[asia-apec 751] KL-Jakarta ties 'may be affected' Says Habibie Advisor (fwd)

[David Webster]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 04 Oct 1998 08:40:57
From: tapol at gn.apc.org
Reply-To: "Conference act.indonesia" <indonesia-act at igc.org>
To: Recipients of indonesia-act <indonesia-act at igc.org>
Subject: KL-Jakarta ties 'may be affected' Says Habibie Advisor

From: tapol at gn.apc.org (TAPOL)
Subject: KL-Jakarta ties 'may be affected' Says Habibie Advisor

STRAITS TIMES
OCT 4 1998

KL-Jakarta ties 'may be affected' 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anwar's links with Indonesia's elite are too close for them to brush his case
aside, says Habibie advisor

By DERWIN PEREIRA IN JAKARTA 

PRESIDENT B. J. Habibie's foreign policy adviser has maintained that the
arrest of former Malaysian Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim is likely to "cloud
relations" between Indonesia and Malaysia. 

Dr Dewi Fortuna Anwar said that the close ties between Anwar and many members
of the political elite here meant that it would be difficult for Indonesians
to just brush the issue aside. 

She noted that there had always been strong links between Anwar's think-tank,
the Institute of Policy Research, and the Habibie-linked Centre for
Information and Development Study. 

"There are personal implications. Anwar is close with the leadership here,"
she said. 

Such links are evident with Dr Habibie now rethinking a planned visit to
Malaysia this month. 

Senior officials said concerns that a critical public here and abroad may
misconstrue the visit could keep him from making the trip. 

The Indonesian press has been very critical of events in Kuala Lumpur because
they parallelled domestic concerns over democracy and human rights. 

Anwar's arrest and alleged beating, plus former Malaysian Deputy Premier
Ghafar Baba's scathing attack on the Indonesian press, sparked some hard-
hitting editorials in local papers. 

Speaking at a seminar on "Asean at the crossroads" on Friday, Dr Dewi pointed
out that the saga highlighted differences between Asean countries in how they
perceived human rights now. 

She said: "Asean is in danger of being split between countries that regard
democracy and human rights as universal values whose promotion become a common
responsibility, and those that are still proponents of 'Asian values'." 

"While the newly-democratising government in Indonesia may hesitate to abandon
the non-interference principle, the increasingly free and vocal press and non-
governmental organisations will undoubtedly air their opinions regarding
happenings in neighbouring countries without much regard for regional
solidarity or the government's foreign policy concerns." 

For example, she said if NGOs in Indonesia organised a conference on Malaysia
now, Jakarta would "not be able to do anything about it". 

Other speakers at the conference suggested that Asean's principle of non-
interference was no longer relevant. 

Noted Mr Ikrar Nusa Bhakti from the Indonesian Institute of Social Sciences:
"We should no longer be alarmed if an official of Thailand, for example, makes
remarks on Indonesia or Malaysia." 

Dr Dewi said that Indonesia's domestic problems have meant that Jakarta could
no longer exercise a leadership role in resolving regional problems or
bilateral disputes between Asean member countries. 

She noted: "Indonesia's strong commitment towards regional harmony and role as
regional mediator have been important in keeping Asean together. 

"Indonesia's internal preoccupation and severe economic problems may
contribute to a lost sense of direction within Asean." 

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