documents include names and locations of the 57 Papuan political prisoners who are charged with treason and detained in seven cities across Indonesia,” said Veronica via a press release.
“We have also handed names and the ages of 243 civilian victims who died during the military operations in Nduga since December 2018, either they died because of security officers, illness, or hunger in refugee camps,” she added.
Veronica recalled that at the beginning of the President’s first administration term back in 2015, Jokowi released five Papuan political prisoners. The act was considered a new hope for Papuans, she said.
“However, at the beginning of his second term, 57 people were charged with treason and are now awaiting trials. This will only worsen the conflict in Papua,” she underlined.
She added many governors, regents, church leaders, traditional leaders, academicians, activists, and university students had urged the President to withdraw military personnel from Nduga since December 2018, yet to no avail.
President Jokowi has received the data on political prisoners and dead victims in Papua. “Including names of 110 dead children out of the total 243 civilians, will the President keep ignoring the request?” Veronika Koman said.
HALIDA BUNGA FISANDRA
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4) What future holds for Indonesia-Australia relations
Retno LP Marsudi Foreign Minister of Indonesia
Jakarta / Mon, February 10, 2020 / 08:30 am
“Neighbors cannot be choosers” is maybe the right expression to reflect the dynamic relations between Indonesia and Australia.
As President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo arrived in Canberra on Saturday for a two-day visit, we begin to see the two neighboring countries’ efforts to not only strengthen bilateral ties but also to secure the future of the two great nations.
We, of course, cannot choose who our neighbors are and, in this case, Indonesia is destined to live side by side with Australia. There is no option for both Indonesia and Australia other than identifying areas of mutual interest and seeking deeper relations as closest neighbors.
Australia in particular, is expecting Indonesia to take a leadership role in Southeast Asia, maintain international peace and security and promote global growth and prosperity.
Improvement in their bilateral relations, therefore, only indicates their readiness to assume responsibilities as strong emerging powers. Both sides will grow stronger if they share the burden of leadership in the region and globally.
For that to happen, a strategic partnership counts. Such a partnership will require both sides to build strategic trust. And strategic trust will develop from fostering fundamental principles of mutual respect and respect for one’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The global landscapes ahead, however, will not be easy. The declining trend of economic growth, unemployment, climate change, financial crisis, disruptive impact of the internet, protectionism and lousy health care will continue to constitute the challenge of the century.
After 70 years, reliable and solid bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australia will be of significant and strategic importance in the future for a number of reasons. First, deepening our common values. The strategic partnership between Indonesia and Australia must continue to promote the values of democracy, pluralism and tolerance.
We continue to witness creeping intolerance and xenophobia around the world. We also keep watching trends in politics of identity on the basis of religion, ethnicity and ideology in many parts of the world, including in our country. This will pose a threat to our common values of democracy, pluralism and tolerance.
As countries with a strong commitment to these shared values, Indonesia and Australia must work shoulder to shoulder in demonstrating and promoting democratic values and moderation. We must tackle together the cause by strengthening people-to-people links at all levels of government, the private sector and among civil society actors.
Those values and partnership will need to trickle down to the collective imagination of both of our societies. Passing down these commitments to democracy, pluralism and tolerance to something much deeper and broader will be a major, intergenerational effort.
Second, it is in our shared interest to protect the common public goods of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Amid the rise of protectionism, Indonesia and Australia must continue to voice open, free and fair economic principles. Amid the proliferation of a zero-sum game, Indonesia and Australia must continue to promote the win-win paradigm.
The Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a perfect example of the two countries’ strong belief that an open and fair economic system will benefit all parties. This is what Indonesia and ASEAN are trying to achieve through the ASEAN Outlook in the Indo-Pacific, which aims to change rivalry into cooperation and turn a trust deficit into strategic trust.
With strong support of all players in the region, the Indo-Pacific region will become the center for future global economic growth.
