US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visited Jakarta June 6-7, 2006, where he met President Yudhoyono.The visit was to bolster US-Indonesia milititary relationships which was restored November 22, 2005 folowing the lifting of restrictions on sales of US-made defense equipment for the Indonesian Defense Force (TNI, Tentara Nasional Indonesia). Rumsfeld held a joint press conference with myself at the Indonesian Defense Department at 3pm June 6, following his call on President Yudhoyono.
Michael Gordon of The New York Times raised the issue of Indonesia’s participation to the PSI (Proliferation Security Initiative) of May 2003.
I responded that Indonesia understood the US concern about the dangers of prolifertaion of weapons of mass destruction and other hazardous materials related to international terrorism against US interests and US security within continental United States. However, as party to the UN Law of the Sea and fonding proponent of the Archipelagic State, it was impossible for Indonesia in strictly legal terms to accept the total package of the PSI, as it endorsed interdiction of vessels passing through Indonesia’s territorial waters in in the high seas.
I also explained that quiet apart from the legal and diplomatic debates, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have since mid 2005 engaged in a practical coordinated martime patrol scheme wherein the security and safety of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore would be enforced with the assistance of the major powers. This trilateral arangement meets in part the requirements of the PSI and at the same time ensuring Indonesia legal sovereignty and compliance to UNCLOS.
President Yudhoyono himself assigned Chief Security Minister Widodo to undertake “studies with regard to partial and ad hoc implementaion of some provisions of the PSI which may be adapted by Indonesia within the framework of Indonesia’s sovereignty.”
Press reports about the joint conference was unfair to Rumsfeld, who was depicted by one foreign analyst as being “brow-beaten” by me.
In fact, I provided a more sympathetic understanding of American military power and purpose, explaining that being a country with a USD 12 trillion economy and annual defense budget of well above USD 400 billion, it was inevitable that in many parts of the world__not just in Indonesia__ the US would be seen as being overbearing, omnipresent and over insistent. Paradoxically, the more powerful the US is militarily, the less influential it is politically in many contries of the developing world.
Bagus sekali pak, posting yang heboh ya… ditunggu lo
Angkat topi buat Pak Juwono. Biasa pers asing punya gaya bahasa yg begitu. Si Rummy gak perlu dibelain pak.
Please read my blog (http://nanomat.blogspot.com/) for additional information on how conventional technologies could be exploited (read: abused) for mass destruction.
Best,
Nanoguru.
Selamat atas websitenya Pak, saya tertarik dengan reaksi pro kontra dari pernyataan Bapak dalam pertemuan dengan Menhan AS. Semoga pemerintah AS tergelitik hati dan pikirannya, bahwa tidak selamanya menjadi negara super power itu enak…harus bijak dan mampu menempatkan diri secara proporsional….. ;-D
Thanks for standing up to Indonesia’s own agenda. I’m very happy to see that finally we’re not bowing to foreign pressure at all times – just when it’s relevant to our people’s interest; and even then at our own terms.
I can’t do much, but I’ll pray that current Indonesian gov’t will fare much better that the previous ones, for our own sake.
Thanks again.
“Press reports about the joint conference was unfair to Rumsfeld, who was depicted by one foreign analyst as being “brow-beaten” by me.”
That is excellent pak! Show them that we can not be dictated anymore. Keep up the good work!
sir, i really like your statement
overbearing, omnipresent and over insistent
ow, btw, how come we don’t have some kind of obligatory military service?
mantab Pak!!! Kita memang harus berani, tunjukkan kalau kita juga punya harga diri & tidak mau begitu saja didikte!
Btw, mau nanggapin yg kasih komentar soal wamil. Menurut saya sebetulnya ok juga lho Pak. Buat menumbuhkan rasa nasionalisme & disiplin nasional. Tapi mungkin jangan lama2, 2 bulan udah cukup lama kali ya?
Tanggapan yang menarik tentang statemen Bapak.
The man who browbeat Rumsfeld.
http://www.slate.com/id/2143114/
Indonesia: Puppet No Longer
http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirledview/2006/06/indonesia_puppe.html
I really admire your writings, sir. But, could you please run your spell-check software before posting. It’s kind of reducing the professionalism sense. Sorry.
