REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SURABAYA -- Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan has said his ministry is ready to seek alternative trade partners if Indonesia-Australia relations become too strained as a result of the wiretapping allegations.
"It is a serious issue. We need, therefore, to make our position clear so that the Australian government acts quickly," the minister said in his general lecture at the Sunan Ampel State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) here on Tuesday.
The minister said that Indonesia and Australia have established relations in various sectors, such as agriculture and animal husbandry.
"If these relations are disrupted, we will need to seek other countries as trading partners. Moreover, we have a deficit in our trade balance with Australia so far," he added.
Going forward, he noted, Indonesia must improve its trade policies. For instance, it can focus on importing raw materials rather than finished goods.
"Currently, our consumer goods imports have been declining, while raw material imports are increasing. This is a good trend, but we should also strive to increase the number of domestically made products," the minister pointed out.
Besides Australia clarifying its position on the allegations, the minister also suggested that Indonesia could improve its own intelligence system to prevent wire-tapping.
An article published by The Guardian earlier on Monday stated that the Australian government, in 2009, had tapped the private phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, first lady Ani Yudhoyono and other ministers and officials.
The article was based on documents leaked by a former employee of the United States' National Security Agency (NSA), Edward Snowden, who has been granted asylum in Russia.
In response to the allegations, the Indonesian government has recalled its Ambassador to Australia, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, for consultations.
Earlier, President Yudhoyono's special assistant for international affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, posted on his Twitter account, @SKPBidangHI, that the government of Australia must respond to a media report that President Yudhoyono's private cell phone was tapped by Australian intelligence agencies.
"Australia needs to clarify this information to avoid creating mistrust," Faizasyah said.
He also urged those media organizations that had published the report to back up the allegations by revealing the origin of the documents.
"The damage is done. Now, it is time to rebuild trust between Indonesia and Australia," he added.
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