/

Realistic diplomacy RI-Malaysia

0 Comments |

"National sovereignty is an obligation as well as an entitlement. A Government That Will not perform the role of a government forfeits the rights of a government. "Ulrich Beck

German sociologist above expression gives a clear picture of how a country has a fundamental right to defend its sovereignty.

State does not actually have any role when the sovereignty of a country are not enforced, is no exception in the case of RI-Malaysia relations.

Cape rafting incident is the umpteenth time events that culminate in RI-Malaysia border dispute. President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to solve this problem diplomatically and by the rules that apply (Kompas, 20/8/2010). This event could be interpreted more broadly based on the concept of state capability (power).

"Soft-power '

Malaysia's confidence in peace often "robbed" Indonesia's sovereignty could be an interpretation of the sense of "victory" over Indonesia. In all lines, Malaysia has a much better condition than Indonesia. Malaysia is growing very significantly after he was able to survive and grow from the Asian crisis in 1997. That country to recover without help from donor agencies IMF.

Not long ago, the World Economic Forum also launched a publication entitled "Global Competitiveness Report 2009/2010." Ranked Malaysia at number 24 of course well above Indonesia (54). Indonesia, which ranked high enough on the only indicator of the huge market potential. Malaysian economy and the persistence of the fall of the Indonesian economy in the global financial crisis and responded calmly by Malaysia to make Indonesia as a prospective market for the recovery.

Indonesia is now flooded with Malaysian products, including automotive, mobile operators, investment in agriculture, and banking. In contrast, Indonesia Malaysia flooded with foreign heroes whose fate still not clear. Various physical and social violence often happen to our workers. Since 2003 until 2008, more than five million Indonesians working as migrant workers and 60 percent in Malaysia (BNP2TKI, 2008). These workers do not produce income less than Rp 167 trillion (16 percent more than the state budget revenues in 2009).

In multilateral diplomacy, Indonesia and Malaysia has some of the same strategy. Both have ambitions to be a regional power. Only, Malaysia with a serious soft-power spread through the country's various products are distributed through specialized investment funds (sovereign wealth fund). Meanwhile, Indonesia is trying to steal a chance amid a global economy and the persistence of economic growth in Indonesia due to the stability of domestic consumption was still awake.

If the capability (power) so the size, Indonesia is not expected to clear for a confrontation against Malaysia because in terms of capability in all aspects, Indonesia still lags far. Therefore, there is no road map (roadmap) that diplomacy must be to overcome this gap. Not easy to rely on ASEAN as an intermediary institution in the history of bilateral conflict Southeast Asian countries. Only the accumulation of national capabilities that can defend Indonesia from regional interference.

Foreign policy

Sipadan-Ligitan, Ambalat, TKI, and dispute the cultural heritage into the mode that gives the conclusion that the RI looks relaxed and is not expected to ignore the lump-lump this kind of sovereignty. Maybe this is in accordance with the principle of diplomacy the President who is often spoken of pride in international forums, "a thousand friends, zero enemies" (thousand friends, zero Enemy).

This situation is increasingly worrying if it turns out the public access to the performance of diplomacy has so far not too transparent. In such cases, the government really needs to prioritize accountability to Parliament and the public diplomacy international legal experts participated in the formulation of bilateral diplomacy during this, admittedly, is not helpless.

Principles and doctrines of the President suddenly Natalegawa also reminded writers to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson who in 1919 initiated the formation of the League of Nations (LBB). Great desire to force Wilson to mediate the world he thinks is not realistic in the world who initiated the principle of equitable and mutual respect for sovereignty. As a result, according to the forecast at that time British Prime Minister, Churchill, and the League of Nations did not survive World War II broke out.

Wilson is still thinking should be appreciated because if the U.S. could be a mediating and reconciling the world at that time, the potential for market expansion will open. However, did the principle of "one thousand zero friends the enemy" Indonesia also bases its national interest if the results are simply belittled and pushed around by other countries?

There contextualization is to be distinguished. If this principle is applied in the face of the world geopolitical situation, eg to respond to the pattern of US-China relations, then this principle may be in line with the principle of free-actively in accordance with the direction of foreign policy post-Asian-African Conference in 1955. This principle gave birth to the pragmatism that diplomacy is the realization of the most profitable in the global level.

However, in a regional context, this principle would undermine national sovereignty if this sort of utopian thinking is applied in Southeast Asia. Surely the government should be more realistic to face, in the language of President SBY, "the turbulent ocean." Improvement of national capabilities must be considered if we want to use logic to think Malaysia's national power base.


Related Post



RSS Feed

0 Comments for Realistic diplomacy RI-Malaysia

Leave a comment!

design by tikimedia © 2010 | Converted to Blogger by Blogger Templates | I Powered by Blogger
To top