The seminar on Anglo-Indonesian relations, addressed by H E Yuri Octavian Thamrin and former British Ambassador to Indonesia Charles Humffrey, organised by the Anglo-Indonesian Society in the Embassy on 9 February highlighted not only how much these relations have become truly cordial but also how much the standing of Indonesia on the global stage has risen.

Anglo-Indonesian relations in the past could be characterised as difficult at times, such as the role of British troops in the early years of the war of independence, the ‘konfrontasi’ period, past disagreements over East Timor and Papua, but since the visit of the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in March 2006 and three Royal visits during the last three years, including the Prince of Wales in October last year, these relations were now characterised by mutual respect and cooperation, both ambassadors said.

It is the result of a remarkable journey that Indonesia commenced emerging from the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98 reforming the Republic’s institutions, economy and society making Indonesia “the only fully free and democratic state in South East Asia,” said Ambassador Thamrin, quoting the 2007 report by the renowned international think tank Freedom House.

Therefore Anglo-Indonesian relations are now characterised by a mutual commitment of ‘modern and dynamic partnership’.  Relations of both countries are moreover solidly based on a communality of shared values and aspirations such as providing democracy and good governance, combating terrorism, protecting and promoting human rights and cooperation among civilisations. And “democracies don’t fight each other but should help one another,” said Ambassador Thamrin.

He further explained how Mr Blair’s visit in 2006 led to establishment of the Partnership Forum endorsed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Prime Minister, resulting in its turn not only to closer cooperation on defence and security, including counter terrorism, but also equally as important the promotion of interfaith dialogue and the formation of the Islamic Advisory Group (IAG) between Indonesia and the UK to fight extremism showing that there is no contradiction between democracy and Islam.

Further developments in this field were the establishment of the Bali Democratic Forum and the attached Institute for Peace and Democracy in December last year, said Ambassador Thamrin.

It is a recognition of Indonesia ’s position in the Asia Pacific Region and its role as bridge between the Muslim World and the West that the new US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton decided to visit Indonesia as the second country on her first tour of Asia, before she would visit the UK and other European nations, said Mr Humffrey.

He in particular praised President Yudhoyono’s role in the field of environmental protection and dealing with climate change in setting up the F11 Group of rainforest nations and the Bali climate change conference in December 2007, but more should be done to push the UK-Indonesian working group on the environment set up in December 2008 to start as soon as possible in order to identify concrete areas for environmental cooperation, added Ambassador Thamrin.

The Ambassador also singled out trade, inward investment, tourism and educational cooperation as areas where bilateral efforts should and could be improved. While the UK is with U$38 billion the second largest investor in Indonesia and with trade at U$2.9 billion rather healthy, there was ample scope for more investment, in particular in the creative industries of design and crafts, and in tourism to increase the number of British visitors from 163,000 to at least 200,000 this year, said Ambassador Thamrin.

Turning to the presidential and parliamentary elections later in 2009 Ambassador Thamrin stressed that past experience clearly showed that elections were held not only peaceably but also fair and free, thus “reflecting the maturity of democracy in Indonesia”. With this in mind “I would like to assure tourists as well as British business people that they need not to worry about coming to Indonesia and make investments because its social-political stability is secure,” he added.

Both he and Mr Humffrey would like to see much more than the current number of 2000 Indonesian students being based at UK universities. The efforts by governments to improve mutual relations should be complimented by individual people to people contacts through such bodies such as the Indonesia-British Business Council (IBBC) and the Anglo-Indonesian Society, stressed the two ambassadors.