Toespraak van minister Ploumen bij de viering van de Indonesische Onafhankelijkheidsdag

Toespraak | 22-08-2014

Madam Ambassador, distinguished guests,

On behalf of the Dutch government and the people of the Netherlands, I would first like to congratulate the Indonesian people on the 69th anniversary of Indonesian independence. Sixty-nine years is a long time, and the shared history of the Netherlands and Indonesia goes back even further.

But to be honest, it is not the past few centuries that I’m thinking about right now; it is the past few weeks. Recently I have been looking at Indonesia through the prism of the MH17 disaster. And what I have seen fills me with gratitude. Let me explain why.

There have been many stories in the wake of the catastrophe. I came across one such story on Facebook about a family who had booked a hotel on Bali. After the disaster, friends of the family emailed the hotel to cancel the reservation. Shortly afterwards they received a reply. They posted both on the Internet. Like tens of thousands of other people, I couldn’t help but sit and read. I found the exchange heartbreaking, but at the same time inspiring.

The hotel management explained that the Balinese believe that the spirit of a person arrives at their destination before their physical being. And that it was therefore important for their spirits to be honoured and then released so that they may find peace in the afterlife.

So that is what they did. The hotel staff cleaned the lodgings with extra care, prepared offerings, put flowers on the beds. At the entrance to the villa a sign was put up expressing love for the family. A priestess came and conducted a ceremony. There was prayer and meditation. The hotel management wrote, and I quote: ‘The energy was very intense and really powerful.’
Ladies and gentlemen,

These beliefs are foreign to most Dutch people. But we are in awe of the seemingly effortless eloquence with which these Balinese people expressed shared human values and emotions: deep warmth, gentleness, respect, wisdom. Let me quote one of the many reactions: ‘This gives us hope and strength. It encapsulates the beautiful side of human nature.’

I could not agree more. These aspects of your culture and outlook on life are among the reasons why Dutch people want to be in touch with Indonesia. Many people feel they recognise something in your culture that they need in their own lives. It’s a feeling that I do not want to define more precisely. But it is one that I share.

On a different  level, but in the same spirit, I can say that the cooperation between our governments in the aftermath of the crash has been excellent. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Indonesian government once again for dispatching a team of experts to help with the identification of victims. Only recently the Indonesian authorities provided admirable assistance to Dutch passengers on the ferry that sank off Lombok.

I am pleased to see that since the installation of the new government my country’s relations with Indonesia have intensified on many fronts. Prime Minister Rutte’s visit to Jakarta was a true showcase for our work together. It was there that we launched the Joint Declaration on a Comprehensive Partnership, acknowledging that the Netherlands and Indonesia have a lot to offer each other in the future. Various joint activities, on issues ranging from asset recovery to non-proliferation, have since taken shape.

Our relationship was given a further boost earlier this year when Vice-President Boediono took part in the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit and a bilateral programme in the Netherlands which included a public lecture at Leiden University, a visit to the Delta Works and a roundtable with CEOs of major Dutch companies.

We are looking forward to the next meeting of our Joint Economic Committee here in The Hague in November. There we will take stock of all ongoing activities, and set out a framework for further enhancing our economic cooperation, trade and investment.
All this is further confirmation of the strong ties between our countries, and gives us ample reason to look to the future with confidence.

Visits between our countries are becoming more and more frequent. Such contacts provide a foundation for our partnership, and not only on a political level. Take our many economic visits and our ties in a number of leading sectors in which we enjoy close cooperation. They include water, health care, infrastructure, agri-food and horticulture. This bolsters our trade relations and helps us to focus together on sustainable and inclusive growth through trade and investment.

And the future is looking bright. Indonesia is an economic powerhouse, with GDP growing at over 5.5 per cent, a young, highly educated population, and a large and expanding domestic market. It has been said before: Indonesia offers Dutch companies an excellent gateway to the broader ASEAN region. As last year’s mission showed, Dutch companies are well aware of these opportunities. We now need to work hard to ensure that opportunities are turned into actual business.

I am confident about what the future holds under the new Indonesian government. I’d like to congratulate Indonesia on its successful presidential elections, the biggest elections held anywhere in the world on a single day. That’s a tremendous achievement.

We’re looking forward to reinforcing and expanding our partnership even further under the leadership of President Jokowi. A ‘partnership 2.0’, as Ambassador Marsudi put it, is within reach. But if I look at the potential this partnership can offer and the top priority that the Netherlands will continue to give Indonesia under the new government, I think we’ll soon reach 3.0!
Let’s raise a glass to that goal today. Here’s to a unique and valuable partnership. Selamat hari pesta.