India and Indonesia rediscover their natural partnership

India and Indonesia on the eve of the President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) first state visit have deepened ties and strengthened cooperation in areas of common interest. Described as a valued neighbor, both countries reached agreements on fostering defence cooperation, maritime ties and resolved to fight the terror together. Jokowi, a former furniture maker became President of Indonesia in the historical elections of October 2014 by defeating Megawati Sukarnoputri daughter of legendary founder President Sukarno. He characteristically shares similarities with Prime Minister Modi. Both hail from humble background with no political or military backing and have travelled extensively to various countries after assuming power. Modi met President Widodo along the sidelines of ASEAN Summit at Nay Pyi Taw in November 2014 and agreed to increase the trade and business investment. India-Indonesian bilateral ties received a fresh lease for life when both countries signed Joint Declaration on Establishing Strategic Partnership in 2005 during President S B Yudhoyono’s State visit to India. Later President Yudhoyono graced the Republic Day parade with his presence in 2011 called for charting a Vision Statement 2025 to enhance India-Indonesia ties. In 2013, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his reciprocal visit agreed to adopt five-pronged initiative to strengthen Strategic partnership. Modi government through Act East policy gave a renewed push to reinvigorate ties with South East Asian countries.

India and Indonesia during the modern times shared cordial friendly relations. The concerted fight and vocal support extended by the legendary Jawaharlal Nehru and Sukarno against the colonial rule gave fresh impetus to freedom movements in Africa. Their cumulative political comaraderie laid the foundation for the Non-Alignment Movement and Asia-Africa Bandung Conference of 1955. Nehru indeed organized the first International Conference on Indonesia in 1947 before India became independent. Sukarno was the first head of state to attend the Republic Day Parade of independent India in 1950. Bilateral relations remained in good stead through the times of Suharto, Abdul Rahman Wahid, Megawati and Yudhoyono. But despite the vitality bilateral ties failed to reach its potential.

Widodo’s visit to India comes at a strategic time when geopolitics are going through a flux. The unpredictability hovering American foreign policy doctrines, China’s burgeoning assertiveness and unabated land reclamations has thrown the East Asian countries into a tizzy. While Indonesia is not a claimant to the territorial entities in the South China Sea, the belligerent presence of China near Natuna Islands has been a cause of concern. China in the past made attempts to include island’s exclusive economic zone in its territorial claims. Further the reluctance of China to adhere to the tribunal ruling of Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) turned the region into a potential conflict zone. Considering these developments, both countries in their joint statement stressed “the importance of resolving disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law including UNCLOS”. India made similar statements with countries like US, Japan, Vietnam earlier and proposed to name SCS dispute in the summit meetings with Singapore. But the later objected. The joint exhortation by both countries not only underscores imminent concerns of both countries but also reflects the congruence.  In the process both sides upgraded ties in the arena of maritime security and defence cooperation.

Though India and Indonesia have long-standing trade and cultural relations of two millennia old, India rather failed to fathom the economic and strategic potential of Indonesia. Indonesia with its huge panoply of 17,000 islands spread across the strategic choke points of Straits of Malacca, covering a vast expanse of South of Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean and linking South China Sea has a pivotal role in maritime security. Indonesia which is rather preoccupied with nation building hardly evinced any interest in evolving a strategic maritime plan to capitalize on its extraordinary geographic location. Articulating the stratagem of developing Indonesia into a strategic “maritime axis”, which includes building of a robust navy Widodo during his visit signed an agreement to strengthen maritime cooperation.

