US President Barack Obama’s long-awaited visit to Indonesia this coming June 14 has once again been postponed. His trip to the country has now been canceled three times since he came to power.
Public disappointment, if any, seems sensible because his trip to Indonesia is not seen simply as a state visit. Rather, it is seen as a “homecoming” to Jakarta, where he spent four years of his childhood.
For the US government, this postponement is non-negotiable due to political pressure on Obama government’s handling of the BP oil spill, the potential outcomes of which are laden with economic and environmental impacts. Abandoning his scheduled visit abroad is not just about the snowballing economic and environmental effects. More importantly, it would definitely harm his legitimacy in the eyes of the US public, which is growing impatient following stern criticism of environmental organization and the Republican Party.
Instead of questioning Obama’s rescheduled visit, viewed in-depth, things that at first seem bad may later turn out to be beneficial.
First, it indicates the strength of US domestic politics. The BP oil spill has put the Obama administration on the defensive. The president knows the federal government doesn’t have the technology or expertise to stop the oil gush. BP, on the other hand, is the industry leader in this kind of operation. Like it or not, the US needs BP to stop the spill.
Obama, however, is a leader of wisdom. Despite the fact that the White House would love this to be BP’s problem, Obama is eager to take ownership of the disaster. With Obama giving premium to BP oil spill rather than jetting off around the world, he has a chance to restore US public support for him, which decreased after a year in the office owing to America’s impatience with his job performance.
Obama’s leadership is desperately needed at home, which is why the BP oil spill has been put at his government’s top priority. Maintaining international diplomacy by going abroad is quickly turning into a doomed scenario left in the slick wake of one of the greatest oil spills in history. Furthermore, it is going to be indicative of his inability to transfer power into policy as it become ever more evident and beyond doubt.
Obama’s domestic leadership taking pride of place ahead of an international tour has placed US politics back to its place winning over domestic issues on one side and re-energizing his political confidence on the other.
Second, it prevents public resistance from getting worse as he sticks to his planned visit to Indonesia. It is public knowledge that his intended trip to Indonesia would have been overshadowed by Israel’s flagrant aggression against humanitarian aid boats in the past few days. Waves of demonstrations against Israeli aggression are mounting and showing no declining signs across this country.
For Indonesia’s Muslim leaders and groups, Obama’s mild response to the attack has confirmed his poor and lackadaisical commitment to improve and develop Islam and the West relation to the full on a fair footing. His coming will be certainly greeted with massive “street parliament” asking Obama to be on board to pressurize Israel to claim responsibility for the attack and end the three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Even though President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would have no power to bargain with Obama by reason of the US’s tight relation with Israel, he would still have to raise the issue to win over Muslim constituents at home, especially as a dozen Indonesians aboard the Mava Marmara were detained, two of whom were injured.
Obama’s trip to Indonesia has again suffered ill timing. Any hope that a nostalgic trip to SDN Menteng 1, his former elementary school, might be enjoyable is simply a daydream. His “good old days” journey will be eventually only met with Israel heat.
Third, it refreshes bilateral issues between the two countries. Priorities must be exerted on Indonesia’s interests or domestic issues during Obama-Yudhoyono meeting. Reformed Indonesian military, foreign investment assurance, and US scholarship to Indonesian students are among the best issues to be taken up.
Any efforts to convince the US reopen the relationship with the Indonesian Army’s Special Forces unit and realize that human rights violations in this country has become a thing of the past following mushrooming democracy on the right track will be in vain under Israel heat.
Basically, both Obama and Yudhoyono will find it easier to talk and work on a common platform without boiling political pressure on either side. Domestic issues are the common denominator in dealing with divisive international agendas. It is hoped that Obama’s visit in November will achieve that goal, doing good for the US and Indonesia alike.
The writer is a lecturer at Andalas University. He graduated from the University of Canberra, Australia.
