Is Indonesia important in the eyes of the US?

By Oktovianus Pogau*

The visit of the President of the United States (US), Barack Hussein Obama, is over, but the people and government of Indonesian certainly hope this is not the last time he will be visiting Indonesia. In a speech on the campus of the University of Indonesia, Depok, he said that Indonesia was a part of him.

Naturally, if Obama says so. He spent four years of his life in Indonesia. At the time he went to Indonesia with his mother, Ann Dunham and his stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian. His stepfather was forced to leave college in Hawaii, and was drafted to military service in Papua New Guinea (Papua) by the Indonesian government.

Apart from Obama's childhood in Indonesia, we also need to focus on the arrival of Uncle Sam’s number one citizen. Who is he now? What is his interest in Indonesia? And why did he come?

There is a great difference between the old Obama and the Obama of today. He was just a kid with a "runny nose" with no real influence or power. In fact, he could have not counted at all, being only an ordinary immigrant.

But now it is different. He is the 44th President of a superpower, the US. He is leading a country which has enormous power to rule the world. He is also the number one in the third most populous country in the world today.

In reality, his coming to Indonesia did not correspond to what a lot of Indonesian people had in mind. He actually did not "go home," although he said that Indonesia was his home.

If Indonesia was his home, why did he not visit the elementary school of Menteng? Why did he not stay in touch with childhood friends? Or why he did not meet up with his stepfather’s family which has stayed in Indonesia for very long?

In order to understand his behavior, we need to keep in mind that he came to Indonesia on behalf of the US Government and in order to promote and defend the national interests of the US He did not come for his own personal interests.

Just imagine, Obama was in Indonesia for only 18 hours, unlike his visit to New Delhi in India, which lasted nearly three days. Even in New Delhi, he visited several historical sites, including the Humayun's Tomb monument which, according to some sources, was the inspiration behind the creation and building of the Taj Mahal.

Maybe Indonesia is not so important in the eyes of the US government. Even a visit to the Kalibata National Heroes Cemetery, which was originally part of the White House’s program, was also canceled. His visit which was very short to begin with, was shortened even more.

If so, how important is Indonesia to the US government and to Obama? Obviously not that important. Why? There are three things in my opinion.

Firstly, it is because Indonesia's current position is simply that of a "consumer of policy" of the US and the world, not that of a policy maker. Indonesia does not have strong bargaining power at the international level. In short, Indonesia is considered as a faithful follower who will abide by all US interests as long as necessary.

Secondly, Indonesia does not have the capacity to help the US with their economic growth rate as they are still recovering from the banking crisis which struck three years ago. Today the US still needs to improve its economy, so that it can remain the most powerful in the world.

Thirdly, Indonesia's current position is only that of a spectator; it is not a player in the global arena. A spectator cannot manage the game, nor can it direct it, let alone participate in the game by making policies and deciding the rules; the players are the ones who decide the rules and who have broad competence and power.

From all the Asian countries, the US considers that only China is able to respond to its needs. So do not be surprised if China was the first country in Asia which Obama visited, after his election. Indonesia came as third, and not to mention that the visit was cancelled a few times.

If you are in a position of strength to bargain in the global arena, then the US and someone like Obama would certainly think twice before deciding to visit Indonesia within only a dozen hours. Surely they would turn it into three days, or even four days.

What should Indonesia do to be considered as an important actor by the US ? It is actually quite simple. It should focus on building the country's economic strength internally so as to enable it to mature. It should also enter into partnerships with socialist countries who generally do not only think of their interests. Indonesia should also develop and build its economic strength based on the rule by the people. This would be the first step to becoming a major player in the global arena.

Of course, the time he took to visit Indonesia does not tell you the importance of Indonesia to his eyes, but at least Obama and the US government are aware that a lot was done by the people and government of Indonesia, in order to welcome him during his 18-hour long visit.

As one listened to Obama’s speech on the campus of the University of Indonesia, one could of course conclude that the aim of his visit to Indonesia was to restore the image of the American society in the eyes of Muslims, and to convince them that the US has no intention of waging a war against Muslims. More precisely, it was more because of symbolic politics that Obama came to Indonesia.

What possible steps could be taken by SBY-Boediono so that Indonesia will be considered important by the US, at the next visit? We'll just wait and see.


*Oktovianus Pogau is a freelance journalist, he lives in Jakarta.