Indonesia steps in to fill the Fiji vacuum

The Jakarta Post, Duncan Graham, Contributor, Suva | Tue, 09/29/2009 11:03 AM

No entry: Fiji’s parliament building is locked up, a powerful symbol of the state of democracy in the small island nation. JP/Duncan Graham

One of the saddest sights in Suva, the capital of the tiny nation of Fiji, is the Parliament building.

It’s reputed to be a splendid example of Pacific Island architecture representing traditional Fiji values.

But this can’t be confirmed: The gates are locked and rusting, and weeds are pushing through the driveway. Three years ago, Fiji went through yet another coup and the power of the ballot box yielded to the rule of the gun.

There have been four coups in the past 22 years but this didn’t stop Indonesia opening an embassy in this troubled former British colony.

It was a smart move. As the Commonwealth and European Union punished Fiji for overthrowing democracy, other countries have filled the gap.

“Indonesia’s interests in the Pacific Islands used to be served by our embassy in Wellington, but because Suva is the hub of a growing region it was decided to establish a presence here in 2002,” said Indonesian Charge d’Affaires Pinardi Priambodo.

“Fiji doesn’t produce much so most of the trade is in Indonesia’s favor. In the past five years the growth rate has been 2.77 percent.

“The other issue that takes our time is caring for the interests of Indonesian seamen and sorting out disputes with employers. Many problems come about because the Indonesians haven’t read or understood the job contracts they signed back in Jakarta.”

Indonesia isn’t the only nation taking a new interest in a zone once dominated by Australia and New Zealand. The imposition of sanctions and other controls on aid, sporting contacts and government visits by fellow Commonwealth countries has created a vacuum largely exploited by China, which is now ramping up trade and aid.

Last year, Indonesia did business worth US$24.5 million (Rp 250 billion) in the Pacific Islands served through Suva. By Indonesian standards, it’s little more than a mid-size town with only 200,000 people, but it’s the biggest city in the South Pacific outside New Zealand, and a multicultural mix of locals, transients, other islanders, Indian traders and Europeans seeking a quiet life.

Indonesia’s natural sphere of influence has long been Southeast Asia but its push into the Pacific is logical, according to Pinardi.

There are historical Indonesian links with the peoples of Polynesia. The current theory is that they arrived about 3,000 years ago after traveling south from Taiwan and China, then moved through the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines and then deeper into the Pacific, reaching Fiji via Tonga.

Although Indonesia isn’t part of the 16-member Pacific Islands Forum, it has the status of a “dialogue partner”. Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda attended the forum’s post-summit meeting in Queensland, Australia, in August this year.

Pinardi, who is also known as Pak Klik, a nickname that defies simple etymology, is single and “under 40”. He was previously stationed in Seoul where he specialized in economic issues, spending his spare time on the snowfields. By the time his tour of duty had finished, he’d skied seven of the 12 slopes near the Korean capital.

Seeing his love of snow, it fits the curious posting system of Foreign Affairs that he should be sent to a tropical island. He runs a staff of six Indonesians including four lively young diplomats seemingly uninfected by the past rigid bureaucracy of the Soeharto era (Pinardi labeled them “the fantastic four”), and five locals.

Unlike many embassies, it’s a relaxed low-security office. Despite the military coup and alleged human rights abuses, Suva isn’t full of soldiers and most locals seem indifferent to the political tension, more concerned with public service sackings, the devaluation of the Fiji dollar and the resulting high cost of living.

With no direct air links to Indonesia, there’s little demand for visas. For Indonesians wanting to see Fiji, the good news is that they don’t need visas, prices are cheap and they can stay for four months, enough time to explore the 300 lush, coral-fringed islands.

Indonesia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fiji to develop tourism but so far little has happened.

Pinardi arrived in Fiji in June after the departure of the last ambassador. The son of a Christian pastor and academic, Pinardi was born and educated in Salatiga in Central Java and educated at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

“I got into diplomacy by chance,” he said. “I planned to be a banker because I’d trained in economics. But when I went to get the transcript of my studies legalized I chanced to see an advert for the Foreign Service.

“I later spent 18 months at Monash University in Australia learning trade negotiation skills, knowledge that came in useful in Korea.

“In Fiji we’re not just concerned with trade. We’re very keen on providing technical assistance, sending Pacific Islanders for training in Indonesia.”

It’s a strange reversal of positions. While the big Western nations are giving aid to Indonesia, the Republic is busy providing assistance to the Pacific. This has ranged from training farmers in artificial insemination of dairy cattle, using the latest fishing technology and navigation aids, and rehabilitating people with disabilities.

“We’ve been passing on our skills in rice planting,” Pinardi said. “Farmers in Fiji used to broadcast their rice seeds. We’re training them in our system planting seedlings in rows while walking backwards.

We’ve also donated small agricultural tractors.

“The other skill we’re teaching is in the multiple uses of bamboo. Fiji people don’t do as much with bamboo as we do in Indonesia.”

So while other countries may consider Indonesia to be a poor, low-tech developing nation, Fijians have another view, particularly those who’ve been the lucky recipients of programs such as “capacity building for poverty reduction”.

The Indonesian touch can be found everywhere from imported Toyota Kijang vans through to handicrafts and women’s clothing. Fiji was once a big garment exporter but Commonwealth sanctions and cheap Chinese imports have crushed the industry, creating opportunities for smart Indonesian businesspeople — and not just clothing manufacturers.

Furniture is a sector where Indonesia has few competitors. The big resorts have been ordering large quantities of tropical-style rattan and water hyacinth chairs, tables and sofas that can be used inside and outside. They appeal to the environmentally conscious because they’re made from renewable materials.

“We want to improve people to people ties and build cultural understanding. We’ve been giving scholarships for higher studies at Indonesian universities, said Pinardi.

“Fijians are very musical people and great singers. We do have a set of angklung [bamboo xylophones] but no gamelan orchestra. Maybe in the future.”