A14 Comment Jakarta  Globe Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Opinion & Letters

Bilateral Relations | Walter Lohman

Fostering Democracy, Asian Allies of the US Require Tangible

Warts and All
Support in Maintaining Democracy
I
ndonesia’s election season is clearly

O
under way judging from the newsprint
being devoted to the issue. Over the past ver the last couple region, pay close attention to geopolitical
two days, the headlines have been of months, one of trends. During World War II, Thai Prime
America’s two Minister and strongman
focused on the discrepancies and problems
treaty allies in Phibunsongkhram famously asked one of
related to the ballot papers, which are not just Southeast Asia his commanders, “Which side do you
confusing but also riddled with errors. turned the page on think will lose this war? That side is our
Political parties are now out in full force in a period of intense enemy.” And he began to hedge his early
their attempts to reach and woo voters. Some political instability. bets on the Japanese.
11,220 candidates are vying for 550 seats in And it did so democratically. Americans Today it is China’s rise that is the most
the national legislature alone. should take a moment to acknowledge striking fact of life in East Asia. And its
Thailand as a member in good standing rise is not unwelcome in Thailand. This is
The tussle for power in our fledgling
of the democratic club that is America’s not necessarily a bad thing: China is an
democracy is to be expected, as are the system of alliances in East Asia and the important economic partner for both the
problems associated with organizing the Pacific. United States and its Asia-Pacific allies.
upcoming elections. The most recent chapter of Thai America cannot ask our allies to recuse
Both the General Elections Commission, political history began a little more than themselves from the opportunity China
or KPU, and the political parties need to sort two years ago. On Sept. 19, 2006, the offers any more than it can refrain from
out the problems with the ballots as soon as military staged a coup to unseat and reaping the benefits itself.
essentially exile Thailand’s elected prime What the United States can do,
possible. The large number of parties and the minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. Despite 14 however, is be absolutely clear about its
even larger number of candidates makes the years of uninterrupted democratic long-term commitment to the region. It
task of holding the legislative elections a governance, global perceptions of a should intensify its economic
daunting one. Thailand beset with chronic political engagement, not retreat from it. This
We must therefore expect problems to instability quickly returned. means embracing free trade agreements.
crop up and be ready to tackle such problems The unelected military-backed The proposed Free Trade Area of the Asia
government exacerbated negative Pacific now has a core around which to
in a mature, rational manner. The size of the
perceptions by mangling the Thai develop — the Trans-Pacific Economic
country and the scale of the elections will economy. And where the new Partnership, or TPP — free trade
mean that at times the situation will be government was widely expected to negotiations under way between eight
messy. But it is imperative that we rise above outperform the previous administration Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
any pettiness and work together to bolster — dealing with the southern Islamist members. A bilateral US-Thai free trade
our democratic process. insurgency — it failed. agreement was left on the table in 2006.
It is therefore necessary that we focus on Then, at the end of 2007, after America should dust it off and get
absorbing a coup, suffering under a year negotiations moving again with an eye
the bigger picture. As a society and as a of inept government and approving a new toward not only completing a first-rate
nation, we have to define the rules of the constitution designed to deflate the agreement but including the Thais in the
game and stick with them, even if there are powers of the prime minister, new broader TPP.
winners and losers in the process. elections returned to government proxies On the diplomatic, military side, the
To ensure that the elections are conducted for Thaksin and his disbanded Thai Rak United States should make clear that it
Thai Party, or TRT. Thailand appeared to has no intention of compromising its

When an ally
in a fair and transparent manner, the political
elite in this country have a vital role to play. pick up right where it left off in Both were very powerful gestures in Thai predominance in Asia. Such clarity
September 2006: Political strife politics. But they do not amount to a coup. demands a level of defense spending that
While they can compete for votes, they must

dominated 2008; two prime ministers
ensure that their rivalry does not spill over were forced from power; protests
into the streets and among their supporters. escalated to the point of shutting down
Indonesia was widely praised for conducting
peaceful elections in 2004 when, despite
Bangkok’s airports; and the economy
dragged through the year.
Nor do they explain the formation of the
new Democratic government, or the
Democrats’ victories in subsequent
by-elections. Disillusionment with the
Thaksin proxies in the electorate and
demonstrates a
will belie Asian suspicions of an
American superpower in decline. It also
means participating in the region’s
commitment to diplomatic life. This year’s Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean,

widespread concerns over possible violence, As 2008 drew to a close, pressure for
another coup grew. But then something
both voters and political parties kept their
positive happened: Democracy provided
mutual values,
factional cracks in his party base were Regional Forum is being held in
already present and growing; pulling Thailand. Prior to the last few years, the
them apart did not require a mastermind. US secretary of state’s attendance was a

