The United Kingdom (UK) made a decision to leave the European Union (EU) or so-called Brexit (British Exit). The vote was accounted that 51% of the people agree and 49% of the people disagree. Thus, Brexit will bring a lot of impacts to the UK and the EU.
The hottest issue attracted Master of International Relations (MIHI) of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogayakrta (UMY) to conduct Focus Group Discussion on Monday (27/6) at student hall of MIHI, Graduate School of UMY.
Ali Muhammad, S.IP., M.A., Ph.D., dean of Social and Political Science Faculty (FISIPOL) of UMY as well as one of the speakers of the discussion, stated that the Brexit will affect the relations between the UK and EU, particularly in economic aspects. The impacts cannot be noticed in a short time but in the coming years. “It is full of uncertainty. What relations may exist between the UK and EU post the Brxit? It will be seen two to four years later,” he argued.
The UK possessed an essential role in the EU. “The UK is one of the powers of the EU with Germany, France, and Italia. The UK is included in top ten countries have the greatest contribution to the EU. However, the UK is not the main country drive the EU. The UK tended to be skeptical of the EU. In fact, the UK joined the EU in 1973 and it was to ‘late’ to join,” he asserted.
He mentioned several reasons why the UK left the EU. “The skeptic drove the country to leave the EU. The country considered that the EU has restrained regulations which do not benefit the country. Indeed, the UK is eager to entirely control border areas and manage people who come, stay, and work in the country. The ambition is contrast to the concepts of the EU,” he emphasized.
Nevertheless, other EU members will not follow Brexit. “I think that other countries possess a small power to be like Brexit. I am worried that Germany will dominate post Brexit,” he contended.
Besides, Prof. Tulus Warsito acting as the other speaker told that the notion of Brexit had existed, but it just occurred now. “It is not sudden. In 1973, the UK joined the UK, but the following two years the UK performed referendum to use its own accuracy, poundsterling, instead of euro belonging to the EU,” he informed.
He conveyed that Brexit will not bring significant impacts to Indonesia. “If it is Brexit, Indonesia will only confront protectionism of the UK, while the multilateralism of the EU will remain existing,” he ended.
