HARAPAN WARGA ASEAN KEPADA Indonesia

botakgundul

Indonesia Raya was so important to US coz its the terrorist breeding ground.....and US did put an arm embargo against Indonesia, so that they could not fly Us made aircraft...... is there anything more important than that? even their President are scared to put his feet in US soil....he could be pinalised becoz off the mass murder in Timor Leste..

that is just a black propaganda

semarmesem

Indonesia: Against any one power's dominance
Lynn Lee
The Straits Times
Publication Date : 08-10-2010

Unlike some of its neighbours, Indonesia is not fretting over China's recent display of muscle in the region.

Instead, it has issued a series of unequivocal statements - to say that any dispute must be solved peacefully, and that regional dynamics must remain collegial. It has also indicated that it does not want any one power, whether the United States or China, to be dominant in the region.

Indonesian officials have put forth these views both publicly and behind closed doors. Observers have also read between the lines - recently, when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gave the US-Asean summit in New York a miss, analysts at home speculated that this was his way of showing he did not agree with either China or the US setting the agenda in resolving the ongoing sovereignty dispute in the South China Sea.

Public comments made by other top Indonesian officials have left no doubt that Asean's largest member is committed to keeping a balance of power in the region.

Last month, foreign minister Marty Natalegawa, while at an event hosted by a Washington think-tank, said that Indonesia desired 'a dynamic equilibrium' in the Asia-Pacific - one that is marked by 'an absence of a preponderant power'.

A week later, in the run-up to the US-Asean summit, after China had signalled to the US to stay out of the matter, Dr Natalegawa told Bloomberg: "We are aware of China's position on this matter, but at the same time, the... issues on the South China Sea need resolution."

Indonesia was, in fact, among the first countries to call China out on its claims to the South China Sea. In July, it sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, in which it said China's claim 'clearly lacks international legal basis' and risked upsetting the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

As Institute of Southeast Asian Studies researcher Michael Richardson wrote in August, Indonesia's statements were significant for several reasons. "It is not a claimant in the South China Sea, has worked for years to reconcile the conflicting positions there, and can thus put its views to the UN as a neutral and wellinformed intermediary," he said.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies senior fellow Jusuf Wanandi said that while Indonesia was aware that China was becoming a significant economic power, it hoped the country "would not be full of hubris and over-confidence".

"We want a leader from the region with finesse," he told The Straits Times.

But analysts said China's behaviour would not push Indonesia towards the US. University of Indonesia lecturer Syamsul Hadi said: "While Indonesia does not like how China is being aggressive in the South China Sea or over its disputed islands with Japan, this is not going to make it swing all the way to the US."

Indonesia, he added, also had to consider its own bilateral ties with both China and the US. It has grown closer to both powers in recent years, with rising demand for its resources and its need for foreign investment inflows.

Dr Syamsul said Indonesia is very clear that it wants the Asean bloc to be the driving force for cooperation in the region.

Stanford University professor Donald Emmerson said he believed that Indonesia, which takes over the rotating chairmanship of Asean next year, would encourage the Asean countries and China to formalise and implement a code of conduct on territorial sea disputes signed in 2002.

But the expert on Southeast Asia added: "That will not be easy, however, so long as China insists on dealing only with those South-east Asian states that have actually made claims, and in doing so, only in separate, bilateral conversations."

so....what have msia done during her chairmanship????
you saying best, when you say nothing at all........

petrukdadiratu1

Foreign policy Indonesia outlines post-2015 agenda for ASEAN

Abdul Khalik and Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/05/2011 10:46 AM | Headlines A | A | A        |
While trying to lead ASEAN to achieve its goal of becoming a community by 2015, Indonesia highlighted its agenda for the 10-member group in the post-2015 period as Southeast Asia’s largest economy chairs the group this year.
Indonesia proposed that this year the ASEAN Community should start playing a role on the global stage by tackling global issues such as climate change, development and conflict and security problems so that after 2015 the group would have a common platform to deal with those global issues.
“We must be outward looking, not self-absorbed,” Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told The Jakarta Post.
“We should begin drafting a road map this year so that in 10 years we have a common platform on global issues, not a common foreign policy as ASEAN is not a supranational organization.”
Apart from playing a greater role in world affairs, Marty said Indonesia’s main task was to guide the group to reach the goal of becoming a community by 2015 while giving substance to ongoing regional architecture building — in this case East Asia and the Pacific.
“Our main basic responsibility is to ensure that during the course of 2011 we continue to make progress to achieve ASEAN’s goal of becoming a community by 2015,” he said.
ASEAN leaders agreed that the community would be built on three main pillars — economic, political and security and sociocultural — to ensure people in ASEAN countries could coexist in a single community.
Marty said that apart from building on developments so far, Indonesia would also propose areas within the three pillars that had not benefited from strong efforts until now.
“For example, how we address maritime issues in our region. We are concerned as maritime issues have become problematic, involving navies and fishing vessels, not only from ASEAN but also from Northeast Asian countries,” he said.
Marty said the seas should a unifying factor for the region.
“We will be keen to develop a maritime forum, discussing how we deal with such incidents, the rules of engagement and standard operating procedures. We don’t want unintended incidents spiraling out of control,” he said.
Analysts warned that Indonesia’s chairmanship would be challenged by problems faced by member countries, and that it had been pushed to balance its position between the US and China, both looking to make the region their sphere of influence.
Border disputes among member countries and outsiders, notably China in the South China Sea, will test Indonesia’s leadership. For instance, if it mediated in the South China Sea dispute between China and six ASEAN countries,   Indonesia as a non-claimant state to the territory is expected to show impartiality.
Marty said that under Indonesia’s chairmanship, dialogue between ASEAN and China in the South China Sea dispute would continue, with the hope that all parties could develop codes of conduct on how to settle the problem of claims to the area.

