Category Archives: Academic Activities

APU Students Participate in Economic Talk

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APU Students Participate in G4 “Economic Talk” Symposium in Tokyo:
2010/5/6 10:46:47 (1283 reads)

n March 22-27, 2010, three APU international students participated in the Iuventum G4 Economic Talk symposium in Tokyo. APU Students Arisyi Fariza Raz (APM4, Indonesia), Tamarind Puri Khiranti Indra (APM4, Indonesia) and Iqra Anugrah (APS3, Indonesia) participated in the 6 day program and discussed a range of global issues and from the youth perspective with other students from universities in the G4 nations of China, Japan, the USA and Germany.

Dealing with various economic-related topics, such as globalization, regionalism and health issues, the APU students showed their skills in the panel discussion sessions, working alongside other participants from prestigious universities around Japan and abroad such as Tokyo University and Waseda University.

During the conference, the participants also had the opportunity to hear from representatives of the automobile industry including Toyota and Volkswagen who spoke of their efforts to reduce Co2 emissions and the introduction of environmentally friendly technology in response to global warming. At the end of the conference, a joint communiqué was presented by the participants and included policy recommendations for predicted challenges in the year 2020.

Looking back on the talks, Iqra Anugrah (APS3, Indonesia) commented, “The conference was so exciting and I learnt many new things. I particularly enjoyed discussing and exchanging ideas on recent global economic issues with so many students from many of the outstanding universities in Japan.”

Supporters of this event include the G8 Youth Summit Japan, the German-Japanese Youth Society and the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies.

Reporter, Student Press Assistant (SPA): Raz Arisyi Fariza (APM3, Indonesia)

News : APU Students and RCAPS conduct the “Seminar of Indonesia”

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News : APU Students and RCAPS conduct the “Seminar of Indonesia”:
2010/2/19 14:20:20 (731 reads)

n Saturday, February 6, 2010, the “Seminar of Indonesia” RCAPS* Seminar was held under the theme “Observing Today’s Indonesia, a Projection into The Future”. Organized primarily by APU students, this seminar invited prominent scholars of Indonesian studies to engage in a panel discussion on the future of Indonesia including Professor at the Waseda University Faculty of International Liberal Studies, Director of the Clinical Education and Science Research Institute, Dr. Ken Kawan Soetanto.

This seminar was organized by the APU Indonesian Society (APU Ina) in collaboration with the Indonesian Student Association in Japan (PPIJ) and RCAPS.

Former APU president, Professor Monte CASSIM opened the proceedings as he shared his experiences of working in Indonesia with the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD).

Following the opening address, holder of four PhDs from prominent Japanese universities Dr. Soetanto then inspired the audience with a passionate keynote speech under the title “Because Of You The World is Difference” which focused on the importance of education in Indonesia’s future development. Dr. Soetanto then gave the audience a few words of advice, “Never forget to set yourself goals and remember that our combined efforts can change Indonesia for the better”.

The seminar then continued with a panel discussion by Associate Professor at the Kyoto University Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Masaaki OKAMOTO and Kyushu International University Associate Professor Satomi OGATA. The lively discussion looked at a range of issues such as the balance of power in Indonesian politics and the empowerment of females in Islamic Indonesia.

Looking back on the event, seminar organisation team representative Iqra Anugrah (APS3, Indonesia) said,”We were glad to see so many students, faculty members and other elements of the APU community from Indonesia and around the world actively participate in this seminar. We hope that this kind of event serves as a stepping stone toward further student-initiated academic activities at APU.”

*The Ritsumeikan Center for Asia Pacific Studies (RCAPS) was established in July 1996 with a mission to promote and foster research into the multifaceted developments and challenges that face the Asia Pacific region in the 21st Century. RCAPS seminars are held regularly at which lecturers from both on and off-campus are invited to share research findings in the field of Asia Pacific Studies.

Reporter, Student Press Assistant, Virgi Agita Sari (APM3, Indonesia)

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Indonesia’s Long Journey Towards Democracy

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Indonesia’s democracy development is good news. As the most populous Muslim nation where democracy and market economy rule, it has started to play a more active role in international politics. Recent achievements and challenges of Indonesia show how it should aim higher.

