Cape Town - South Africa and Indonesia have a strong history, dating back to the days before either gained their independence and freedom from oppression.
With the signing last week of South Africa’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation (TAC) with the Association of South-East Asean Nations (Asean), the relationship has been strengthened.
The co-operation with Asean was a dream envisaged by Nelson Mandela and finally came to fruition with the signing between Minister of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), Dr Naledi Pandor, and leaders of the South-east Asian bloc of 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The TAC was signed at the first Asean summit meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in February 1976 to promote regional co-operation and the UN, EU and many individual countries have strategic partnerships with Asean.
Speaking to Independent Media on the importance of South Africa joining them, Indonesia’s ambassador to South Africa, Salman al-Farisi, said it would strengthen ties between the regions and the individual member countries and benefit people on both sides.
Indonesia and South Africa had a long history dating back to the 17th century, when many Indonesians who were exiled to the Cape during the Dutch invasion of Indonesia ended up standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight for freedom in South Africa.
Mandela, he said, had visited Indonesia on three occasions, an indication of the special relationship that existed between the two countries.
“This strong foundation between us needs to be reinvigorated,” said AlFarisi.
“South Africa is Indonesia’s biggest trading partner on the African continent, but there is still a lot of potential that we could pursue together that will benefit us and strengthen our ties further.”
For instance, he said, there were commodities that could be exported from Indonesia and vice versa.
“We have a whole Asean continent with a variety of products, from materials to goods to services, which include tourism.”
South African could for, example, supply Indonesia with various materials for its industries, food and tourism, which would benefit both countries, he said.
While Asia is a tourism hub with an appeal that includes its beautiful beaches, it lacks some components, such as safaris, which are unique to countries like South Africa.
According to Dirco, accession to the treaty will be beneficial to South Africa’s economic growth – it will increase trade and undo the negative trade surplus South Africa has with Asean countries.
According to the ambassador, the treaty opens two gates: for South Africa it opens the gate to enter the Asean market, and for Asean states it provides access to South Africa and beyond.
Another benefit, said Al-Farisi, was to promote regional and global peace and stability.
Soon after the virtual signing undertaken by Pandor and leaders of Asean countries, he held a meeting with officials in Jakarta to discuss its implementation.
In talks with Pandor, he said she had mentioned capacity-building of small and medium-sized enterprises, which form the backbone of Asean economies.
“We have 10 million Indonesian international travellers each year. If just 1% came to South Africa, it would contribute a lot to your economy,” he said, looking ahead to a post-Covid recovery period.
The ambassador said people-topeople contact was vital as it was this way that people could appreciate other countries and know what unique things they had to offer.
“Some in Indonesia are only aware of South Africa because of Nelson Mandela. They don’t see the potential you have, so our challenge is to promote the relationship between our countries,” he said.
The ambassador is full of praise for South Africa, its beauty and its people.
“When I do leave South Africa, I will hold many fond memories of this country,” he said.