Pauline Hanson factor fails to rate Indonesia: Study<\/p>\n
By Rob Goodfellow<\/p>\n
WOLLONGONG, Australia (JP): A recent qualitative study
\nconducted in Indonesia suggests that the Pauline Hanson Factor
\nwas not high in the minds of the average Indonesian man in the
\nstreet.<\/p>\n
This was just one of a number of findings made in a study
\ninvolving 100 ordinary Indonesian people by Wollongong
\nUniversity-based IRIS Research.<\/p>\n
The survey group included Indonesian high school students,
\nretired people, university undergraduates and wage and salary
\nearners, and was conducted in the city of Yogyakarta in Central
\nJava. Yogyakarta has over 70 universities and colleges and is
\nwidely accepted as Indonesia's \"cultural and educational
\ncapital\".<\/p>\n
The survey followed similar research conducted in Australia in
\n1994.<\/p>\n
Following its release, the results of the \"Australian
\nattitudes to Indonesia\" questionnaire were widely published,
\ndiscussed and debated in both countries.<\/p>\n
Like the Australian survey, the Indonesian-based research
\nasked four questions of a mixed gender sample of 100 high school
\nstudents, retired people, university undergraduates and wage and
\nsalary earners. Twenty-five Indonesian people in each group were
\nrandomly selected and asked the following questions -- what is
\nthe first thing you think of when I say the word \"Australia\", who
\nis the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, what is
\nthe capital of Australia, and, finally, what are your feelings
\nabout present and future bilateral relations?<\/p>\n
In contrast to the same survey conducted with an Australian
\nsample in 1994, which exposed an overwhelmingly negative or
\nhostile attitude to Indonesia, this questionnaire revealed that
\nmost Indonesians in the survey group had a warm or positive
\nopinion of Australia.<\/p>\n
One surprising result was that 22 percent of the sample
\nbelieved that Paul Keating was still Prime Minister of Australia,
\n68 percent did not know or would not comment and only 11 percent
\nwere able to correctly identify John Howard as the leader of
\nIndonesia's closest neighbor.<\/p>\n
However, the most unexpected result was that \"Pauline Hanson\"
\nor the \"One Nation Party\" was not raised at all, as either a
\nnegative first impression or as a criticism of Australia.<\/p>\n
Significantly the survey team had expected Hanson and One
\nNation to be major issues of concern to Indonesians but that this
\nhad not been a feature at all. Two questions covering top of mind
\nimpressions and the future of bilateral relationships did not
\nelicit any unprompted mention of One Nation from any respondent.<\/p>\n
Martin O'Shannessy, chief executive officer of IRIS Research,
\nactually suggested in response to the findings of the survey that
\nthe most striking contrast borne out by the questionnaire was the
\ndifference between attitudes expressed in Australia and Indonesia
\nabout the negative impact of One Nation.<\/p>\n
The other important factor is that while the 1993 study found
\nthat Australians were ignorant and suspicious in their attitudes
\ntoward Indonesia, the 1998 survey showed that a warm and
\noptimistic view of Australia is held by Indonesians with 100
\npercent of respondents giving a positive or even affectionate
\nresponse when questioned on their top of mind impressions about
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
Images of kangaroos, aborigines, farming, beautiful cities and
\ncultural landmarks were all positively mentioned as well as the
\nquality of education and tourism opportunities.<\/p>\n
Significantly, 100 percent of retired people surveyed believed
\nthat relations between Indonesia and Australia were \"close\" or
\n\"good\".<\/p>\n
On the negative side, 24 percent of high school students
\nrecorded critical responses. These included that \"relations with
\nAustralia were good before Australia confronted Indonesia at the
\n1998 Asian Europe Meeting (ASEM) in London. Since then, they have
\nbeen cold or distant\"; and \"far because the Indonesian government
\nis in total disorder and the Indonesian economy is ruined because
\nof the monetary crisis\".<\/p>\n
Two respondents mentioned that relationships between the two
\nnations were \"distant\" \"because of the geographical distance
\nbetween borders\".<\/p>\n
Twenty-eight percent of salary earners surveyed made negative
\ncomments about future relationships based on perceptions of
\nAustralia's role in the East Timor controversy. For example,
\n\"far apart because many people from East Timor in Australia raise
\nhuman rights issues against Indonesia. However relations can
\nimprove if we have cooperation in the field of student and
\ncultural exchanges\"; \"not so harmonious because fugitives of
\nFretilin (an opposition party in East Timor) are given sanctuary
\nin Australia\"; \"relations are far apart because of the troubles
\nin East Timor, especially because the hand of Fretilin can be
\nseen in Australia's support and Australia has combined with
\nPortugal to undermine Indonesia's position\"; and finally
\n\"disturbed because relations over East Timor are strained\".<\/p>\n
Finally, of the Gadjah Mada University students surveyed a 16
\npercent negative response was noted, including the following;
\n\"Far apart because of the cultural differences between the two
\ncountries and because each country must follow a different or
\ndistinctive political path\"; \"rather estranged because
\nAustralians are frightened that there are so many people in
\nIndonesia and that one day, Indonesia will have to expand its
\nterritory to include Australia\".<\/p>\n
The writer is a Ph.D. research fellow at the University of
\nWollongong, journalist, author and Indonesian cultural
\nconsultant.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pauline-hanson-factor-fails-to-rate-indonesia-study-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}