My Visit to Indonesia
What an amazing week I had in Indonesia, 4-11 February, staying comfortably in the Jagat Arsy World Civilisation Islamic Boarding School, hosted mainly by Ozy Fahrurozy. I had many friends to connect and reconnect with in Indonesia, some of whom I’d met in Melbourne. I enjoyed dinner out with Inayah Wahid who treated us to a special Sumatran feast. Inayah had come to dinner with me at Armagh in Melbourne in December last year when she came to give the Gusdur Memorial Lecture at Monash University. We met the former Consul-General of Melbourne (when Huda and Nenden were there) now working at a high level in the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs. Pak Agus Mulyana came for a meeting at Jagat Arsy when he expressed the need to address extremism through international events. We met Pak Abdul Mu’ti who studied in Flinders University Adelaide, now Secretary General of the Muhummadiyah. We also met those at the NU who are responsible for environmental management projects. I was grateful for Huda’s teamwork and accompanying for this time. There is much to follow up.
It was wonderful to be met at the airport by Umam and Yofrina. We went directly to Umam’s university, Tanri Abeng, where we met his new boss, the Head of Business School and Huda. Later in the week, we went back to take a class in Cross Cultural Diversity as experienced via IofC. A highlight of that session was a presentation by Alifah Djula, a student who has completed an internship at Asia Plateau at the end of last year.
Next day, which was during Lunar New Year, we started with a program for the Jagat Arsy students. Avin whom I met in Melbourne when she did great volunteer work for IofC Australia while studying IT at Swinburne University and who now works for a national Indonesian telecommunications company, came at the end of the program. She took us to the local mall where I was treated to lunch by good friends: Wazin, Ami, Wuri, Etun and others. I enjoyed dinner at Umam’s home with his family and friends, especially cooked by Dinar in her busy day with their two lively and lovely young sons, Afkar and Azka. It was great to catch up with Iskandar there as well.
It meant a lot to catch up with other friends too: Awen and his delightful family, hearing about his new job in the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Indra, who had spent nine months in Australia, and his lovely wife and children also came to Jagat Arsy. I was deeply moved by his sharing about a near-death experience last year and the way he is addressing corruption in his company. It was great to connect with Rera who is coming to Australia for the People Craft program this year when she will visit me in Brisbane. We’re starting to plan an event for her visit.
Dadan, now father of two and studying his PhD, who spent some time in Australia, came to meet Huda and me to visit Ibu Yusni Kusumawardi, now 92 with limited mobility but very bright in spirit. Yusni, with her husband John who passed away last year, was a pioneer of MRA-IofC in Indonesia and hosted Australians on their visits with IofC at a much earlier time. It's moving to hear the history of Indonesia and Australia in MRA-IofC with such warmth of friendship.
We enjoyed a visit to the current temporary office of IofC and met the staff there, hosted by Nonie. Then on Sunday a special team gathering was held for the first time in the new IofC meeting place and office which is in Nonie’s family home. We shared about our spiritual journeys with IofC. Irna and Rama had just returned from India and Kashmir. It was lovely to meet Nonie’s mother and brother. It was special to learn about the family’s history with MRA and IofC. Nonie’s mother, Siti A. Sabardinah is the daughter of Soenarto who brought IofC to Indonesia in 1956.
Indonesia has a unique peace-making role to play in the world. It can be seen through the welcoming warm-heartedness of my Indonesian family and the general wisdom I see and hear there. There are many challenges. This is how our spirits are strengthened and how we find clarity on our spiritual journey. I pray that Indonesia and Australia together can model the peace the world needs.
Reported by Barbara Lawler