[Nasional-m] Keeping a cool head

[Ambon]

The Jakarta Post
Aug. 31, 2002

Keeping a cool head

Given the penchant of many Indonesians to react to differences with the
heart rather than the head, President Megawati Soekarnoputri's call on
Tuesday to end the ongoing spat between Indonesia and Malaysia over the
expulsion of illegal Indonesian workers from that country is both timely and
wise.
The long-standing neighborly ties between the two nations should not be
damaged by emotional reactions from either side over the issue, the
President said, as quoted by Pramono Anung, deputy secretary-general of
Megawati's party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan).
The following day, on Wednesday, Vice President Hamzah Haz duly underscored
Megawati's words when he stressed the need for officials on both sides to
exercise self-restraint and to try to resolve the problem cordially. There
should be no more controversial statements from Indonesian officials. "We
have to respect Malaysian regulations," Hamzah said.
What must have triggered these latest cooling-down pleas from the government
is probably the exchange of strong words between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur
and the retaliatory action that has been taken, either in Jakarta or in
Medan and elsewhere, in reaction to the recent expulsion of some 480,000
illegal Indonesian workers from Malaysia.
People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais, for example, warned
Malaysia on Tuesday to "be aware" of public outcry caused by the
deportation -- pretty strong words coming from a man in his position. On
Monday, in a rowdy rally in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, angry
protesters burned a Malaysian flag and toppled the gate fronting the embassy
compound before they were stopped by security personnel.
Relations became even more strained during the week when news broke that 19
Malaysians had been detained by police in a raid on a bar in Medan on
Monday. They were held for several hours at a police station and
interrogated because they could not produce their passports at the time.
This incident prompted Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar to issue
a travel warning to Malaysians to avoid visiting Indonesia if possible. He
also asked the Indonesian government to guarantee the personal safety of
Malaysian nationals residing in Indonesia.
More soothing words came during the week from Coordinating Minister for
Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. While assuring
Malaysia that Indonesia was not seeking revenge for the deportations, Susilo
called on Malaysian officials not to issue more "disproportionate"
statements regarding the incident. Nevertheless, despite the efforts to cool
the situation down, the controversy over the issue remains.
It looks, at this juncture of the controversy, that it would be as well for
Indonesia, and for Malaysia, to take a few points into consideration. It may
be true that certain sectors of the Malaysian economy might suffer, at least
for a while, as their Indonesian workers are forced to leave the country.
However, when all is said and done, that is Malaysia's problem. There is
nothing that Indonesians can do but admit that it is Malaysia's business to
govern that country the way it sees fit.
This is the time that Indonesians must start looking at the problem from a
more realistic point of view. The core of the issue is that Indonesia is at
present too poor to feed its own population. With this in mind, Indonesia's
first and foremost duty is to put the economy back in order, and do so
without delay, so that enough jobs may be created within the shortest
possible time.
As for other countries in this region, it is as well for them to realize
that it is in their own self-interest to assist Indonesia, in whatever way
possible, on its path toward economic recovery. Media reports of thousands
of job seekers continuing to probe national borders for openings into
neighboring countries should dispel any lingering doubts over the truth of
this statement. That old spirit of ASEAN solidarity may not be so worthless
after all.