Indonesians snub Howard
By Don Greenlees and Ian Henderson
06feb02
LEADERS of Indonesia's parliament have refused to meet John Howard during his two-day visit to Jakarta starting today, citing concerns over Australia's stance on illegal migration and attitude to Papuan separatism.
After parliament's foreign affairs commission urged President Megawati Sukarnoputri to scrap the Howard visit, one of Indonesia's most influential politicians, Amien Rais, said yesterday he also opposed the Prime Minister's visit.
"If my colleagues reject Howard's visit, I will fall into line with them," Dr Rais, speaker of the supra-parliamentary People's Consultative Assembly, told online news service Detik.
But the Megawati administration has made it clear it wants to consolidate the relationship between Australia and Indonesia.
"The mission of the visit is to build a strong relationship that is not easily disrupted," Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said yesterday. "This is important since we are neighbours."
Mr Howard is due is meet Ms Megawati today before seeing Dr Rais and Akbar Tandjung, the speaker of the main legislature, the People's Representative Council, tomorrow morning.
Both men have been asked by the foreign affairs commission to cancel the meeting. The commission has been a critic of the Australian government, in particular Mr Howard, since Australia's intervention in East Timor in 1999.
In an interview with The Australian yesterday, commission chairman Ibrahim Ambong said sensitivities remained over the "megaphone diplomacy" Canberra had employed over people-smuggling and doubts about Australia's intentions in Papua.
Much of the ill-feeling among his colleagues was directed at Mr Howard personally, he said. "In the opinion of the people of Indonesia John Howard is arrogant and sometimes does not understand the culture of Indonesia."
Mr Ambong said he had informed Mr Tandjung commission members would not attend tomorrow's meeting with Mr Howard. Mr Tandjung is yet to publicly declare his attitude to the visit, but under the pressure of a corruption investigation he may be reluctant to defy the commission.
Both sides have been wary about pre-empting the agenda for the first round of meetings between Mr Howard and Ms Megawati.
But people-smuggling will be raised – Indonesian officials have requested a discussion on the agenda for a summit in Bali on the issue at the end of this month.
Mr Howard, who stopped briefly in Singapore yesterday while travelling from the US, refused to be drawn on the likely agenda.
"Indonesia is an important visit and I look forward very much to seeing President Megawati," he said.
Mr Howard has not been deterred by the heavy floods in Jakarta. The floods have forced the Prime Minister to abandon plans to stay at the upmarket Regent Hotel in favour of the lesser-rated Hotel Borobodur, located on higher ground.
Days of downpour have triggered fears about the safety of food in hotel freezers, following power cuts in Jakarta, and of the risk of tropical diseases.