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He continues to be panned by his critics as being weak when dealing with Malaysia, but Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has proven yet again that he is indeed a good friend to Malaysians.

On the flip side of the coin is Rieke Diah Pitaloka, famous for her role playing a rather dim-witted housewife in a television sitcom. But Rieke, who is part of Indonesia’s “celeb-politics” phenomena that has seen stars stepping out of their glamorous world for the political arena, has been making herself known to Malaysians as one of the most vocal critics of both their government and Yudhoyono in recent dispute threatening bilateral ties between the nations.

From calls to sever all diplomatic relations to demands that her country ban the export of Indonesian workers to Malaysia, Rieke, a lawmaker for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), seems to be doing all she can to appeal to the Indonesian public.

When Rieke, as a member of the House of Representatives commission overseeing transmigration issues, visited Kuala Lumpur to meet with Malaysian opposition members to discuss the welfare of Indonesian workers, Malaysians might have expected her to sing the same tune.

Instead the human rights activist and prominent feminist purred demurely before the members of Parliament and the assembled media. She was quoted as saying that both countries should strive to settle issues amicably, and called on lawmakers from both nations to play their part.

It was rasa sayang (tender loving care) for the 36-year-old Indonesian celeb turned politician during her visit to Kuala Lumpur, saying all the right things to grinning lawmakers from the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in Parliament on Wednesday.

And one cannot really blame her. She is a politician and she is playing to the gallery. That seems to be the name of the game when it comes to some Indonesian politicians’ dealings with Malaysia.

A top Indonesian official, who has been vocal in criticizing Malaysia in public over the arrest of three Indonesian maritime officers for allegedly encroaching into Malaysian waters, also pulled a similar stunt. After speaking out, he would later call up his Malaysian counterparts and try to explain that he was only making such noises to pacify his people, much to the chagrin of the officials in Kuala Lumpur. It is because of such politicians that Malaysia suffers from such bad press in Indonesia.

Thankfully, Yudhoyono has proven yet again that he is not easily swayed by the emotional sentiments of his fellow Indonesians. This is good for Malaysia.

When Yudhoyono won the presidency last year for his second and final term, Malaysia heaved a sigh of relief. This is because Malaysia believes he is sincere about maintaining good relations across the strait.

At a time when the political climate in Indonesia was also hot and furious after the Malaysian Navy was accused of encroaching into disputed areas of the Sulawesi Sea last year, Yudhoyono defused the situation with a phone call to his Malaysian counterpart, Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Former Malaysian Foreign Minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar can also vouch for Yudhoyono’s sincerity. Through numerous dealings with the president, Syed Hamid has described him as very balanced and rational.

“Malaysia is fortunate to have Yudhoyono as a friend. He has taken unpopular risks with his countrymen,” he said.

“Because of him, things did not get worse. It is easy to fan the sentiment against us. He could have created problems for us, but he choose not to as he is not driven by emotion.”

On Wednesday night, Yudhoyono addressed his nation on the current spat. During his 20-minute address, the president started by explaining the importance of strong bilateral ties with Malaysia to his nation’s interests and to Indonesians themselves. But in any diplomatic ties, he said, the closer and stronger the bond gets, the more problems will crop up.

Overall, Yudhoyono’s speech was very soothing to the ears of Malaysians. Hopefully, it will help ease the tension created over the last few weeks. It is only natural that those opposing him in Indonesia are accusing him of being fearful of Malaysia.

For Malaysia, this is a man who is honest about preserving good ties. We should appreciate him for his foresight and wisdom when he deals with Kuala Lumpur. Yudhoyono is a rare gem for Malaysians.
 

Reprinted with permission of The Star.

The Star, Malaysia