Ten years ago, Indonesia was near collapse. The Asian financial crisis hit the nation while at the same time it had to face political reformation after the authoritarian Suharto government. Ethno-religious sentiments and conflicts were widespread and riots were part of daily life. 2 However, things do move. A recent report on Indonesia showed that despite of many failures, Indonesia has been able to achieve many things with political and economic stability under the popular re-elected president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. 3 Various bombings in Indonesia, including the latest 2009 Jakarta bombing in the aftermath of the relatively peaceful election, do not undermine Indonesia’s performance, especially when Indonesian National Police succeeded in combating terrorism. 4 Economic sectors after global financial crisis also record impressive development. Indonesia is one of few countries in Asia that has positive economic growth even when Asian economies experienced negative growth. 5 These achievements have lifted the face of Indonesia’s diplomacy in international fora. Besides trying to take the lead in ASEAN, Indonesia also exhibits its ability in tackling climate change and global warming issues. 6 Indonesia has faced and is facing serious issues both socially and economically, but they have so far not prevented Indonesia’s journey to democracy.

What Indonesia has achieved in the last ten years

What makes Indonesia’s reform unique is the fact that Indonesia implemented both political and economic reform at the same time. While many similar cases in many countries seem to be failed, Indonesia has managed its commitment to reform with quite successful results. The most prominent case is the re-introduction of free and fair electoral politics. Since after 1998, Indonesia has conducted three elections: first multiparty election in 1999, presidential and parliamentary elections in 2004, where voters had opportunities to directly vote for the MPs for the first time and the last 2009 election, which was relatively peaceful and successful. 7 Indonesian presidential elections in 2009 also showed the peaceful and fascinating race among the three presidential candidates, the first candidate is the incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with his running mate, Indonesia’s central bank governor, Boediono, dubbed as SBY-Boediono, which supported by pro-growth centre-right coalition of SBY’s Democrat Party and several leading Islamic parties. The second candidate is the former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and her partner, a former high-ranking military general, Prabowo, referred colloquially as Mega-Pro. They have the support of the centre-left Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), the populist Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) and some other small parties. The last candidate is the incumbent vice president Jusuf Kalla with former general Wiranto as the candidate from Golkar Party and People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), using the nickname JK-Win.

The success of elections is just a glimpse of the advancement of civil and political rights in Indonesia. In the field of constitutional law, Indonesia has amended its constitution, as mandated in the agenda of political reformation, in order to fit into the spirit of democracy and human rights. 8 Freedom of speech, information and the press is the most striking example of this transformation. The numbers of newspapers, magazines, radio stations and other new media has been increasing since the fall of Suharto, and now people can talk and express their opinion freely in public spaces. 9 Another story is the rapid development and expansion of civil society. 10 The role of civil society and NGOs has been influential since the New Order era in democratizing Indonesia. 11 Nowadays, various NGOs with different focuses, ranging from faith-based social organizations to right-based pressure groups, have flourished and contributed to the advancement of democratization process in Indonesia.

Freer political and economic activities also transformed the social life of Indonesian society. The question of Chinese Indonesians and other minorities was one of the main concerns for the betterment of democracy and minority groups in multicultural Indonesia. Thus, anti-discrimination legislation was introduced in the line of this spirit. 12 Another valuable improvement is despite various Islamist sentiments from some hard-line Islamic groups, majority rules. A study conducted by Saiful Mujani, a noted political scientist in Indonesia shows that political reformation and democratization has increased as much as the level of religiosity of Indonesian Muslims.13 Problems of ethno-religious conflicts and separatist movements in some regions have mostly been solved. Peace agreements with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) included special autonomy and local political parties in Aceh province were some of the political breakthroughs in settling conflicts in Indonesia. 14

What Indonesia should work on in the near future?

Despite of its tremendous accomplishments, a fully-functioning democracy in Indonesia is still not there yet. In the case of the latest election for example, though it was largely free, fair and peaceful, the tension among the presidential candidates was inevitable. 15 Alleged frauds and manipulations, unhealthy competition and empty campaign are only some issues that have to be solved for the next election.

