Prabowo,a likely presidential candidate again in the 2024 Indonesian elections after two unsuccessful runs,also repeated Jakarta’s formal stance during an appearance at a Middle East security forum. But the former army general conveyed a different perspective about AUKUS,the security deal between Australia,the United States and the United Kingdom under which Australia is to acquire a fleet of nuclear-propelled submarines.
“Officially,our position is that of course south-east Asia should remain nuclear-free. And the fear of course among south-east Asian nations is that this will spark an arms race ... this will spark more countries seeking nuclear submarines,” Prabowo said during an appearance at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Manama Dialogue.
“We know that now the technology is there. I think that many other countries can very soon have nuclear submarines. I would say Japan,India and many,many other countries. So that’s the concern.
“But as I said the emphasis of every country is to protect their national interest. If they feel threatened,if they feel that they have an existential threat,they will do whatever they can to protect themselves. We understand that and we respect them.”
His comments are more accommodating of Australia’s submarine plans and AUKUS than those previously uttered by Indonesian officials,including Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
There was more apprehension,however,from his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein when he addressed the same audience of government ministers in Bahrain over the weekend,saying the chance of accidental conflict in the South China Sea was a major worry.