petrukdadiratu1

Indonesia: Bringing ASEAN to new heights
Bagas Hapsoro, Jakarta | Mon, 01/03/2011 9:42 AM | Opinion A | A | A        |
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan was invited by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to brief the Indonesian Cabinet at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Dec. 17, 2010. It was a historic occasion for the secretary-general of ASEAN to contribute to high-level strategic discussions ahead of Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2011.
The briefing, which represents part of the government of Indonesia’s coordinated and sustained efforts to prepare for its chairmanship, has won praise from the secretary-general. “This certainly reflects a full commitment on the part of the Indonesian President to lend the full measure of his engaging and dynamic leadership to the ASEAN agenda for the year ahead,” Surin said.
He expressed hope that Indonesia would adopt a proactive role in its leadership of ASEAN. “Indonesia has the weight, the international legitimacy and a global appeal to draw tremendous support and attention from around the world to the ASEAN community-building efforts that we are all engaging in now,” he said.
At the briefing, President Yudhoyono also charged his Cabinet ministers to work closely with Surin and the ASEAN Secretariat to ensure a successful chairmanship. The need for meaningful and successful follow-ups with concrete outcomes well into the future was also highlighted during the President’s conversation with the Secretary-general.  
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said President Yudhoyono had invited the secretary-general of ASEAN to brief the Indonesian Cabinet to support the realization of Indonesia’s vision for its ASEAN chairmanship. In welcoming the vision, Surin expressed his confidence that the ASEAN member states would support the proactive role played by Indonesia as the ASEAN chair. He further added that Indonesia’s membership in the G20 economic forum paved the way for ASEAN to enter the global stage, as Indonesia was Southeast Asia’s representative at the forum.  
Indonesia has traditionally set “milestones” for ASEAN and the international community. This includes the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, the 1994 APEC Summit in Bogor and the 1976 and 2003 ASEAN Summits in Bali, which enhanced ASEAN solidarity and laid the groundwork for the eventual goal of an ASEAN Community by 2015.
President Yudhoyono said he expected the ASEAN and East Asian Summits in 2011 to be a success. US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are expected to attend the East Asia Summit in October 2011.
In his directive to the Cabinet, President Yudhoyono also stressed that as “ASEAN is a people-centered association, the public should be involved in all ASEAN events.” He also said that Indonesia during its Chairmanship would engage with youth, students, business communities and civil society organizations.
President Yudhoyono also informed his Cabinet that the ASEAN Secretariat deserves full support in all possible areas to facilitate its work in the implementation and coordination of ASEAN’s work.
The ASEAN Secretariat has been invited to work closely with the National Committee for the Indonesian ASEAN Chairmanship 2011 under Vice President Boediono, with the full support of Foreign Minister Marty and the participation of other relevant ministers. As the host country to the ASEAN Secretariat, Indonesia has extended full hospitality and facilitation to all ASEAN officials since the establishment of ASEC in 1977.  
The full realization of Indonesia’s agenda for ASEAN and its ambitious program of activities for 2011 is indeed a noble objective. Indonesia has its own problems and challenges, but the experience it has will certainly help ASEAN, integrate ASEAN and lead ASEAN to become one of the key players in the global community. The world and ASEAN member states are expecting that ASEAN, under Indonesia’s leadership, will achieve a higher profile on many issues.

The author is deputy secretary-general of ASEAN. The views expressed in the article are those of the author.

