Jakarta: For all his thundering about unnamed foreign villains and meddlers, Prabowo Subianto at least seems to have a soft spot for Australia.

The defence minister and former special forces commander, who declared victory and is on track to be Indonesia’s next president, reminded the 2022 Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore of “Australian labour unions striking for our independence”.

Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, during their meeting in Jakarta in June.Credit: AP

“We remember Australian workers refusing to handle Dutch cargo,” he said, concluding a story of Nelson Mandela and the importance of remembering your friends.

The reference was to Australian wharfies’ 1945 embargo of the “black armada” of Dutch ships trying to sail for Indonesia, which had recently asserted its independence. The Dutch of the day, however, considered it their colonial possession and were attempting to reassert control amid the shambles of World War II.

Workers spoiled the plans of more than 500 Dutch crews across multiple cities, making it one of Australia’s biggest ever boycotts. Indonesia’s first prime minister, Sutan Syahrir, thanked Australians in a 1945 radio address.

Australia’s relationship with its giant near neighbour has had its share of downers since 1945, but it is important and presently good.

We have a free trade deal and a comprehensive strategic partnership. Defence Minister Richard Marles met with his counterpart Prabowo in November last year to continue work on a defence co-operation agreement supposed to facilitate sharing of information and technology.

But there are concerns among some Indonesia watchers about what a Prabowo presidency might mean for Indonesian democracy and its relationship with the region. The party he founded, Gerindra, for example, has a platform of returning to the 1945 constitution, which would consolidate more power in the palace and do away with direct presidential elections.