The Indonesia National Survey Project by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute found that 89.1 percent of 1,620 respondents said they respected Singapore, which came in third after Saudi Arabia at 95.7 percent and Turkey at 90.1 percent.

When asked which country is important to Indonesia, Saudi Arabia also ranked highest, with 97.4 percent of respondents choosing it. This was followed by Singapore at 90.8 percent, and Turkey at 90.4 percent.

Saudi Arabia’s popularity stems primarily from being the location of Islam’s two holiest places, the Kaabah in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, said Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a visiting fellow in ISEAS’ Indonesia Studies program.

“Every year, Muslims from all over the world visit this country on pilgrimage,” said Burhanuddin, one of the three academics who worked on the survey. Turkey’s high ranking also stems from it being a Muslim country.

Singapore’s appeal to Indonesia lies in how safe, clean and economically successful it is, said PermataBank chief economist Josua Pardede, who added: “Indonesians have a positive perception of Singapore because it is considered a tourist destination [and] is the closest country in terms of distance. Singapore also offers a safer and cleaner urban landscape and law enforcement.”

“In terms of the state of the economy, Singapore is considered a developed country in ASEAN, which could be a benchmark for Indonesians.”

Singapore’s bilateral trade with Indonesia was S$59.1 billion (US$44.5 billion) in 2021, a 21-percent increase from the year before. The total value of Singapore’s investments in Indonesia was US$9.4 billion in 2021. Since 2014, Singapore has also occupied the top spot on the list of Indonesia’s investors.

The study, conducted face-to-face in July 2022, polled respondents across all 34 Indonesian provinces. It is published once every five years.

Besides Burhanuddin, the other two researchers are Siwage Dharma Negara and Hui Yew-Foong, who both coordinate ISEAS’ Indonesia Studies program.

The study’s authors noted that Russia was seen more positively than the US and the European Union. According to the data, 86.8 percent of the respondents said they admired Russia, compared with 81.8 percent for the US and 86.5 percent for the EU.

Burhanuddin said that anti-American and anti-Western sentiments are among the reasons why Indonesians place Russia above the West.

“These feelings are based on the perception that America and the West have treated Muslims unfairly,” he said, highlighting foreign policy in the Middle East, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

China was the least admired, with 78.2 percent of respondents saying that they looked up to it.

According to the study, 34.1 percent of respondents said that they considered China’s impact on Indonesia to be negative, while 27.1 percent saw the impact as positive.

“As China assumes its new-found status as a global economic powerhouse, Indonesians tend to remain suspicious of China’s overtures,” said Hui.

The study found that 60.3 percent of respondents saw China’s Belt and Road Initiative in a bad light. The multi-trillion-dollar investment scheme involves development and programs in more than 100 countries to create a modern version of the ancient Silk Road trade route from Asia to Europe.

Some Indonesians could perceive the initiative as a “financial debt trap for other countries”, including Indonesia, leaving them heavily indebted to China.

“Domestically, Indonesians may be wary of competition from Chinese foreign workers, who make up almost half of all foreign laborers in Indonesia,” added Hui.

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