petrukdadiratu1

Building ASEAN anew
C.P.F. Luhulima, Jakarta | Fri, 01/07/2011 10:39 AM | Opinion A | A | A        |
Indonesia’s three foremost priorities for its tenure as ASEAN’s chair have been lucidly articulated by Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.
The nation must assure that during 2011 substantial progress is made towards realizing the ASEAN Community in 2015; assure ASEAN’s leadership in regional architecture building, specifically to give crucial significance to the East Asia Summit, which has been expanded to include Russia and the US and develop a vision for an ASEAN Community and Global Community of Nations after 2015.
This article will limit itself to Indonesia’s leadership in regional architecture building with ASEAN as a center for such a structural design. “Our capability of including Russia and the United States in the process of thrashing out that regional architecture means creating a dynamic equilibrium,” Marty said.
What will be the major challenges of producing a regional architecture? All sovereign countries will at all times defend their independence and their uniqueness. The pursuit of national interests in a globalized world and particularly within ASEAN should no longer be founded on the concepts of Machiavelli nor of Lord Palmerston, who said nations have no permanent friends, only permanent interests. ASEAN has been built on compromises.
To continue to pursue member states’ national interests is no longer in line with the method of consensus building in ASEAN. What has changed in ASEAN is how people define their interests, and, in particular, the configurations by which they pursue them.
We are not eliminating national interests in ASEAN. But we have agreed that the best way to safeguard our interests is by cooperating with one another. Cooperation has contributed immensely to identifying and realizing ASEAN’s interests.
To avoid misunderstandings, interests have to be put on an equal footing with values and norms. Any foreign policy that is not based on common values and norms as enunciated in the ASEAN Communities Blueprints and the ASEAN Charter should be set aside. The values and norms that we have sanctioned in the charter and its constitutive documents should form the fundamentals of foreign policy.
The foreign policy of every member country should be based on those norms. These values and norms should become the core of our diplomacy and external actions and express our common identity. They should shape Indonesia’s and ASEAN’s stance in its relations with the world, in finding common solutions and in making commitments to create effective multilateral institutions to face new challenges in a globalized world.
To build an ASEAN-centered regional architecture defies simple approaches. An ASEAN architecture that can accommodate larger powers such as India, China, Russia and the US requires a strong Indonesia in a strong ASEAN.
Indonesia can offer only a relatively small counterbalance to India, China, Russia and the US in the game of maintaining a “dynamic equilibrium” in the new architecture.
However, those powers have already committed themselves to ASEAN values and norms by becoming party to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia as a requirement to join the East Asia Summit.
Recognition of ASEAN, and of Indonesia as primus inter pares, should be capitalized upon in initiating and constructing that visualized ASEAN-led regional architecture. As in the case of building ASEAN, such a regional architecture should also acknowledge cooperation among equals as a fundamental safeguard for their members’ interests.
Indonesia will initiate and shape that architecture during its chairmanship, as Marty specified, but the nation must realize that its leadership will only last one year.
Other smaller member countries will have to take over the venture in the years following Indonesia’s chairmanship. They will also have to manage ASEAN’s internal affairs and timelines to accomplish ASEAN’s community building by 2015 to sustain and further develop that architecture.
This means ASEAN must at the same time be supported by a strong regional institution to tackle regional issues and necessitate national adaptations to regional requirements, regional norms.
Managing and fulfilling ASEAN’s objectives with clearly set timelines requires a dedicated and autonomous regional institution. Thus ASEAN member states energies will be free to embark upon the bigger task of structuring a huge regional architecture. An ASEAN Secretariat will no longer be able to handle those tasks because of its inherent institutional character.
It is, thus, to set free the energy of ASEAN member countries to build that regional architecture that the ASEAN Secretariat must be developed into a more autonomous institution.
The secretariat must enable ASEAN to focus its energies more on the strategic importance of constructing that new Asia Pacific architecture and delegating non-strategic issues and decisions in ASEAN’s agenda of community building to the ASEAN Commission.
ASEAN’s current secretary-general, because of his prominence, can be designated as the commission’s chairman or president.
A redesign of the ASEAN Secretariat into an ASEAN Commission will reflect ASEAN’s shift from a regional forum for ministerial diplomacy into one of summit diplomacy and summit decisions.
This shift has, since 1992, with the initiation of AFTA and later agreements, taken authority away from the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings.
It is this transformation into a redesigned organizational structure that will enable ASEAN to sustain the efforts of structuring a regional architecture for the greatest benefit to the region, Southeast Asia and East Asia.

The writer is a senior researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ Center for Political Studies.