The old story of collusion, corruption and nepotism (KKN in Indonesian language) is also still popular. 16 The case of Bank Century is an example how state supervision is still weak in watching financial and banking activities. 17Bank Century, a private bank in Indonesia, is accused of misusing its customers’ money. One of its owners got arrested by the police and sentenced to four years in prison. 18 What makes the whole issue became more complicated is the public perception that the root of all problems is the weak control from the government, especially the central bank. Hence, the government policy to bailout the bank was politically and legally problematic. This situation is worsened by the case of Azahari Azhar, the inactive chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), who has been arrested on suspicion of murder of Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, a prominent businessman. 19 This situation has become more complicated by Azhar’s testimony in which he mentioned that some KPK’s leaders also received bribes in the investigation of corruption in an integrated radio communications system project. 20 The testimony and several other cases finally led into the investigation of KPK’s leaders by the national police. 21 This is a huge irony because in the middle of building a solid foundation for the rule of law, clean government and meritocracy, many problems seem to thwart this effort.

Other two tasks of Indonesia are to tackle natural calamities and democratize the economy. Indonesia’s geographical area, which is archipelagic and located in the meeting point of two major tectonic plates, is the reason why Indonesians should learn to live with disasters.22 The latest earthquakes in major islands such as Java and Sumatera is the momentum for the government to prove its capacity in handling non-traditional security issues. 23 The story of post-crisis Indonesian economic development, although it performs quite well, should not neglect the fact that basic social service and provision such as healthcare, housing and education is inadequate and the widening gap between the poor and the rich has to be reduced. 24 Good investment climates, fair regulations and less corruption is some key points in enhancing the economy

The rise of growing religious fundamentalism and violence is also a big hurdle for the healthy development of democracy in Indonesia. Various Islamic fundamentalist groups, such as the international Hizbut Tahrir, the vigilante Islamic Defender Front (FPI) and Majelis Mujahiddin Indonesia (MMI), which is used to be backed by Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, a prominent conservative Islamic cleric, are getting more popular. 25 Persecution and violence against minority in the name of religion and blasphemy are becoming trend. Ahmadiyya, an unorthodox Islamic group who has coexisted in Indonesia with other elements of Indonesia had to face numerous persecutions and violent attacks because its teachings are considered blasphemous and heretic. 26 This situation has led to a crisis when the tension between Islamic fundamentalist and conservative groups and the liberal and pluralist camp reached its peak in the so-called Monas (National Monument) Incident on July 1, 2008. 27The tragic fact is that the peaceful rally to campaign and reaffirm the importance of pluralism and tolerance, which was held on the same day of the birthday of Pancasila-Indonesia’s national principles in nation building, was contaminated by violent actions. There is an important fact showed in the study of the famous Islamic scholar and activist, Luthfi Assyaukanie, which mentioned that there is a strong correlation between violent actions and fatwas (religious opinion by Muslim jurists) from religious clerics. 28 In his thesis, he found that the widespread violent actions find their justifications from these fatwas. The rise of religious bylaws imposed in several regions in Indonesia also undermines the protection of civil and political rights. 29 There have been some complaints because these sharia-based bylaws are considered to be discriminative, especially for women such as the introduction of rajam or adultery stoning in accordance to the strict sharia interpretation in Aceh province. 30When in this kind of situation the government is expected to adhere to the principle of rule of law and takes a clear stance, it seems that instead of imposing such policy the state prefer to ‘play safe’.

Indonesia’s Democracy: Present and Future Trajectory

Indonesia is not a perfect democracy quite yet. The latest election result, which brought victory to the incumbent President Yudhoyono, should be taken as a golden opportunity to strengthen Indonesia’s democracy. 31Indonesia has to learned from the past and reaffirm its national commitment. This effort requires participation and willingness from every elements of Indonesia as a nation. Threats to civil rights, corruption, natural disasters, expanding income disparity and religious fundamentalism are only some of the challenges of contemporary Indonesia.

