Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
While Australian lawmakers are set to ratify the defense treaty the country has signed with Indonesia, lawmakers here have criticized their government for being too slow to place the treaty before the House of Representatives.
The lawmakers say they have no problems ratifying the treaty.
""The government has not submitted the Lombok Treaty to us until now. They are too slow, and it seems that they have no priorities,"" said Djoko Susilo, a member of the House defense and international affairs commission, referring to the defense treaty Indonesia and Australia signed in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, last year.
Djoko of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said that rather than focusing on the defense and extradition treaties with Singapore, the government should prioritize the Lombok Treaty.
""I was in Lombok when the treaty was signed, and I have read the treaty thoroughly. I think the treaty can benefit both Australia and Indonesia if it is applied. I sense that Commission I members also have no problems with the treaty.""
While agreeing on the importance of the treaty for Indonesia-Australia relations, head of the commission, Theo Sambuaga, of the country's largest political party, Golkar, also asked why the government has not yet submitted the treaty to be ratified by the House.
""We have asked the foreign minister previously but until now we have not received an answer. We always considered the treaty a priority. I think the government has enough time to coordinate as it was signed almost a year ago. We will ask the foreign minister about the treaty during our meeting on Monday,"" he said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kritiarto Soeryo Legowo was in meetings Thursday and could not be reached for comment, while Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Edy Butar Butar said his office had not officially received the treaty from the Foreign Ministry.
Despite strong resistance from the country's human rights groups, the Australian parliament's treaties committee on Wednesday endorsed the Lombok Treaty.
The committee's approval means Australia can now ratify the security pact, which aims to smooth often prickly ties between the two countries.
It also underlines Canberra's support for Jakarta's sovereignty in separatist-leaning provinces including Papua, Maluku and Aceh.
""The agreement makes clear Australian government policy on Indonesian territorial integrity,"" treaties committee chairman Andrew Southcott was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The committee said Indonesia should allow human rights monitors and journalists greater access to Papua province where security forces have been fighting a low-level separatist insurgency for decades.
Beside formal recognition of Indonesia's territorial integrity, the treaty would also strengthen security ties, with stronger anti-terrorism cooperation and joint naval border patrols.
In addition, the treaty allows greater cooperation on civilian nuclear research and could lead to Australian sales of uranium to Indonesia.
But rights groups say the security treaty is a ""dirty deal"" which casts Australia as a de facto Indonesian ally in the conflict in Papua.
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