petrukdadiratu1

Challenges for Indonesia as ASEAN chair
Bambang Hartadi Nugroho, Jakarta | Thu, 01/06/2011 10:14 AM | Opinion A | A | A        |
A portentous opportunity for the nation to bolster its diplomatic achievements and standing in Southeast Asia has emerged as Indonesia readies itself to take over ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2011.
In 1976, when Indonesia chaired ASEAN, member states produced the Bali Concord I, which was based on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). It laid out the rules of the game for ASEAN and also for other powers that wanted to engage in any form of cooperation with ASEAN.
The recent signing and ratification of this treaty by Japan, China, and the United States further emphasized its importance to ASEAN as well as to the three nations.
Similarly, in 2003, ASEAN produced the Bali Concord II, which initiated the ASEAN Economic Community. Therefore, it is understandable if we expect another breakthrough from Indonesia this time around, probably in the form of a third Bali Concord.
The government of Indonesia under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems enthusiastic and prepared to play a huge role, at least from what we can see on the surface.
If we examine the slogan that Indonesia chose for its chairmanship, ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations”, it can be inferred that Indonesia’s leadership over the next 12 months will be more outward-looking.
In the words of government officials, Indonesia will focus on carving a bigger role for ASEAN in international society, using the nation’s advantages as the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation and the only Southeast Asian nation in the G20.
Nevertheless, when we talk about regional cooperation, especially in the form of an organization, we will always face the question of “deepening” versus “widening”.
Deepening means the organization will focus more on internal improvements, such as strengthening its dispute settlement mechanism. Widening usually refers to enlarging membership, organizational roles
or issues covered. These options are not necessarily contradictory, yet priorities have to be set.
For ASEAN, executing both deepening and widening strategies will be very hard, considering the short period of the chairmanship. This means that Indonesia must choose which option to focus on. For those who believe that ASEAN still needs many organizational improvements, then, it will be considerably naïve for ASEAN to widen its role and seek influence externally while not devoting attention and energy to internal development.
If Indonesia focuses on deepening, it will find many unresolved challenges that need to be taken care of very seriously.
To begin with, Indonesia will be faced with the jargon of “people-centered association”, which needs to be translated into real action. Arranging events in which the ASEAN public will be involved is insufficient. Instead, within the aforementioned expression lies a mandate for any form of cooperation made within the framework of ASEAN to done for the benefit of the people.
ASEAN is often criticized for being too elitist. Such criticism is not entirely wrong, because people might feel that the cooperation or negotiations that have been happened inside ASEAN have not necessarily brought advantages to them.
For Indonesia, one immediate regional and national interest should be the protection of migrant workers.
As one of the largest sources of migrant workers, protection and promotion of their rights is Indonesia’s vital interest and needs to be one of the focuses of Indonesian foreign policy in ASEAN. This is also in line with voices from domestic constituents, who have urged the Indonesian government to step up efforts to protect its citizens abroad, including migrant workers.
The Declaration on the Protection and the Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers made in Cebu in 2007 is a good start, yet it needs to be closely monitored in execution.
If we look at the implementation of an ASEAN single market, which also includes the free flow of workers, then this issue will not only be the interest of Indonesia, but also of most of ASEAN’s member states. Therefore, as the incoming chair of ASEAN, Indonesia should promote this as one of the most important items on the agenda during its tenure.
Another goal that Indonesia needs to achieve is promotion of democracy and human rights. It is understood that some ASEAN states are, as some say, “in the process of transitioning towards democracy”. Those countries, which are relatively young in terms of ASEAN membership, are looking at other members for examples as to how democracy and human rights can be practiced.
Indonesia is a reference for those young members. Indonesia as one of the founding fathers and the incoming chair of ASEAN must be able to set a good example as to how to practice democracy and how to enforce human rights.
By the end of its tenure as ASEAN chair, Indonesia must be able to report not only to its citizens, but also to all citizens of ASEAN that it has done its best to convert ASEAN’s slogan of a “people-centered association” into people-centered policies.
The time for rhetoric in ASEAN is over. It is time for real action to benefit of the people. Hopefully Indonesia will be able to maximize its role as the chair of ASEAN in 2011.


The writer is an assistant lecturer in International Relations at the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java.

petrukdadiratu1

Australia welcomes RI’s new foreign policy ‘activism’
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/05/2011 11:14 AM | Special Report A | A | A        |

Major regional dialogue partners of ASEAN, such as Australia, are watching closely to see how Indonesia exercises its leadership in ASEAN as the country begins to chair the group this month.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty expressed optimism that under Indonesia, ASEAN could enhance the grouping’s role in regional and global arenas, stating that Indonesia’s vision of global architecture matched Australia’s.

“Our aspirations match Indonesia’s own aspirations. We [see]Indonesia’s increasing confidence and leadership role as positive and matches Australia’s interests.

“We see Indonesia’s foreign policy activism as a positive sign,” he told The Jakarta Post recently.

Australia, Moriarty said, acknowledged Indonesia’s recent foreign policy track record as impressive, including the country’s instrumental role in shaping the evolution of the East Asia Summit (EAS), exercising leadership in climate change forums and playing a significant role in the G20 agenda.

“Indonesia has been playing a clever role in keeping ASEAN’s interests very central in the process of building the regional architecture,” he said.

The EAS comprises the 10 ASEAN states and 6 dialogue partners: China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Leaders of the 16 countries meet annually to discuss regional and global issues in one of the ASEAN countries. Beginning this year, the US and Russia will formally join the forum, which will be held in Indonesia.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced his intention to get ASEAN more involved in tackling global problems during Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN.

During the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi last year, he proposed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a more comprehensive cooperation between ASEAN and the UN so the 10-member group could be involved in more areas to help the world body solve global problems.

“We want to be more involved in a range of issues the UN handles, such as human rights and development, and achieving MDGs,” Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on the sidelines of the meeting.

Moriarty cited Indonesia’s success in hosting the Bali Democracy Forum as proof of President Yudhoyono’s leadership in the region and beyond.

“An initiative such as the Bali Democracy Forum is a very important event. It shows Indonesia can lead a global dialogue in democracy.”

Diplomats from major dialogue partners in ASEAN in Jakarta said they were also convinced Jakarta would lead ASEAN in crucial roles to tackle global problems.

“It’s about how confidently Jakarta plays its role. Others will follow what Jakarta proposes as we respect Indonesia all along,” a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said recently.

Pakistani Ambassador to Indonesia Sanaullah also supported the view that Indonesia could lead ASEAN to achieve its goals and play an important role in helping solve global problems.

petrukdadiratu1

Can Indonesia deliver on high expectations?

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/05/2011 11:11 AM | Special Report


Indonesia is shouldering high expectations of playing a greater role in ASEAN and beyond as it officially became the new chair of ASEAN at the beginning of this year.

Activists and experts have underscored a number of targets Indonesia should meet, including on human rights, migrant workers and security issues, while expressing concern that Indonesia’s government’s own targets may be “too ambitious” to meet.

The government has announced its logo, ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations, and said that it will also speed up the pace of development toward the establishment of an ASEAN community by 2015.

Human rights NGO Imparsial’s program manager, Al Araf, said Tuesday that the need to empower the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights’ (AICHR) authorities was among the human rights issues Indonesia needed to address.

