Don’t let the students’ issue become a stumbling block

The India-Australia relationship should be viewed within larger parameters than specific events of the past year, writes

PARAMJIT S SAHAI

The significance of the visit of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to India on November 11-12, 2009 was lost to the general public, as the media continued to see it from a onepoint agenda – racial attacks on Indian students in Australia. The TV sound bytes and the media headlines only focused on the concerns expressed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the safety of Indian students and the assurances given by the Australian Prime Minister on zero tolerance on the attacks on Indian students, while not completely ruling out similar incidents. It was a case of missing the wood for the trees, as other aspects of bilateral relationship were given a miss. It is true that the Indian students’ issue should have been high on the agenda and it needed to be addressed on a priority basis. This, however, has to be seen in the larger context of India-Australia relations. Even from a limited perspective of students alone, this has to be addressed, in its totality. It is not only education alone, but a mix between education and migration, as this dream continues to be sold to students. It has reportedly emerged as a two billion dollar industry, with shady characters operating on both sides. It is therefore important that in fixing the students’ problem, we do not stifle the channels for migration. We need to give time to Australia to resolve the issue, as Rome was not built in one day.

India-Australia relations, therefore, have to be allowed to run on two tracks simultaneously. Our efforts should be to build on bilateral relations, while we continue finding a meaningful and acceptable resolution of the students’ issue. Prime Minister Rudd’s visit was undertaken keeping in view these considerations. His visit was a culmination of earlier Ministerial visits to India, including that of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. In fact, 2009 can be rightfully described as the Year of Australia in India, for a record number of high level visits in one year. This Festival of Australia, however, lacked a spirit of bonhomie that is associated with such events, as all the visits were undertaken under the shadow of the students’ issue. This bonhomie would return when India launches ‘Days of India’ in Australia in 2010 and Australia places its focus on India during 2012.

We, however, have to look beyond the students’ issues, while it is being resolved. In his address at the Indian Council for World Affairs, Prime Minister Rudd made a forceful and well argued presentation of

2010. He also reiterated Australia’s support for a permanent seat for India in the UNSC. This was music for India’s ears, as it feels that it rightfully deserves a place on this high table.

The shape of an IndiaAustralia Strategic Partnership was highlighted in the two documents issued on November 12, 2009 – the Joint Statement and the India-Australia Joint Security Declaration. The Joint Statement harped on “shared interests and shared values”, built on “pluralist democracies”, rapidly expanding economic relationship and “a shared desire to enhance and maintain peace stability and propriety in Asia”. A vigorous bilateral partnership would be built through expanding economic links, cooperation in energy, climate change and water. Australia committed to provide Aus $20 million over a five year period for joint research in dry-land agriculture in India, under the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research.

Both the countries reaffirmed the need to build a Knowledge Partnership and Australia agreed to commit Aus $10 million per annum for five years, with a similar contribution from India under the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.

This would help in building on earlier successful cooperation. The areas of focus would be energy, food and water security, health and environment. The Statement is silent on the sale of uranium. To provide greater content to the strategic partnership, Australia would have to make policy changes for the sale of uranium to India. Prime Minister Rudd has a job cut out for him, as he needs only to convince his Party diehards, as the Opposition Conservative Party is already on board.

The second document, IndiaAustralia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, affirms the joint commitment and establishes a framework for such cooperation. The elements of cooperation would embrace areas, such as information exchanges and cooperation within multilateral frameworks in Asia. It aims taking the defence cooperation to a higher stage, under the earlier framework, as agreed to in MOU on Defence Conference signed in March 2006. This would also pave way for cooperation in combating terrorism and transnational organised crime, police and law enforcement, disaster management, maritime and aviation security.

There is a greater need to bridge the information gap that exists. Promised steps to provide greater connectivity at the people-to-people through cultural exchanges, exchange of youth leadership and parliamentarians are the right steps in this direction. The media is the missing link, as there is no resident presence, either in India or Australia. Let the media also wake up to its social responsibility. While it discharges its responsibility as an independent channel of news, it should also give a more balanced coverage on the other facets of the bilateral relationship. The students’ issue should not be allowed to become a stumbling block. It has to be seen in the larger context, while all efforts are made to fix it, sooner rather than later.

It is in everybody’s interest to keep open the channels for education and migration. India-Australia relations are poised for greater heights, beyond the single agenda on students. Students, as future migrants, should be seen as bridge-builders, as has happened in various other countries, where the Indian Diaspora is located.

Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had openly lauded the role of the Indian Diaspora at the Pravasi Bharati Divas (PBD) Celebrations in 2008 and 2009. Australia, therefore, needs to infuse a new spirit into the Indian Diaspora, including students, by turning them into a new channel and a force in the emerging IndiaAustralia Strategic Partnership.