Pak Juwono,
You wrote:
“Paradoxically, the more powerful the US is militarily, the less influential it is politically in many contries of the developing world.”
Can you please explain what you mean by the closing sentence above?
And about the Straits of Malacca security, I think we don’t need anyone’s help when our Indonesian NAVY ships are always there already. Unless if you are willing to disclose Indonesian NAVY’s involvement in the pirate’s business along the straits.
The US with its 12 trillion dollar economy and more than 400 billion defense budget is the world’s real time superpower. Paradoxically, however, its political influence tends to be weak in developing countries. The simple reason is that omnipresent power and influence tend to elicit a gut , reaction of defiance, envy, abhorrence, fear or hatred as witness America’s problems in among the Muslim poor in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt.
Pak Juwono,
Thank you for the reply.
In regards to your observation on the inverse relationship between US military presence in developing nations and its political influence, I am tempted to hear your comparison between the Philippines and Indonesia.
As you know, both countries are on par with each other in terms of developmental stage – except for the fact that there is a stronger US military presence in the Philippines than there is in Indonesia.
Please correct me if I am wrong : but I see US gov’t having more political influence in Manila than in Jakarta.
It’d be greatly appreciated if you could comment on this as well.
Bests,
Indi S.
hihihi.. pak, did you read Fred Kaplan’s writing in this matter (in Slate!). It’s hilarious!
Pak, tulisan2 anda bagus !!!
Salut!!
Pak, coba Indonesia beli senjata sm China ato negara pecahan Soviet. Murah dan bagus2 lho!!
Tulis juga soal Brig Jend yg nimbun senjata ya!
Pak Juwono,
Selamat atas kelahiran cucunya, semoga sehat bahagia.
Baru baru ini mencuat masalah BridJen yang menimbun senjata yang kalo dihitung cukup untuk menciptakan instablistas keamanan kota.
Pertanyaan kita sebagai masyarakat awam ,sudah sampai dimana pengontrolan senjata dan langkah langkah apa yang telah dirumuskan agar senjata TNI, Polisi tidak dipakai oleh pihak2 yg tidak bertanggung jawab mengingat ini merupakan malapetaka besar jika sampai tidak terdaftar.
Terima kasih.
Wah … jarang-jarang bisa ngobrol langsung ma menteri euy. Hatur nuhun pak juwono atas blognya.
Pernyataan “pendek” bapak yang notabene dari negara dunia ke 3 di blow up jadi ejekan media “sono” untuk om Rumsfeld pak.
Dasar Media.
Tapi saya stuju 110% dengan peryataan bapak loh pak.
Btw rakyat jelata kayak saya2 ini memang kadang-kadang rindu memiliki teladan pak.
Teladan yang bisa kita ceritakan dengan bangga ke anak cucu. Gini loh pemimpin bangsa ini.
Sejarah Bung Karno udah banyak distorsi, shg gak cocok lagi diceritain, begitu juga sejarah Pak Harto.
Jadi, mudah2an suatu saat saya bisa bercerita tentang bapak ke anak cucu saya.
Congrat Pak Juwono.
I’m dlighted with our foreign policy on the issue. It’ time to deliberate our position in good and dignified manner and stop bandwagoning US.
The US direct access in interdiction quite irrational due to the trilateral agreement among ASEAN states absolutely meet the core of US worries. US then supports the rest. If so, what US real hidden agenda behind it. Keep it on, Pak Juwono.
aslkm,slmt mlm bpk menhan juwono sudarsono…smg bpk sllu sht. sblm dan ssdh sya mnta maaf ,bpk menhan..mnrut sya indonesia hrus bisa mandiri utk aspek pertahanan krena itu adlh suatu kekuatan mutlak utk mnjga dan mmprthnkn nkri…utk itu indonesia wajib mngmbngkn alutsista darat,laut dan udara…indonesia shrusnya mmliki smacam departemen kusus utk mnciptakan dan mgembngkan alutsista spti missile tank peswt tmput tank rudal kapal selam kpl perang dll.jgn sllu beli… dan mnurut sya tni adlh tentara terbaik didunia.trmksh wlkmslm.