SINGAPORE-INDONESIA RELATIONS 1980-1990 : THE SEARCH FOR SECURITY

Abstract

For small states, foreign policy is seen as a vital component of a larger survival strategy. In the 80s, the blossoming relations between Singapore and Indonesia has been rapid. When one compares the size, demography, perceived roles and the structure of the two states, Singapore and Indonesia are unlike each other. In addition, the acrimonious nature of their relationship in the past makes the present state of relations even more intriguing. Thus, one of the primary motivations for this study was to unravel the overriding considerations on the part of the Singapore leadership in maintaining this relationship, inspite of these differences. Both the internal as well as the external factors that were responsible for Singapore's gravitation towards Indonesia were considered In this regard, the impact of the environment and the leadership's past experiences were found to have a decisive impact on Singapore's foreign policy formulation towards Indonesia. The study then traces the manifestation of Singapore-Indonesia ties in the 80s. These manifestations of good ties indicates the success of Singapore's diplomacy as well as positive Indonesian responses to Singapore's overtures. These ties have now been cemented in the economic, military and political fields. It was found that good political ties at the elite level, that is, at the head-of-government level had led to the development of secure relations in the 80s. The state of Singapore-Indonesia relations also has implications for Singapore's relations with Malaysia and also for intra-ASEAN ties. However, even when ties between Singapore and Indonesia had matured, it was found that a development of a "special relationship" was wrought with difficulties. In the final analysis, it was deemed that good political ties at the leadership level could set the tone and pace in this relationship. The study thus showed that the primary motivation of Singapore in the pursuit of this relationship was to secure its own political viability. Finally, the study hopes to fill a gap in the literature on how small states can survive in their environment, and in particular, in this region.