WHAT WOULD INDONESIA’S FOREIG N POLICY BE FOR NEXT FIVE YEARS?

Indonesian Foreign Policy Lecture’s Assignment

Name : Sri Rezeki

NPM: 0806322962

WHAT WOULD INDONESIA’S FOREIG N POLICY BE FOR NEXT FIVE YEARS?

Foreign policy is the policy that related to international activities. This policy is produced by the government as the basic for Indonesia’s foreign affairs. Every country in the world has its own foreign policy, so does Indonesia. Indonesia’s foreign policy is needed to make any action within have relations to other countries. Indonesia next five years foreign policy might same like 5 years ago, it probably changed yet doesn’t have much changes. Indonesia’s foreign policy could characteristic are more liberal, more active for the international forum or international summit yet it doesn’t play important role within economic aspects, Indonesia would be take same role as object for the market, not being subject for the market. It could be proven in the G-20 summit, Indonesia only get a chance for speaking about environment, not about economic.

Indonesia’s foreign policy would tighten its relationship to big and rich Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea. These countries would be bigger and promising investor. They could be great fund source for Indonesia except United States of America. Besides, Indonesia and these three huge Asian country had a good relationship in ASEAN+3, hence I believe this cooperation would be continued and tighter. Indonesia’s next foreign policy not only tends to economic but also national security moreover for the transnational crime cases such as terrorist, illegal immigrant, etc. Indonesia’s foreign policy also characterized as more active within foreign affairs. Indonesia will join many international forum or international summit which related to economic.

I think Indonesia’s next foreign policy would be branded as pragmatic and flexible foreign policy. Why I said pragmatic because Indonesia always tends to have tighten relations to another countries which bringing benefit for Indonesia itself, moreover if the benefit is economic advantages. For instance, Relationship between Indonesia and Japan is tighter than relationship between Indonesia and Sweden. Indonesia and Japan has making many sisters city between them such as Lombok and Kyoto, Jakarta and Tokyo, etc. Compare to Sweden, Japan is more important because it brings much benefit for Indonesia.

Beside that, according to Michael Leffer within his book “Politik Luar Negeri Indonesia”, Indonesia wants have good relation to a country that ready to help Indonesia and bring little risk than a country that bring much risk. From those data above i think Indonesia’s foreign policy would be more pragmatic than today. Second brand is flexible. Why I said Indonesia’s foreign policy would be flexible because Indonesia’s foreign policy would be adjusted to international situation, Indonesia also will making friend to many more countries for creating a good networking for Indonesia itself. Hence, Indonesia next five years foreign policy would be branded as pragmatic and flexible foreign policy.

For next five years, Indonesia would face some strategic issues based on the threat such as transnational issues and healthy issues. We can’t deny that these two issues are there in Indonesia. It becomes a scary issues for human, terrorist case and endemic disease would still shadowy our next years. For the terrorist case for example, although government success murdered two chairs of terrorists, bombing in Indonesia doesn’t mean would also stopped. There are many followers of these terrorist. They could do suicide bomb whenever they think it is. So that Indonesia’s government has to still aware for this case. They could attack us again, whenever we don’t aware. It becomes a real strategic issue and a great threat for us,

A second strategic issue based on the threat is healthy issue. As we know, endemic disease as instance, avian influenza or swine flu has threatened our daily life, not only for Indonesia but also each country has aware for these endemic disease and inevitably maybe there are more endemic disease which can arise next days. Besides that, another strategic issue is might come from our neighbor countries that close to us, The strategic issue for next 5 years might territorial state conflict among neighborhood or claimed to another country territorial area. Smuggling weapon from one country to another country would be a next another strategic issue. Indonesia has to be aware for those strategic issues above.

Neighborhood conflicts often happen in Southeast Asia countries, Indonesia and Malaysia conflict for instance. Although we have forum named ASEAN, but it still don’t have more contribution if conflict happen. Since it birthday, August, 8 1967, ASEAN have 10 members already. Indonesia is one of five pioneers for this region organization. ASEAN nowadays has also new named for adding three developed countries which are China, Japan, and South Korea. ASEAN has its own project by 2015. It named ASEAN Community, this project’s goal are to strengthen friendship among members, more cooperation within economic and regional stability as a goal of this regional organization. This ASEAN has three pillars such as politic-security cooperation, economic cooperation, and socio-cultural cooperation. These pillar are used to reach the goals of the ASEAN.

Indonesia as the member of ASEAN has to contribute for making this ASEAN Community reliable one. Indonesia could contribute within keep the regional stability. Indonesia actually has the leadership skill; another country could get this leadership. It’s proved when Indonesia asked other ASEAN countries for helping making a solve way for Thailand refugees case. Indonesia could held ASEAN summit(January, 5^th 2005) even few days after tsunami, it’s the prove of Indonesia’s will to stand soon after the disaster.

Indonesia also could contribute within economic, although it won’t play a very important role but at least Indonesia could make the market more “life”. Indonesia’s economic maybe not as great as Singapore or Malaysia but Indonesia could give ideas how to make the regional economic stability. So that Indonesia’s foreign policy has to ASIAN-oriented, like Emil Salim has said “The world is changing, interdependence is the name of the game. We should depend on Asia because it is the future of the world.” Who knows if every ASEAN countries tighten their relationship, ASEAN someday could like European Union.

It sounds like huge dream, but I know it could happen if each country in Southeast Asia cooperate each other, tighten their relation, making a good blue print for ASEAN goals and consistently through and obey the blue print, and the last don’t make any dependency to developed country because they inevitably would make each economic ASEAN countries weak at all. Not making any dependency doesn’t mean ASEAN countries don’t have cooperation with them, it could still cooperate with more developed countries but don’t let them make us depend to them. One ASEAN country could make some dependencies to other ASEAN countries itself.. At least it is done for developed regional economic stability that slowly could make more stability for each country in ASEAN.

Besides foreign policy, Indonesia has its own world view too. The Indonesia’s world view is reflecting president’s view. How one president sees the world within his/her perspective would reflect to Indonesia’s world view. This world view itself for next steps becoming Indonesia’s foreign policies. Each president has their own world view history that leaves marking in Indonesia’s development. Start from Soekarno who more radical that hates colonialism that much thereby his worldview is more socialist, his view is political revolutionary.

Soeharto, the second president is more liberal than Soekarno, he attempted to make balance aiding from west and east, from USA to China, his foreign policy is very pragmatic, as long as other countries creating economic benefit for Indonesia, Soeharto would tighten the relationship to those countries. His view is more economical, his goal is to make Indonesia aspire to become Asian “tiger”. Next president in reformation era,

Habibie to SBY still sustain Indonesia’s inspiration to become a leader, Indonesia wants to play a major role, Indonesia knows that USA still play the most important major, so that Indonesia has to always adjust its worldview and foreign policy according to international situation particularly and domestic situation generally. It also wants to be a subject not an object and those goals are still remains till now, whoever the president is. That’s what this theme tries to convey. So that we will always try to do our best for making Indonesia as a major role comes true.