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War and Racism

"Until the killing of a black man, black mother's son is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers sons" Ella's Song.

This line from the very famous peace anthem "We who believe in Freedom" identifies a very common excuse justification for War - that is racism - the manipulation of populations through Racism and Fear which makes possible the exploitation of War for Profit.

An excellent example of this racism in practice has been seen recently right across Australia in the media circus and manipulation of news events surrounding the Schappelle Corby case in Bali.

Why it has been possible for our nation to be so easily manipulated into responding to an event such as this in an unjust, hysterical and racist way is not only sad and shocking but deeply disturbing. For a country like Australia which prides itself on the values of fairness and honesty the widespread cry to "Boycott Bali" was a disgrace. To suggest that the people of Australia attempt to influence the outcome of a court case in Indonesia and the corruption of their legal system by applying economic pressure is ignorant at best and immoral and vengeful at worst - echoing the revenge mentality which has seen the US justify its invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. "Make the Balinese Pay" graffitti scrawled on walls, a Sydney Radio commentator heard referring to the judges in the case as "monkeys", are just a couple of examples of the disturbing situation we faced every day just a few weeks ago.

The fact that the Australian media can spend hours and hours of televison time and hundreds of pages of print decrying the plight of Schappelle Corby while ignoring the deaths of more that 100,000 innocent women and children in Iraq (The Boston Phoenix Sept 5 2005) is an extreme example of racism which even some of the most open and liberal minded among us somehow have been able to ignore. The media determination to denigrate the Indonesian people and once again to create an economic downturn in Bali on behalf of Schappelle Corby despite the fact that Schappelle herself has relatives in Bali and had no desire for this outcome, has proved just how far the media will go in order to achieve their own goals.

For many of us working in the Indonesian cultural community in Australia it has been just another high hurdle to overcome - continuing to present our cultural events and activities in the face of the media barrage and in some cases direct racist attacks.

The Opening Ceremony of Inspirasi Indonesian Arts Festival was held on the 10 June - at the height of the media feeding frenzy. After 2 months of receiving racist hate mail on the AIAA website, we finally closed the guest book down and steeled ourselves to face whatever other outcomes from the Corby case might occur. Thankfully local businesses showed their intelligence by continuing to support the Festival despite the grossly anti-Indonesian media running rampant. Our local papers and radio were a fantastic support, Bay Fm and Byron Shire Echo providing promotional assistance and other local media such as ABC Radio, the Byron Shire News and Northern Star. The other delight for us was the constant and unwavering support of the young unemployed people who made up our Work for the Dole Team creating the Festival.

Being cautious, some members of the Indonesian community approached by the media have refused to give comment, worried that their words would be manipulated and distorted. Some AIAA members such as myself and local AIAA President Dharma Bradridge have been very happy to respond. While being a non-political cultural organisation AIAA's focus has always been purely cultural. However, recent events have forced us into the situation of representing an alternative view of these issues and defending the rights of Indonesian people.

In direct response to this situation AIAA included a Public Forum, entitled Celebrating 50,000 Years of Peace - "Neighbours : Who needs Them", in the Inspirasi Festival Program to discuss the relationship between Australia and Indonesia. Speakers included Kenneth Mcleod from CLIC Mullumbimby, Mark Purser from BayFM Community Radio and visiting artist Heri Dono.

The speakers gave a very insightful overview of the positives and negatives, similarities and differences between our two countries going back through the history of our relationship. The discussion which followed provided the opportunity for local people and festival artists to share their experiences and feelings. Although many different viewpoints were expressed I personally felt a strong response to the comments of local political and social commentator Dudley Legget who identified the negative images of Indonesia being promoted by the Australian media as an example of "Divide and Rule" - keeping our peoples separated through Fear - and the exploitation of fear for political purposes. Another very insightful comment was from a local Indonesian woman expressing her shock to discover that her father - a leader of the Melbourne Indonesian community had an ASIO file and comments when made about the interrogation of Indonesian community members.

My own view is that it is very clear that the relationship between Australia and Indonesia is a political football which has been used very effectively by the Federal government for their own political gain. Local Bali Bomb survivor Hannabeth Luke directly criticized John Howard for using the Bali Bombing as an excuse to go war in Iraq. Fear and intense emotions around events in Indonesia have been used so successfully by politicians that my guess is that we can expect more of the same in the future. As Friends of Indonesia I can only encourage all like-minded people to stay strong in your resolve to continue to stand up to public opinion and to continue to present this beautiful culture of our neighbouring friends in Indonesia despite whatever the turn of events, the Australian media and the politicians come up with next.

Salam Hangat!!!!

Judy