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SBY silences war-drum sentiment vs Malaysia
Risking further public outcry, the President urged the public Wednesday not to overreact toward Malaysia, while asking the neighboring country to accelerate negotiations over disputed territories
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isking further public outcry, the President urged the public Wednesday not to overreact toward Malaysia, while asking the neighboring country to accelerate negotiations over disputed territories.
In a flaming red batik shirt, speaking from the military headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono defied expectations and demands to deliver a tough speech on Malaysia, and instead appealed for emphasis on diplomacy in the current crisis, while avoiding condemning Malaysia for the recent arrest of Indonesian officials in waters near Riau province.
He stressed a “swift, firm and accurate” response to settle all issues with the neighboring country, but added that, despite all the common interests in the bilateral relations, issues relating to “national dignity” such as border issues could not be compromised.
A thorough response, he said, was needed in order to prevent future flash points, and to facilitate “deeper, wider” relations with Malaysia.
Yudhoyono said the public should not get carried away and took the recent spat into a broader context, saying not all conflicts between the two countries related to sovereignty.
“I care about the emotions you feel [over the recent row between the two countries]. But we have to avoid violence because it often begets more violence,” he said .
“Indonesia will keep pushing Malaysia to negotiate borders as border disputes are a major source of tension.”
He also said Indonesia should maintain peaceful diplomacy in settling issues with Malaysia because the country had taken the lead in resolving conflicts in a peaceful manner on the world stage.
Yudhoyono said the bilateral relations were too good to be broken, citing Malaysia’s investment in Indonesia that amounted to US$1.2 billion between 2005 and 2009 and Indonesia’s investment in Malaysia $534 million. Two-way trade stood at $11.4 billion last year alone.
He also said there were 2 million Indonesians working in Malaysia, 13,000 Indonesian students studying in Malaysia and 6,000 Malaysian students in Indonesia.
Indonesian tourists, Yudhoyono continued, accounted for 1.18 million of Malaysia’s 6.3 million foreign tourists each year.
The speech was the President’s first open statement since Aug. 13, when the arrest of three Indonesian officials drew nation-wide outcry.
Yudhoyono’s speech will likely draw harsh criticism of the government, as expectations of a harsh response were high, considering venue chosen to deliver the address.
University of Indonesia (UI) international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana said the President should not have delivered a rhetorical speech and should have instead taken a firm stance against Malaysia.
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) legislator Mahfud Siddiq said Yudhoyono should have used his speech “to send a message to Malaysia that Indonesia is taking the matter seriously and will take any means to bring Malaysia to the negotiating table in a respectful manner”.
Another expert, Makmur Keliat, said Yudhoyono should know “when to use hard power or soft power,” implying that hard power should have been employed. Scholar Hariyadi Wirawan said the President was only trying to calm the military by choosing to deliver his speech at the base.