America should
passions in check. a channel for government to change In 2006, the United States was right to given. Once again becoming a reliable
We must ensure that this continues in hands. Was the transfer of power pretty? insist that Thailand return to democratic Asean participant in the year America’s
April and again in July when the presidential
reinforce the
No. Did it involve political trade-offs? rule as quickly as possible. Even when Thai allies host will be well noted in the
election is held. Certainly. But expediency in democratic some argued that the United States’ region. President Obama should also
The press also has a critical role to play by politics is a matter of degree, not kind. geopolitical position in the region would resurrect plans for a full-fledged

relationship
ensuring that voters are given correct The Democratic Party pulled enough suffer as a result of the pressure — China US-Asean leaders’ summit, an idea
sitting MPs away from the latest iteration being all too willing to step into the gap abruptly canceled by President Bush in
information in a fair and impartial manner. of a Thaksin-based party and its coalition — the Bush administration remained 2007, and schedule it in Thailand during
In any democracy, the media is a vital cog as it partners to form a new government focused on the longer term. It suspended this year’s Asean leaders’ meetings.
acts as the link between the electorate and under the leadership of opposition leader more than $29 million in assistance to America’s allies are the foundation of
the politicians. Abhisit Vejjajiva. Thailand, including financing for is resistance outside of Bangkok to his its commitment to Asia. These allies
Indonesia’s media has come a long way Critics point to the messiness of the military hardware and training for Thai Oxford-educated persona. He will have to make policy formulation easier when
since being freed from the shackles of the process and nefarious connections officers, though it did maintain some of take both issues head-on. But ultimately they stay true to their democratic values.
among Thai royalty, military, politicians, the most critical areas of the relationship, these are matters for Thais to resolve. When an ally strays, the United States
New Order. With press freedom guaranteed
bureaucrats and judges. Political intrigue including military exercises and vital Indeed, Americans have their own should help bring it back to its senses, as
under an amendment to the Constitution in makes for good copy. But in an counterterrorism cooperation. work to do. Thailand was a key ally of the President Bush sought to do with
2002, journalists in this country enjoy great environment as prone to rumor as The Thai Democratic Party has a United States during the Cold War. Thais Thailand. By the same token, when one
freedom to report and write on just about any Bangkok, and with so much at stake, it is considerable amount of work to do. The by the thousands fought side by side with demonstrates a commitment to the
issue, and this cannot be said for some other important to separate out the facts. new prime minister must find a way to Americans in Korea and in Vietnam. alliance’s mutual values, America should
countries in the region. But as we celebrate First, it is a matter of public record that reach across the political spectrum in Thailand also contributed noncombat use the occasion to reinforce the
our freedom on National Press Day, we must army commander Gen. Anupong Bangkok and elsewhere to heal the troops to the American-led coalitions in relationship. It is good to have Thailand
Paochinda urged the prime minister to yawning divide. The perception that his Iraq and Afghanistan and has served as a in the club.
remember that freedom comes with respon- critical logistics node in the movement of  
resign. Second, it is a fact that in October, ascension to power is purely the product of
sibility and accountability. the queen attended the funeral of a political maneuvering is refutable, but it American forces around the globe. But Walter Lohman is the director of the Asian
Amid the cacophony of political noise, it is protester killed in a clash with police. will prove corrosive over time. And there the Thais, as much as any power in the Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation.
the duty of journalists to try and sieve
through the mud and uncover the truth. That
is sometimes easier said than done but
democracy demands that we all play our Australia Burning | Ashlee Betteridge
required roles.

