State Palace, Jakarta, 13-6-2008

Remarks At a State Banquet in Honor of Kevin Rudd, PM of Austsralia

 

REMARKS BY
H.E. DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AT A STATE BANQUET IN HONOR OF
H.E. KEVIN RUDD
PRIME MINISTER OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
STATE PALACE, JUNE 13TH 2008



<i>Bismillahirrahmanirrahim</i>
Your Excellency Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and Madam Therese Rein
Excellencies,
Distinguished members of the Australian Delegation,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am greatly honored and pleased to welcome you, Mr. Prime Minister, Madam Therese Rein and your delegation to Jakarta. I have been looking forward to this occasion for several months now.

At the opening of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change in Bali last December, I had the unique pleasure of bidding you, “Welcome aboard, Mate!”

This time I say with exactly the same enthusiasm, “Welcome to Indonesia, Mate!” For that is what you are, a Mate, a great and reliable friend.

And that too, is what Australia is to Indonesia: a great and reliable friend, a friend through thick and thin and in any weather.

This friendship has deep roots in history. It is permanently imprinted in the national memory of Indonesia that when the life of our newly-born Republic was hanging in the balance during our revolutionary struggle six decades ago, Australia stepped in and turned the tide in our favor. We will never forget that.

Earlier today we had a very productive and constructive bilateral meeting which was carried out in the spirit of true friendship. We have discussed bilateral issues, such as the significant improvements in our trade and investment relations. We also touched upon the need to increase further the number of student exchanges and tourists, as part of our commitment to expand our people-to-people contacts. We have also taken concrete steps towards the implementation of the Bali Roadmap as seen today with signing of the Indonesia-Australia Carbon Forest Partnership.

At the multilateral level we have agreed upon important issues such as the plan to co-host a Global Interfaith Dialogue and to co-host the Bali Democracy Forum. We discussed the important issue of non-proliferation and disarmament of nuclear weapons. We also touched upon the need for a global solution to address the current challenge of food security and energy security. We also agreed on a proposal for disaster management to be put forward at the upcoming APEC Summit in Peru. Finally we discussed the Prime Minister’s initiative on the Asia Pacific Community. We welcome this initiative and we look forward to discussing it further.

I am sure, Mr. Prime Minister, that these are all discussions which will mutually benefit the peoples of our two countries.

Over the years, Australia and Indonesia have worked closely together not only on a bilateral basis but also within an Asia-Pacific regional framework. For instance, in the early 1990’s, Australia’s support for Indonesia and ASEAN in the search for a political solution to the conflict in Cambodia was crucial to the success of so important quest for regional peace.

Today we continue to work closely together in the framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum, the APEC and the East Asia Summit. And through our bilateral initiatives, we are working hard together to make the Asia-Pacific region a safer place to live in.

The terrorist attacks that killed scores of Australians in Bali in 2002 and against your Embassy in Jakarta in 2004 were meant to drive a wedge between our two countries. In this, the terrorists failed. Instead, the attacks drew us closer together. With the help of Australia and other friends in the International community, Indonesia has waged an effective fight against terrorism. We have exposed the terrorist networks, put them on the run, and brought many of them to justice.

One of our joint initiatives with Australia, the establishment of the Jakarta Centre for the Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC), has contributed greatly to making the region much less vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Together with Australia, we have sustained an interfaith, intercultural, and inter-civilizational dialogue to address the root causes of terrorism and empower the moderates in our societies. Launched in Yogyakarta in late 2004, the regional interfaith dialogue has become an annual event in the Asia-Pacific region.

I fully agree with you that we need to continuously maintain dialogue on this critical issue, and I greatly welcome the invitation to co-host a major inter-faith and inter-civilization global conference. As you mentioned in our bilateral meeting earlier, there is a need for a new leadership in the dialogue between Islam and the West. We have to ensure that he Huntington thesis, Clash of Civilizations, does not come true. Instead we must work together to have a new thesis - Harmony among Civilizations. I strongly believe, as you do Prime Minister, that the relationship and friendship of our two countries is a example the world can learn from.

In December 2004, when an earthquake and tsunami struck our provinces of Aceh and North Sumatera and killed some 150,000 of our citizens, Australian rescue and relief workers were among the first to respond to that unprecedently tragedy. Sadly, in a selfness effort to save Indonesian lives, nine Australian rescue workers made the supreme sacrifice- they gave their own lives.

To us Indonesians, that was the ultimate act of friendship. We are deeply touched and we are forever grateful.

The tragedy that we suffered as a result of the tsunami, however, pales in comparison to the devastation that all humankind will have to endure if climate change is to be left unabated. That is why Australia and Indonesia are working vigorously with the other members of the international community to make sure that will not happen.

I look forward to collaborating with you, Mr. Prime Minister, in advancing the Bali Roadmap to a post-Kyoto Protocol that will save our planet from the massive impact of climate change.

And I also look forward to further growth in our already robust bilateral cooperation. Ours is a cooperation that has been given a firm structure by the Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Partnership that our Government signed in April 2005 and by our Agreement on the Framework for security Cooperation, better known as the Lombok Treaty.

Admittedly, from time to time, there have been stresses and strains in our relationship. This is only natural: we are, after all, the heirs of vastly different cultures. There are also the vagaries of national politics on both sides and, of course, the penchant of mass media on both sides to make slight irritations more interesting than they actually are.

Yet I remain confident about our bilateral relations. There is a huge reservoir of good will between our peoples, a reservoir that will never be exhausted.

This is not only because of our historic ties. It is also because our peoples have a strong perception of our commonalities and our share interests: we are, after all, two democracies firmly committed to the same values and ideals enshrined in the UN Charter. Two democracies determined to contribute to the long-term stability and prosperity of this part of the world.

In this regard, I have a confession to make, Mr. Prime Minister. I have taken a peek at the results of the Australia Summit 2020. and I am absolutely amazed to realize that the ideals and aspirations driving the Australian and Indonesian peoples are virtually the same.

That is why I am even more confident now that we can work closely together on such issues as disarmament and non-proliferation, on terrorism and human rights, labor mobility emigration, disaster mitigation and management, food and energy security - to name but a few. I certainly would like to see the big idea of “Asia Literacy” become a reality so that Australia could be more deeply engaged with all it’s Asian neighbors, including Indonesia.

And between Australia and Indonesia, let us build bridge that will span our cultural differences. Let us have closer educational links and other cultural exchanges.

Let us enlarge and consolidate the successor programs to Australia’s Colombo Plan so that they will produce hundreds of Australians and Indonesians who have “full immersion” knowledge of each others people, language and ways of doing things.

Mr. Prime Minister,
The year 2020 is about a dozen years from now. I am not in the business of crystal ball gazing but I think it is fairly good bet that, given the direction that Australia has taken under your leadership, many of your national expectation will be met.

And I envision that when the time comes, Indonesia will stand beside Australia, with our own aspirations also largely fulfilled. For in the years ahead I am sure that we will work together and help each other as good mates, great friends and fully committed partners. We can and we will make progress together.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Finally, may I now request all of you to rise and join me for a toast for the health and success of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Madam to the bright future of our friendship and cooperation.

Thank you.


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Bureau for Press and Media Affairs
Presidential Household