In the field of international politics, Indonesia should concentrate not only in the regional arena of ASEAN, but also beyond that, something which is called “Post-ASEAN” Foreign Policy by the leading international relations scholar of Indonesia, Rizal Sukma. 32 Its membership in the G-20 means that Indonesia should have a say and contribute more in international affairs. 33 Indonesia’s soft power is expanding now, and through various channels such as cultural exchanges, diplomacy and economic activities, it has to work on its international image. 34 Indonesia’s relationship with other countries is also relatively friendly. Though it often competes and has conflicts with its two nearest neighbors, Singapore and Malaysia, generally speaking it maintains good relationship with many countries. The visit of US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is a proof of how the Western world is now seeing Indonesia as a strategic partner and connecting bridge between the West and the rest of the world, particularly Asia and Middle East. 35

Indonesia’s success in Southeast Asia as the only working democracy in the region is also good news. 36 As a nation with strategic interests and role in world affairs, it deserves a better image. The answer for this problem is very simple: the combination of liberal democracy, market economy and moderate Islam as the three key principles in building a democratic Indonesia. These three points are related to one another. In order to defend and preserve Indonesian multiculturalism, democracy is needed as an instrument to guarantee civil rights of its citizens. Nevertheless, the protection of civil and political rights will be impossible without the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights. Thus, market economy with social protection is needed in order to promote competitiveness and increase growth and prosperity of the nation. The last but not the least is the use of spiritual and cultural values as the moral basis for the system. A moderate and tolerant interpretation of Islam has long become the mainstream of Indonesia’s religious life, which is also the core element for social capital and democratic politics in Indonesia. Despite all the challenges that Indonesia faces, as long as it follows these principles, the Indonesian future will remain bright.

Iqra Anugrah is a third year student in College of Asia Pacific Studies, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, majoring in political science and international relations. He is a member of the Advisory Board for Strategic Studies Committee for Indonesian Students’ Association in Japan (PPI Jepang). The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the PPI Jepang.

