NationStates Jolt Archive

BALIKPAPAN, KALIMANTAN TIMUR, INDONESIA

Balikpapan was one of the many cities that had boomed due to the policies of the Suharto administration. In the 19th century, the city had been a small Bugis fishing village; in the 20th century, it had become an oil boomtown. In the '70s, it had a growth rate of 7%, due to the oil and timber industries.

A Javanese man from Kediri, Jawa Timur, and a Japanese woman representing a shipping company both moved to Balikpapan because of this business. And on June 16, 1971, they had a kid. The Javanese man, Hitam Sutiyoso, named the child Nasira Ayuwati Kusuma, and then ran off to Surabaya. That left the child's mother, Kokuri Masami, to raise Nasira on her own. The kid was raised between Balikpapan and her mother's hometown of Tokyo, Japan.

On May 1, 2004, that kid, 32 then, became President of Indonesia. Now 35, Kusuma was one of the most well-loved figures in her country.

"Do you trust the Indians, Meiyu?" she asked her Vice President, Shi Meiyu, who was sitting next to her in the black Lexus IS 350, which rolled towards Balikpapan's airport to pick up the Indian President.

The Chinese woman shrugged, "Their country is full of sweatshops and greedy American companies."

"So is yours," Kusuma replied, sticking her tongue out.

"Shut up, biao zi," Shi replied, playfully punching Kusuma on the shoulder.

Kusuma laughed, putting her hand on her VP's thigh. "You're so cute when you're angry."

Shi batted the hand away, "You're insatiable!"

"You don't complain," Kusuma retorted, sticking her tongue out.

The car pulled up in front of Sepinggan International Airport, causing both of them to stop with their antics immediately. A burly guard got out of the passenger's seat and waited for the Indian president to arrive.

The first wheel of the plane thumped down, in the tiny private jet it caused a huge jolt that sent the glasses of some of the lesser government offcials spiralling into the air. His Excellency Kocheril Raman Narayanan President of India this jet for nearly two decades and had before made the mistakes that were now sopping his aides.

Carefully he tucked some papers back into a portfolio, which was only mildly wet, and stood up shakily on the arm of his personnel security liason, "Thank you." After gathering his watch from the table he started out at the customary old man's pace inteded to slow the progression of all those behind him. Within the minute though he was at the boarding ramp which was lowered with a hiss, an airport official began helping him out.

"This is Indonesia?" the President looked around him at the airport, he had always been lead to believe that it was a festering, communist sludge hole littered with the corpses of the innocent. "Are you sure about this Ramij? I was always under the impression that they needed our help more then them us. That has always been my policy from your intelligence."

A much younger man, with muscles bulging over him, in a tight black suit patted the President's arm assuringly, "Sir, it is a day away from collapse even here, in the smaller islands it is all and more that my reports have suggested." The group made there way through customs which was rather tricky in the case of Remij, who if not on a diplomatic envoy would have been thrown to the ground and bayoneted by any half way decent guard. After a short debate, the weapons were turned over qutie a small boc of them and were held at the terminal.

"The air is even sweeter out here." President Narayanan had grown up in the streets of Lahore, where industry belched clouds over his two room home. Even the smell of burning jet fuel was an improvement to the permanant stench that hung around the cities of India. "Ah...That's probably them over there 'one car', "um Gerrashi take this and wait back in the plane." He pulled out an envelope from his jacket and handed it to the man, this action receivied a doubtful look from Remij. The President bowed his head a fraction of an inch to the car, signifiying his intents and slowly mumbling with the pain in his feet pulled up to the side. "We may have to smoosh up a bit, I don't think I could without Remij." He playfully patted the mans muscular arm and slipped into the car.

OOC I find it very difficult to do the whole Diplomatic "permission to come aboard" thing so just take them whever they're going and up to any conference room you please.

ooc: Alright.
And your reports are really faulty. :D

IC: The conference room was once an office building used by a foreign oil company who hadn't come back after the Revolution, as the oil industry had been nationalized in 2004. It wasn't the nicest place, but it wasn't a run-down shack, either. There were plenty of those on the outskirts of Balikpapan, she was somewhat ashamed to admit, Cahaya hadn't undone every vestige of the old regimes.

"Can I get you anything, President Narayanan? Tea..." Kusuma asked, doing her best to keep the word "Comrade" from slipping out of her mouth. It tended to make foreign dignitaries from capitalist countries somewhat uncomfortable. She sat down at one end of a table in the conference room, interlocking her fingers and placing them in her lap. "Or would you just like to get right to business?"

"I'm afraid I have always enjoyed tea more then business," he laughed lightly. Narayanan had a face tha permanatly suggested paternal good feeling, as if you could tell him everything and there would be some strong shoulder to lean on. Unfortunately everyone outside of India seemed to know that trick and his affability, was always overclouded by his frail frame and the brittle cracking sounds that were coming with more and more frequency.

"Well if that's alright then I beleive we should begin." He cracked his fingers and reached for the portfolio he had left beside him, by the time he was half way through the motion Remij who hadn't said a word, had placed the portfolio and returned to a silent standing position to his left. "Remij," the President tipped his invisible hat and returned to look at the women across from him.

"As I understand the situation told to me by my ministers we are requesting a Mutual Protection pact between our nations." He started flipping throug the papers in front of him, he had obviously memorizied the order as he hardly had to look down. "This would include military cooaperation, mainly between our navies, lowered trade tariffs in the indain ocean between our traders, that with the political power gained from this allignment we could easily secure else where." He paused and took a sip of the tea, it really was quite terrible and with only a twitch at the mouth he continued.

"As I understand it also promises the Matinence of Sovereignty, any nation attacks and we shall defend one another. There is also some fact about insuring the economic stability of the other nation to see that their populace will not suffer extensive poverty." Hopefully he had just dropped his bomb, provide Remij was right anyway.

"That is how I understand the deal. Of course as this is negotiations, we understand that Indonesia will be wanting something different perhaps...?" he left the sentance hanging for his counterpart to finish.

Kusuma nodded, "Yes, most of that is, in a nutshell, what I had in mind."
"Both of our peoples do indeed suffer from poverty, despite our government's efforts and no doubt yours as well," she said, "I guess I should tell you the parts of this agreement I can't agree to, not necessarily because I don't agree with them, but I don't have the authority to agree to."

"First of all, the tariffs. The authority to lower and raise tariffs lies within the People's National Assembly, not me," she continued, "Essentially, Mr. President, I have no control over the purse strings. I will bring it to the attention of the PNA, but that's all I can really do besides approve it when it gets to me. I'm next to completely sure that they would be willing to spend money to avert a humanitarian crisis in your country, but I can't guarantee anything with the tariffs."

"However, I do control the military, and as such, I wholeheartedly agree with the mutual defense of our nations' sovereignties," Kusuma said, "The remnants of Wira bin Dian's army on the island of Sumatera, who were responsible for the bombing in Medan, have reportedly been razing villages and kidnapping young boys and girls to sell them into sex slavery. Smuggling them out obviously involves crossing the Indian Ocean, so we would appreciate any help the Indian Navy could do in stopping these ships. The Revolutionary Navy will, in return, help stop the piracy which plagues the Indian Ocean."

"I see, well that seems all fine, tariffs are indeed a tricky situation in India, our Congress has never fully decided between encouraging trade and good naturedness or taxing their brains out." He gave the women a wan smile, he had always dreamed of making India like Indonesia, a people's dictaroship, all the corruption and lobbying of the Congress had turned minds of previous President's to jelly.

"Good I think we understand each other. I think in fact we can show the world how different governments can work togeather despite ther leanings." Naryanan flicked open another stapled sheef of papers, "As for the navy assisting you. If Grand Admiral Sushil Kumar were here, he would be on his knees thanking you. He tells there are several new frigates on shakedown cruises, not mention the INS Vikramaditya with a full flight crew will be more then happy to assist. It is one thing India especially cannot abide is the subjugation of peoples against their wills. In Asia it seems to be an underlying theme, one which instead of seperating us should bring us togeather." Finally the President pulled out the sheet he was looking for, and handed it over, "Run this by everyone, it is all that we have discussed here, although minus the tariffs. The Indian ministry of Foreign Relations will have an up to date one very soon and we can all sign it."

"When exactly did you plan on moving agaisnt Wira bin Dian? Our admiralty more then happy to demostrate our comittment to alliance.

"Wira himself is annoyingly out of our reach. His family is good friends with the Raja of Perlis in Malaysia, and he lives there in Arau on money he stole from the government budget when he was in power," Kusuma replied, "I would love any international pressure on the Malaysian government to have him extradited back here. We've been itching to try him for his innumerable crimes for three years now."

"As for his forces on Sumatera, we and the Free Aceh Movement have been cooperating in smashing them out. Wira treated the Acehnese like so much cow dung when he ruled, and they haven't forgotten," she continued, absentmindedly twirling one of her many braids around a finger, "They are hated by pretty much everyone, they are as barbaric as the RUF was in Sierra Leone, if not more. The ABRI has been successful in dealing with them as a result. However, if you would like to help, I'm not one to turn you away."

After scribbling a similar note that the Indian president had and passing it to her Vice President, she continued, "We will likewise dedicate some of our navy to finding any shipping carrying trafficked humans from your country and send them back. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

"I do not believe that there is, and have been greatful that I would been seen. Unfortunately I must return home if we are completed, our navy will begin running support missions, once they have orders to do so. This will indeed lead to a great new bond and shall hopefully end some of our major problems. I should have liked to have stayed, and vistited your beasutiful country but the pressures of state...I'm sure you know anyway." The President inclined his head slightly and departed with Remji in tow. Hopefully a driver could be arranged to the airport, but as he had grown up in India he was not in the least bit afraid of the streets here, they would be a stroll through the park in comparison. Within the hour he would be on his way home.