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refer to an article titled '€œIndonesia '€˜not a democracy'€™, according to Australians,'€ (The Jakarta Post, June 11).

It would be in the interests of Australia if Indonesia went back to the Soeharto era, and relations with Indonesia would improve. Why? This is why: Human smuggling would cease, because asylum seekers would be rounded up and locked up. The military is more pro-Western than civilian leaders, and wouldn'€™t have to play domestic politics.

During the Soeharto era, Indonesia had a much more open visa policy, and work permits were also easier to obtain.

The Indonesian public is by nature nationalistic, and often makes it harder for expats to work in Indonesia with pressure from labor unions and so on. Some foolish expats argue in favor of the '€œpeople'€, yet it is pressure from the '€œpeople'€ that forces Indonesia'€™s political leaders to restrict expats.  Face it: An Indonesian dictatorship would be good for expats.

Since the reform era, relations between Australia and Indonesia have declined rapidly.  The number of Australians studying Indonesian studies in Australian universities is at an all-time low, half the level it was in the 1990s, despite the fact that Indonesia'€™s economy is now much larger.

The number of Australians studying Indonesian in Year 12 is lower now than it was in the 1970s, despite Australia'€™s population having nearly doubled.

Weilim
Jakarta