VIVAnews - Indonesia is confident that the bilateral ties between the country and the United States under the new US President Barack Obama will be closer because he once spent his childhood in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. However, it is indeed not a solid ground to bring a great change toward the relationship between the two countries, said Indonesian Foreign Ministry's Director General for American and European Affairs Retno LP Marsudi during an exclusive interview with VIVAnews last week.
Marsudi, former Indonesian Ambassador for Norway, also claimed that Indonesia and the United States are challenged by the current global situation. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Who were the Indonesia's representatives invited to Obama's inauguration?
Indonesian Ambassador for the United States Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat. He represents Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as well as the Indonesian government.
What, in your opinion, is the focus of the Obama administration?
He emerges in the midst of the global economic crisis. Then, the first important matter to be brought to mind is how to get out from the crisis, which was initially triggered by the situation in the United States.
Given the situation, we may think that the main focus of the Obama administration will be to deal with the crisis, as well as how it has affected the US economy.
The second priority is concerned with the image of the United States in the world. Since the presidential campaigns began, it was apparent that the United States was eager to re-build their image. That was the reason why the political lingo used in Obama's campaigns was 'change'.
The jargon is applied in domestic and international issues. Obama pursues the opportunity to change the US image regarding the domestic economy as well as how the image is to be patched.
Will the US government apply different approaches concerning their foreign affairs under the Obama administration?
It may probably be more concerned with our expectation so that we can see whether there is any change or not. However, the most crucial issue is that whether or not we have a tight relationship with the United States in the first place. President [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] once said that we have quite a solid relationship with the United States in the last eight years [during the Bush administration]. Indeed, the US President Obama surely gained extraordinary responses not only in the United States but also from all over the world.
The point is that we are greatly hoping for is that the United States will set out changes. This means that there is hope that [the United States] will improve approaches on multilateral issues and so on.
Will there be changes in the bilateral relationship between the United States and Indonesia?
We have started a solid relationship. With some improvements, as well as Obama's personal experiences of living in Indonesia, then the relationship between the two countries will be more secure.
But we cannot be over-confident that radical changes will take place only because Obama had lived in Indonesia. I guess, logically speaking, we cannot include the issue into political calculation.
Foreign policies are concerned with the interests of other countries. There will be impact. But I think we cannot expect that it will drive a great impact. With the escalating interests, the effect will be automatically around.
What is the bilateral challenges that must be prioritized by Indonesia and the United States under the Obama administration?
Amidst the economic crisis, any country will surely protect [its domestic economy]. That is a natural response. If it happens, we must by all means maintain our exports and trading to the United States, as well as persuade the US investors to invest in Indonesia.
In addition, at the grass root level, there must be understanding of other parties. Therefore, [the challenge] has to do with people-to-people contact. Although quite a number of Indonesians have come to the United States, and vice versa, there is unbalanced understanding between the two countries.
As a result, the relationship between Indonesia and the United States must still be fortified by people-to-people contact. When we have built a perfect understanding of other countries, it will be easier to solve any problem with our partner. However, if there is a misunderstanding, it will complicate the matter. This applies to Indonesia's relationship with other countries.
Will Indonesia invite Obama to pay a visit to the country this year?
When President Yudhoyono contacted Obama through a phone call in the United States [25 November 2008], he had invited the US President-elect to visit Indonesia.
If the United States replies the invitation, then the closest time would be APEC Summit, which will be held in Singapore in November 2009. Whether or not the visitation is related with the APEC Summit, that will not be the main concern. The important thing is that President Yudhoyono had invited Obama.
Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono
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