Reviving the teaching of Indonesian: Why bother?

1. Reviving the teaching of Indonesian: Why bother? Colin Brown Parahyangan University, Bandung, Indonesia and Griffith Asia Institute, Brisbane

2. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Smarttraveller: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/ 2

3. Lowy Institute poll, 2011 61% of respondents thought Indonesia posed a military threat to Australia; 69% thought Indonesia was “essentially controlled by the military” Fergus Hanson, Australia and the World. Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Lowy Institute, Sydney, 2011, p 15 3

4. Lowy Institute poll, 2011 Only 52% agreed that “Indonesia is an emerging democracy”. Hanson, Australia and the World, p 15 4

5. DFAT Travel Advisory Category 3: Reconsider your need to travel Category 2: Exercise a high degree of caution 5

6. DFAT Travel Advisory You should take particular care to avoid places known to be terrorist targets. Tourist areas and attractions throughout Indonesia and tourists travelling to or from these places, including those in tour groups or tour buses, could be targeted. 6

7. DFAT Travel Advisory Other possible targets include international hotels, clubs, sporting clubs and venues, restaurants, international fast food outlets, bars, nightclubs, Western-branded venues, cinemas, theatres, 7

8. DFAT Travel Advisory Jakarta’s embassy district and diplomatic missions elsewhere, international schools, expatriate housing compounds and Western interests and businesses. Places frequented by foreigners, central business areas, office buildings, 8

9. DFAT Travel Advisory churches and other places of worship, airlines, airports, public transport and transport hubs, shopping centres, premises and symbols associated with the Indonesian Government, and outdoor recreation events are also potential targets. Indonesia, DFAT, Canberra, 20 September 2012 available at http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Indonesia accessed 24 September 2012 9

10. Islam 10

11. Islam 11

12. David Hill, Indonesian Language in Australian Universities The Travel Advisory has had a disastrous impact upon educational links. The advisories are frequently misinterpreted by state education departments, schools and universities as a “ban” on travel, despite various explanations to the contrary by DFAT staff. 12

13. Hill, Indonesian Language Schools find they cannot get travel insurance for student language study trips, and have little choice but to cease school exchange visits. David Hill, Indonesian Language in Australian Universities. Strategies for a stronger future, Australian Learning and Teaching Council National Teaching Fellowship Final Report, Murdoch University, Perth, April 2012, p 26. http://altcfellowship.murdoch.edu.au/finalreport.html accessed 24 September 2012 13

14. Hill, Indonesian Language [Recommends the government] “... undertake a review of the wording and impact of the DFAT Travel Advisory for Indonesia, with a view to making it more nuanced, and noting explicitly that the advice is not intended to be interpreted as a ban upon educational exchanges with Indonesia.” Hill, Indonesian Language in Australian Universities, p 4. 14

15. Hill, Indonesian Language [Recommends the government] “... ... collaborate with the insurance industry to assist those educational institutions wishing to travel to Indonesia to gain access to appropriate insurance cover.” Hill, Indonesian Language in Australian Universities, p 4. 15

16. Indonesia from the ground up! (IFGU!) 16

17. IFGU! http://www.acicis.murdoch.edu.au/hi/tours1.html 17

18. Alan Oxley, The Australian, 19 Sept 2012 ... Indonesia ... now has a population of 240 million. It has a wealthy middle class that is probably bigger than our total population. Its economy has grown an average of 6 per cent for the past seven years and is likely to continue to grow. The major driver is rising consumption in Indonesia, not Chinese growth which drives most markets in Asia. 18

19. Alan Oxley, The Australian, 19 Sept 2012 Indonesia is now our biggest beef and grain market. It is a natural market for other major exports such as education and tourism. And as Indonesia grows, it will offer important opportunities for Australian construction and infrastructure industries. Alan Oxley, “Sour times with a big neighbour”, The Australian, 19 September 2012 at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/sour-times-with-a-big-neighbour/story-e6frgd0x-1226476843784, accessed 20 September 2012 19

20. Distribution of income Australia, China, Indonesia, United States Gini coeffficient: the lower the score, the more even the distribution of income 20

21. Distribution of Income 21

22. Distribution of Income 22

23. Distribution of Income http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality 23

24. Professor Kishore Mahbubani, ABC Radio National, 8 Sept 2012 Just because Asians speak English well, it doesn’t mean they think in English or feel in English. You don’t get a window into their hearts and minds [through English]. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/kishore-mahbubani-1/4248928, accessed 25 September 2012. I thank Dr Phil Mahnken for referring me to this interview. 24

25. David Hill, Indonesian Language [My] discussions with young adults studying in Australian universities revealed the image of Indonesia (and therefore Indonesian language) among their peers was unflattering, and outmoded. This contrasted with the vibrant, innovative and popular contemporary images of comparator countries like Japan, Korea and China. 25

26. David Hill, Indonesian Language These students suggested Indonesian language and culture needed to be “re-branded” to capture and communicate to their contemporaries its relevance to global youth culture, new technologies, and the region’s economic dynamism. Hill, Indonesian Language, p 27 26

27. Kishore Mahbubani There are two countries clearly that will have a major impact on Australia’s future: Indonesia and China. If young Australians are not learning either ... Indonesian or Mandarin, then I think they will be at a severe disadvantage in preparing themselves for the Asian century. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/kishore-mahbubani-1/4248928 accessed 25 September 2012 27

28. Alan Oxley Australia needs a successful and co-operative relationship with Indonesia. We cannot achieve that using European perspectives. Only a highly pragmatic, sympathetic and rational approach will deliver the sort of relationship we need as Indonesia emerges as a large economy and power in Southeast Asia. 28

29. Alan Oxley That is the major political challenge for Australia in the Asian Century. Oxley, “Sour times with a big neighbour” 29

30. Revive Indonesian? We must bother! 30