Dealing with tantrums of a big brother

By Bantarto Bandoro
ST Forum, The Straits Times, October 5, 2007

IN JAKARTA - WHILE the extradition treaty issue between Indonesia and Singapore seems to have been settled, the battle over the defence pact that is linked to it continues to draw media attention.

Amid concerns that a better deal could have been struck, Indonesian politicians have refused to guarantee ratification, instead demanding clarification regarding all the details first.

How did Indonesia - with so much to gain from access to sophisticated Singapore military technology - come to find itself in a defence cooperation tug-of- war with its small but muscular neighbour?

The answer has to do with imbalances between the two over power, money and space.

It is a political reality that in bilateral relations between the vast archipelago and the small island country, Indonesia has at times played the bully. At other times we have made our richer neighbour a scapegoat for our domestic chaos. But outward-looking Singapore continues to prosper, leaving its friend, Indonesia, far behind.

One recalls how Indonesia's third president, Dr B.J. Habibie, described the city state - as a little red dot. However, very small states that survive demonstrate that they are tough and well-organised and can respond to external challenges quickly.

Creating political and strategic space and building a secure web of connections with its neighbours has been and will continue to be Singapore's core strategy for overcoming vulnerability. While the immediate issue for Singapore is its crucial need for secure strategic space for military training, this is the broader context in which it has signed a defence pact with its big neighbour.

However, Singapore does not contemplate a defence arrangement with Indonesia out of weakness. For Singapore, the business of diplomacy is about befriending those with whom it shares common interests. Singapore's interest in signing an extradition treaty and defence pact with Indonesia reflects a mature, independent foreign policy and the state's status as a regional player.

Indonesia is a great nation in terms of geographical expanse, natural resources, population, history and aspirations. Alongside the smaller nations of South-east Asia, Indonesia is a 'big brother' - at least in its own eyes.

However, we may ask how the feeling of being great will affect the way Indonesia treats its neighbours.

It is ironic and unfortunate that despite its willingness to be a 'big brother', Indonesia often fails to exhibit maturity in policies towards its neighbours, particularly when its political desires are frustrated. Indonesia's decision to link sand exports to Singapore with the extradition treaty betrays a childish attitude.

Prone to tantrums, Indonesia is a big brother with an uneasy feeling, often wondering how it is viewed by other countries.

In addition, the nation is becoming more xenophobic. Maybe this is because Indonesia cannot cope with a growing inferiority complex in the face of more advanced nations like Singapore.

The crucial concern as regards bilateral and multilateral cooperation is that Indonesia's neighbours might say that they will respect Indonesia only when it can prove that it is able to play a leading role in improving security and prosperity in the region and treat individual neighbouring countries fairly and equally.

In the present bilateral quarrel over power and space, the larger nation has unfairly attempted to make the smaller one feel that it needs the treaty the most.

In another sign of a proud nation interacting with other nations in a way that is not always something to be proud of, Indonesian legislators now threaten to veto the defence agreement, using the justification that Indonesia's sovereignty is at stake.

Despite disparities in territory and wealth, an objective assessment would be that a win-win defence pact is possible, even between very big and very small. This is especially so since Singapore can play a positive role in assisting Indonesia with the development of military technology.

Meanwhile, Indonesia should not put up such a fight over defence cooperation that such cooperation itself becomes impossible. While the country deserves to receive the maximum benefit from the treaties it signs, it will not likely be effective to adopt a 'big brother' stance in negotiating a mutual defence pact with powerful Singapore.

As regards the presence of Singapore's military in areas of the archipelago that are at once strategic and fragile, the saying is probably very correct - the devil is in the details.

However, as Indonesia and Singapore have been able to agree on so many other occasions before in their nearly 70-year relationship, it is very likely that some type of agreement can be reached on the troubled defence cooperation pact.

bandoro@csis.or.id

The writer is chief editor of The Indonesian Quarterly, published by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a lecturer in the international relations post-graduate studies programme at the University of Indonesia, Jakarta.

This article first appeared in The Jakarta Post.