And there is no doubt that a robust and more trusting bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Australia will be a significant advantage to the Indo-Pacific region. The recent endorsement of Australia to the ASEAN Outlook in the Indo-Pacific is living proof of what the two nations can bring to the table to realize their common interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
Third, Indonesia and Australia could do more in becoming development partners for the Pacific region. Australia alone could not overcome all development challenges in the region. The impact of climate change and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals are among the main issues in the Pacific region. Together we could achieve so much more.
Archipelagic in nature, both Indonesia and the Pacific region do not face different challenges. We truly understand that climate change, natural disasters, social equality, education, health and human resource development are real challenges that prevent countries in the Pacific region from prosperity.
Indonesia and Australia should work together as development partners and true friends of the countries in the Pacific region. A closer triangle of cooperation between Indonesia, Australia and Pacific countries will be crucial in the future to address and respond to developmental challenges and to create new centers of growth in the Pacific region.
Indonesia and Australia are not only fated to need each other strategically, but to also become best friends in a more comprehensive way. In the next 30 years when we celebrate our first century of friendship and partnership, we need to always work side by side and work really hard to form the basis of an even stronger partnership.
Such a partnership will not only bring prosperity to our peoples but also contribute to stability, security and prosperity of our region and world.
More than just neighbors, Indonesia and Australia are strategic partners. Deeper cooperation as close neighbors by bringing together comparative advantages of our two regions will be significant modalities for the two countries to work together into the future.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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5) Indonesia-Australia partnership
Editorial Board The Jakarta Post
Jakarta / Mon, February 10, 2020 / 08:00 am
While our economy has been suffering the brunt of being too heavily dependent on investment and trade with and tourists from China, which is now virtually isolated globally because of the coronavirus pandemic, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has taken a strategic step to formally expand economic ties with Australia, our closest major neighbor.
The Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) signed by Jokowi and Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday is to build a stronger and broader framework for the two countries to unlock their vast potential, fostering economic cooperation between businesses, communities and people. The House of Representatives had just ratified the agreement on Thursday.
Indonesia’s trade with Australia has not expanded significantly over the past 70 years of relations because both countries produce largely similar commodities such as minerals and agricultural commodities. Latest data showed their two-way trade over the last few years averaged A$11 billion (US$7.4 billion) to A$12 billion annually, but the prospects for larger exports from Indonesia have increasingly improved, especially those of labor-intensive manufactured products like garments, footwear, electrical appliances and electronics and commodities such as rubber, wood, pulp and paper.
But trade facilitation is only a small part of the goal of the IA-CEPA. Unlike a free trade agreement (FTA), which is designed mainly to expand trade ties through the reduction or even complete removal of tariffs, the IA-CEPA will provide broader opportunities for both governments and the private sector not only in the trade of goods and services and investments, but cooperation across the entire spectrum.
Broader than a conventional FTA, the IA-CEPA contains a set of high-quality, modern rules governing the treatment of services and investment, as well as rules on digital trade. Obligations are balanced with robust safeguards to preserve Indonesia’s and Australia’s right to regulate in the public interest.
The IA-CEPA is framed around five pillars of cooperation: enhancing economic and development partnership, connecting people, securing the region’s shared interests, maritime cooperation and contributing to Indo-Pacific stability and prosperity.
Yet more beneficial to Indonesia is the broader opportunity for cooperation in health and education, including skills training and capacity building. As part of an overall skills package, Australia and Indonesia have agreed to a reciprocal skills exchange, allowing people with tertiary level skill qualifications from both countries to gain six months of experience in the other’s market.
The technical assistance Australia is to give Indonesia under the partnership would be a great boon for accelerating institutional capacity building because inadequate or poor institutional capacity has been one of Indonesia’s weaknesses in managing its economic relations with other countries.
Furthermore, the IA-CEPA has been ratified by the legislatures of both countries and is thus strongly based on a national political consensus, allowing for immediate implementation, but as the old adage says: The devil is in the details. Both governments should therefore tread carefully. As Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah cautioned last week, the implementation of the agreement should initially focus on the low-hanging fruit to build up confidence among all the stakeholders, especially farmers and businesspeople.
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