http://www.global-politics.co.uk/issue9/iqra/

  1. Long, Simon. (2009, September 12-18). A golden chance: A special report on Indonesia. The Economist, pp. 1-18  ↩
  2. Ibid.  ↩
  3. Ibid.  ↩
  4. “Indonesia Police: Terrorism mastermind killed in raid” USA Today. 17 September 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-09-16-indonesia_N.htm  ↩
  5. “UBS says Indonesia’s economic growth to reach 6 percent in 2010, 2011” iStockAnalyst. 28 October 2009. Retieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3585843#  ↩
  6. Simamora, Adianto P. and Maulida, Erwida. (2009, February 320). “Clinton, UN praise RI role in global climate talks” The Jakarta Post. Retrieved October 30,2009,from http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/02/20/clinton-un-praise-ri-role-global-climate-talks.html  ↩
  7. “Scoping Indonesia’s Next President”.(2009). Indonesia Election Watch 2009. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Indonesia Programme. Retrieved October 30, from http://www.rsis.edu.sg/Indonesia_Prog/pdf/IndonesiaElectionWATCH_2009_ISSUE12.pdf  ↩
  8. See Chapter XA and XI of The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia http://www.mpr.go.id/index.php?m=beritas=detail&id_berita=41  ↩
  9. “Radio Development and Indonesia’s Democratic Transition”. World Bank. Retrieved October, 30 2009 from http://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/radio-development-and-indonesias-democratic-transition  ↩
  10. Harney, Stefano & Olivia, Rita. (2003). Civil Society and Civil Society Organizations in Indonesia. International Labor Office, Geneva http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/ses/download/docs/civil.pdf  ↩
  11. Bunnel, Frederick. (1996). Community Participation, Indigenous Ideology, Activist Politics: Indonesian NGOs In The 1990s. In Lev, Daniel S., & McVey, Ruth (Ed.), Making Indonesia (pp. 180-201). New York: Cornell Southeast Asia Program.  ↩
  12. Hoon, Chang-Yau. (2004). Ethnic Chinese experience a ‘reawakening’ of their Chinese identity. Inside Indonesia, 78, http://insideindonesia.org/content/view/237/29/  ↩
  13. Mujani, Syaiful. (2003). Religious Democrats: Democratic Culture and Muslim Political Participation in Post-Suharto Indonesia. Ohio: Ohio State University  ↩
  14. “Aceh Peace Process Negotiations”.(n.d.). Crisis Management Initiative. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.cmi.fi/?content=aceh_project  ↩
  15. Siswo, Sujadi. (2009, February 12). Rising tensions between Indonesian president and VP ahead of elections. Channel News Asia. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/408371/1/.html  ↩
  16. Suryani, Luh De & Prathivi, Niken. (2009, April 17). Female coalition to report election fraud. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/04/17/female-coalition-report-election-fraud.html-0  ↩
  17. Guerin,Bill. (2007, Mar 29). Politics of corruption in indonesia. Asia Times. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IC29Ae01.html  ↩
  18. “VP: Arrest those responsible in Bank Century case”.(2008, November 2008). Antara News. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.antara.co.id/en/view/?i=1227857533&c=NAT&s=  ↩
  19. Sutarto. (2009, September 10). Jakarta Court Throws Owner of Bank Century To Prison. Tempointeractive. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.tempo.co.id/hg/kriminal/2009/09/10/brk,20090910-197296,uk.html  ↩
  20. “Former Chairman of KPK Antasari Charged With Premeditated Murder” Bernama News Agency. 8 October 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=445351  ↩
  21. Fitzpatrick, Steven. (2009, October 9). Jakarta’s anti-graft boss Antasari Azhar on trial for murder. The Australian. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26184123-25837,00.html  ↩
  22. Abdussalam, Andi. (2009, October 31). KPK deputies’ arrest sparks speculation about police’s motive. Antara News. Retrieved October 31, 2009 from http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1256944315/kpk-deputies-arrest-sparks-speculation-about-polices-motive  ↩
  23. Elliot, Lorraine. (2009). Human Security: A Response to the Climate Security Debates. RSIS Commentaries  ↩
  24. Indonesia Earthquake Situation Report. (2009). ReliefWeb. Retrieved from http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2009.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/MYAI-7WQ2U3-full_report.pdf/$File/full_report.pdf  ↩
  25. Maulia, Erwida. (2008). Income gap widens in Indonesia, most other countries: ILO. Asia News Network. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?sec=2&id=3151  ↩
  26. “Indonesia’s Muslim Militants” BBC News. 8 August 2003. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2333085.stm  ↩
  27. Avonius, Leena. (2009). The Ahmadiyya and Freedomn of Religion in Indonesia. ISIM Review, 22, 48-49  ↩
  28. Astuti, Fatima. (2008). Fallout from Jakarta’s Monas Incident: What is to be done with fringe groups?. RSIS Commentaries  ↩
  29. Assyaukanie, Luthfi. (2009). Fatwa and Violence in Indonesia. Journal of Religion and Society, 11, 11-21  ↩
  30. Assyaukanie, Luthfi. (2007). The Rise of Religious Bylaws in Indonesia. RSIS Commentaries  ↩
  31. “Aceh passes adultery stoning law” BBC News. 14 September 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8254631.stm  ↩
  32. “Indonesia Election Results” MedanKu.com. 11 April 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.medanku.com/indonesia-election-results/  ↩
  33. Sukma, Rizal. (2009, June 30). Indonesia needs a post-ASEAN foreign policy. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/30/indonesia-needs-a-postasean-foreign-policy.html  ↩
  34. Parnohadiningrat, Sudjadnan. (2009, April 3). Indonesia and the G20. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/04/03/indonesia-and-g20.html  ↩
  35. Tangkilisan, Wim. (2009, June 23). Which of the Presidential Candidates Gives Indonesia a ‘Soft Power’ Edge. The Jakarta Globe. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/which-of-the-presidential-candidates-gives-indonesia-a-soft-power-edge/313931  ↩
  36. Hume, Cameron R. (2009, Feb 20). Secretary’s Clinton Successful Indonesia Visit. US Department of State Official Blog http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entries/clintons_indonesia_visit/  ↩

Perspectives on a New Era Symposium held at APU

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On Saturday, November 21, 2009, APU has successfully organized the “Perspectives on a New Era-Japan, America and China” Symposium. This symposium was held at the Millennium Hall in commemorating the APU 10thAnniversary and Confucius Institute 3rd Anniversary.

The symposium invited Asahi Shimbun Editor-in-Chief and APU Visiting Professor, Funabashi Yoichi; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ORIX Corporation and APU Academic Advisory Committee Member, Miyauchi Yoshihiko; Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to China, Anami Koreshige; Dean of Faculty of Law, Keio University and Former President of the Japan Association of International Relations, Professor Kokubun Ryosei; and Founding President of APU and Professor of Ritsumeikan University, Sakamoto Kazuichi.