“It would be more appreciated if Indonesia could push for the establishment of a national commission on human rights in countries that don’t have one yet,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand are the only countries in the 10-member group that already have such commissions.

Araf said Indonesia needed to push for reconciliation in the restive country of Myanmar, and improve the definition of the ASEAN political security community by collecting input from each member.

“But the next question is … will ASEAN’s non-interference principles be further discussed later? This is because these principles will definitely hamper efforts to promote human rights related to economic, social and cultural issues,” he said.

Echoing Araf, a senior researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences Center for Political Studies, C.P.F. Luhulima, said that designing and necessitating ASEAN’s economic scorecard had not been greatly hampered by the classical Westphalian principles of sovereignty and non-interference because of the very nature of the economics to achieve a single market and production base, while on the other hand those principles hampered attempts to designate and necessitate a political and security scorecard.

Migrant worker NGO MigrantCARE executive director Anis Hidayah said Indonesia must prioritize finishing the negotiations on the draft of the ASEAN Framework Instrument on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.

“ASEAN must complete immediately the draft of the framework because the deadlock has gone on for quite a long time … at least make it legally binding,” Anis told the Post.

The deadlock, she said, was mainly attributable to Malaysia, which opposed both the legally binding concept of the framework and standards of protection of undocumented migrant workers on a human rights basis.

The negotiations have stalled since a meeting in Kuala Lumpur in December in 2009 as the draft proposed by Indonesia and the Philippines — the two largest migrant worker providers in the region — is contested by the one proposed by the two biggest worker-receiving countries, Malaysia and Singapore, despite the fact that the first draft had already taken into consideration submissions from the opposing countries.

National Commission on Child Protection chairman Aris Merdeka Sirait said Indonesia needed to further promote child protection from violence despite its leading role in ASEAN’s already existing efforts in child protection.

“On top of that, Indonesia should also take a stance in domestic affairs because sometimes it is the state itself that is committing ‘violence’ against Indonesian children,” he told the Post.

He said many children from poor families did not have access to proper healthcare and education.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies expert Evan Laksmana and Islamic State University international relations expert Evan Mutiara Pertiwi said ASEAN’s ambitious 2015 targets for the ASEAN community were unlikely to be met because of the diverse backgrounds of each country and the antagonistic jargons the countries exchanged.

“What we have done all these years is to organize conferences and generate ideas and stop just right there. We need to stop that,” Evan told the Post.

Mutiara said Indonesia needed to empower civil societies to bridge differences and to help form an ASEAN community.

“In Indonesia, the old jargon of ganyang [crush] Malaysia still exists, while at the same time Malaysians still think Indonesians are merely troublesome neighbors,” she said.

“This can be overcome through cooperation between community-based organizations [from respective countries].”

University of Indonesia international relations expert Makmur Keliat said Indonesia needed to empower the ASEAN secretariat through its leadership.

petrukdadiratu1

RI`s chance to Address rights issues in ASEAN
Saturday, January 8, 2011 03:52 WIB | International | | Viewed 415 time(s)
Aditya E.s. Wicaksono
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - In its position as ASEAN chairman for 2011, Indonesia will have valuable chance to give special attention to and take direct action to address human rights issues in the ASEAN region.

Now is the right moment for Indonesia to put human rights on top of ASEAN`s agenda and maximize its role in advancing human rights through the existing mechanism , the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), said Choirul Anam, deputy director of the Human Rights Working Group.

The ASEAN chairmanship was given to Indonesia after the 10 member states of ASEAN in April 2009 unanimously agreed to Indonesia`s request for a swap of the ASEAN chairmanship with Brunei Darussalam for the year 2011.

The themse of Indonesia`s ASEAN chairmanship, "ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations", had also elicited praise from ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan as it reflects Indonesia`s preparedness to be engaged, proactive in using the ASEAN platform to enhance ASEAN`s profile in the global arena.

As part of its efforts toward forming an ASEAN community, ASEAN had set up a human rights commission.

The commission, whose official name is the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), was officially established at the 15th ASEAN Summit in Phuket, Thailand, in October 2009.

AICHR`s purpose
Pursuant to Article 14 of the ASEAN Charter, there are six purposes of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

First, AICHR aims to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of the peoples of ASEAN.

Second, it aims to uphold the right of the peoples of ASEAN to live in peace, dignity and prosperity.

It also serves as a body to contribute to the realization of the purposes of ASEAN as set out in the ASEAN Charter in order to promote stability and harmony in the region, friendship and cooperation among ASEAN Member States, as well as the well-being, livelihood, welfare and participation of ASEAN peoples in the ASEAN Community building process.

The next is to promote human rights within the regional context, bearing in mind national and regional particularities and mutual respect for different historical, cultural and religious backgrounds, and taking into account the balance between rights and responsibilities.

Fifth, it was established to enhance regional cooperation with a view to complementing national and international efforts on the promotion and protection of human rights.

The last purpose of AICHR is to uphold international human rights standards as prescribed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and international human rights instruments to which ASEAN Member States are parties.

RI President`s pledge
Meanwhile, RI President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had expressed optimism that the AICHR would eventually be able to protect human rights in the region effectively.

Speaking to the press at the end of his visit to attend the 15th ASEAN Summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, in October 2009, Yudhoyono said Indonesia was committed to making continuous efforts to enable AICHR to improve human rights protection in the region.

