Yunie Rahmat
Tell us about yourself!
Hi I’m Yunie. I am currently a third-year PhD student at the University of Sydney, researching about the process of agrarian change in coastal regions of Indonesia. My study (and my life in Sydney) is sponsored by the Australia Awards Scholarship (so thank you Australia!). Prior to commencing my PhD, I worked as a lecturer at Urban and Regional Planning, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia. And now I am happily living in Sydney with my husband and our 3-year old boy.
Where does your interest in Indonesia stem from?
Indonesia is a big and diverse country and it’s always been my aspiration to travel across the country, understanding people’s lives, and especially the relationship between people and space—hence human geography. My interest now is narrowed down to coastal regions, probably because I grew up in a small village in a coastal district in West Java (though I do not live very close to the beach). And besides, who doesn’t love beach and seafood, right?
How do you think organisations like Indonesia Council can improve Australia-Indonesia relations?
I think we sometimes under-estimate how conversation can help to shape or influence our perceptions towards others. I believe organisations like Indonesia Council can contribute to create or enable the kind of conversations that would bridge the differences between Australia and Indonesia through knowledge sharing and personal connection. And I think that being an organisation of scholars from both Indonesia and Australia puts Indonesia Council in a better position to be heard by both the public and the government.
What are some of the challenges and opportunities in the Indonesia-Australia relationship?
One of the major challenges of the relationship is the knowledge gap between the public in both countries. The absence or little knowledge that people gained from limited exposure to the people and culture in the other party often shapes their perceptions towards them. The challenge is then on how to create more opportunities and spaces for a quality interaction between people. The new “online world” opens more opportunities this interaction, at least as a starter to a more personal connection.
Tell us about your favourite Indonesian food experience
Coming to Sydney, I can only cook few Indonesian dishes (or any dishes). But when I realised that food is a cure to homesickness, I learned how to cook Indonesian dishes, starting with the food that I like. I successfully made karedok, pepes ayam, pepes ikan, nasi liwet, sate, ayam bakar, etc, but when it comes to my ultimate favourite food bakso, I failed. Nevertheless, living in other country has taught me a lot about respecting food and the people who make it.
What’s your favourite Indonesian idiom?
My favourite Indonesian idiom is probably seperti padi, kian berisi, kian merunduk, which means the more knowledgeable the person, the more humble he/she is. This idiom helps to remind me about humility, respecting other people and their views/opinions, and learning from others, regardless of their socio-economic or education levels.
[Last month’s PAY IT FORWARD question]: You’ve been asked by Foreign Minister Wong for a ‘big idea’ that will effect positive change in Australia-Indonesia bilateral people-to-people relations. What will you pitch to her?
Education plays major role in bridging the bilateral people-to-people relations between countries. Unfortunately, there is only a small percentage of Indonesians who can continue their education in Australia, mostly coming from the “privileged” groups. One of the biggest challenges faced by the “non-privileged” to study and/or work in Australia is English proficiency. My pitch to Minister Wong would be to recruit Australians to teach English and Australian history and culture to “non-elite” high schools and universities in Indonesia. At the same time, they would inevitably learn Indonesian language and culture. This could be a 6-months to 1 year program per batch. A complementary program would be to link Australian libraries with Indonesian schools, where these libraries can donate books and arrange online “book reading” sessions for Indonesian children, and the Australian community can participate in them.
