Did the Oct. 12 inferno really change Australia?<\/p>\n
Rob Goodfellow, University of Wollongong, New South Wales,
\nAustralia<\/p>\n
How to cope with proximity to Asia has been Australia's
\ndilemma since the World War II. Four events have framed
\nAustralian national perceptions of the countries near north: The
\ndefeat of the invading Japanese Army in New Guinea, the Vietnam
\nWar, Indonesia's annexation of East Timor and the 12 Oct. 2002
\nbombings in Bali.<\/p>\n
Australia's often-turbulent relationship with the region is
\nentering a new phase. This is because as a nation Australia is in
\nthe process of transforming itself into neither a "European" nor
\nan "Asian" society, but rather something uniquely "Australian".<\/p>\n
More than any event since the Japanese Army were turned back
\non the Kakoda Trail above Port Moresby in January 1943, the
\nbombing of the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar in Kuta and the death of
\n202 people (including 88 Australians) has defined what this
\nemerging sense of "Australian-ness" is.<\/p>\n
World War II, Vietnam and East Timor were interpreted by
\nvarious Australian governments as confirmation of Australia"s
\nterritorial vulnerability. The Bali bombings on the other hand
\nhave revealed a depth of national character that has demonstrated
\nthe maturity to recognize the hopes, fears and aspirations of
\nAustralia's Indonesian neighbors -- as they too confront the
\nreckless evils of intolerance, racial hatred and militant
\nfundamentalism.<\/p>\n
Indeed the small but dangerous minority of zealots that
\nthreaten Indonesia's emerging democracy also threatens the entire
\nregion, of which Australia is increasingly, "the odd man in".<\/p>\n
There is ample evidence of an unprecedented level of official
\ncooperation between Australia and Indonesia following Oct. 12.
\nDespite the great differences between cultures, the police in
\nBali and their Australian counterparts -- in particular the
\nAustralian Federal Police, made astonishing progress in bringing
\nthe bombers to justice.<\/p>\n
Further, intelligence organizations in both countries are
\nsharing counter-terrorism expertise in a manner that would have
\nbeen unthinkable prior to the tragedy. (This cooperation was
\nquickly mobilized to respond to the August bombing of the
\nMarriott Hotel in Jakarta.)<\/p>\n
However the greatest impact has been in the way the tragedy
\nhas brought ordinary Australians and Indonesians in closer
\ncontact with each other.<\/p>\n
This relationship is exemplified by Perth roof tiler Peter
\nHughes who suffered horrendous burns in the blast. Hughes now
\nspends much of his time raising funds to support victims in both
\nAustralia and Bali. (The courage of Hughes and others on the
\nnight of the disaster moved the Chief of the Australian Defense
\nForce, Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove, to describe survivors and
\nvolunteers on the scene as "diggers [the traditional word for
\nAustralian soldiers] without a uniform on".)<\/p>\n
It was this determination to be part of a solution, rather
\nthan surrender to terror tactics, that inspired Hughes to present
\na "victim impact statement" to the court in Denpasar.<\/p>\n
This set a precedent in the development of the Indonesian
\njustice system, but it also supported a surprisingly open and
\nworkable system of jurisprudence -- at a critical period in
\nIndonesia's social and political reconstruction.<\/p>\n
In Bali, funds raised by millions of ordinary Australians and
\nhundreds of community and service groups have been spent on
\ndeveloping an ambulance service, establishing a blood bank, on
\nmodernizing emergency facilities and on improving disaster
\npreparedness in both Indonesia, and in Australia's most northerly
\ncapital city -- Darwin.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of smaller organizations around Australia, such as
\nthe "Zero to One Foundation", which supports victims of
\nterrorism, are assisting students affected by the Bali tragedy
\nwith school fees, books, uniforms and other educational costs in
\na program that organizers hope will run over a 20-year period.<\/p>\n
In sport, a nine-a-side version of "Aussie Rules" football,
\nand the Bali International Rugby Tens, were set to commence their
\nrespective competitions in Denpasar on Oct. 11 as part of
\nactivities to memorialize last years bombing victims.<\/p>\n
Many of those participating lost friends and teammates in the
\ntragedy and have expressed determination to commemorate Oct. 12
\nin Bali despite the Australian government's travel advisory.<\/p>\n
My city of Wollongong New South Wales, has hosted three high
\nlevel Indonesia delegations -- one each from Denpasar, Jakarta
\nand Medan. Last week, Wollongong City Gallery Director Peter
\nO'Neill, summed up this new approach during the visit of a
\ndelegation to organize an exchange of staff from the Museum of
\nNorth Sumatra: "Relationships between countries are too
\nimportant to be left solely in the hands of government. [The
\nAustralian] media focuses on government-to-government
\nrelationships but ... there is an enormous series of relations --
\npeople-to-people -- that exceed government relations a hundred
\ntimes over".<\/p>\n
Like Australians observance of "Anzac Day" (an Australian
\nmilitary defeat in Turkey during World War I) the commemoration
\nof the Oct. 12 bombings demonstrates Australians celebrate
\ncharacter rather than cause.<\/p>\n
What Australian's call "mateship" in the face of adversity has
\nagain ennobled us. Bali has not only confirmed our integrity but
\nalso demonstrated a growing desire to imaginatively engage
\nIndonesia at many levels. For this reason, historians of the
\nfuture will see Oct. 12, 2002 as a turning point in Australia's
\nnational journey.<\/p>\n
The writer has recently completed his PhD in Indonesian
\nhistory and politics. He is the author of a number of books on
\nAustralian relations with the region.<\/p>",
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