ID :
89356
Fri, 11/13/2009 - 09:37
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https://oananews.org//node/89356
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News Focus: NEW ELEMENTS NOW DETERMINE QUALITY OF RI-M'SIA TIES
By Eliswan Azly
Jakarta, Nov 12 (ANTARA) - The tensions in Indonesia-Malaysia relations following Indonesian media criticism and reports about the Malaysian claim to Ambalat and illegal logging by Malaysians would not have occurred if the Malaysian side had possessed a better understanding of the changes taking place in Indonesia, a political analyst said.
Dr Sofyan Siregar, a political analyst who is a roving lecturer of the North Sumatra Islamic University, in an email on Thursday said that Malaysia continually pay attention to the new elements that play a decisive role in Indonesian society in order not to be shocked by Indonesian media reports that are possibly unfavorable to Malaysia.
Sofyan really appreciated the remark made by Malaysian Prime Minister Sri Mohammad Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak that the cordial relations between Malaysia and Indonesia should be further strengthened by taking into consideration the new elements in the structure of Indonesian society under the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The new elements comprised the media, members of parliament and various other groups that also contributed directly or indirectly to the bilateral diplomatic relations.
According to him, the close relationship with the media should be developed by closing the communication gap. If not, it could lead to the media making various assumptions that could result in undesired situations.
"The parliament is also important. Members of parliament cannot be taken for granted. The leaders also need to nurture good relations between the two parliaments as well as the various parties," he said.
In addition, the close friendship between the two governments should filter down to the various sectors and groups in the two countries.
In the meantime, Yudhoyono said the close proximity between Malaysia and Indonesia and the friendship that had been established for so long resulted in both countries being frequently exposed to contradicting opinions.
Yudhoyono stressed that such a scenario should not be allowed to jeopardize the existing relationship and should instead be treated with care and wisdom.
"I always say that Indonesia has never had any problems with Rwanda or Colombia because our positions are so far apart but with Malaysia we certainly have occasional differences but what encourages me is that we all realize that it is normal," the president was quoted by Bernama as saying.
More important, according to Sofyan, the leaders of the two countries should look at it intelligently and wisely so that everything could be handled smoothly.
President Yudhoyono said Indonesia always wanted friendship and relations maintained as well as possible, and if there was a problem, the two countries had to deal with it immediately, wisely, and accurately.
With millions of Indonesian nationals in Malaysia and tens of thousands of Malaysians in Indonesia, occasional frictions and differences were apt to happen, the president said.
Yudhoyono said if a problem cropped up, it had to be resolved wisely and appropriately to maintain the good ties and cooperation, and the problem should not be allowed to damage their relations.
"As a close neighbor, in the interaction with one another, definitely differences of opinion occur once in a while.
"In this light, Indonesia had not faced similar problems before, for example, with the communities in Somalia, Africa; in Chile, Latin America, in Europe, but with a close neighbor, it happened once in a while.
"As leaders, our duty is to manage them (the problems) wisely so that they will not mar what we have achieved so far," the president said.
Indonesia and Malaysia have to seek more opportunities. Asia, including Southeast Asia, has emerged as the new global economic powerhouse.
The two countries have a role to play in regional economic development. Indonesian economy grows with an expanding domestic market while the Malaysian economy thrives in various areas.
When these can be harnessed, there is a lot more that both countries can do to enhance the bilateral cooperation, Yudhoyono said.
"We have the IMTGT or Indonesia- Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle, we have done a lot but we can do a lot more in terms of regional economic development," he went on to say.
In response to Yudhoyono`s remark, Prime Minister Najib Razak said that while certain quarters were out to undermine ties between the two countries, in reality, the leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia were close allies.
"Although we have a few outstanding issues, they should not take precedence over the good things done by both governments in cementing the bilateral ties. We have close traditional ties like the visit of Indonesian leaders to Malaysia and vice-versa. We are looking forward to the forging of closer interactions between centers... like media to media, parliament to parliament and non-governmental organizations to non-governmental organizations," Najib said.
Najib said that at a closed-door meeting on Thursday morning, he and Yudhoyono expressed hope that more programs could be organized for the youths of both countries.
The Malaysian prime minister said while bilateral trade between the two countries were on the rise, except for this year due to the global economic crisis, more needed to be done to increase business activities between the two neighbors.
Malaysia and Indonesia were now undergoing a major change in the world including ASEAN`s new emergence as an economic power.
