Australia-RI Relation: 'What is Wrong' vs 'What is Right'

Liputan6.com, Jakarta The relationship between Indonesia and Australia is often viewed as a ‘strained’ one especially after the emergence of a number of cases ranging from the alleged tapping of Indonesian former President by the Australian government to the execution two Bali Nine ringleaders, Andrew Chan and Myuran Syukumaran by the Indonesian firing squad. Negative assumptions seem to always be the one underpinning the assumed ‘strained’ relationship which has governed the population with a largely protracted notion of the two countries relationship. Little did they know that the relationship has actually gone through a series of successful bilateral exchanges in the field of economic, education, culture and many other equally important sectors that the larger population fails to take into account.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr. Paul Grigson previously professed as the Chief Negotiator of the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville back in the year of 2000. When asked during special interview with Liputan6.com program ‘The Ambassador’ regarding his view upon the negative sentiments which have for so long defined the two countries relationship, he went to share how the larger population has been dictated by the wrong and negative views and therefore their perceptions are to a large extent, as negative as it was being initially perceived.

“I think it is important to look at what we have in common. I have spent 95% of my time working on the positive elements of the relationship. There has been a tendency in the past to consider the differences we have as the most important but for me they are not. They make up very little of the relationship in general,” Mr. Grigson stated on Thursday 17 September 2015 in ‘The Ambassador’ program of Liputan6.com.

According to him, many people are so focused on the ‘differences’ and disagreement on many aspects between Indonesia and Australia that they overlooked the many prospects which have for so long made up the successful relations between the two nations. Instead of placing the focus primarily on ‘what is wrong’, Mr. Grigson advises that such mindset ought to be shifted into focusing on ‘what is right’ or ‘what has been right or has been done to make it right’ in the past for the two nations’ relationship.

“I am very keen overtime to find a way to focus much more on the common interest that we have,” he continued.

 “I think it is important for people to describe the relationship for commentators and analyst to understand the basis of the relationship between us which is very strong government to government linkages and the intercommunity too,” he added. (Akp/Ein)