0		Australian, angle, new, Indonesia, Foreign, Minister

It is understandable that when it comes to political coverage of other countries, Australian media tends to focus much more on the UK and the USA than anywhere else. Common language and shared interests, as well as somewhat similar political systems, make it easier.

But when one looks at it from the perspective of potential impacts for Australia, it is disappointing there is not much more focus on the politics and governments of some of our near neighbours.  There is a growing focus on China, although more from the economic and trade consequences, and to a lesser extent India for similar reasons – as well as because they both have such huge populations.  

However, there is still very little attention paid to what happens in places like Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.  Almost all the mentions of Indonesia in Australia’s political debate and the media relates to how to deal with a small number of asylum seekers.

Meanwhile, the amount of attention paid to the announcement of the Indonesian President’s new Cabinet is negligible, despite this being likely to have far greater impact on Australia.  The Jakarta correspondent for The Australian newspaper had a small piece published and there has also been some specific attention given to the new Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, although the focus on him purportedly being a critic of the former Australin Prime Minister John Howard seems a bit misleading.  

This assessment is based on some of Natalegawa’s comments when he served as a spokesperson for the Indonesia Foreign Ministry, including criticising Australia’s involvement in the Iraq war.  Given that the majority of Australians didn’t support Mr Howard’s decision to invade Iraq, it’s not surprising some people in other countries felt the same. But in any case, acting as a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry presumably means he was stating the position of the then government, regardless of his own personal views.

Natalegawa’s experience as an Ambassador, his education in the UK and his obtaining of a PhD from the Australian National University – as well as his high reputation - all indicate he is very familiar with the nature of Australian politics and public debate.  This can only be good for Australia as well as Indonesia.  The man he is replacing as Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, is also well respected in Australian political circles. The one meeting I had with him some years ago left me very impressed.  Australian politicians (and Australians in general) will be pleased and comfortable to know that the Foreign Minister is very familiar with Australia.  The newly strengthened position of Indonesia’s President after the election also bodes well for both countries.

The main delicate spot in Australian-Indonesian relations isn’t asylum seekers, it is West Papua, although this is more in terms of public opinion rather government policies. Most Australian governments have tried to stay well away from the West Papua issue wherever possible, but sometimes specific events and public concern make it hard to keep ignoring the issue. I’m very admiring of the progress Indonesdia has made on many fronts in the last deacde in the face of very big challenges.  However, I’ve long expressed the view that most countries have at least one major blind spot that they find too hard to confront.  I believe the biggest blind spot for my own country is the history and treatment of the Indigenous peoples of Australia and I believe West Papua is a similar blind spot for Indonesia. Improving human rights in that region is critical, and does not need to be perceived as threatening Indonesia’s territorial integrity.

I recognise some of the hurdles that need to be overcome to achieve that, but I hope the newly elected Indonesian President and his Cabinet, including the new Foreign Minister, will be able make advances in that area, as I am sure they will in many others.