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Morrison celebrates ‘miracle’ election win
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison celebrated on Sunday a “miracle” election victory that drew praise from the leaders of the United States and Israel, and speculation from neighboring Indonesia about what policies he will pursue
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span>Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison celebrated on Sunday a “miracle” election victory that drew praise from the leaders of the United States and Israel, and speculation from neighboring Indonesia about what policies he will pursue.
Morrison’s Liberal-National coalition defied years of unfavorable opinion polls to secure a surprise third term in government, although it remains unclear if the party will win enough votes to hold a parliamentary majority or if Morrison will be forced to govern with the help of independent MPs.
The Australian Electoral Commission’s projection on Sunday showed the coalition to be six seats short of the 76 seats needed to hold a majority in parliament, Agence France-Presse reported.
Meanwhile, projections by Australian national broadcaster ABC had the coalition wining 73 seats and holding a lead in four others.
The opposition Labor Party has in the meantime conceded defeat, with its leader Bill Shorten announcing he would step down.
As awed Australian pundits declared Morrison a campaigning “legend”, US President Donald Trump got in on the act, posting a congratulatory tweet. The two men spoke by phone after the results came in, vowing “close cooperation on shared priorities”, according to the White House’s account of the call.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who retained his grip on power in a similar fashion in last month’s elections, also congratulated Morrison on Sunday. “I know that under your leadership the great friendship between Australia and Israel will grow even stronger,” Netanyahu said on Twitter, as quoted by Reuters.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi congratulated Morrison’s government on Sunday, tweeting that she was “looking forward to further strengthen our strategic partnership for the benefit of our two peoples”.
Australia formally recognized West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital late last year, reversing decades of Middle East policy and following Trump’s decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
The Australian leader’s decision came at a particularly inconvenient moment for Indonesia, with Retno hosting her Palestinian counterpart in Jakarta. Furious at the decision, Jakarta hit back by suspending talks on the conclusion of the landmark Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) for several months.
Morrison, who was widely criticized for the decision, said at the time that Australia would not move its embassy to Jerusalem until a peace settlement was reached between Israel and Palestine through a two-state solution.
It remains to be seen what other foreign policies Morrison will pursue in his coalition’s third term, particularly when it comes to the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
Morrison has had a spotty reputation in Indonesia due to the infamous “turn back the boats” policy he carried out as minister for immigration and border protection under former right-wing prime minister Tony Abbott.
“Due to Morrison’s policy on Israel and immigration it would be more difficult for him to forge very close relations with leaders in Jakarta,” said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a research professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ Center for Political Studies on Sunday. However, she said she also believed the two sides had shown they were able to cooperate closely in various other fields, such as counterterrorism and maritime security.
Aaron Connelly, a Southeast Asia expert from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, cautioned against overinterpreting Morrison’s move regarding Australia’s embassy in Israel.
“This was more about domestic politics and apparently made without consultation with key members of the Cabinet or the public service,” Aaron told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
“It backfired spectacularly when the IA-CEPA was held up as a result, and I think it is unlikely that Morrison will make decisions in that manner going forward, even with his new mandate.”
On the topic of trade, Indonesia is more hopeful.
Shinta Kamdani, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (KADIN) vice chair for international relations, said the Australian election result should translate into a smoother ratification process for the IA-CEPA.
“Because there is no change of leadership, [...] we can implement it sooner,” she told the Post on Sunday. “While we still must wait for the [official] results on June 28 to find out whether he will be supported by a parliamentary majority, [...] Morrison has committed to making the [IA-CEPA’s] ratification a top priority.”
When the agreement comes into force, Indonesian businesses will be able to take advantage of lower export tariffs and increased Australian investment, among other things. (tjs)