APU President Monte Cassim and Former Prime Minister of Japan and Confucius Institute Advisor Mr. Murayama Tomiichi opened the symposium by giving a few words in the opening remarks. The symposium was also attended by Former Governor of Oita Prefecture, Hiramatsu Morihiko.

The first session of the symposium began with keynote speech from Professor Funabashi. In his lecture, he mentioned future of the world lies in the Asia Pacific. America will continue to play an important role in the Asia. Nevertheless, we can see the rise of China and Japan as a sign that Asia is now ready to serve as the co-driver in global society. Therefore, he argued that cooperation will be essential in the future.

The second part of the symposium continued with panel discussions with Professor Funabashi, Mr. Miyauchi, Professor Kokubun and Ambassador Anami. The discussion was moderated by Profesor Sakamoto and dealt with three important international issues: world economic order, environmental and energy problems and the Korean peninsula. Most of the discussion time, however, was dedicated for international political economic order, particularly about the rise of China and its impacts to global economy, especially in post-crisis world.

Finally, the symposium was ended by question and answer session to the whole audience, which is not consisted by APU students only but Beppu citizens as well. The whole event was conducted in Japanese and simultaneous English interpretation was provided during the symposium.

Generally speaking, APU has been quite successful in organizing this program. Nonetheless, there were some complaints regarding the symposium from the students and audience. The most disturbing problem probably was the quality of English interpretation. Poor translation sometimes could change the meaning or content of the lecture. Moreover, the time provided for the panel discussion was inadequate. Not all of the topics assigned for the panel session were fully discussed. But after all, APU has proven its capacity as an international university by hosting this kind of event. In order to improve its role as an academic institution and contribute to society, we hope we can see more academic seminars and symposiums at APU, especially after ten years of its establishment.

Iqra Anugrah, APS ‘11

Published in The APU Times, 24 December 2009 http://aputimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=187:perspectives-on-a-new-era-symposium-held-at-apu&catid=1:academic-news&Itemid=187&lang=en

Multiculturalism in APU: The Future of the World

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Multiculturalism in APU: The Future of the World*

By Iqra Anugrah, APS 2

Congratulations on your entrance on APU! Hope that this small university located on the top of the mountain in Beppu will be your home far away from home.

There are a lot of good universities worldwide, with established reputations, great academic qualities, excellent performances and strong networks and links with other institutions, but why you end up in the middle of nowhere in provincial Japan? Probably the best reason behind your decision is the attractiveness of multiculturalism in APU.

This new university is founded on the fundamental principles of freedom, peace and mutual understanding. Why these three values and ideas have become the soul of university? It is simply because those three are the basic human natures that will drive our society towards a better direction. The first principle of freedom guarantees freedom of thoughts, speech and exchanging ideas, which will lead to the advancement of knowledge and thinking about our society and current situations within the academic environment. The second principle of peace is the prerequisite goal of freedom. Peace cannot be achieved without freedom, and freedom loses its essence in absence of peace. The last principle of mutual understanding is the framework for this whole concept. Free exchange of ideas toward perpetual peace can only be achieved in the environment which embraces the value of tolerance, pluralism and multiculturalism.

This is why APU is founded. By gathering domestic students and international students from more than 80 countries at the same time and same place, an epic society based on the values of freedom, peace and mutual understanding can be achieved. Perhaps we may not see the result immediately, but if we imagine in the next 5, 10, 50 or 100 years, it is also not impossible. Our society will be driven by the dynamic, young, talented and skillful human resources with high degree of open mindedness and tolerance to other cultures, which will lead to a peaceful and prosperous world, a world with trade and growth instead of war.

By entering APU, you will see multiculturalism in every sphere of your life-when you are enjoying AP House, attending lecture classes, doing circle activities or even in daily lives. Yes, this is a newly established university, but it does not mean it has nothing to support your future and dreams. You can be a part of change for world’s future, by defining and shaping university culture based on the framework of multiculturalism. This highly multicultural environment will offer you infinite opportunities, from art performances and traditional festivals to academic seminars and international conferences, so do not waste your time here at APU, but make it the best of your life. Friendship and knowledge that you will get at APU will be beneficial for the society beyond Asia Pacific.

