On Indonesian news websites, two topics have attracted hundreds of comments: Islam and Malaysia
n Indonesian news websites, two topics have attracted hundreds of comments: Islam and Malaysia. But now Malaysia has been replaced by Australia as the bad neighbor in Indonesian stories.
The Indonesian government has been active in pursuing claims and taking a stand against Australia's stance, compared to the relatively tamer reactions in squabbles with Malaysia.
The issues of interest are allegations of Australian espionage in Indonesia and Indonesia's refusal to accept 60 boat people rescued by an Australian Border Patrol ship in Indonesian search and rescue zone.
While the cause of the Indonesian public's displeasure with Australia is clear in the first issue, it is less clear in the second, which is actually a complex subject.
But in short, both the Indonesian government and media agree that Australia is acting arrogantly once again by trying to impose its will on Indonesia.
By default, Australia possesses complex identities in its relations with Asia. Part of its national identity was the sacrifice of its soldiers in defending Singapore and Papua New Guinea, and later it aided the United Kingdom and the United States in fighting pro-communist Asians in the jungles of Malaysia and Vietnam.
It received the Chinese-majority Christmas Island from Singapore and became a destination for Vietnamese, Malaysian and Hong Kong migrants escaping racial and political persecution. Australia is still one of the most popular destinations for Indonesian students.
But Australia is never liked enough by Asians. Singaporeans see it as a place of drunk and lazy farmers. Japanese hate its meddling in whale fishing. Malaysia and China dislike its support for political renegades.
Indonesia has plenty of issues with Australia, from supporting the separation of East Timor to allowing the stationing of American soldiers so near to Indonesia ' and demanding the release of a drug smuggler in between.
There have been discussions over past decades on Australia's place in Asia. It is sensible to group the Sydney Stock Exchange with Tokyo and Singapore indexes.
Australian national soccer teams compete in Asia and consider themselves rivals to Japan (another source of Japan's ire). Eight to 10 percent of Australians reportedly have Asian backgrounds.
_____________
Indonesian politicians and scholars argue that Indonesia is more important to Australia than Australia is to Indonesia.
Most Asians and Australians, however, would prefer that Australia not be considered Asian. Australians cannot stand Asian hierarchical culture and obsession with wealth and status.
On the other hand, Asians see Australia as a mini America ' a nation of arrogant and hypocritical white colonials with no regard for tradition and manners.
In 1986, the Indonesian media condemned the Sydney Morning Herald for reporting on the wealth of the Soeharto family. Although they knew it was true, the editors had no other choice than to support the government.
In 1999, Indonesians were sure that Australia was plotting to steal East Timor, while across the sea Australian musicians and students were calling for their government to do something to stop the Indonesian Military from killing East Timorese.
The Bali bombing of 2002 united and divided both nations. The day after the tragedy, I went to class wearing a shirt depicting a bleeding yet defiant man ' from the anime Akira ' and the class knew I was angrier than they were with the terrorists.
Australian media were full of stories on the sacrifice and gallantry of the Balinese and non-Balinese Indonesians, while being perplexed about why the Indonesian security forces and government could not do more to eradicate terrorism.
Certainly there were doubts in Australia as to whether most Indonesians were against militant Islamism. Being an Indonesian double minority, I was not sure of the answer either.
To an ordinary Australian, Indonesia is an Asian country, but less well-known and desirable than Thailand or Japan.
Indonesian students are known on campuses and in cities to be friendly and articulate, but there are too few Australian citizens of Indonesian background to be noticeable.
While the Indonesian language is easier to learn than Japanese or Chinese, it has proven less attractive to learn in recent years compared to the other two. Certainly Asian-Australians prefer to learn Japanese and Chinese as, unlike some European-Australians, they hardly see the attractiveness of Indonesian culture and way of life.
An ordinary Indonesian hardly thinks of Australia, while various Indonesian politicians and scholars argue that Indonesia is more important to Australia than Australia is to Indonesia. But Indonesia is closer to Australia than to the UK and the US.
Even as many Asian students and migrants see Australia as merely a cheaper and closer alternative to the US and the UK, they are captivated by how friendly, optimistic and helpful the people are. They are surprised at how diverse it is, even compared to their own country.
In Australia, I have met people from all over the world, of all colors, religion and language.
There is a general perception in Asia that Australians are racists, but Asians need to examine how their own society accepts people of different religion and color.
In the 1980s, Australians were asking why Vietnamese boat people did not move to other Asian countries where 'they eat rice too'. Now Australia has Vietnamese artists, lawyers and entrepreneurs, while Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia do not.
Indonesians who claim Australians hate Muslims would be surprised at the safety and cleanliness of praying facilities on campuses and in offices ' and the diversity of Islam Down Under.
Fortunately, the current 'row' between Jakarta and Canberra involves no more than ministers acting tough against visiting Australian ministers, scholars and commentators saying that Indonesia must teach Australia a lesson in respect, and some hackers reportedly attacking innocent florist and hospital websites while leaving Australian government and military websites untouched.
Australia knows that it has to learn more about Indonesia. It is always learning and everything I wanted to know about Indonesia I learned from Australia. It would help for Indonesia to learn about Australia too ' like why its cities are the most livable in the world.
______________
The writer teaches English and Australian cultural studies at Uni-Bridge, St. Aloysius High School, Bandung.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.
Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.