The humanistic character of our southern neighbor<\/p>\n
Alpha Amirrachman, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As a person lucky enough to win an Australian Development
\nScholarship, I had the privilege of not only developing my
\nresearch skills and enhancing my academic standing at the oldest
\nAustralian university, but also to delve into the heart of the
\nAustralian way of life and gain an insight into Australian
\nperspectives.<\/p>\n
In the light of the historical visit by the Indonesian president
\nthis month to Australia, I would like to reflect on my personal
\nexperiences of how my three-year stay in the country deepened my
\nunderstanding of our southern neighbor, which is culturally,
\neconomically and politically so different from us.<\/p>\n
The first event that shaped my perceptions was when I saw a
\ngroup of Palestinian-Australian students demonstrating to protest
\nan Israeli attack on the late Yasser Arafat's headquarters just
\nabout 100 meters away from a group of Jewish-Australian students
\ncommemorating the Holocaust. No violence -- not even verbal.<\/p>\n
There was a great deal of tolerance! Many people showed
\nrespect and interest by talking to both sides. I could not
\nimagine this happening in our county, where anti-Semitism has
\nbecome almost the flesh on our bones.<\/p>\n
And when the Bali blast killed many Australians, I immediately
\nextended my condolences to an officemate in the faculty, who
\nimmediately replied, \"I feel so sorry for the Balinese who also
\nlost their lives. It must be hard for their families.\" I could
\nsee obvious sadness in her face, but I did not see any anger,
\nalthough she later told me that one of her friends was killed.<\/p>\n
But that was in the academic world! How about outside the
\nuniversity? During one party, one of the girls I had recently met could
\nnot hide her anger and cynicism, \"Bali is totally different from
\nthe rest of Indonesia. It doesn't actually belong to your
\ncountry.\" I politely responded, \"Even without Bali, our country
\nis still so diverse, so what do you mean by the rest of
\nIndonesia?\" \"The rest means the Muslim majority.\" I saw no point
\nin arguing any more.<\/p>\n
On one evening when we were in a bar in Newtown, some of my
\ninternational friends verbally attacked me, \"Your country must be
\na very dangerous place as there are so many Muslims there!\"
\nWhile I was only having a glass of orange juice and the others
\nwere drinking beer, the comment was more than enough to make my
\nblood boil. I replied angrily that violence is \"so normal\" in
\nIndonesia that a simple communal fight could result in headless
\nbodies lying on the street. It was my Australian friend who
\ncalmed me down as he pulled me out of the bar before driving me
\nhome.<\/p>\n
The Bali blast, in fact, profoundly shocked Australia, and
\npeople spontaneously responded by giving donations. They were
\ngreatly united in sorrow. Indeed, in a country where violence is
\nso rare, the Bali blast was seen as an immense catastrophe. By
\ncontrast, in our country, where violence is almost the norm, the
\nblast was perhaps regarded as \"business as usual\".<\/p>\n
In general, I found that the Australians are more forgiving
\nand humanistic in nature. The donations flowed not only to the
\nAustralian victims, but even more so to the Indonesians in Bali
\nwho suffered in the incident. The Australian government even
\nbuilt a hospital there as a sign of appreciation to the Balinese.<\/p>\n
Another example of this humanistic character was the public
\nreaction after the Australian security forces broke down the door
\nof an Indonesian Muslim family's house in Lakemba -- an area of
\nSydney with a big Muslim population. The next morning the
\nnewspapers were filled with letters protesting against the
\nallegedly harsh treatment that the suspected \"terrorist\" Muslim
\nfamily had to endure.<\/p>\n
They expressed great sympathy for the devout Muslim family.
\nThere were also news reports in which the reporters interviewed
\nthe family's neighbors, who defended them as a caring family that
\ncould not possibly be involved in terrorism. Later, the
\nauthorities returned their confiscated possessions.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, however, the incident sparked huge protests.
\nBrowsing the internet, I found that there were almost daily
\ndemonstrations protesting against the alleged harsh treatment
\nthat the Indonesian family received. However, no Indonesian news
\noutlet reported anything about the sections of the Australian
\npublic who responded sympathetically to the incident. In most of
\nthe Indonesian media, the overall picture portrayed was that the
\nAustralians were bent on a crusade for vengeance.<\/p>\n
What made me feel ashamed, therefore, was our imprudent
\nattitude and the fact that we seemed to forget that many
\nAustralians had lost their lives in a vicious way at the hands of
\nterrorists who happened to be Indonesians. Yet, they were still
\nable to display genuine sympathy for us. These humanistic and
\nforgiving acts by many sections of Australian society should open
\nour eyes when assessing the character of our southern neighbor.
\nThis was further evidenced when the tsunami devastated large
\nswathes of Aceh. The reaction of the Australian public was
\nunprecedented and their donations were the biggest in the world.
\nWhat more evidence do we need?<\/p>\n
However, we still need greater efforts to help our fellow
\ncountrymen truly comprehend and appreciate the character of our
\nsouthern neighbor. While one cannot make generalizations, it is
\nnevertheless a fact that exposing ourselves to their lives is an
\ninvaluable experience and helps us gain a clearer picture of the
\nway in which Australians perceive us as their northern neighbor.
\nI found that education is the best bridge that can facilitate
\nthis. Further educational collaboration, such as student exchange
\nprograms, will enhance genuine understanding between the people
\nof our two countries. As John Howard once said, \"We can change
\nour friends, but not our neighbor.\"<\/p>\n
The writer is a Master of Philosophy in Education candidate at
\nthe School of Policy and Practice, Faculty of Education and
\nSocial Work, University of Sydney, and is on an AusAID
\nscholarship. He is also a member of JIMM (Muhammadiyah
\nIntellectual Network).<\/p>\n
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