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| US Coast Guard and Indonesian Navy ships on the Java Sea |
By Prashanth Parameswaran
Entrenched interests prevent the signing of a coast guard pact between Washington and Jakarta.
As expected, Indonesian president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s first visit to the United States last month saw the inking of several key agreements to boost the U.S.-Indonesia comprehensive partnership (See: “Exclusive: US, Indonesia to Strengthen Partnership During Jokowi Visit”).
Close observers of the visit, however, would have noticed the absence of a work plan on coast guard cooperation on the list of documents signed by both sides. The work plan was initially one of the concrete deliverables expected, given the importance of maritime security for the two countries as well as the issue’s rising prominence in the Asia-Pacific over the past few years (See: “Exclusive: US, Indonesia Eye New Defense Pacts for Jokowi Visit”).
Instead, sources told The Diplomat that there was a last-minute cancellation of the agreement from the Indonesian side just days before Jokowi touched down in the United States. The nixing of the pact has cast a pall over U.S.-Indonesia security ties.
“The issue is we have sectoral egos,” an Indonesian official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Diplomat. “There is still a fight for authority.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat