Indian Poise

The success of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition in surviving a confidence vote in Parliament late Tuesday bodes well for regional stability and relations with Indonesia.

Opposition parties had put a motion forward censuring a 2005 India-U.S. pact which would allow the United States to sell nuclear technology to India once it has separated its civil and military programs and accepted a certain level of UN inspections.

The provision of nuclear technology is a strong answer to the growing hunger for energy in the world's largest democracy.

Mainstream media reaction was also positive. The Times of India said it was a "necessary victory" that would enable the Congress Party to push through its reform agenda.

Meanwhile, Indian shares rose by more than 5 percent Wednesday on news of the victory.

Since assuming office in 2004, Singh has provided the kind of leadership that Indonesia, and Southeast Asia as a whole, has sought from a regional leader like India.

He has intensified India's "Look East" policy and built on the good work of his predecessor, prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

We have seen in recent years a genuine and concerted effort by Delhi to reconnect with Southeast Asia -- culturally, politically, economically and militarily -- reaffirming its historical bonds that provide the subcontinent with an underused soft power capability equaled only by that of China.

While the fate of Indian governments is exclusively the right of Indians to decide, we believe the continuation of the Congress-led coalition brings the political stability needed for India to extend its upward trajectory and allow it the poise necessary to assume its role as a regional leader.

India is not a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. We hope the eventual ratification of deal signed with the United States will bring India further in toward an accepted international framework.

The nuclear deal has been submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency and is awaiting approval from the 35-member board.

The deal itself may also have beneficial consequences for Indonesia.

It is beyond doubt that India is one of Indonesia's most strategic partners. We believe that as economic links augment and political linkages solidify, the relationship could emerge into alliance in everything but name.

Hence the possibilities go beyond cultural nuances as avenues of cooperation increasingly deepen.

India and Indonesia face the same predicament of energy deficit, and this is certainly an area in which the two countries can cooperate.

As India progresses in its advancement of nuclear technology, as a consequence of the deal signed with the United States, there is opportunity for Indonesia to seek advice in issues of nuclear technology.

If Indonesia does decide to make the quantum leap into the nuclear energy field, our good friend in South Asia is certainly one resource we should seek assistance from.

As constraints continue to remain on the transfer of "sensitive" technology from the United States, Jakarta should actively seek alternative reference points to boost our peaceful efforts.

Despite having made its own quantum leap into the democratic arena, Indonesia continues to be unnecessarily encumbered by unfair constraints that limit technology transfer by certain politicians in the United States who refuse to revise their perception of Indonesia.

The similarity of conditions, political outlook and economic conditions make India a perfectly new preference.

We look forward to India's future involvement, guidance and assistance for the mutual benefit of Asia's two largest democracies.