By Xinghui Kok and Stanley Widianto
SINGAPORE, Oct 29 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s swipes at its neighbours are set to last as its embattled government tries to blunt criticism of its handling of welfare programmes, market regulation and persistent wildfires that have choked the region in haze.
Singapore, in particular has been the target of sharpened rhetoric from Jakarta, with Indonesian officials warning pilgrims to avoid transiting through the city-state.
Jakarta has also trimmed gas supply to Singapore with its energy minister saying “so-called brothers and sisters” should not lecture Indonesia on honouring contracts.
Singapore has tried to play down the spat and its foreign minister made a visit to Indonesia this week to meet President Prabowo Subianto.
But the city-state has also summoned representatives of companies suspected of having fires on their plantations in Indonesia.
Analysts say Jakarta’s nationalistic rhetoric, which intensified when Singapore and Malaysia complained about the haze, will likely stay as long as Indonesia’s woes remain.
Prabowo has often blamed foreign actors for problems and Singapore, with its majority Chinese population, is an easy target, said Yohanes Sulaiman, of Indonesia’s Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani.
“The intensity is pushed to 11 under this administration,” he said.
Syahganda Nainggolan, chief of the Indonesian government’s communications office, told Reuters on Friday that Jakarta continues to seek close relations with Singapore, and the visit by the foreign minister proves the two countries’ relations are not strained.
He said the gas cuts were due to domestic supply considerations and only “coincided with a seemingly tense situation.”
PROTESTS AND PRESSURE
Prabowo has pushed back against international criticism, including a downgrade threat from global index provider MSCI, which has sent Indonesia’s markets into turmoil.
One former Indonesian official blamed Singapore sovereign wealth funds for having a role in the MSCI pressure, but offered no evidence, with the accusation amplified by social media accounts that were “liked” by prominent government figures. The funds denied any involvement.
Yohanes said the MSCI downgrade threat compounded problems for Prabowo’s administration after the fires, as well as food poisoning and corruption issues at a signature free lunch programme.
Prabowo’s popularity has fallen sharply, with his approval rating reaching 44.5% this month according to one survey, from 81.2% late last year.
Protests occurred in several Indonesian cities this week over his government’s response to the fires.
The latest tensions mirror previous episodes where Indonesia has criticised external forces such as Singapore, Malaysia and the West during periods of domestic strife.
Singapore, roughly the size of New York City and with a 6.2 million population, was in 1998 disparaged by Indonesia’s president at the time as a “little red dot” that was not a friend when talking about the Asian Financial Crisis.
In the 1960s, there was outright violence when Indonesian President Sukarno launched a campaign that resulted in 42 bombing attempts in Singapore during a period called the “konfrontasi”, while Indonesia faced hyperinflation and instability at home.
‘STORM IN A TEACUP’
Current and former officials from both countries sought to calm the waters this week.
“Differences are to be expected,” Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan told media on Wednesday. “Even polemic statements sometimes, from time to time,” he said.
Suryo Pratomo, a former Indonesian ambassador to Singapore, said the comments made by some Indonesian ministers were immediate reactions and not administration policy.
“Indonesia and Singapore’s relationship is complementary, not competitive,” he said.
Singapore is Indonesia’s largest source of foreign direct investment at $17.4 billion last year. Indonesia is also reliant on fuel imports and global internet cables through Singapore.
“It’s a storm in a teacup,” said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a foreign policy analyst.
But there is “prickly nationalism” that leads Indonesia to be more sensitive to perceived slights and interference from other countries, she added.
(Reporting by Xinghui Kok in Singapore and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Editing by Josh Smith and Toby Chopra)