"I remain optimistic that the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights will one day be an effective instrument to protect human rights, and therefore all ASEAN countries should seriously promote it because it is part of the ASEAN Charter`s mandate," President Yudhoyono said.

ASEAN`s ten member countries had different political systems, histories, and democratic processes so they needed time to reach a harmonious consensus on the issue of human rights protection, he said.

"Indonesia will continue to support human rights protection in ASEAN," President Yudhoyono said, adding that domestic human rights protection now was effective enough.

He said the government was very serious in giving human rights protection to the people, and wanted a better cooperation from various public sectors to improve it.

At a recent briefing by the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, at Indonesia`s Presidential Palace, Yudhoyono said that, as ASEAN was a people-centered Association, he would like the public to be more involved in ASEAN events, adding that Indonesia was prepared to work together with the youth, students, business communities and civil society organizations in all stages, from preparation to implementation.

Chances for Indonesia
Indonesia as a democratic country was highly expected to use its term as ASEAN chair to promote respect for human rights within the national and international communities, Anam said.

According to Choirul Anam, there were several ways for Indonesia to put human rights on top of its priorities as the ASEAN chair and to maximize its role in advancing human rights in ASEAN.

"The first way is by providing support for the institutional building of the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)," Anam said.

It had been more than one year since the establishment of the AICHR but until today this human rights body could not operate effectively due to lack of resources, including the non-existence of a regional secretariat and staff to support its work, he said.

A similar problem was handicapping the ASEAN commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), he added.

"We hope that during its chairmanship, Indonesia can ensure that these human rights bodies will be equipped with sufficient resources to support their missions," Anam said.

As stated in the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN is a `people oriented` organization. Therefore, it is also important for Indonesia to show its willingness to broaden people`s participation in ASEAN policy making especially those which would have a direct impact on people`s welfare such as the Instruments on Migrant Workers, the ASEAN Disability Forum, and the work of the ASEAN Community Councils.

"By providing institutional framework for the engagement of civil society, the Indonesian government can ensure that there will be ample room for civil society to follow and be engage in ASEAN meetings," Anam said.

Indonesia is also known for having a good image at the international level on human rights and democracy. "We hope that Indonesia can also show its leadership in ASEAN in promoting and responding to human rights in this region," Anam said.

In the AICHR`s work plan for 2011 and the Term of Reference of the AICHR, AICHR has a mandate to draft the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. Indonesia has a great diplomatic role to ensure that this declaration will finish timely and become a sound instrument that in line with the universal human rights.

Indonesian government also has diplomatic role to persuade and push the ASEAN member states in responding to human rights situation in the region, such as what happens in Burma.

"As hoped by Aung San Suu Kyi in an interview in December 2010, she hoped that ASEAN and Indonesian government as the chair urge the government of Burma to present an inclusive political process for improving the situation in Burma," Anam said.

Meanwhile, Haris Azhar, coordinator of the Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said there were many opportunities for Indonesia during its ASEAN chairmanship to increase ASEAN`s capacity with regard to law enforcement and human rights issues.

Indonesia within its 2011 ASEAN chairmanship could strengthen its national capacity towards relationship with ASEAN countries, he said, adding that Indonesia also had an important role to play in reinforcing Timor Leste to become an ASEAN member as the two countries had a `special relationship`.

Openness and candor of Indonesia as a democratic country should also be able to accommodate the voice of civilians and human rights violation victims to participate in ASEAN, he said.

"Indonesia should become the home ground for their voices in ASEAN," he said.
In addition to human rights violation, Indonesia should also put great emphasize for the faith of migrant workers by ratifying convention for migrant workers protection.(*)
COPYRIGHT © 2011

HangPC2

harapan warga ASEAN kepada Indonesia


'' Kalau dah kuat jangan berlagak @ sombong, jangan jadi macam negera Sland ''

shantika

harapan warga ASEAN kepada Indonesia


'' Kalau dah kuat jangan berlagak @ sombong, jangan jadi m ...
HangPC2 Post at 9-1-2011 13:45

Sland apa tu pak cik??

petrukdadiratu1

harapan warga ASEAN kepada Indonesia


'' Kalau dah kuat jangan berlagak @ sombong, jangan jadi m ...
HangPC2 Post at 9-1-2011 13:45

masih jauh utk Indonesia menjadi negara kuat.yg menjadi prioritas Indonesia sementara adalah empowerment of ASEAN
utk menghadapi negara negara kuat(cina, amrik,eu, India dsb).
ingat Hang, "bersatu kita teguh, bercerai ...ya kawin lagi"


sebagai warga Indonesia , saya mengajak warga ASEAN let's walk forward with us.

petrukdadiratu1

A critical reading of ‘Natalegawa doctrine’

