Frenemies

No, unfortunately, I’m not talking about frenemies in drama land. I’m talking about frenemies in the political land.

Despite trying to avoid news, sometimes there are news that are simply impossible not to notice. E.g. that polcom (or is it makjang?) in Toronto, which by the way is hilarious, and then the not so funny one right here at home.

At least, it was’t funny until that comment about a bloke who looks like a 1970s Pilipino porn star and has ethics to match from Mark Textor.

It’s at a moment like this that I realize that there isn’t much difference between drama land and real world. It is when I realize that the life we live in is just another drama where the actors are real people or real countries.

Talking about countries – I think they suck as actors – the relationship between Indonesia and its closest neighbors could only be described as frenemies.

For despite professing a close relationship with Malaysia and Australia Indonesia regularly bickers with them.

And now we know for sure that despite saying it considers Indonesia as friend, Australia hacked our President’s phone.

Yes, definitely frenemies.

If I’m writing a thesis I’m sure I could easily find data to support the bickering pattern between these countries. But it seems to me that Indonesia gives the limelight to Malaysia and Australia alternately.

And strangely enough, there is always something that ruffled the feathers of either Indonesian politicians or the people at large. And perhaps vice versa because you could not bicker alone.

So far, it’s just war of words. The toughest action ever taken by the Indonesian government is calling its Ambassador back home, which is exactly what it does in the latest bickering with Australia.

Will Indonesia stop its diplomatic relationship with Australia over this latest issue?  Very unlikely.

There were issues in the past where a large number of Indonesians were demanding the government to break diplomatic relationship with Malaysia, some even urged the government to declare war, but the government never did.

What is different this time is the fact this latest issue is directly related to people who sit in the government. They run this country. They represent this country.

It’s utterly embarrassing for a President to learn that his phone was hacked. And it’s equally humiliating for a foreign minister to be likened to a porn star and to be called without ethics.

Will the friendship stand? I think it will but only after some major steps being taken by both parties.