RI educational mission to U.S.
RI educational mission to U.S.
JAKARTA (JP): A. R. Ramly, former Indonesian ambassador to the
United States and now chairman of the widely-diversified PT Astra
International, is excited about an educational mission to be
conducted by Indonesian businessmen in the U.S. next month.
"Business meetings are simply normal and even a standard
agenda for a business delegation. But when a business mission
also distributes teaching guidelines, that is rather unusual,"
Ramly noted.
Ramly was referring to the Scholastic Ambassador Program for
Indonesia, under which posters and teaching guidelines on
Indonesia will be distributed to around 70,000 high school
teachers throughout the U.S.
The program is one of the two main agendas of an Indonesian
business delegation which will make a ten-day visit to the U.S.
beginning on Sept.10.
Ramly said as a former ambassador in Washington he was often
dumbfounded by the extreme lack of knowledge on the part of the
American people about the basic facts on Indonesia.
"I think the scholastic ambassador program is a long-term
endeavor but a very important one to promote mutual understanding
between the two countries," added Ramly, who will also join the
delegation.
The business mission, to be led by Coordinating Minister for
Industry and Trade Hartarto, will include Bank Indonesia's
Governor Soedradjad Djiwandono, East Java's Governor Basofi
Sudirman and several other officials as well as 30 businessmen.
The mission is being organized jointly by the U.S. Committee
of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (KIKAS), the American-
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-ASEAN Council.
Guidelines
KIKAS Chairman Tony Agus Ardie said the teaching guidelines
are being prepared in cooperation with Scholastic Education Inc.,
the largest publisher and distributor of textbooks for high
schools in the U.S.
Two teaching materials are being prepared under the
supervision of Alwi Dahlan, a noted mass communications scholar
and vice chairman of the Team for the Propagation and Application
of Pancasila, the state ideology.
Colorful posters that depict Indonesia's geography, history,
culture, economy and tourism will be used, along with a teacher's
guide and student resource materials.
"The education program is a long-term project but is vital to
strengthen cooperation and mutual understanding between the two
countries, their leaders and their peoples," Tony said.
He said future U.S. government leaders and businessmen will
come from the estimated 16 million high school students in that
country now.
The other program of the delegation will consist of business
meetings in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and
Los Angeles.
The Indonesia-U.S. business meeting in New York will discuss
investment and trade opportunities, infrastructure, tourism and
banking.
The program in Washington will include a U.S.-Indonesia
business roundtable and an economic policy roundtable, which will
be co-chaired by Hartarto and American Secretary of Commerce Ron
Brown.
"These roundtable discussions will be unique as they will also
be attended by U.S. congressmen," Tony added.
In Chicago, the U.S. ASEAN Council is arranging individual
meetings between Indonesian businessmen and their U.S.
counterparts.
The programs in San Francisco and Los Angeles will consist of
small group meetings and business panel presentations.
Among the 30 Indonesian businessmen who will join the mission
are Aburizal Bakrie of the Bakrie Group, Sukamdani S.
Gitosardjono of the Sahid Group, Sofyan Wanandi of the Gemala
Group, Hashim S. Djojohadikusumo of the Tirtamas Group, Murdaya
W. Poo of the Murdaya Group, Suyanto Gondokusumo of the Dharmala
Group, Rudy Pesik of PT Birotika Semesta and Hari Darmawan of the
Matahari Group.(vin)