Ahmad Rizky Mardhatillah Umar, Yogyakarta | Fri, 01/07/2011 10:18 AM | Opinion A | A | A        |
Indonesian foreign policy in the era of Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has embraced a new perspective – the so-called Natalegawa doctrine. This perspective sees Indonesia in a position of “dynamic equilibrium” in world politics.
There is currently a fragmented distribution of political power, and there are many challenges for inter-governmental cooperation that lie ahead. The foreign minister’s new doctrine is therefore interesting to examine in light of these issues.
The Jakarta Post spoke with Marty on Dec. 29, 2010, and many important points in Indonesian foreign policy nowadays were discussed. First, international politics is understood in the new doctrine as a state of “dynamic equilibrium” and “cold peace”. The polarities in post-Cold War international politics have shifted, opening up opportunities for strategic cooperation. Therefore, there are many economic and political changes within international politics that can no longer be understood as unipolar.
The dynamic equilibrium concept indicates that there are more possibilities for nations to become new powers in international relations. For Indonesia, this idea allows us to improve our economic and political strength and begin an era of cooperation among the Global South.
Second, dynamic equilibrium is a position of equality among countries in the Global South to cooperate peacefully without having to depend on any forms of hegemony in international politics. As a consequence, Indonesian foreign policy must harness the potential power of developing countries without denying the existence of powers in the “north”. This was reflected in the directions Indonesia’s foreign policy have taken, as formulated by Marty at the beginning of his term.
Third, this doctrine also views the world through the experience of the Cold War and current “cold peace”. Residual forces from the Cold War still exist, but we cannot deny that new forces have arisen in its aftermath. For example, China and India dominate Asian markets and have become emerging forces in regional — and even international — economies. Relations between these forces are not hostile like in the Cold War era, but more competitive, dynamic and non-political.
Fourth, the paradigm of international security nowadays has also shifted in line with the pluralism of the actors. Thus, opportunities for cooperation are wide open. Marty has responded to this situation by increasing economic cooperation within ASEAN member countries and in Asia and the Pacific.
But, the “Natalegawa Doctrine” is not free of criticism. Indonesian foreign policy perspectives lead to a critical question: How can Indonesia compete among the new powers in this post-Cold War era?
The inclusion of Indonesia in the G20, an exclusive group of developed countries, is an achievement of its own. But, this exclusive position must take into account public interests. It is not only about our national interests and acceptance in the international arena, but also in the domestic sphere. The government must also balance its foreign policy with the interests of the wider community.
The government’s vow of all-out diplomacy by involving all stakeholders has come under criticism. But, the realization of this promise is important to make sure that the public pays attention to diplomatic practices and propaganda.
In addition, criticism has also been directed at the government’s style of dealing with international problems. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono insists on adhering to the tenet “zero enemies, a million friends” when responding, for example, to the border conflict with Malaysia. Some have considered this pragmatic approach unclear.
The “Yudhoyono doctrine” is quite ambiguous. Dynamic equilibrium is established through the strengthening of regional cooperation. It means that foreign policy decision-making emphasizes regionalism — especially in ASEAN. It implies that we should make friends in strategic positions, not with all countries. The criticism of this policy is that it is too fixated on the imagery and spirit of “zero enemies, a million friends”. It is also unclear what Indonesia’s strategic position is at the regional level.
It would be extremely premature to critique the foreign minister’s new foreign policy doctrine. However, constructive criticism should be allowed and public oversight needs to be strengthened in order to match the government’s “all-out diplomacy”. It would be better if the public could observe and control the execution of diplomacy and foreign policy practice, and criticize together if there are any mistakes.
Hopefully, the Natalegawa doctrine can help to offer a new way for Indonesia to achieve power in international politics.

SChong

masih jauh utk Indonesia menjadi negara kuat.yg menjadi prioritas Indonesia sementara adalah empowerment of ASEAN
utk menghadapi negara negara kuat(cina, amrik,eu, India dsb).
ingat Hang, "bersatu kita teguh, bercerai ...ya kawin lagi"
petrukdadiratu1 Post at 9-1-2011 23:47

Don't wasting your time and sources to empowerment ASEAN .... You have to leave ASEAN and focus to G-20, BRIIC etc.  ASEAN is very small and fragmented. Indonesia should be more vocal to other ASEAN's countries, especially Malaysia and Singapore, if you want to respected and not to be cheated by them .. ...

Indonesia, the largest and strongest country in the region, should think and act like Komodo or Tiger ...  not like a stupid cow as we have seen from your leader ...

petrukdadiratu1

Don't wasting your time and sources to empowerment ASEAN .... You have to leave ASEAN and focus  ...
SChong Post at 10-1-2011 16:09

   stupid cow heh? your opinion sound frustrated, is there any significant reason?
care to share?

observateur

stupid cow heh? your opinion sound frustrated, is there any significant reason?
care t ...
petrukdadiratu1 Post at 10-1-2011 20:25

frustrated becos his wet dreams of chinky supremacy in south-east asia dominating of all of Malaysia, Indonesia & singapore remain... a distant dream.

SChong

I like this man .... Indonesia needs more scholars like him ... So, your country can think and act like Tiger or Komodo .... and  Indonesia should stand tall and proclaim that enough is enough. It is enough for Indonesia to imprison itself in the "golden cage" of ASEAN for more than 40 years

Indonesia can learn from China if Indonesia want to be respected by other countries ....

The Jakarta Post, June 30, 2009
Indonesia needs a post-ASEAN foreign policy


There is nothing more irritating than being ignored. That is what is happening to Indonesia, the so-called largest country in Southeast Asia. Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah revealed last week the Indonesian government had sent 35 notes of protest to Malaysia over Ambalat since 1980. However, the neighboring country, a fellow ASEAN member, has not stopped maneuvering in the area.