PT Jakarta Globe Media

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Bushfires Raise a Catalogue of Questions
G
Jakarta Globe is printed in Jakarta and distributed rowing up in Australia, Even the weather-worn men and women these are the reasons why the fires moved In 2008, the Kevin Rudd-
in central and greater Jakarta, Medan, Balikpapan, Bali, bushfires in the summer who used to offer commentary on the so rapidly across the tinderbox landscape commissioned Garnaut Climate Change
Pekanbaru and Surabaya by PT Jakarta Globe Media. were as certain as the flies. firestorms overtaking the hill near my and claimed so many lives. Review painted a bleak picture of the
Come December, the hot home couldn’t have predicted such loss. On Australian news Web sites, the steps Australia would need to take to
Publisher Chief Editorial Adviser wind would roll in and the The darkness of my Jakarta living blame has been thrown on the usual reduce global warming. Professor Ross
Sigit Pramono A. Lin Neumann sun would bake the earth until it was so room was lit up by the flames of the suspects: a lack of backburning; not Garnaut recommended the nation
dry, each scuff of a school shoe would deadliest bushfires to ever hit my enough clearing of bushland around commit to reducing its carbon emissions
President Editor-in-Chief send up a little explosion of dust. country, as seen on TV. Familiar names of townships; deficient evacuation plans; by 25 percent, on year 2000 levels, by
Wim Tangkilisan Wim Tangkilisan Rusted Country Fire Authority signs towns were rattled off, followed by poor warning systems; and a shortage of 2020, and 90 percent by 2050.
Chief Executive Officer Deputy Editor warned of the “very high risk” of figures. It could have been an inventory water-bombing aircraft to battle large But an outcry from the business and
Marshall Cooper Bhimanto Suwastoyo flare-ups. of how many times I stalled the car in blazes. resources sectors led the government to
Advertising Sales News Editor In Albury, my hometown on the each of those tiny townships when I was But a new possible cause has emerged take a softer approach when it released its
Benny W. Amilie Kanis Dursin border of New South Wales and Victoria, learning to drive, but the numbers in the struggle for the nation to climate change plan in December,
Circulation Opinion Page Adviser we saw many fires as kids. Crowded on instead marked the dead. comprehend this tragedy — climate committing to a measly 5 percent
Tiasna Hery Pitan Daslani the hood of our Mitsubishi Magna, we’d As I write, there are now at least 130 change. reduction by 2020. The government said
watch as a glowing patch on a faraway killed by the fires — with many more Once only a phrase uttered by “coastal it would aim for a 15 percent reduction by
hill grew and grew, lighting up the night seriously injured — and the nation is in hippies and city slickers,” it’s a notion that 2020, but only if “everyone else” did. The
Board of Editorial Advisers sky with orange flames. shock. has gained support since our last major 15 percent cut was conditional on every
Primus Dorimulu, Shoeb Kagda, A. Lin Neumann, Someone from school had a cat die in a The death toll is higher than the fires in Canberra, in 2003. But so far, other major economy reducing its targets
Markus Parmadi, David Plott, James Van Zorge fire. And once someone’s farm burned number of Australians killed in the Bali policy-wise, our government has tiptoed to a level that most experts agreed was
down. My mother’s laundry was ruined bombings. It’s higher than the number of around the issue. unrealistic.
We appreciate the contribution of all associated electronic or print when ash fell from the sky for days, and those killed in our most deadly fires of the Research from the Australian Bureau Now that we have truly seen the
all of the writers who appear on these publication, and to preserve the my uncle grumbled because he couldn’t past. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has of Meteorology and the Commonwealth impact that climate change-fueled
opinion and letters pages, and we contents in the company’s archives
encourage readers to add to debate for possible republication in the
keep his car clean. declared it the largest natural disaster to Scientific and Industrial Research disasters can have on our landscape and
by sending letters to be published. future. But nobody ever died. ever strike Australia — and it isn’t over yet. Organization, a government scientific lifestyle, surely it is time for the Australian
However, we wish all contributors We also wish to make clear that It was a normal part of the lazy In addition, more than 750 homes and body, had predicted a “very dangerous government to get serious about reducing
to be aware that by submitting the views of writers on these pages
articles or letters for publication they do not in any way represent the passing of the summer holidays, like buildings have been destroyed. decade or decades” for the continent, as emissions at home, and more firmly lobby
grant to PT Jakarta Globe Media the views of the newspaper’s “Carols by Candlelight” and swimming in The impact on these small climate change extends the bushfire our trade and diplomatic partners
unrestricted right to edit and publish management, directors or owner the river. communities, where so many lives and so season and increases the intensity of overseas to do the same. If our “sunburned
the contents in this newspaper and unless clearly stated otherwise.
As kids, we stood mesmerized as the much property has been lost, will be long blazes. country” is going to bear the brunt of
flames gobbled up the trees. But the lasting. The land that livelihoods rely on global warming, we should be trying to be

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adults around us shifted uneasily from is now charred, black and barren. a leader in the fight.
one foot to another. They had hushed
conversations about whose property
But even before the flames have been
doused, the questions have started. Why PM Rudd declared The Garnaut findings were dismissed
because of the potential economic cost to
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might be threatened and they held their
hands or hats up to the sky to judge which
were the fires, long an accepted part of
life in the bush, so deadly this time? What the bushfires the the nation. But as the state of Victoria
faces a cleanup bill anticipated to be in

largest natural
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climate change comes with a cost — both
online@thejakartaglobe.com direction. A tiny ember, floating on the
breeze, could start a whole new breakout.
hottest summer since Australia’s
colonization, following one of the strike Australia — economic and human.

www.thejakartaglobe.com But this weekend, fires of an

unimaginable scale struck Australia.
country’s longest droughts. This may just
sound like a nasty set of superlatives, but and it’s not over yet Ashlee Betteridge is staff writer
at the Jakarta Globe.