Conference shows why Australia needs to understand Indonesia

Indonesia’s new president is unlike any leader the southeast Asian country has ever seen, and Australia should take care to understand the nuances of this incumbent and his vision, according to an Indonesian scholar.

This idea was one of many discussed at the third Understanding Indonesia: Indonesia and its relationship with its neighbours as a regional power conference held at Charles Darwin University’s Casuarina Campus on Thursday, December 5.

The conference highlighted why Indonesia is the largest and most important country in southeast Asia, and explored the country’s politics, history, security, religion, anthropology and more. 

Conference convenor and speaker Dr Nathan Franklin said as Indonesia enters a new era under President Prabowo Subianto, it was critical for Australia and north Australia to increase their understanding of the country and the directions it could be led. 

“Indonesia has the worldliest president it’s ever had. He has the best English, best understanding of the West, is educated in the United States and is highly attuned to the West, and he’s the former son-in-law of dictator Suharto,” Dr Franklin said. 

“Indonesia is the most visited destination for Australians, the language is widely learned in our schools. But a lot of people are oblivious to the 280 million people to the north of us, and it’s important to understand the political systems, bilateral relationships and diplomacy of our neighbour, particularly when they’re very different.

“Indonesia will have a significant international presence through Prabowo and Australia, in particular the north, needs to understand where Indonesia will go in the next five years.”

The conference featured a variety of domestic and international speakers including Professor Briget Welsh from the University of Nottingham Malaysia who will speak about Malaysia’s relationship with Indonesia, Nanyang Technological University’s Dr Alexander Arfianto who will speak about foreign policy under President Subianto, and Professor Tirka Widanti from Universitas Ngurah Rai who will speak about Bali’s strategic role. 

Local speakers included Dr Franklin who discussed Australia and Indonesia’s relationship, Associate Professor Steven Farram who explored the history of the Northern Territory and Indonesia, and CDU PhD candidate Peter Lilly who discussed ideological and religious beliefs in Indonesia. 

Officials speaking at the conference were Consul-General in Makassar Todd Dias, His Excellency Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Australia Dr Siswo Pramono, and Federal Member for Solomon Luke Gosling.