So, welcome to APU. This is not the end of your achievement, but rather, this is the beginning of your future pathway. Let us enjoy our time during learning in APU, let us nurture our friendship, expand our networks, advance our knowledge and broaden our horizon. This is an investment for our future, which will reap fruit of a free and peaceful world with mutual understanding. Let us optimize this rare opportunity. Live APU life the most!

*Published at The APU Times Vol. XI April 2009, an independent student newspaper of APU

Press Release: 17th ISM-IJFF 2008: Today’s Researcher, Tomorrow’s Leader

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Tokyo, 25-26 August 2008

Rainy summer of Japan did not hinder Indonesian students around Japan to gather and present their academic works in the 17th Indonesian Students’ Scientific Meeting and Indonesia-Japan Friendship Forum (ISM-IJFF) 2008 at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), organized by Indonesian Student Association in Japan (PPI) chapter Kanto in-cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Japan (KBRI). More than a hundred research abstracts had been submitted, with various topics start from applied sciences, life sciences, medical sciences, natural sciences, to social sciences.

On the first day of the ISM, numerous activities were arranged, start from dozens of presentations of research projects from fellow Indonesian students and researchers around Japan, and lectures from professors, professionals, and government officials both from Japan and Indonesia. The 17th ISM started with opening ceremony marked by report from the Chairperson of ISM-IJFF 2008, Muhammad Sahlan, and speech from the Chairperson of PPI, Deddy Nur Zaman, President of TUAT, Prof. Hidefumi Kobatake, and Indonesian Ambassador, Dr. Jusuf Anwar. The program continued with IJFF. In this session, Dr. Edison Munaf, attaché of education of KBRI, gave a presentation about education system in Indonesia. This year, in commemoration of 50 years of golden friendship between Indonesia and Japan, various cooperations especially in academic fields are also established. As the manifestation of IJFF, TUAT as one of universities in Japan which focuses on agriculture and technology and University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), one of leading universities in Indonesia, established a MoU to strengthen academic and research cooperation between two universities. TUAT side was represented by Prof. Hidefumi Kobatake, while UGM were represented by Prof. Retno. S. Soedibyo, vice president of research of UGM, who also gave presentation about UGM’s profile.

After lunch, the second session of IJF resumed with lectures about Indonesia-Japan relationship from former Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr. Sumio Edamura and Indonesian Ambassador Dr. Jusuf Anwar. Ambassador Sumio Edamura delivered a lecture about the comparison and similarities between Indonesian and Japanese language and culture, While Ambassador Jusuf Anwar emphasized more on political and economic relationship, especially after the signing of EPA.

At the night, first day of ISM was closed by general meeting of PPI and workshop from Association of Indonesian Alumni from Japan (PERSADA).

Second day of the ISM discussed another important issue which has drawn many attentions from global community, including Indonesia and Japan, energy availability. Two forum sessions titled “Indonesian Biomass for Energy Alternative” discussed current issues about energy from Indonesian and Japanese perspectives. These two sessions were moderated by Prof. Wuled Lenggoro from TUAT. In first forum session, Dr. Unggul Prayitno from Board of Research and Application of Technology (BPPT),

Mr. Yoshinori Satake from METI, and Prof. Masayuki Horio from Waseda University gave lectures about current energy condition in Indonesia and Japan and the need of new perspectives to tackle this issue. Second forum session resumed with lectures from Dr. Arif Yudiarto from BPPT, Mr. Issei Sawa from Mitsubishi, and Mr. Pria Indira from Indonesian state oil and gas company (Pertamina), which discussed about current policies for energy alternative and also strategies for future, both from government and industry perspectives.

Finally the 17th ISM-IJFF ’08 was closed by Prof. Wuled Lenggoro with great applause from the audiences. He expressed his appreciation for this event and hoped that ISM will be a sustainable forum for Indonesian students and researchers in Japan to present, share, and exchange their ideas for Indonesia’s development. Will the next ISM repeat this success? We’ll see later!

(Iqra Anugrah, 2nd Year student of College of Asia Pacific Studies Ritsumeikan APU)