Obama’s Victory Expected To Strengthen RI-US Ties

Jakarta ( Berita ) :  The bilateral relations between Indonesia and the United States are expected to improve following US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s victory in the November 4 presidential elections although certain quarters reminded that Indonesia should not hope too much from the new development.

Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR)’s Commission I dealing with defence and foreign affairs, Yusron Ihza Mahendra, said Barack Obama’s victory in the US presidential elections was expected to serve as a new milestone in the relations between Indonesia and the superpower especially in the economic and defense fields.   “The parliament especially the Commission I  hopes for improved bilateral relations. Most of the Indonesian people was hoping for Obama’s victory and this has made them happy,” Yusron told Antara.

Yusron who along with several other legislators attending an Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Switzerland hoped   economic and defense relations between Indonesia and the United States need to be enhanced.   “The defense relations are expected to include cooperation in  training of Indonesian servicemen in the format of IMET ( International Military Education and Training) program,” he said. 

 In the defense sector, the two countries were expected  soon to  set up a defence industry, Yusron said, adding that Barack Obama who when still young had for some some time lived Jakarta would look at Indonesia  with a population of more than 200 million, in a better and unbiased  perspective.

He likewise hoped Barack Obama would be able to make the US a more friendly country full of understanding of other countries in the current millennium.     Meanwhile, Chairman of the Bali regional chapter of the Indonesian Businessmen Association (Apindo) hoped the good bilateral ties would also improve the economic relations between Indonesia and the United States.

Panudiana expressed hope Barack Obama would also be able to deal with the financial crisis in his country and the world which was expected not to further affect other countries including Indonesia.   “Hopefully, Obama would be able to restore normal economic condition in his country by setting up more companies which could employ more people,” he said.

Panudiana hoped following his inauguration as  US president, Barack Obama was expected to give priority to visiting Indonesia and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would return the visit to strengthen the bilateral relations. 

Panudiana further expected that Barack Obama would pay special attention to Indonesia as the president-elect who once lived in Indonesia during his childhood has brotherhood relations with this archipelagic country.  Sharing Panudiana’s views,  observer for foreign affairs from the Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java, Basis Susilo said the Indonesian government should actively approach Obama by inviting the US president-elect to visit Indonesia following the inauguration of the Barack Obama-Joseph Biden pair. “We should not be reluctant to do that only because Obama had once lived in Indonesia as Obama would not automatically remember Indonesia. So we have to actively invite him,” he said.

  

Not much hope 

However, he said, Indonesia should hope too much from Obama’s victory as US president because the superpower’s foreign policy would depend on its national interest and  not on its president’s decisions.

“The US president is not the only one deciding the US foreign policy as there are other elements like the Senate and Congress which play certain roles in deciding the US foreign policy. As Obama has relatively little experience in foreign affairs, Vice President Jo Biden will play a bigger role in this sector,” he said.

According to Basis, Indonesia may not be geared in dealing with the economic affairs with the US as exports of Indonesia’s several prime commodities to that country like textile and food products would face a hindrance as such products are made by local workers.   “The Democratic Party (Obama’s) is supported by workers and thus Obama will have to protect them. It is different with the Republican Party which is rather ignored  by the workers,” he said.

On democracy and human rights, he said, the US under Obama may see Indonesia with a better  democracy and human rights, meaning that Indonesia should be serious in dealing with the two sector.   As  Indonesia is more experienced in upholding democracy and human rights in the current reform era, and the US would keep abreast of issues about democracy and human rights in this archipelagic country like those on ethnic groups and religions as well as the pornographic law. 

In the meantime, political observer from Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Prof Dr Ichlasul Amal, said Obama would not immediately heed Indonesia as he (Obama) would concentrate more on his country’s problems.   He was of the opinion that the election of Obama as   president would not much influence the political and economic relations between Indonesia and the US as the latter is now undergoing an economic crisis.  

Obama would not issue  a significant policy on the relations between Indonesia and the US, meaning whoever the US president  will for the time being have no sigficiant influence on Indonesia. “Obama will also not issue a foreign policy which is  more favorable to Indonesia. It is most unlikely that he would do that,” he said.

On worries about a perception that Indonesia is considered  a terrorist country, Amal said the US so far did not see Indonesia a terrorist country , as the US merely declared war against terrorism.

Meanwhile, observer of international political affairs from Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, Tri Cahyo Utomo, share Ichlasul Amal’s views that Indonesia should not hope too much from Obama as the newly-elected president although he once lived in Indonesia for about four years. 

Tri Chayo said the change in foreign policy would depend on  the Democratic Party’s platform based on experience, relations of the Democratic Party with other countries would touch more on democracy, human rights and environmental affairs while the Republican Party directed its policy more  on trade, economy and finance.  However, Tri Chayo saw the relations between Indonesia and US would be better but not improve too much.

According to him, the US would put its foreign relations into three categories the first is important, the second is medium and the third less important.  

Indonesia does not belong to the first category but the second one, and thus Indonesia should not extremely but just moderately hope for better relations with the US, he said.

Barack Obama emerged won the US presidential elections after securing 334 electoral votes against rival McCain’s 157 votes.

A number of heads of state/government across the world including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono have congratulated Obama for his victory as the US 44th president. ( ant )