Abdul Razaq Z. Cangara
"Sebagai negara maju dan anggota OECD, Australia merupakan negara yang sangat aktif berkontribusi dalam pembangunan internasional dan pemberantasan kemiskinan melalui pemberian ODA (Official Development Assistance). Dalam rangka mengakselerasi tujuan ODA tersebut, Australia mengadopsi dan mengintegrasikan kebijakan Aid for Trade (AfT) yang secara internasional diluncurkan pada WTO Hongkong Declaration 2005 kedalam kebijakan bantuan luar negerinya pada tahun 2006. Kebijakan ini diambil dengan prinsip bahwa negara maju dapat membantu negara berkembang keluar dari kemiskinan dengan meningkatkan kapasitasnya dalam perdagangan internasional. Berbasis hal ini, sejak 2006, Australia mengimplementasikan kebijakan AfT dengan fokus regional di negara-negara ASEAN melalui bantuan infrastruktur, teknis, dan peningkatan kapasitas dengan inisiatif Greater Mekong Subregion Trade and Transport Facilitation (GMS TTF), ASEAN Australia Development Cooperation Partnership Phase II (AADCP II), dan ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Economic Cooperation Support Program (AAZNFTA ECSP). Berdasarkan hal ini, bila kebijakan AfT Australia ditujukan untuk membantu negara berkembang keluar dari kemiskinan, fokus regional Australia dalam kebijakannya tersebut dinilai timpang dengan kenyataan problematika kemiskinan yang lebih besar terjadi di kawasan lain seperti Afrika. Lebih daripada itu, jika dinilai dari aspek perdagangan internasional, tidak semua negara ASEAN merupakan mitra utama perdagangan dua arahnya. Hal ini menimbulkan pertanyaan mengapa ASEAN menjadi fokus dalam kebijakan AfT Australia ini.
Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk menjawab pertanyaan tersebut dengan menilai aspek kepentingan Australia dalam kebijakan luar negerinya terhadap ASEAN dengan kerangka konsep geoekonomi. Dalam pembahasannya, metode kualitatif akan digunakan untuk menjelaskan kepentingan geoekonomi Australia dalam kebijakan AfT-nya di ASEAN (periode 2006-2014). Analisis kepentingan geoekonomi Australia ini kemudian didasarkan pada tiga hal, yakni: 1) konektivitas perdagangan internasional Australia lintas kawasan, dimana akan membahas kepentingan Australia atas jalur perdagangan strategis di ASEAN yang menghubungkannya kepada mitra dagang utamanya; 2) posisi Australia dalam arsitektur ekonomi regional yang akan mengkaji keterlibatan Australia dalam proses pembentukan dan pemanfaatan perjanjian perdagangan bebas baik bilateral maupun regional, dimana kebijakan AfT Australia sebagai katalis dalam usaha tersebut; dan 3) potensi ekonomi ASEAN bagi Australia di abad Asia dengan penekanan pada potensi demografi ASEAN dan relasi investasi asing langsung (Foreign Direct Investment/FDI) antara kedua pihak.
Australia, as developed country and member of OECD, is a country which actively contributes to international development and poverty eradication efforts via providing ODA (Official Development Assistance). In order to expedite the goal of its ODA, Australia adopts and integrates the Aid for Trade (AfT) policy which was internationally lauched at the WTO Hongkong Declaration 2005 to its aid policy in 2006. This policy was adopted with the principle of which developed countries could assist developing countries to leave poverty by increasing their capacity in international trade. Based on this, since 2006, Australia has been implementing AfT policy with regional focus towards ASEAN countries through infrastructure and technical assistance, as well as capacity building with the initiatives of Greater Mekong Subregion Trade and Transport Facilitation (GMS TTF), ASEAN Australia Development Cooperation Partnership Phase II (AADCP II), and ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Economic Cooperation Support Program (AAZNFTA ECSP). In regards of this policy, if Australia’s AfT policy is directed to assist developing country to leave out poverty, the regional focus of Australia is considered to be inappropriate pertaining to the fact that the problem of poverty is bigger in another region, such as in Africa. Moreover, if it is considered from international trade aspect, it is not all of ASEAN countries which is the main two-way trading partner of Australia. This matter then rises question why ASEAN become the focus in Australia’s AfT policy. This research is adressed to answer that question by considering the aspect of Australia’s interest in its foreign policy towards ASEAN with the conceptual framework of geoeconomics. Inside of explanation, the qualitative methode would be used to explain Australia’s geoeconomic interest in AfT policy in ASEAN (period of 2006-2014). The analysis of geoeconomic interest would then be established upon three things, which are: 1) the connectivity of Australia’s international trade across the region, which would explain Australia’s interest upon strategic trade pathways in ASEAN which connect Australia to its main trade partner; 2) Australia’s position in the regional economic architecture, which would further analyze Australia’s engagement in the process of establishing and utilizing free trade agreement bilaterally an regionally by which the AfT policy plays a role as catalyst towards those efforts; and 3) the ASEAN economic potential for Australia in the Asian century with the emphasis on demographic potential of ASEAN as well as foreign direct investment (FDI) relation on both parties."
Depok: Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik Universitas Indonesia, 2015