Indonesia has been struggling to convince other fellow ASEAN members on the importance of having a credible ASEAN human rights body, during the ongoing debate on the terms of reference for it. Yet Indonesia's views seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

Previously, Indonesia's views on the ASEAN Charter were also largely ignored, pushing it to compromise to accept the much tamer version of the charter at the end.

Indonesia has always been forced into compromise or into a corner by other members for the sake of ASEAN. On the East Asian Summit (EAS), for example, we compromised to save Malaysia's face. On the ASEAN Security Community (ASC) idea, we compromised by dropping our proposal about the need for an ASEAN peacekeeping force in October 2003.

We are also asked to show restraint when our territory is violated either by Malaysian ships or Thai trawlers. On the contrary, we are often singled out when it comes to our obligations to ASEAN. We are repeatedly accused of harboring terrorists by Singapore. We are also accused of not being serious in addressing the problem of haze.

Whenever Indonesia wants to be more active and assertive, some of our neighbors, even some of our own people, ridicule the idea by arguing that Indonesia should look at the mirror first before it seeks to play a greater and more independent role in Southeast Asia. We are ridiculed by cynics, both within and without Indonesia, that we should put our house in order first. We are told that we should be ashamed of talking about democracy at the regional level because our democracy at home is not perfect. We are told that as a poor country, we should feed our own people first before we express our sympathy for millions of oppressed Myanmarese.

Yet we continue to uphold our commitment to ASEAN, and continue to provide a special place for the association in our foreign policy. We even call it the cornerstone of Indonesia's foreign policy. We put ASEAN solidarity above all other interests. For that, we sometimes have to defend Myanmar at international forums such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) or even the UN Security Council.

We should stand tall and proclaim that enough is enough. It is enough for Indonesia to imprison itself in the "golden cage" of ASEAN for more than 40 years. We should now declare, "Yes, we are poor in material goods, but we are rich in dignity." We should make it clear to our neighbors that "Yes, our people are still poor economically, but our government values them as human beings by respecting their human rights, guaranteeing their freedom of speech, and protecting their political freedom to choose their own government freely.

"As a nation, we should never be ashamed of these facts. We should never allow cynical views from outside, let alone from inside, to prevent us from believing in what we think is right. We should never allow other countries to prevent us from taking our own course. Indeed, as a sovereign nation, we should have the courage to be different from other countries if we have to.

We have no problem in taking different positions from major powers such as the United States on many international issues. It is foolish if we are not brave enough to take a different position from other ASEAN countries, especially on fundamental issues of freedom and human rights.

Indonesia, therefore, needs to begin formulating a post-ASEAN foreign policy. ASEAN should no longer be treated as the only cornerstone of Indonesia's foreign policy. For Indonesia, ASEAN should constitute only one of the available platforms through which we can attain and fulfill our national interests. Some of our foreign policy initiatives - such as the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), the G20 and strategic partnerships with global and regional major powers - have already shown signs toward that direction.

Yet we should not forget that assertiveness and independence does not mean that we need to resort to force whenever we have problems with our ASEAN neighbors. For Indonesia, ASEAN should continue to be an important forum for managing inter-state relations among Southeast Asian countries through peaceful means.

It is the principal forum for us to ensure good neighborliness in the region. At the end, the stability and security of Southeast Asia is at the core of our strategic interests.

petrukdadiratu1

I like this man .... Indonesia needs more scholars like him ... So, your country can think and act l ...
SChong Post at 10-1-2011 23:22

thank you for your deep interest regarding Indonesia's foreign policy.the thing is, Indonesia together with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines gave birth to ASEAN.
so ASEAN is Indonesia's baby, Indonesia has moved on in democratisation and human right and there for
it is Indonesia duty to drag other ASEAN member states to ratify, learn and implementing human right
and democracy in ASEAN and in some extend to your former mother land China (if you really Chinese).



so, if you like to follow me chong, I'll show the path that have been lit by Indonesia's leadership.

d'zeck

sebagai salah seorang warga asean, berikut antara harapan :

i.berharap agar kepimpinan indonesia
  dapat menjadikan rakyatnya lebih waras dan berfikiran terbuka,
  melalui pendidikan yang lebih baik dengan melihat ke dunia luar.

ii.menjadikan media indon lebih betanggungjawab dalam kaedah pemberitaannya,
   dan tidak terus mudah mensensasikan berita palsu dan memperbodohkan
   rakyat mereka sendiri.

iii.menggantikan lambang sang garuda, si haiwan tahyul dan sekadar mitos
   yang tak pernah wujud itu dengan haiwan lain, misalnya orang utan ke,
   atau biawak komodo ke, yg merupakan haiwan sebenar yang wujud- barulah
   semua warga indon akan jadi lebih waras dan berpijak di bumi yg nyata.

SChong

sebagai salah seorang warga asean, berikut antara harapan :

iii.menjadikan media indon lebih betanggungjawab dalam kaedah pemberitaannya,
   dan tidak terus mudah mensensasikan berita palsu dan memperbodohkan
   rakyat mereka sendiri.
d'zeck Post at 11-1-2011 10:03

Unbelievable .... your statement meet with the current condition of our prime media ...
Utusan, Metro, Berita Harian, The Star etc ... All are 'garbage' producers ....