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West Sumatra quake jolts Perth
I was in Perth on Sept
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I
was in Perth on Sept. 30, chatting to my friend in Jakarta that afternoon. Suddenly, my friend said she felt her office building shake. She didn't really panic, because she said it was not as shaky as the earthquake a few weeks earlier, the earthquake in West Java.
However, I was very shocked when I found out the earthquake had caused such major destruction in West Sumatra. I looked up the Indonesian news portal on the Internet. It was reported the magnitude of the earthquake was a massive 7.6, and the epicenter was near the capital city of Padang. I was very upset and concerned, realizing the level of destruction and that many people had died.
Since that day, Indonesian communities in Western Australia, specifically in Perth, have organized themselves to help their fellow Indonesians back home. Appeals for earthquake victims were immediately held, not only among Indonesians, but also among the international communities in Western Australia. Donation boxes were distributed in public places such as campuses, offices, mosques, churches and many other places.
Within a couple of weeks, we had managed to raise not only funds, but also collect clothes and medicines for the earthquake victims.
On one Thursday night, ESQ Perth received a trailer full of clothes for earthquake victims. The clothes were going to be shipped the very next day, along with other in-kind donations. However, before it was shipped, the clothes had to be sorted based on their category, such as men's wear, children's wear and women's wear.
It was already very late and we didn't have much time to do the sorting. I was not even an ESQ Perth member. However, we all worked together, regardless of whether you were member or not. We just wanted to give of our best to reduce the burden on the victims. There were twelve of us, and we worked from 10 a.m. to about 12 p.m. The sorting was not finished that night and continued the next morning, although I couldn't help the following Friday morning.
On that same morning, my friend at Curtin University called me. He said that we would distribute donation boxes after Friday prayers at the Rivervalle mosque. The imam of the mosque, Abdul Jalil Ahmad, was born in Aceh, so he was more than happy to help us do this. Thanks be to Allah, we received more than AUD 900 (US$) in donations.
As the peak of the fund-raising activities in Western Australia, the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia in Western Australia and Indonesian-Australian Students Association (PPIA) held an event entitled "Let Your Pain be Also Mine". The event was held on Oct. 18 at the Consulate.
The PPIA, as the event organizer, held a grand bazaar and presented an entertainment program featuring both traditional (such as wayang, gamelan, and traditional dance) and modern performances. There was also an auction of Garuda Indonesia business class tickets to raise more funds, courtesy of the flag carrier.
Around 1,000 people attended the fund-raising event, from 10 a.m. until it ended at 7 p.m. The attendees were not only Indonesians, but also from the international community, come to support the fund-raising. Attendees included West Australian parliament members the Hon. John Hyde, MLA and the Hon. Bill Johnston, MLA, the Estonian consul general for West Australia, a representative of PT Garuda Indonesia as the sponsor, and representatives of organizations such as the Islamic Council of West Australia, PIMSI, ESQ, Nurul Haq, WAICC, IFC, Bethany Church, and many others.
Hundreds of kilograms of clothes and medicines were collected and thousands of dollars were successfully raised from the various functions and appeals. As of Oct. 22, the Indonesian Consulate in West Australia reported that the total funds raised for the Padang earthquake victims was more than AUD 11,000. The real number was much more than this because some individuals and organizations channeled their funds directly to individuals or organizations in Padang.
This fund-raising event and the various programs that preceded it were for humanitarian assistance for fellow Indonesians, as a reflection of solidarity from Indonesian citizens in Western Australia.
My dear brothers and sisters in West Sumatra, share your burden with me. Let your pain be also mine.
Taufik Faturohman
Sampoerna Foundation Scholar and tutor at the School of Business and Management ITB,
Curtin Business School, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, West Australia
