Indonesia, SA set to ramp up trade
“... FOR to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others,” as President Mandela said.
Driven by such a spirit of freedom from colonialism 73 years ago, Indonesia proclaimed its independence on August 17, 1945. It then inspired other nations in the southern hemisphere to liberate themselves.
In April 1955, 10 years after independence, Indonesia hosted the first Asian-African Conference – the Bandung Conference. It marked a union of 29 newly independent countries which aimed at promoting Afro-Asian economic and cultural co-operation and opposing colonialism and neo-colonialism by any nation.
The outcome declaration highlighted, among others, recognition of the equality of races and nations, large and small, as well as respect for justice and sovereignty. The Asian-African Conference later laid the foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement which was established in 1961 amid the heat of Cold War.
A stronger geopolitical presence is not an overnight project. The struggle towards freedom and independence has taken multiple forms, from a commemoration to concrete development efforts.
Today, August 17, Indonesia commemorates its 73rd anniversary of its independence day, where about 200 Indonesian citizens with its family, counterparts and friends of Indonesia attend the ceremony at the Indonesian Consulate in Kenilworth.
Indonesia is the largest economy in South-east Asia and is one of the emerging global market economies 73 years after independence,
Its strategic location between the Indian and Pacific oceans and its adjacency to major east-west trade routes make it an important economy in the region.
The economic growth of Indonesia continued to expand at a robust pace of 5.1% year on year in the first quarter.
Even when global economic growth is projected to slow and trade flows moderate from recent highs, Indonesia’s GDP growth is projected to reach 5.2% year on year. With higher global commodity prices which spurred stronger investment, total direct investment in Indonesia has risen 11.8% year on year to $12.696 million (R184m) in the first quarter.
It shows a robust investor appetite with its escalated position of the Ease of Doing Business index to 72, measured by the World Bank.
The rising of Indonesia is also supported by, among others, a large pool of the talented population, a strong growth of innovative technology, and a robust macroeconomic environment. It has been moving its way up at the global competitiveness index to ranking 36th, five places ahead since last year.
However, with such a huge potential, Indonesia has not become the highest-value importer of Western Cape products. It only imports 10.22% of imports from the Western Cape (Wesgro, 2017). The leading export product to Indonesia from the Western Cape was fruits.
The predominant import product into the Western Cape from Indonesia was ceramic wares for laboratory use, valued at $23m, followed by footwear ($3.7m).
There is plenty of room to ramp up the economic and trade value between Indonesia and South Africa or the Western Cape province.
Business forum/matching, cultural exchange, and even dialogue are, among others, consular programmes to strengthen mutual understanding between both countries and to boost bilateral trade and economic relations. These programmes are aligned with the focus of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on economic development.
Under his administration, Indonesia strives to put itself forward by prioritising infrastructure improvements and using Indonesia’s maritime strength as an axis in nation building. Together with South Africa, Indonesia actively promotes maritime security governance and blue economy in the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
In the world political arena, South Africa and Indonesia have been elected as non-permanent members of UN Security Council for the period of 2019-2020. Their membership is pivotal to represent the voices of the world’s emerging nations when multilateralism is more important than ever with the growing transnational challenges.
As a part of emerging economies and also members of G-20, Indonesia and South Africa have elevated their historical relations over the years.
Indonesia supported the ANC during apartheid. On August 12, 1994, diplomatic relations between both nations was established.
More than a decade after, the two countries signed the Joint Declaration on a Strategic Partnership on March 17, 2008, making South Africa the only African country that has such an agreement with Indonesia. To encourage its implementation, both parties agreed on the Strategic Partnership Plan of Action 2017-2021 in March last year.
In terms of social and cultural relations, many Cape Malay communities in South Africa are of Indonesian descent, originating from the descendants of ulemas, political prisoners and forced labourers who were exiled to Cape Town by the Dutch centuries ago.
Sheikh Yusuf and Tuan Guru are, among others, famous figures who have Indonesian backgrounds. Although their descendants could not speak Indonesian, some of them still used the terms and habits brought from the archipelago.
“Today is a time where historical and cultural closeness can be implemented in a form of concrete co-operation in the fields of economic, trade, social culture and tourism,” said the Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Cape Town, Krishna Adi Poetranto in the lead-up to the 73rd Anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day.
His statement shows a fervent hope towards a stronger and vibrant bilateral co-operation between Indonesia and South Africa.
To elevate trade, tourism, and investment relations with the world, Indonesia has exempted visa requirements for citizens from 169 countries who visit Indonesia for 30 days, including South Africa. To boost global trade, Indonesia annually hosts the Trade Expo Indonesia, which will take place on October 24–28 in Tangerang.
On August 18, Indonesia will host the Asian Games, the secondlargest sports party after the Olympics. Up to 45 countries in Asia will participate in the event, which involves more than 11 000 athletes and 5 000 officials, and 40 categories of sport.
Now is the time, for the emerging nations, like Indonesia and South Africa, to gain traction by elevating their relations in multiple fields. That is the true meaning of freedom and independence.
Happy Independence Day, Indonesia.
Poetranto is Consul-General of Indonesia to Cape Town.