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ON CAMPUS
by Julie Cheng
May 27, 2003
AUSTRALIA'S strong ties with regional neighbour Indonesia were highlighted
by the hundreds of people who attended the 2003 Indonesian Bazaar
at Murdoch University last Saturday.
The outdoor cultural event was organized by the Consulate of the
Republic of Indonesia and featured a variety of food and craft stalls.
 Performers entertained the crowd with a shadow puppet show and gamelan ensemble,
a traditional Indonesian orchestra. There was also Balinese and
Sumatran dancing and pop music.
Indonesian Consul Mukhlis Yunus said the event was a unique cultural
experience and helped foster a better understanding of Indonesian
culture among Australian people.
Chair of South-East Asian Studies Professor David Hill said the
festival was held on campus this year to make the event more accessible
to the community.
"The Indonesian community enjoys interacting with the broader Australian
community. They recognize the importance of there being mutual understanding.
If communities don't interact and engage together, that leads to
suspicion and anxiety," he said.
"It's important for Murdoch University and part of the reason we're
teaching Indonesian studies here, because we believe Australia needs
to recognize its location in South-East Asia and to put greater
effort into understanding Indonesia, our next-door neighbour."
The Javanese architecture of the Peace Pavilion in the Education
and Humanities courtyard made it an ideal venue for the event, Professor
Hill said.
Most of the 100 Indonesian students attending Murdoch University
are members of the Gamelan Group or the Bahasa Indonesian Students'
Association, which participated in the festivities.
In light of recent tumultuous events in Indonesia, including the
Bali bombings and the breakout of war in Aceh, the festival was
an opportunity for the Indonesian community in Perth to display
strength and solidarity.
Against the backdrop of a struggling economy and dwindling numbers
of tourists since last October's terrorist attacks, it was also
an opportunity for the Consulate to reassure the public that Indonesia
and, in particular, Bali, was a safe place to travel.
Melville mayor Katherine Jackson, who attended the event with her
husband, picked up a travel information package and said she was
looking forward to her honeymoon in Bali later this year.
"With the terrorist attacks on Bali, it's obviously unsettled people
in Australia. This sort of exchange builds bridges and shows that
there is still a lot of goodwill between each country toward each
other," she said.
According to the Indonesian Consulate, more than 11,000 Indonesians
live in Perth.
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