Bilateral cooperation between the two countries played a major role and contributed significantly in improving the global economy particularly in the Asian region. ***1***
Jakarta, Nov 12 (ANTARA) - The tensions in Indonesia-Malaysia relations following Indonesian media criticism and reports about the Malaysian claim to Ambalat and illegal logging by Malaysians would not have occurred if the Malaysian side had possessed a better understanding of the changes taking place in Indonesia, a political analyst said.
Dr Sofyan Siregar, a political analyst who is a roving lecturer of the North Sumatra Islamic University, in an email on Thursday said that Malaysia continually pay attention to the new elements that play a decisive role in Indonesian society in order not to be shocked by Indonesian media reports that are possibly unfavorable to Malaysia.
Sofyan really appreciated the remark made by Malaysian Prime Minister Sri Mohammad Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak that the cordial relations between Malaysia and Indonesia should be further strengthened by taking into consideration the new elements in the structure of Indonesian society under the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The new elements comprised the media, members of parliament and various other groups that also contributed directly or indirectly to the bilateral diplomatic relations.
According to him, the close relationship with the media should be developed by closing the communication gap. If not, it could lead to the media making various assumptions that could result in undesired situations.
"The parliament is also important. Members of parliament cannot be taken for granted. The leaders also need to nurture good relations between the two parliaments as well as the various parties," he said.
In addition, the close friendship between the two governments should filter down to the various sectors and groups in the two countries.
In the meantime, Yudhoyono said the close proximity between Malaysia and Indonesia and the friendship that had been established for so long resulted in both countries being frequently exposed to contradicting opinions.
Yudhoyono stressed that such a scenario should not be allowed to jeopardize the existing relationship and should instead be treated with care and wisdom.
"I always say that Indonesia has never had any problems with Rwanda or Colombia because our positions are so far apart but with Malaysia we certainly have occasional differences but what encourages me is that we all realize that it is normal," the president was quoted by Bernama as saying.
More important, according to Sofyan, the leaders of the two countries should look at it intelligently and wisely so that everything could be handled smoothly.
President Yudhoyono said Indonesia always wanted friendship and relations maintained as well as possible, and if there was a problem, the two countries had to deal with it immediately, wisely, and accurately.
With millions of Indonesian nationals in Malaysia and tens of thousands of Malaysians in Indonesia, occasional frictions and differences were apt to happen, the president said.
Yudhoyono said if a problem cropped up, it had to be resolved wisely and appropriately to maintain the good ties and cooperation, and the problem should not be allowed to damage their relations.
"As a close neighbor, in the interaction with one another, definitely differences of opinion occur once in a while.
"In this light, Indonesia had not faced similar problems before, for example, with the communities in Somalia, Africa; in Chile, Latin America, in Europe, but with a close neighbor, it happened once in a while.
"As leaders, our duty is to manage them (the problems) wisely so that they will not mar what we have achieved so far," the president said.
Indonesia and Malaysia have to seek more opportunities. Asia, including Southeast Asia, has emerged as the new global economic powerhouse.
The two countries have a role to play in regional economic development. Indonesian economy grows with an expanding domestic market while the Malaysian economy thrives in various areas.
When these can be harnessed, there is a lot more that both countries can do to enhance the bilateral cooperation, Yudhoyono said.
"We have the IMTGT or Indonesia- Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle, we have done a lot but we can do a lot more in terms of regional economic development," he went on to say.
In response to Yudhoyono`s remark, Prime Minister Najib Razak said that while certain quarters were out to undermine ties between the two countries, in reality, the leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia were close allies.
"Although we have a few outstanding issues, they should not take precedence over the good things done by both governments in cementing the bilateral ties. We have close traditional ties like the visit of Indonesian leaders to Malaysia and vice-versa. We are looking forward to the forging of closer interactions between centers... like media to media, parliament to parliament and non-governmental organizations to non-governmental organizations," Najib said.
Najib said that at a closed-door meeting on Thursday morning, he and Yudhoyono expressed hope that more programs could be organized for the youths of both countries.
The Malaysian prime minister said while bilateral trade between the two countries were on the rise, except for this year due to the global economic crisis, more needed to be done to increase business activities between the two neighbors.
Malaysia and Indonesia were now undergoing a major change in the world including ASEAN`s new emergence as an economic power.
Bilateral cooperation between the two countries played a major role and contributed significantly in improving the global economy particularly in the Asian region. ***1***
