The diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Russia (or the former Soviet Union) was established 57 years ago. The visit of the leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Kruschev in 1960 was one of the highlights. He was welcomed warmly in Jakarta, and later on, Soviet weapons poured into Indonesia in a large quantity.
Within a few years Indonesia received the most advanced weapons from the former Soviet Union, and the first non communist states which acquired MiG-21, then the most advanced jet fighter.
The Indonesian Air Force also received several Illyushin transport planes and Tu-16 bombers which could reach Australia without refueling. In short, Indonesia became the strongest military power in South East Asia.
Malaysia, Singapore and Australia would then have thought twice before taking on Indonesia.
But suddenly the arms flow to Indonesia was stopped when president Sukarno was replaced by Soeharto. For two decades there was no high level contact between Indonesia and Russia or the Soviet Union. Only after the Perestroika sweeping reform was introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev did Soeharto visit Moscow in 1989.
Slowly, relations between the two countries regained ground. In 1997, a year before he was forced to resign amid the reform movement, Soeharto sent a letter of intent to buy a squadron of Sukhoi jet fighters. This came on the heel of the U.S. Congress decision to boycott and impose an embargo of arms sales on Indonesia.
There was no choice for Soeharto other than turning to Russia. The purchase only materialized seven years later and not without controversy.
Prior to President Putin's visit to Jakarta, Lt. Gen. Syafrie Syamsudin, the Defense Ministry's secretary general, proudly announced the government's plan to buy another six Sukhois, a kilo class submarine and several BMP 3 marine tanks. He also informed the public that Russia had offered US$1 billion in state credit loans.
It was quite interesting that Indonesian Military Commander Marshal Djoko Suyanto said afterwards the purchase of the Russian military weapons would be paid by Indonesian energy resources. It seems that President Putin's visit will seal the deal, and officially sign a military and economic cooperation with Indonesia.
A closer look to the plan of military hardware sales to Indonesia raise some serious questions. The important factor is financial package. Russia has never proved herself as a good partner.
Take as an example the latest purchase of four Sukhois without armaments in 2004, which cost us around $200 million. Initially the government with President Megawati tried to convince the parliament that there would be a counter purchase scheme where Russia would buy Indonesian commodities in exchange for the purchase of the Sukhoi.
In fact, after 4 years, Russian did not spend even a dollar in exchange for the deal. To make the matter worse, Indonesia received the inferior version of Sukhoi, which were produced by Knappoo instead of Sukhoi manufactured by Irkutz. Malaysia, Vietnam and many other countries bought Sukhoi from Irkutz design bureau.
President Putin visit may raise some hope and expectations among Indonesian political elites. But in reality, it may lead to wishful thinking.
On military hardware sales, Putin granted the monopoly to Rosoboronexport. This agency is the gate to any military deal in Russia. Only a persistent country would get the best deal. Malaysia is one of the few, but not Indonesia.
To make matters worse, on the issue of the military sales, there are so many unscrupulous Indonesian dealers who claim to represent many Russian companies, but they have to consult Rosoborontexport. It is an irony why we should deal with Rosoborontexport which seems to do nothing but charging commission fee on any military business.
So why should we expect high from President Putin's 20-hour trip? The important thing is that no Russian, or Soviet Union, leader or president has ever visited Indonesia since Nikita Kruschev.
With a resurgence of the Russian power, Putin's visit to Indonesia has put Jakarta on the international map.
Russia is trying to reassert its former position as a global and a superpower country. Therefore it is imperative for Putin to visit Indonesia, one of the leading members of the ASEAN.
However, realistically, beyond the weapons deal, not so many economic and trade deals could be offered by Putin. Yes, Russia is a strong and important country, but economically it will lag far behind China, the rising Asian power.
With all of these difficulties, both Indonesia and Russia should make full use of President Putin's visit as a new starting point to renew their relations.
For now, we may have a low expectation from the high-profile and historic visit, but we wish for a better future in the long run.
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