Basic truths to relations

Editorial, The Straits Times, April 25, 2007



SINGAPORE and Indonesia have reached an agreement on an extradition treaty and a defence cooperation pact. It took two years, with a few diversions along the way - including recent suggestions by some in the Indonesian establishment that the agreements be linked to Indonesia's supply of sand to the Republic.

The Singapore Government rejected any such link and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his part never hinted that the suggestion had his blessings.

Both sides have arrived at a settlement on the basis of what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Yudhoyono had agreed to in October 2005 in Bali, where they decided that extradition and defence cooperation should be negotiated in tandem.

Both leaders saw then that bilateral negotiations had to be conducted on the basis of a balance of benefits, and that approach has been vindicated.

Two years to negotiate fairly complex deals such as these is not bad going at all. The successful conclusion indicates that there is a certain fundamental stability in Singapore-Indonesia relations, despite the occasional ups and downs.

Singaporeans can draw some lessons from this. In the nature of things, relations between close neighbours such as Indonesia and Singapore - with such different political, cultural and economic histories - are bound to experience occasional rough patches. Singaporeans need not feel overwhelmed when bilateral relations hit these patches; and they need not feel overly ecstatic when both countries get past them.

What is important is that Singaporeans hold firm to certain fundamentals in their foreign policy: One, Singapore will never allow itself to be placed in a position where it would have to plead for special consideration from anyone. Two, it conducts bilateral relations on the basis of mutual benefit, with neither side being asked to concede unilaterally its interests so as to gain the goodwill of the other. And three, the Republic should always be ready to deal fairly and squarely with its neighbours on the basis of transparent and mutually understood principles.

The fact that Singapore and Indonesia have reached agreements on extradition and defence cooperation testifies to the continued validity of these fundamentals.

Both countries, together with others in Asean, should now turn to the biggest item before them - which is to draft a legally binding Asean Charter to take Asean integration to a new plane.

No matter what the bilateral problems might be, it is crucial that Asean moves forward on this front. The survival of all is at stake. Asean can grow against the backdrop of a fast-growing China and India only if it comes together.