India and Indonesia both largest democracies in Asia share several commonalities which includes relentless pursuit of guarding the syncretic fiber of their societies intact. Like India, Indonesia is home to diverse religious cultures and beliefs. Historical evidences indicate that Indian traders set foot on Indonesia in 1^st century and along the trade routes Hinduism and Buddhism touched Indonesian shores and thrived there. Indeed, there is a mention of Indonesia in Ramayana where it was referred to as Yadawadwipa.  Indonesia is replete with traces of Indic influence. Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata find an exquisite place in Indonesian history. Islands like Bali, Sulawesi still have significant populations who follow the Hindu way of life. While the Borbudur and Parambadadan temples reflect the Hindu-Buddhist cultures, the mosques in Sumatra reminisces influences of Mughal architecture. Even Sanskrit language and traces of Brahmi script found in Indonesia testimony the deep seated connect between the two countries. Currently, the single largest and second largest Muslim populations of the World, Indonesia and India began feeling the heat of insidious religious fundamentalism making sway into their respective countries. Christianism, Confucianism, Animism and Kebatinan are also followed in Indonesia.  But in the recent past, pluralistic, diverse, and democratic philosophy, characteristic of Indonesia, is threatened by Islamic radicalization emanating from the Gulf.

Violent eruption of street protests spear headed by militant Islamic Defenders Front (FDI) and Muslim Students Association in Jakarta demanding the jailing of Chinese Muslim Mayor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama showed the first signs of fractures in otherwise homogenized Indonesian society. The protestors on November 4^th opposed the candidature of Ahok for upcoming elections in February. The police in a bid to quell the angry protestors instituted investigation to probe allegations of blasphemy. But the simmering disquiet and incipient intolerance of militant groups is slowly mounting pressure on the political dispensation. Slowly Islamic conservatism and extremism is making its inroads into Indonesia. Like India, Indonesia endures radical terror and it indeed evolved a mechanism of deradicalization which is worth emulating. Both leaders expressed greater concern over the growing menace of terrorism and stressed on “Zero-tolerance for acts of terror” and called for enhancing cooperation in counter terrorism.  

India made a significant progress in enhancing trade through India-ASEAN bilateral free trade agreement in 2010. The trade reached $80 billion by 2014. To boost the bilateral trade between India and Indonesia which is currently $20 billion (2015), both countries have started negotiations for comprehensive economic cooperation agreement to further liberalize the trade. Widodo’s visit gave a massive push to the comprehensive Economic Partnership calling for early convening of meeting of Biennial Trade Ministers Forum (BTMF) to remove the impediments in bilateral trade and investment. Both leaders welcomed the meeting of business wigs at the India-Indonesia CEO’s Forum held in New Delhi on December 12^th. A vision document prepared by Eminent Persons Group projected that bilateral trade volume will blossom to reach $50 billion by 2025.

Both sides have substantially increased military cooperation over the years and India is a major source of military hardware for Indonesia. Currently, Joint Defence Cooperation Committees are reviewing the upgradation of the existing “Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Fields of Defence” to a substantive bilateral defence cooperative agreement. India and Indonesia share the maritime boundaries of Andaman Sea and jointly conduct naval exercises CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) biannually. Both sides have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in combatting terrorism, terrorist financing, money laundering, arms smuggling, trafficking of human beings and cybercrime. To explore and further build on the shared cultural connect, both countries agreed on establishment of chairs for Indian Studies in Indonesian Universities and vice-versa. Leaders called for expediting the conclusion of Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement on Cooperation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful purposes and other agreements in weather forecasting, disaster management, resource mapping etc. Further Indonesian carrier Garuda Airlines is slated to started direct flights to Jakarta from Mumbai.

South East Asian countries are now wary of the diabolical paradigm of peaceful rise of China and with Obama’s Pivot to Asia failing to address the concerns of the region, countries are now increasingly turning to India as balancing power. While China with its economic growing economic clout coerced its smaller neighbors to tow-in-line, Sino-Indonesian ties are strained following the “over-lapping claims” over the features close to Natuna Islands. Resentment towards China is brewing up in Indonesia with many Chinese-led consortiums doing a shoddy job in various infrastructure projects across the country. Development of coal generation units across Indonesia awarded to Chinese companies of proven abilities are now reported to be running far below its capacity. Some of the large coal generation units are now found to be containing low technology boiler units and second hand equipment. Now, as Widodo looks at India, New Delhi should make investments in sectors like infrastructure development and endeavor to take the relations to next level.

@ Copyrights reserved.