Indonesia Council Digest - September 2024
I was fortunate to be in Canberra last week for the 2024 ANU Indonesia Institute Postgraduate Workshop (organised by our Treasurer and woman of many ‘organising’ hats Elly Kent, Eve Warburton, Nuke Muliani and other legends at the Indonesia Institute) followed by the Indonesia Update convened by Eve Warburton and Sana Jaffrey. As Elly said, the PG Workshop showcased the ‘interdisciplinarity, collegiality and professionalism’ of the field, and was a chance for emerging scholars of and from Indonesia to shine. Our PG Representative, Tamara Megaw, was in attendance to present on her doctoral research so I took the opportunity to snap 50 per cent of the IC Exec team – we are so very rarely all in the same place!
The Indonesia Update was also fantastic, with many esteemed scholars reflecting on Jokowi’s political, social and economic legacy and outlining what we may expect under Prabowo. I particularly enjoyed Marcus Mietzner’s session on ‘Jokowi’s world: power, democracy and international contestation in Indonesia’, in which Marcus shared his experiences interviewing the outgoing President for his (Marcus’, not Jokowi’s) forthcoming book. Congrats to the convenors and the organisers who made it such a success – just look how packed the room is for the opening plenary! You can read a brief summary and watch the ‘mini’ Update, held at Lowy Institute in Sydney, here.
The main purpose of my Canberra trip was to attend the 10th anniversary of the New Colombo Plan at the National Gallery of Australia. In the picture below, I am holding a paddle for every year I ran a field school – what an incredible privilege it was to accompany the next generation of Asia-literate students on their (often first) in-country experience. The anniversary event was attended by 300 alumni, government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and University representatives. The event followed the recent release of new guidelines for NCP, which have raised eyebrows (and, in the words of the evening’s Keynote Speaker, Assistant Foreign Minister the Hon Tim Watts MP, prompted ‘lots of free advice’) for raising the minimum time in-country from two to four weeks. Check out these recent articles on the NCP reforms: by Liam Prince for New Mandala, by Ly Tran for Lowy’s Interpreter, and by Trevor Goddard for Koala News.
We at Indonesia Council are, like others in the international space, concerned about the impact of these changes not only from a staff workload perspective but, more importantly, in terms of the barriers it presents to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This is an issue of equity, and we are concerned enough to be putting together a response to the NCP advisory group that has been convened to address feedback from the sector. If you’d like to provide input, please be in touch: iclistdata@gmail.com
Until next month, Natali
What’s happening
The International Forum on Spice Route (IFSR) 2024 will run from 23-26 September, focusing on ‘Spice Routes in Flux: Navigating the Global Transformation and Intercultural Exchange’. The event will be hosted live from three different cities and also virtually via Zoom:
23 Sept: The National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta (opening)
24 Sept: Khairun University, Ternate
25 Sept: Beranda Warisan Sumatera, Medan
26 Sept: Museum Bank Indonesia, Jakarta (closing)
Topics of discussion include:
Spice Routes: A Journey through Biodiversity and Commodities
Exploring Human Adaptation Expression: When the Concept of Aesthetics and Creativity Harmonize through Culture
The Geopolitical Implications of Cultural Heritage Management
Maritime Societies
Global Encounters and Cultural Exchange
Register here: bit.ly/IFSR2024_Registration
You might also be interested in this webinar on the educational implications of the recent
presidential change, hosted by Monash and scheduled for Tuesday 24 September, 2pm - 3pm (AEST). The webinar will focus on the possible impacts of the new government in
policy and economic terms – more detail and register via the QR code in the brochure below.
Peringatan Darurat and the Blue Garuda Pancasila: A Social Media Trend in Indonesia
In recent weeks, Indonesian social media has been abuzz with “Peringatan Darurat” posts featuring a blue Garuda Pancasila symbol, reflecting public outrage over the circumvention of the country’s democratic processes. The movement arose after the Indonesian parliament refused to comply with Constitutional Court’s (MK) rulings on key election law changes ahead of the 2024 regional elections. These rulings, which include adjusting the nomination threshold and setting age criteria for candidates, could threaten the ruling regime’s dominance, represented by the Koalisi Indonesia Maju (KIM), and Jokowi’s political ambitions. The symbol has become a rallying cry for protestors demanding adherence to the MK’s decisions, amid concerns that political elites are manipulating election laws to retain power. This movement sparked nationwide demonstrations with widespread public participation, including students, ultimately pressuring the parliament to uphold the MK’s rulings. The movement’s success has rekindled hope for sustained public engagement in holding political elites accountable and overseeing state affairs.
~ Thanks to our anonymous correspondent for this excellent explainer! You can also read more, in Indonesian, via ABC.
Other cool stuff
Last month we flagged that Professor Kate McGregor’s book, Systemic Silencing: Activism, Memory, and Sexual Violence in Indonesia, had been shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s History Awards’ General History Prize. We’re now thrilled to see that Kate has taken home this prestigious prize for her book, which addresses the historical, social, and political conditions surrounding sexual violence in Indonesia through exhaustive research and uncovers the story of women who have largely been sidelined. The judges said they were impressed by Kate’s account of atrocity, advocacy for silenced victims and the fight against those who sought to obscure these events from our collective memory. “It is an outstanding example of how the fields and methods of transnational history, gender history and the history of violence can be harnessed to uncover important and often poorly understood histories of atrocity.” Bravo! Get your hands on a copy here.
Huge congratulations to the National Library of Indonesia, which has received the 2024 UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World Prize! This major award recognises the Library's outstanding efforts to preserving Indonesia's manuscript traditions and artefacts, which constitutes a significant but under-appreciated world heritage. We are particularly pleased to congratulate Dr Aditia Gunawan (pictured right), our 2024 Indonesia Council Keynote Speaker, who has played an instrumental role in the National Library's advocacy in the field of textual heritage. ~ Thanks to Jarrah Sastrawan for keeping us updated about these developments at the National Library
The 2024 ReelOzInd! Australia Indonesia Short Film Festival premieres on 24 October in Melbourne at ACMI and in Samarinda at UNMUL (yes, simultaneously in both countries!). The pop-up travelling festival will then run from 25 October until 22 December. The theme this year is kerberagaman/diversity. You can view the Festival Trailer here.
Indonesia Council Open Conference
We are delighted to announce that we will be offering two competitive bursaries valued at $250 each to support postgraduate (PG) student members to attend the Indonesia Council Open Conference (ICOC) 2025. These bursaries are designed to recognise excellence in academic presentation and assist with conference attendance costs. You can find out more about eligibility and how to apply via our website.
We will also be hosting a members-only networking event at the ICOC, on the opening night (8 July) – more detail to come via this newsletter in the next few months, or you can also check back on our website. Thanks to the organisers at University of Melbourne for their in-kind support of this event.
These are our very first steps towards feeding benefits back to members. We know they are only small (so are we!), but the plan is that we will continue to invest in our members and return benefits directly to you through bursaries, exclusive events and other grants and prizes. Yay!
Membership
All the cool folks are signing up to become members of Indonesia Council – and you can too! Paid membership allows us to cover our modest operating costs and to support keynote speakers at the biennial ASAA conferences. It also provides added benefits for you, including eligibility for:
Biennial Indonesia Council Early Career Book Prize
Dedicated postgraduate events and workshops
Special members-only newsletters
Other events, activities and subsidies as suggested by you